Jack rubbed his hands
together in mock enthusiasm as everyone sitting around the Briefing Room
table stood to leave. Gone were the days when he would leave with them,
chatting and carrying on with the easy camaraderie of being 'one of the
guys'.
Nope, he could no longer
do that because he was 'The Man', The Big Enchilada, and the Head
Honcho. Yep, things had definitely changed and sometimes he really
regretted taking over as head of the SGC. Still, the perks did help out,
not entirely, but the parking space was a definite plus, as was taking
over Hammond's chair. Its shiny leather was sweet, comfortable too.
With his luck, Hammond
would figure out a way to requisition it from him. He smirked to himself
as he pictured George dressed in special ops black running a midnight
requisition raid with the goal being his leather high-backed chair. He'd
have to check the security duty rosters for any possible weak spots. He
really liked that chair and would hate to lose it.
Glancing around, he
checked his watch. The Team Leader's Briefing was over with, and he had
a whole hour with nothing penciled in his schedule book, unless that
danged Walter had added something while he wasn't looking. He did have a
habit of doing that; in fact that man was down right spooky, he always
seemed to know where to find him, no matter where he went. If he didn't
know better, he'd suspect mind reading. But there was no such thing . .
. was there? Nah!
As the room emptied, Jack
looked up, expecting to see Walter appear as if by magic, at the door.
Nope, he wasn't there . . . yet. Maybe he could still make his
getaway.
He'd missed having Carter
there, wished for her uniquely scientific viewpoint. Sure, he still
hated dealing with scientists, but she was way more than that. Carter
was . . . special. Yeah, she was that all right, a great combination of
a super brainy scientist who could mow down the bad guys without batting
an eyelash.
'She can watch my six
any day, only . . . she can't, not now. You don't go through the Gate
anymore. Do you, Jack? You're much too valuable now. Or so the President
says. Crap.'
'Come to think of it,
maybe she'd like a visit from her CO. Wouldn't be anything wrong with
that, would there? After all, Hammond used to drop in on us all the
time, back when Doc Fraiser used to practically chain you to the
Infirmary bed with dire threats of sticking large needles in sensitive
parts of your anatomy if you tried to make a jail break. God, I miss
that pint-sized dictator.'
Jack sighed and pushed
himself away from the table. A quick check of his watch helped him make
up his mind; he had just enough time to make a quick trip to and from
the Infirmary before his next appointment.
His mind made up, Jack
smiled and made his way around the table, heading for the door. His way
was blocked by . . . Walter.
Jack jumped back,
startled. "Dang it, Walter. How do you do that?"
Walter looked innocent.
"Do what, sir?" Not unexpectedly, he held the General's appointment book
securely in both arms.
Jack waved his hands in
exasperation. "That!" He put his hand on his hips and huffed a breath.
"All right, what is it now?"
"It's the Infirmary, sir.
They need you down there right away."
Jack's eyebrows tried
making friends with his hairline. "What?"
The graying Sergeant
fidgeted in place. "I'm not sure, sir. Something about Colonel Carter.
They've sent for Kay too."
With one hand on his hip,
his other one scrubbed his hair. "All, right." He huffed a breath. "Let
them know I'm on my way."
Walter stepped to one
side as Jack brushed past him on his way up the stairs. "I'll let them
know you're on your way, sir."
By now he was speaking to
thin air as he watched his CO take the steps two at a time. He shook his
head as he headed for the nearest phone. Unless he missed his guess, and
he didn't think he did, the General was worried, really worried. And it
wasn't just because the Colonel was a brilliant scientist.
Walter picked up the phone and punched in the
number for the Infirmary. "He's on his way."
***
Kay ducked just in time
as a full water pitcher went flying past her head to collide with a wet
and spectacular splash against the far wall. With her hands raised in
surrender, she backed toward the door.
Sam's venomous voice
echoed throughout the room as she spat out her words slowly. "Where. Is.
Jack?"
Keeping her voice low and
even, Kay stopped just short of the door. "He's on his way, Colonel. I
just want to help." She paused ready to dodge any further projectiles
that might come her way. "That's all."
Diligently, she watched
her latest very distraught patient with clinical aloofness, careful to
keep herself from taking any insults personally. To say that Carter was
upset would be a massive understatement.
Both the top and pants of
Sam's blue hospital scrubs were spattered with droplets of drying blood
and looked like she'd been a test subject in a mosquito repellant
commercial, and that she'd the unlucky one stuck with brand X.
Kay firmly steered her
mind away from such fanciful ideas and back to the very serious
situation at hand. When she observed her patient's dilated blue eyes
stop roving the room and fixate once more on the hand that still oozed a
few droplets of blood, the counselor stilled, almost afraid to breathe.
From experience she knew her patient's next moves would tell her more
than mere words could.
Sam scrubbed at the
droplets of blood as if they were a contagion and muttered. "No, no, I'm
real, I'm real. I know I am."
A sudden wail of terror
startled Kay and she froze in place as she watched Sam scramble out of
her bed and run toward her on bare feet. "Keep them away from me!"
Just before she reached
the counselor and the door, Sam collapsed to the floor on her butt and
drew her knees up to her chin, her arms clasped around them. The
utilitarian cloth of her hospital scrubs rasped against her skin as she
rocked back and forth, making an odd counterpoint to her periodic
whimpers.
Warily, Kay approached
her patient. "What's going on, Sam?"
Drawn to the sound of her
voice, Sam's head jerked up and replied. "Bugs." She shivered as her
head jerked around to survey the room with hyper-vigilance. "They won't
leave me alone." She continued to mutter and waved her hands
erratically. "Stay away from the walls, they're alive. Stay away."
Kay squatted down close
to Sam, making sure to keep enough distance between them for safety's
sake. "Bugs?"
Sam looked at her through
fear-widened red eyes. "Yeah, bugs. That's what Jack calls 'em, anyway.
You know, Replicators."
Kay continued in a soft
soothing voice. "And they're here?"
Sam's voice grew shrill.
"You can't hear them? They're eating through the walls, and I feel like
they're crawling all over me." Carter's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who
are you, anyway? How do I know you aren't a Bug Person?"
Smiling her most
reassuring smile, Kay raised one hand while keeping the other one on the
floor to maintain her precarious balance. When the radio dug into her
hip, she wiggled her hips to shift it back into place.
"I'm Kay Dow, the
counselor. Remember? We met in General O'Neill's backyard."
Sam wasn't appeased. "How
do I know you aren't just part of a mind game from Fifth?"
Kay shrugged. "Do I look
like one, Sam?" She changed tactics when she saw Carter shudder and
shake her head violently. "I've sent for General O'Neill and he should
be here any minute now." She paused, in thought. "You needed to see
him?"
"Jack's coming?" Sam's
voice whispered as her eyes welled with tears. "He'll tell me that I'm
real. Yes, Jack will know what's real." Her head cocked to one side as
she thrust her chin out. "I love him, you know."
"Really?"
"Yes, and he loves me
too." Carter's eyes roved from side to side checking out the area. Then
she continued in a conspiratorial whisper. "We're not supposed to
because of the regs. But we do. He'll be able to tell me if I'm real."
She sobbed and shook her head. "I know I'm not a Bug Person, I'm real.
I've got to be."
The sound of feet at the
door behind her caught Kay's attention and she stood up carefully.
Sam heard it too and a
smile lit her face. "Jack!"
Standing now, Kay watched
as a look of puzzlement flitted across the General's face. He shoved
both hands into his pants pockets and cleared his throat. "Carter?" He
tilted his head to one side and lifted an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
Meanwhile, the counselor
felt like she was at a tennis match, her head swiveling back and forth
between the two other people in the room. General O'Neill clearly looked
nervous and uncomfortable. As for Colonel Carter, her expression had
changed from terror-stricken and hopeless to one of ecstatic joy in the
space of a few seconds.
'Hmm, curiouser and curiouser.'
Carter stood awkwardly,
swaying on her feet. "You came, Jack. I knew you would."
Jack stayed where he was
and chewed the inside of his mouth. "Of course I came, Carter." His
hands came out of hiding in his pockets and spread wide. "So . . .
whatcha doin'?" He smiled innocently.
Sam looked nervous. "Jack? Is it really you?"
He flashed her a smile
that lit his eyes and showed off his dimples. "In the flesh."
"Tell me I'm real. I am real, aren't I?"
Jack cleared his throat
and he looked down at the floor before peeking back up at her.
"Carter?"
Sam sighed in
frustration. "Tell me I'm the real Carter, not a Bug Person."
Jack's hands shot back
into his pockets again as he rocked back and forth on his feet. "Of
course you're real." His eyes shot to Kay's in entreaty and he stage
whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "She is, isn't she?"
Kay's eyes went wide despite herself. "Sir?"
Sam heard his question
too. "Jack?" She whimpered and thrust out her blood stained hand for
inspection. "The bugs aren't real. Are they?"
O'Neill took a step back. "Bugs, Carter?"
A wail of despair came
out of Carter's mouth as she sank to the floor again and resumed her
rocking motion. "Noo. I'm real, Jack. I'm real."
Kay took a tentative step
toward the General whose eyes had gone wide with fear. "Sir?
His head turned toward hers. "What?"
Sam wailed in fear, the
sound of her rapid breathing filling the room. "Don't leave me, Jack.
We'll die if you do."
Kay's eyes darted quickly
between both patients, and noted that Jack's eyes were dilated and he
was breathing heavily. "I'd like you to come with me, sir."
She watched as he nodded
slowly and backed out the door wiping his palms repeatedly against his
pants.
Her counselor's mind was
working overtime and she knew she needed to establish some sort of
rudimentary control over the environment and stimuli that her two
patients were exposed too. The last thing anyone needed was for two
people caught in the throes of delusional flashbacks to start playing
off each other in a macabre dance of Folie a deux.
She'd hoped that the
presence of General O'Neill would have a calming effect on her female
patient, however, now that his own delusions had surfaced, no doubt
triggered by something that Carter had said, this was no longer a viable
option. To allow further interaction between O'Neill and Carter put both
of them at risk with the probable end result being an escalation of
their symptoms and possible physical injury to those involved. In Kay's
book that simply was not an option.
Her first priority was
safety . . . for everyone. That meant getting the General to a room of
his own. Unfortunately it might also mean the forcible sedation of
Colonel Carter. First things first, though.
Now that both of them
were in the hallway and out of sight of Carter, Kay spoke, ignoring the
wail of fear emanating from the room they'd just vacated.
"General O'Neill?"
His eyes tracked to hers,
though they seemed distant and far away. "Kay?"
"I'd like you to come with me now, sir."
She beckoned down the
hall and edged away from him, watching to ensure that he followed her
directions. When she saw Dr. Brightman standing with a questioning look
on her pale face, she sighed in relief.
"Dr. Brightman, General
O'Neill needs a private room . . . ASAP. Do you have any nearby?"
The CMO's eyes went wide
but she caught on quick. "Yes. We have one right here." She indicated a
nearby door that was half open and stepped toward it, her white lab coat
rustling with her movement. Before going in, she summoned a nearby nurse
with a gesture. "Doesn't the Colonel know you, Lieutenant Wells?"
The brown-haired nurse
nodded. "I'm the one who brought her here from the bathroom, Doctor
Brightman."
I thought so. Go keep an
eye on the Colonel. Keep a low profile, but don't let her out of that
room. She can't be left alone right now because we don't know what
she'll do next." She fixed the nurse with a firm gaze. "Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." The
attractive nurse smiled and pivoted neatly before striding briskly
toward Carter's room.
Now that Colonel Carter's
immediate safety needs were being taken care of, Kay turned her
attention back to the General who still looked dazed. "General? We have
a room ready for you right here. I think you could use some privacy
right about now." She smiled encouragement and observed closely as her
male patient shuffled past her to enter the room.
However, once his eyes
lit on Dr. Brightman, his demeanor changed dramatically. His shoulders
came back and fire shot from his eyes, as he became every inch the CO of
the SGC.
"Doctor! I need your
medical expertise." He paused in thought and scrubbed his hands over his
face as if to clear his head. "Is Carter human?"
Caught by surprise, Dr. Brightman stuttered. "Sir?"
Kay joined in. "I think
what the General is trying to say, is this, Doctor. Did your tests show
that Colonel Samantha Carter is human, and not a Replicator?" She turned
to General O'Neill. "Did I get it right, sir?"
He waved one hand in the
counselor's direction and nodded emphatically. "What she said."
Dr. Brightman reached
back to close the door and then turned to face a very worried and edging
toward being a seriously pissed off General O'Neill. She spread her
hands in a placating manner. "All our tests show that Colonel Samantha
Carter is most definitely human, sir. She is not a Replicator like
Fifth." She smoothed back her dark hair and crossed her arms across her
chest. "Does that answer your question?"
O'Neill sat heavily on
the gurney with his head in his hands. "Yes, thank you, Doctor."
At that moment they heard
a call from the intercom. "Respiratory Distress in room two, respiratory
distress in room two."
Without further thought,
Dr. Brightman yanked open the door. Kay and Jack exchanged glances.
Jack stood and started
for the door "That's Carter's room."
Kay interposed herself
between him and the door. Together they stood there for a moment at a
temporary impasse until he grabbed both her arms and gently lifted her
bodily and set her to one side.
The small but feisty
counselor wasn't finished yet though and hurried after him. "Sir, I
don't think you need to be in there right now." She caught up with him
in the hallway and once more planted herself in his way.
Jack scowled. "Get out of my way, Kay."
Kay folded her arms
stubbornly across her chest and fought down a giggle as she realized the
sight she must present, the vision of a mouse waving the solitary finger
of defiance at an eagle pouncing on his next meal.
"Why do you need to be in there, sir?"
The General waved his
arms in agitation and spoke in a panicky but earnest tone. "Because I
know what's going on!"
Taking a deep breath, Kay
kept her voice low and calm as she ordered him to give her an
explanation. "Then enlighten me."
"When Fifth had us, we
were connected somehow, a doohickey that Bug Person from hell put inside
our brains. We couldn't be farther than a few feet apart from each other
or we'd die. Hell, we almost did! If Ernie hadn't figured it out, we
would've." His voice quavered in remembrance as he wiped sweat from his
forehead. "Fifth removed them from both of us as part of the deal I made
with that THING." He puffed out a sigh and licked his lips nervously.
"In exchange for her freedom, I agreed to stay with Fifth for as long as
IT wanted me."
His voice had changed
from a harsh tone to a whispered monotone. "Sam . . . Carter must think
she's still back there with Fifth. She was asking for me because she
knew I'd protect her." His tired brown eyes pleaded with Kay for
forgiveness. "I let her down . . . and now she's gonna die."
Kay laid a hand on his
shoulder. "Calm down, sir. She's being taken care of."
Acting as if he were
carrying a weight much too heavy for his broad shoulders, Jack propped
himself up against the wall with one arm. Kay noted with alarm that his
respirations had increased.
Jack's voice was flat,
almost a whisper as he as he squeezed out his words around his wheezes.
"Don't understand it." Pant. "Ernie said it was gone." Pant. "Couldn't
find a sign." Pant. "Neither one of us." He shook his head and gasped.
"If she's still got hers then I . . ."
He continued to breathe
heavily and slowly sank to the floor. "I'm dizzy." His fingers tugged
frantically at the collar of his shirt as if to loosen its constricting
hold around his neck.
Kay grabbed him under the
shoulders in an attempt to ease his way to the floor. Then the counselor
watched helplessly as his arms flopped bonelessly on the white floor
tiles and his eyes rolled up inside his head.
Dismayed, she looked
around, but it looked like everyone was tending to Carter.
She yelled in her loudest
voice to raise the alarm. "Man down. I could use some help over
here!"
Her hands felt for the
pulse point in his neck and she sighed with relief when she found it, a
bit too rapid for her liking, but at least it was there.
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