Re: The Ghost
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 9:11 pm
Next part is coming up. Thanks for all your patients. Been a bit busy...
xxx
Doctor Frasier was just standing next to the Colonel to check his vitals as Daniel walked in. “How is he doing?” he asked while taking a chair to sit next to his friend.
"He is still out from the narcotic he had during the operation. Otherwise, his vitals are looking good. He is in remarkable shape for his age," she replied while checking some boxes. Janet was thinking about telling Daniel that he should not stay for too long. But as soon as she was thinking it, she threw it overboard as she knew how it worked. Every time one of them was in here seriously injured one of them would sit with their friend. It was a 24-hour watch and she admired it.
"Thank you. I will ring the bell when he comes to." Daniel knew the procedure. Sit, wait, ring the bell when he comes around. He could do this. The archaeologist opened his laptop and started on some translations he was working on at present. His concentration was so not with him and after a few minutes, he put the electrical device on the floor. Watching his friend lying there in front of him, he wished he could do something to make him better.
Xxx
Sam entered the infirmary to relieve Daniel for some rest. He was dozing already and as she laid a hand on his shoulder he jumped.
"Oh, hey Sam. What are you doing here?" Slightly off, he looked around. A glance at his watch showed him that six hours had passed since he had sat next to his friend. Checking now on Jack, Daniel saw that his friend was still out, and the monitor was beeping in the rhythm of his heart.
“I will go and get something to eat. Have fun.” He smiled and let Sam take the warm seat. The Major just smiled back and watched her CO. He was looking peaceful. She tried to imagine what he would be thinking or dreaming about.
The time flew by. The nurses made their last check and smiled encouragingly. So far still no change. The operation was 8 hours ago, and he still wouldn't wake up. Sam grew concerned and hoped that this would change very soon. Taking his hand in hers, she rubbed her thumb lightly over the back of his hand.
“Colonel, please. You have to wake up.” She pleaded.
“Why?” a soft voice asked from the bed.
“Colonel!” Sam nearly jumped out of her skin.
“That’s me, last time I checked.” He smiled and turned in her direction.
“Let me get Janet for you.” Sam pressed the bell in the same second and could not tear her eyes off her friend. He`s done it once again…came back and cracked a joke.
“How you are doing, Carter?” Jack looked at his 2IC and tried to give her some comfort. His memory came back slowly, and he imagined that it would have been quite a shock for her.
“I am fine. It’s you we are all concerned about.” She smiled broadly.
“Ah, Colonel. Welcome back. It’s nice of you to join us.” Janet marched into the room and started to check him all over. “Your vitals are looking good given the circumstances. Despite them, how are you feeling?” She ticked some more boxes and scribbled some notes down after checking his pupils.
"Tired. Like someone did throw me under a train." He grinned to show that no one needed to be concerned about an old soldier like him. First, he was just going for his fine bravado. But, in the last second, he decided for once, to tell the truth. They all deserved it.
“Are you in any pain you can`t handle right now?” Janet was thinking about how to word it right for him. She knew that the Colonel was against painkillers if he was thinking he didn’t need them.
“I am ok for now doc.” He told her honestly and promised to say something when he got in too much pain which would happen eventually.
"I will leave you two alone." She was on the way out as she turned around once more "Sam, don't stay too long. The Colonel needs to rest." With that, she was gone good knowing it wouldn't happen anyway.
After she assured the good doctor that she would not stay for too long, Sam turned her attention back to her CO. Jack was watching her and could not believe how beautiful she was. So close and still too hot to touch. He wished the regulations wouldn’t stand in their way and it would end like a fairy tale where they lived happily ever after.
“Sir, you should go back to sleep.” She smiled and was on the way to stand up.
“Stay with me,” he coughed, “please.”
“Sir?” she looked him directly in his deep brown eyes. “You heard the doc as good as I did.”
“Don’t care, Carter. Stay. Please.” He closed his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him. Now he regretted not taking the doc up on her offer of some pain meds.
“Sir, you are in pain. I will go and get the nurse. OK?” Sam looked at him in concern.
“Only if you stay.” Opening his eyes, he managed to put a schoolboy grin on his face. She had to be careful not to melt away. He was still her commanding officer.
“Ok, when it makes you happy. I will see what I can do for you.” She grinned and entered the competition of the smile of the year contest.
“It does.” He closed his eyes again.
Sam left him alone for a minute while she was looking for a nurse. Teal`c was still standing outside and had all the immediate area covered. The news that his friend was awake put him a bit more at ease.
The next morning came. Sam had been sitting next to the Colonel's bed all night dozing on and off from time to time. It was irritating her that every time she left his side he became restless. Even in sleep, it seemed he sensed her nearby.
Daniel came early in the morning with a cup of strong coffee for her. Both watched the sleeping man. Both teammates swapped sides and now it was Daniel's turn to take care of his friend. He knew from previous stays at the infirmary that Jack could be a pain in the backside if it comes down to `I want to go home; I am feeling well yadi yadi yada. ` It was always the same and still, he wouldn't have it any other way. The man in front of him he respected too much. Over the years they became good and close friends. He would do everything in his power to help his friend with whatever he needed and he was sure that Jack would do the same.
Taking his laptop out, he sipped on his coffee when a nurse came in. "Good morning, Dr Jackson." She smiled at him and went on to check the vitals of her patient. Taking some notes, she always had an eye on the visitor next to her.
It was not a secret that a few women on the base had an eye on Daniel Jackson, especially some nurses. She was one of them. In her eyes, this man was everything she wished for: loyal, handsome, good looking, charming… oh, she could carry on the whole day. Instead, she finished and wished him a good day.
Some dark brown eyes opened slightly and just saw how the nurse left. Closing again and hoping to find some more sleep a voice started talking to him. “So, Jack. How is it going?” Daniel asked, realizing his friend was awake.
“Leave me alone,” Jack mumbled, not in a mood to talk to someone. He was still in pain and his Major wasn’t here. He had hoped he would wake up and the first thing he would see was her. No such luck and Daniel now was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“And a good morning to you too,” Daniel quipped.
“What you want? I told you already to leave me alone.” Jack opened his eyes again and looked at a happy smiling face which belonged to his friend.
"I want you to get yourself better and I want to help you to find the bastard who is after you. Right now SG1 is on downtime so long till the guy is caught and you can enjoy your life in peace again. But this involves you speaking to me or anyone else. We need some information about what's going on and who it is you think you are seeing." Daniel hoped that it was quite clear now that he would not go away and would not let the matter drop, but he also knew how stubborn his friend could be and taking some help was never his priority.
"Nothing to talk about. I just have seen someone who is a long time dead. Can happen to anyone. Now let it go." Jack closed his eyes just to open them again as he heard his name.
“Jack”
“Daniel”
“Jack, don’t be an ass”
"I am not. This guy whoever he just wants some fun. Let him have it. He will soon be tired and move on." Jack was hoping that he could go back to his well-deserved rest now.
“What if he leaves you alone and picks someone else? How could you live with that?” Daniel tried to challenge him.
"Not my problem." With that, the conversation was finished as he closed his eyes again and turned his head slightly to the side.
“Yeah, the great Colonel Jack O`Neill just picking the easy way out. Everything is not his problem.” Disappointed, Daniel got up and left his friend still in disbelief at what he had just heard.
Sam sat with her breakfast as Daniel stormed in and got himself a coffee first. Sitting next to Sam a little while later, he shook his head, still angry and mad over the conversation he had had in the infirmary.
“What happened to you?” Sam looked at him a bit irritated.
“Jack happened,” he grumbled.
“He is awake?” Sam still looked confused. She knew that her CO could be a pain but seeing Daniel so angry she wondered ‘What did he do now?’
Daniel explained what had happened. After he was finished, he sunk into himself. His steaming coffee still in front of him on the table he played with his thumb.
"Daniel, I believe that the Colonel just wants to protect you. Knowing him he wants to deal with that matter himself and want us out of harm's way. He is our leader and a good leader protects his team. He would never forgive himself if something would happen to you, me or Teal`c." She tried to explain.
“Ah, and you know this all how?” he fired back still hurt.
“Because he and I are Air Force and that is what I would do in his position,” she admitted.
Daniel looked at his friend in surprise. He just felt like someone smacked him over his face to wake him up. He should know better. All this Jack O`Neill bravado. He always pushes his friends away if it gets too dangerous because this old stubborn Colonel still didn’t get it that he has friends, very good friends.
“Ok, makes sense. What’s your plan? We need to find that guy. Otherwise, sooner or later, he will kill him and that is so sure like the amen in a church.” Daniel’s face had changed as the fire of his helpful nature came back.
“So far we don’t even know what the guy looks like. All we know is that Jack said the guy is dead. He died a long time ago.” Sam mumbled under her breath.
Xxx
Jack opened his eyes again. Looking around he noticed that he was alone. No one was waiting for him to wake up, no one who had a friendly word for him. He frowned to himself. Sometimes he didn’t even know himself what he wanted. Too much fussing around would annoy him and when no one was here for him it wasn’t right either.
Checking himself over he felt ok. Not much pain so far which was a good sign. His stomach rumbled and he realized that he was hungry. A bit of bacon and eggs would be nice for him to have now. He sighed. If he would have been nicer to Daniel a bit earlier, he could have asked him if he would bring him something from the commissary.
His thoughts had gone back far, far back to a time he never wanted to relive again. He closed his eyes as he saw the whole scenario right in front of him: the hot stuffy air, the glimmerings in the distance. He was on a point high above everything. Beneath him, a little village snuggled itself on the hill. Farmers worked in the fields and traders came and went.
His mission was simple: wait for the guy, shoot the guy, get to the meeting point, get picked up. Just a piece of cake. He was lying on his spot for a few hours now and his eye had grown a bit tired. The dry air didn’t always help to keep the eyes moist. The sand in the air didn’t help either. There, the man in question arrived. He got out of the car and stepped to a group of men. Jack didn’t know where he was exactly. His orders had been clear about eliminating him.
He aimed his rifle and one single shot escaped. The sound flew over the whole dessert. The man crumbled and dropped dead to the ground. Jack had watched the whole scenario. A shot, right between the eyes. He packed his stuff together and made his way to the pickup point when he heard voices. Quickly looking for a different route he started to run in a zig-zag kind of way. He hated killing, but he also was a soldier and knew what must be done to keep the planet safe.
The shouting and screaming came closer and closer. He had to do something otherwise they would get him and he didn’t want to know what would await him.
Very quickly he had set a few traps hoping that would buy him some time. As he ran further, he heard some explosions and more screams. All of a sudden a boy was standing in front of him. He knew that kids could be dangerous but still. What if the boy was just as innocent as they come? Jack was sure the kid didn't ask for any of this and with that, he was moving on. Let the boy stand where he was standing. Not paying attention that the kid got himself a knife from God knows where and aimed it in the direction of the stranger.
A sharp pain erupted in his right thigh. He nearly dropped to the ground but managed to stay up. Cursing and fumbling around to get the knife out, the voices came closer again. As he turned around to see the boy staring at him. Jack lifted the knife into a throw position and released it. He saw how the boy closed its eyes and waited for the kill. It never came.
Jack just had smashed the knife into the ground and now, in much pain, limped forward to the meeting point. It was still a great length to go and he had to hurry as otherwise he would be left behind.
He heard voices talking and was thinking that in the next minute he would be captured, but nothing happened. The voices went away and he managed to reach his chopper. He didn’t know what this was all about but assumed that the boy saved his life on the end as a thank you for sparing his own life in the first place.
Coming back to reality, it took him a few seconds to realise where he was. He was safe inside a mountain. No one could get to him. He trusted the security and all the safety measures in the first place.
Xxx
Hammond was on the phone again and still tried to find something out about the black ops life of his 2IC. It was easier to find a needle in a haystack. Nobody would say anything and he was about to lose his patience. He knew how hard it was to get something to investigate if it was classified. But even a General could dream of an easy mission in that matter.
But, so far, all was a dead end. He was on the end of his rope and didn't know how to handle it. The Colonel wouldn't open his mouth which was understandable, and no one was talking. All he could do was give the Colonel his security team every time he would go home. The time of taking any chances was over. Jack O`Neill was a man who came too close to death a few times too often.
He called Major Carter, Dr Jackson and Teal`c to his office and informed the rest of SG1 that he was sorry but there was no way of getting anywhere in the Air Force to find something out.
“I am very sorry. But, right now, there is nothing I can do for him. I will not be letting him go home so soon anyway. That should buy us some time. Dismissed, people, and keep your eyes open.” He sighed and hoped that sooner or later they would catch the guy who was messing everything up.
Xxx
Teal`c took his place outside the infirmary again. He was standing by his friend every day for twenty hours and used four hours to meditate. So far no one would harm his friend.
“Sir?” Sam stepped quietly into the room where her friend and CO was lying.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped at her before she could even say anything.
"Not here for that. It's your problem. I just wanted to check how you are feeling and as I can see you are almost back to normal." She snapped back at him. Her feelings had been hurt at how he reacted to her. With that, she turned around and left him. Outside the door, she leaned against it and took a deep breath not even realizing that Teal`c had watched her.
“Are you well, Major Carter?” he asked her gently while he observed his teammate.
"He is just such a big stubborn idiot. Why can't he see that we are his friends? We are concerned about him and want him on his feet again. Why can't he see that he will die if he doesn't take help from us? He can't do it himself. Teal`c, I am scared for him. Nobody has seen him so far. So no one knows what the Colonel's ghost looks like." She took another deep breath and was about to apologize to her alien friend as he was about to speak.
“I believe you are correct in that matter, Major Carter. But as I recall, Colonel O`Neill is a great warrior amongst the Tau`ri. Every warrior has his pride and O`Neill has his. We must approach him in a different kind of way to get him to open up to us. Be friendly and kind. Do not bring the subject up anymore with him. Soon, I believe he will relax and then we must be there. He will talk to one of us.” As he finished, he bowed his head. Sam once again realised how wise her friend was.
But for now, she had had enough. She didn't want to face him again soon. Too much hurt by how he was to her. Even with the knowledge, she had before and now it still hurt too much. With that, she went to her lab. Her work could not do itself alone so she had to do it.
Jack was slumped in his bed. He was just assuming she was here to get him to talk again and he was so not having it. As he recalled her words, he imagined them more and more that she shouted at him. The words became louder and louder and with each recall, his breath got faster and faster. He tried to calm himself down, but nothing worked. The first tears spread across his eyes and he was feeling embarrassed, but he needed help. Just with the last of his efforts, he managed to ring the bell as he cramped up.
A nurse walked in with a friendly face as she saw that his whole body was now in a spasm. She saw the tears falling and the breathing going even more rapidly now. She pressed the emergency bell and tried to talk to him. Her soft voice was just for him right now to soothe him.
As the Doctor entered, she was very quick in realising what had just happened and gave Jack something to calm him down, not even asking him. The Colonel had nothing to say in that matter and Janet doubted that he even could.
After Jack relaxed a bit and his breathing slowed down, Janet checked him over and asked him what was the cause of his attack. The Colonel looked at her and denied any knowledge of what or why it had caused a panic attack.
“Sir, you need to speak to someone. You can choose - either one of your friends or Doctor James Mackenzie. It’s your choice. But I am not having that.” She saw that he had understood her and was thinking about his options.
“Thank you for your help,” he said softly and closed his eyes. He knew why had panicked. The thought of Sam being so angry at him that she shouted at him while he was in the infirmary just made him sick. For now, he had to push that to the side. It was no good to brood about it. He had to figure out how to get to the little ghost who was chasing him first before he was out for target practice again.
Xxx
Sam was sitting over a doohickey when Janet came in. She walked over to where her friend was sitting and watched her for a bit. "What are you working on, Sam?" the Doctor asked quite interested in the strange-looking box which was on the table in front of the Major.
"Just something SG11 brought back from their last mission." She waved with her hand as it was not something special. "What brings you to my little dungeon?" She smiled and waited while her friend was clearing her throat.
“Not long ago you went to see the Colonel, didn’t you?” Janet asked softly so as not to scare her friend.
“Yeees,” Sam dragged it a bit wondering what was going on now.
“May I ask what the conversation was about?” Janet stayed with her soft voice for now.
“What is it? Why do you want to know?” Sam became irritated.
“Just tell me first. You know I can tell you nothing about my patients. But I need to know what you both have been talking about.” Janet stayed calm the whole time.
“Well, I entered and he told me he didn’t want to talk about it and I told him that I wasn’t there to see him for that but rather to see how he was doing.” Sam sighed after she recalled the last conversation with her friend. “That’s all. It was very short. I was upset so I left again. If he wants to be grumpy, he can do this but on his own. Maybe I overreacted a bit as I should know how he can be.” She looked at the Doctor. “Is he ok?” Now she realised that Janet never visited her if she wasn’t concerned about something bad.
“Ok, I understand. Just one last question. Did you shout at him?” Janet wanted to get to the bottom of all this. She had enough of kids playing soldiers and vice versa.
"I may have raised my voice a bit. Nothing more than usual when we argue. So again, what's with him? Is he ok?" Sam's concern rose above herself and she felt like someone was sitting on her chest. She knew she had feelings for her CO, and she knew that she never could have him. So, she acted as normal as possible. Now she realised that the hurt and raised voice was probably because it was he who snapped at her. She would have taken it from everybody but him. It did hurt.
Jack was lying in his bed while staring at the ceiling. His brain already had been in overdrive again. In here was nothing to keep him occupied. The fallout with his 2IC was the last straw and he had to be careful not to completely lose himself. If he would have had his game boy or YO YO that would give him something to do. But right now? There was nothing for him to do.
He loved his Major. She was his missing part. More than that. She was beautiful, intelligent, a fine officer to work with and she had nearly the same sense of humour as he did. Now she was gone. She stormed out of his room before he could say anything else, could apologize or at least they could talk about it. He was such an idiot. She was just concerned about him and he had to fight her off. `Jack, you are such an ass. ` he was congratulating himself.
While he was still deep in his thoughts the door opened, the sound made it clear and a few footsteps followed. He wasn't bothered to look at who it was as he wasn't interested. He just will not speak any more to anyone. That's the best way to not get it wrong and hurt his friends even more.
“Hey Jack, how you are doing?” the voice asked sweetly. A syringe was in one hand and was prepared to stick it in the IV line of the Colonel.
Jack`s head followed the voice and his eyes grew big. How was it possible that he was here? Searching for the call bell with one hand he never let the man in front of him out of his sight. Panic started to creep up, but Jack would not show it to him for one single second.
“Jack, Jack, Jack. I would not do this. If you call somebody or tell someone afterwards, I was here the blood will be on your hands. They will all die, like all those years ago. So many people died. Their blood is on your hands. You killed them.” The voice remand sweet and soft.
Dropping the idea of ringing for help or shouting, he just watched as his nightmare came closer and closer.
"I got your daily shot here. You suffer already from two panic attacks as you didn't have your medicine. Just let me help you." With that, he emptied a big syringe into the IV line. With a big smile on his face, he just watched his victim and how the drug took over his body. He knew it would take up to an hour to kick in but also knew that applied right into the bloodstream the effect was almost immediate.
“Where is Teal`c? He was standing outside…” Jack managed to ask before the drug took the ability to speak from him again. His body was limp, and he lost any feelings. He was exposed to the shadow of his past and if no one came, he surely would lose the battle for his life if it came to this.
"He is still outside. But I can assure you I know how to pass him. He never saw me going in here and he will not see me going outside. So, for that Colonel, you are on your own. Do people still believe you? You are the only one who claims to see me. I am not finished with you yet. The game's only begun. Let`s start to make it more interesting, shall we?" With that, he rang the call bell and vanished. Jack`s eyes grew wide. He feared for whoever would come to him.
“Colonel? How can I help you” a young nurse came in.
Jack just looked at her as he still was unable to move and speak. He began to see little creatures crawling up the walls and blinked a few times. This wasn’t real. Nothing of that was real. He tried to talk to himself inside his head and reassure himself that all would be fine. The drug would wear off and then he would speak with his CO.
“Why did you press the call bell, Colonel? What can I do for you?” The young officer grew more and more irritated.
Jack started to roll his eyes as he saw more and more creatures crawling up the walls. By now they had even been crawling up the nurse in front of him and there he was and couldn`t do anything. He wanted to scream and shout. He wanted to save her. But he couldn’t. No sound climbed out of his mouth.
“I will get you a Doctor. Just hold on, Colonel, and sorry that I could not figure out why you wouldn’t speak to me.” She apologised and left to get some help.
Jack had closed his eyes with the hope that his hallucination would disappear. As he opened them again all the creatures were gone. In his head, he sighed in relief as he noticed that there was water on the floor. The level was rising and nearly reached his bed. Swallowing his panic down he tried to stay calm, telling himself that this was also a hallucination. That it also couldn't be real, that it would disappear the same as his little crawling friends had disappeared. Now, the ice-cold water reached his bed and he felt so helpless. The liquid surrounded his face and swamped over his mouth and nose. The Colonel struggled to breathe as he tried to inhale the much-needed air but only got water in it.
He tried to kick and punch and with much effort, he managed to free himself. The feeling was gone which held him down and with a big loud bang, he landed on the floor. He shook his head. The water was gone. All looked normal to him. No more hallucinations. He tried to set himself up and to check if his body had received any more injuries. But the feeling still wasn't back. So, he lied on the floor like a fish out of the water. In the same second his friend stormed in.
“O`Neill, are you all right?” Teal`c asked in concern. He was not prepared to find his friend lying on the floor not moving.
Jacks speech slowly came back as he tried to answer to his friend “I am fine T. Just help me up will ya?” His big Jaffa friend scooped him up and placed him carefully back in his bed. Jack knew he would have a few more bruises in a couple of days.
“Which decision made you sit on the floor?” The alien asked in confusion.
"Oh, Teal`c. I don't know. Maybe I just fell out of bed. They are quite high. Have you ever realised that?" Jack tried to change the subject.
“I have not, O`Neill,” he replied while helping his friend back into bed.
By now Doctor Frasier had arrived and while Teal`c explained what had happened she checked the Colonel over. On a hunch, she took some blood to investigate it. She knew that he would not tell what happened if that would bring anyone in danger. The Colonel had said for not answering the nurse when she asked him before how she could help that he was blinded by her appearance. Janet knew better. The Colonel was a man of honour. He never would say anything to get someone else in trouble or, if not, something was wrong.
Xxx
The phone rang and Janet picked it up in her office. "Are you sure? Have you checked it?" The news she received had been very disturbing and she didn't know how to deal with it. The Colonel would still not talk about it and kept another secret to himself. She had to talk to him.
A few minutes later she entered his room where he was staring at the ceiling again. Nobody from his team was with him. She wondered about that briefly but pushed it to the side as she had more important matters to attend to.
“Colonel O`Neill? We need to talk and don’t give me a hard time answering my questions because if you do so I will contact the General to take the appropriate measures. Are we understood?” Janet had one of her sterns looks on her face.
“Please. I can’t talk about anything. Just leave me alone.” Jack pleaded scared about the welfare of his friends and colleagues.
“Sir, we found the same drug called Ketamine in your bloodstream again as the previous times before. That’s the reason why you didn’t answer my nurse. He was, here wasn’t he?” She looked at him.
Jack didn't know how to react. He wasn't sure if his room was bugged and if he would say anything, he would make it worse. The Colonel stayed silent. With his eyes, he tried to tell her. Janet was smart and gave him a pen and a piece of paper. At the same time, she left the room and ordered a complete sweep of the room just in case. Jack wrote down what he had to. `2x yes.'
As Janet came back and looked at the writing she smiled. It wasn’t funny but the thought about the Colonel not using many words in speaking and not using many words in writing had something comical to it.
She wrote down what happened next and he calmed himself down. He knew the doc was smart and that she would count on it. After over an hour later the whole infirmary was swept clean and nothing was found.
General Hammond in person came down to speak to his 2IC and set some rules. The first rule for the Colonel was to speak about the man who was hunting him down.
Jack was not happy about it. He knew he had to tell his team and his CO as much as he could but at the same time, he was worried about them. The less they all knew, the better for them, especially for his Major. He would rather die himself than lose her.
"Jack, this is not a game anymore if it ever was one. We need to get to the bottom of this. This involves that you must make the table clear. He is clearly out of your past. But why he is so angry with you?" Hammond looked with deeply furrowed brows at his friend.
“I don’t know. Maybe because I killed him, and he didn’t want to die?” Jack quipped.
“Colonel, that’s enough. Everybody knows that you have been BLACK OPS and knows what that means. But I will not tolerate that a maniac has come around, terrorizing my staff and threatening to kill someone. Is that clear?” Hammond did hold himself back, but his patience wore thin and Jack realized it.
“Crystal, Sir.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he opened them again, he began to tell the story of who he was reminded of earlier.
"So, you shot the guy and he is dead?" Daniel asked in disbelief
"Yes, he is dead," Jack replied, getting annoyed that one of his friends doubted him.
"So, Colonel, you have no idea who that person is who wants you dead?" Hammond asked with a much calmer voice.
“I don’t know, Sir. He looks like the guy I shot. But I have no idea who he is or where he came from. Suddenly he was in my life and not even the infirmary or the whole mountain is safe from him." Jack looked more and more exhausted which Janet noticed and ended the interrogation. After she shouted everybody out, she offered the Colonel a mild sedative to calm his nerves.
As she suspected, he declined it and asked to be left alone. He needed to think. The best way to do so was to be left alone. Teal`c was standing again outside the door. After checking closely, there was no other way in or out of Jack’s room and, so far, it stayed as a mystery how the guy could appear and disappear and how he was pleased that no one was seeing him.
Xxx
Two weeks later
"Home sweet home. Come on in, Danny boy." Jack was finally released out of the infirmary. No ghost appeared again. No hallucinations and no drugs.
Nothing out of the ordinary. His team had visited him every day and had spent a great deal of effort to keep him occupied. The General had started an investigation but, so far, there was no outcome. The man Jack had described was dead for over twenty years as he had said and there was no evidence that there was someone else. Jack had given up on the idea that the idiot would be found. In his head, he closed the file and pushed it to the back of his head. He had better things to do than chasing a ghost. That was what he was - a ghost - nothing more and nothing less.
Daniel had driven him home and had volunteered to play babysitter for his friend as the Colonel was not allowed yet to do too much. His leg healed nicely but he still wasn't allowed to put too much pressure on it. The same was true for his shoulder. Now everybody knew that the Colonel wasn't the most patient man on earth and always pushed himself to and beyond the limit of himself. To go home, he had to accept his friend at his side. This agreement with the medical staff always worked as everybody was ever so happy when he left the infirmary.
"How about Chinese tonight Daniel?" Jack asks happily.
“Did the Doc does not say light food for a week?” Daniel replied knowing he had lost the argument already.
"Chinese food is light. Otherwise, I would go with pizza and beer." Jack grumbled playfully back
"Ok, you got me there. But only with water. No beer tonight. That's the deal, take it or leave it." Daniel tried to reason with his friend. Much to his surprise, Jack took the deal. For him, it was more important to get a decent meal after such a long time.
The stuff out of Jacks bag was quickly unpacked and both men sat in the living room and chatted till the food arrived. Spreading everything out on the table, the smell of Chinese and the quietness talked for itself.
“Jack, that was a good idea.” He praised his friend for the idea to get a meal like that. “So, what’s the plan for you tomorrow?”
"No idea yet. I have got some exercises I must do every day. Apart from that, I'm not sure. The first snow is about to fall as well. So maybe I'll take a short walk around the neighbourhood. You want to join?" He rubbed his belly and sat back in his chair. It was so good to be home again.
“Sure, if you like. But you can go on your own if you are more comfortable with it. I know you need your privacy and over the last few weeks you had nothing of it,” Daniel pointed out.
“Good thought. We will see and decide tomorrow if that’s ok with you. For now, we can watch some hockey.” He had already gotten up and slumped himself on his sofa.
“Yeah, fine with me. So, who is playing?” the younger man asked.
"No idea, I am a bit out of the loop. But it`s good to watch a game." Jack grinned all around his face. His mood was as good as it could get at that moment.
"Ok have fun then." Daniel took a chair with lots of cushions on it and made himself relax. The memories of the last night he spent here with Jack crept upon him and he tried to push them to the back of his mind. He was making sure that history didn't repeat itself. Not on his watch.
The game was good. Jack loved to see the L.A. Kings playing against the Vegas Golden Nights. In the end, Vegas won 3:2. So he could see a few goals and it had even gone into overtime. Sticking only to water all night he craved for a beer. But he gave his younger friend a promise. For him, a deal was a deal. Tomorrow he would be allowed to drink a beer and he was so looking forward to it.
"Daniel, make yourself at home. You know where to find everything. I will go to bed now and have a night of sleep like no other. Tomorrow it's a new day with fresh possibilities." He waved his friend goodnight and disappeared.
The archaeologist watched his friend go and shouted after him, "Goodnight, don't let the bed bugs bite." A soft chuckle told him that Jack had understood him. For Daniel, it was far too early. A glance at his watch told him that it was just after 10 pm. As always, he had his laptop with him so he could work on some translations. Making some fresh coffee in the kitchen he remembered how nice it was to watch Jack being happy. Not often had his friend showed himself so happy as when he could watch a hockey game. A smile flew over his face and as the coffee was ready, he got a mug out of the cupboard and took it into the living room.
Outside in the shadows was a figure standing watching every move and taking the whole atmosphere in as everybody felt safe in the house. But for how much longer. He had watched the whole night, the game and the meal. The chat he had listened to and the plans for tomorrow. It was good that he had disappeared for two weeks. Of course, now he had to start again with his game, but he knew that once your body knows the drug Ketamine it will not take long to get used to it again. He just must start on a higher dosage from the start and be more careful. His revenge was near. He could feel and taste it.
But for now, he must wait and be patient. His revenge was only against a certain Colonel. But he would not shy away if someone else got' in his way… The day will come, and he will die. Soon, very soon. With that, he was gone…
The next morning came. Jack was awake with the first light showing itself on the horizon. A glance at his watch told him that the new day was already seven hours old. Wiping a hand over his face he made his way to the bathroom. Knowing Daniel, he would sleep till about ten in the morning as he probably had gone to bed by four or five this morning.
The hot shower was fantastic. He enjoyed every minute of it and the privacy of his four enclosed walls. Not that he minded taking a shower in his workplace. But at home, it was still the best way to get clean while enjoying the feeling.
He knew it was a bit of a cliché, but he tried singing in the shower. The song which popped into his head was from Frank Sinatra. So, he began to sing the lyrics from `My Way`. He got louder and more passionate as the song rolled from his tongue.
Once finished he dried himself and walked quietly down into the kitchen. As he had suspected Daniel was still sleeping on his sofa snuggled in like a child. Carefully he made himself a cup of coffee and stepped in front of his house. He waved at some neighbours who happened to walk past and enjoyed the crisp air of this beautiful day. A slight film of fog was hanging in the air and the sun took the fight on to break it through.
Jack was gazing at the sky sipping on his coffee. Life just could not be better. Knowing his younger friend and that he would not join him, Jack decided to go on a walk without him. Finishing his coffee, he wrote a quick note and got himself into warmer clothes. He didn’t know how long his walk would last. He was hoping for an hour or so, but he knew he would enjoy himself alone with mother nature. Despite, how far he would go.
He had been gone a while and came to a lake. He knew the area very well and, in the summertime, this lake was full of happy kids who were playing in the warm water. Now it was empty, the veil of fog giving something mystic to it. He stood there for a while and watched as two ducks flew away shouting in the morning air.
He also recognized a movement behind a tree and, nosy as he was, he had to investigate it. Jack saw a dark figure standing there and watching him. Was his ghost back? Did he still not deserve a bit of quiet time and peace? Jack sighed and walked towards the hidden figure.
“Hey, watcha doing?” Jack shouted and warned in the same second that he did not mean any harm.
The man didn’t reply. No, he was standing there like a statue. “Good morning sir.” Jack tried again with the same result. As he nearly reached the man of his request, he felt a sting in the back of his neck. Thinking it was a mosquito he just slapped at it. Feeling a metal container, he pulled it out and looked at a stunning arrow, the same type which gets used by animals. He turned around but saw no one. Looking back at the man in front of his face, he looked puzzled.
"I am sorry, he made me do it." With that, the dark figure behind the tree vanished into the shadows of the forest.
Jack knew what would come. He would lose it again and drop to the ground without being able to move. No words would come out of his mouth again and that would feel like he was in a state of a coma. The effect had already taken place. His knees began to buckle under his weight. Still fighting the feeling the Colonel searched for a tree to hold him up.
The fight continued and he lost. Dropping to the ground like a sack of flour, he saw how a pair of shoes came into his line of vision. “Good morning, Colonel. How nice of you to join me on this beautiful day.” With a sweet ironic charm, the man above Jack teased him. O`Neill recognized the voice that it was the same as the one in the infirmary. So, his ghost was back and held him tied again.
"Do you not think it is rude to lie on the floor when someone invites you? Come on, I'll help you stand up." With that he placed a rope around Jack's torso binding it tied behind his back. With the help of a tree and his strong branch, he managed to pull the Colonel onto his feet. He pulled him so far up that the shoe spikes hardly reached the ground. Jack grimaced. As he still didn't have any feeling, he was helpless to see what the man would do to him. He was certain that he still wanted to play. Otherwise, he would be dead already.
TBC
xxx
Doctor Frasier was just standing next to the Colonel to check his vitals as Daniel walked in. “How is he doing?” he asked while taking a chair to sit next to his friend.
"He is still out from the narcotic he had during the operation. Otherwise, his vitals are looking good. He is in remarkable shape for his age," she replied while checking some boxes. Janet was thinking about telling Daniel that he should not stay for too long. But as soon as she was thinking it, she threw it overboard as she knew how it worked. Every time one of them was in here seriously injured one of them would sit with their friend. It was a 24-hour watch and she admired it.
"Thank you. I will ring the bell when he comes to." Daniel knew the procedure. Sit, wait, ring the bell when he comes around. He could do this. The archaeologist opened his laptop and started on some translations he was working on at present. His concentration was so not with him and after a few minutes, he put the electrical device on the floor. Watching his friend lying there in front of him, he wished he could do something to make him better.
Xxx
Sam entered the infirmary to relieve Daniel for some rest. He was dozing already and as she laid a hand on his shoulder he jumped.
"Oh, hey Sam. What are you doing here?" Slightly off, he looked around. A glance at his watch showed him that six hours had passed since he had sat next to his friend. Checking now on Jack, Daniel saw that his friend was still out, and the monitor was beeping in the rhythm of his heart.
“I will go and get something to eat. Have fun.” He smiled and let Sam take the warm seat. The Major just smiled back and watched her CO. He was looking peaceful. She tried to imagine what he would be thinking or dreaming about.
The time flew by. The nurses made their last check and smiled encouragingly. So far still no change. The operation was 8 hours ago, and he still wouldn't wake up. Sam grew concerned and hoped that this would change very soon. Taking his hand in hers, she rubbed her thumb lightly over the back of his hand.
“Colonel, please. You have to wake up.” She pleaded.
“Why?” a soft voice asked from the bed.
“Colonel!” Sam nearly jumped out of her skin.
“That’s me, last time I checked.” He smiled and turned in her direction.
“Let me get Janet for you.” Sam pressed the bell in the same second and could not tear her eyes off her friend. He`s done it once again…came back and cracked a joke.
“How you are doing, Carter?” Jack looked at his 2IC and tried to give her some comfort. His memory came back slowly, and he imagined that it would have been quite a shock for her.
“I am fine. It’s you we are all concerned about.” She smiled broadly.
“Ah, Colonel. Welcome back. It’s nice of you to join us.” Janet marched into the room and started to check him all over. “Your vitals are looking good given the circumstances. Despite them, how are you feeling?” She ticked some more boxes and scribbled some notes down after checking his pupils.
"Tired. Like someone did throw me under a train." He grinned to show that no one needed to be concerned about an old soldier like him. First, he was just going for his fine bravado. But, in the last second, he decided for once, to tell the truth. They all deserved it.
“Are you in any pain you can`t handle right now?” Janet was thinking about how to word it right for him. She knew that the Colonel was against painkillers if he was thinking he didn’t need them.
“I am ok for now doc.” He told her honestly and promised to say something when he got in too much pain which would happen eventually.
"I will leave you two alone." She was on the way out as she turned around once more "Sam, don't stay too long. The Colonel needs to rest." With that, she was gone good knowing it wouldn't happen anyway.
After she assured the good doctor that she would not stay for too long, Sam turned her attention back to her CO. Jack was watching her and could not believe how beautiful she was. So close and still too hot to touch. He wished the regulations wouldn’t stand in their way and it would end like a fairy tale where they lived happily ever after.
“Sir, you should go back to sleep.” She smiled and was on the way to stand up.
“Stay with me,” he coughed, “please.”
“Sir?” she looked him directly in his deep brown eyes. “You heard the doc as good as I did.”
“Don’t care, Carter. Stay. Please.” He closed his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him. Now he regretted not taking the doc up on her offer of some pain meds.
“Sir, you are in pain. I will go and get the nurse. OK?” Sam looked at him in concern.
“Only if you stay.” Opening his eyes, he managed to put a schoolboy grin on his face. She had to be careful not to melt away. He was still her commanding officer.
“Ok, when it makes you happy. I will see what I can do for you.” She grinned and entered the competition of the smile of the year contest.
“It does.” He closed his eyes again.
Sam left him alone for a minute while she was looking for a nurse. Teal`c was still standing outside and had all the immediate area covered. The news that his friend was awake put him a bit more at ease.
The next morning came. Sam had been sitting next to the Colonel's bed all night dozing on and off from time to time. It was irritating her that every time she left his side he became restless. Even in sleep, it seemed he sensed her nearby.
Daniel came early in the morning with a cup of strong coffee for her. Both watched the sleeping man. Both teammates swapped sides and now it was Daniel's turn to take care of his friend. He knew from previous stays at the infirmary that Jack could be a pain in the backside if it comes down to `I want to go home; I am feeling well yadi yadi yada. ` It was always the same and still, he wouldn't have it any other way. The man in front of him he respected too much. Over the years they became good and close friends. He would do everything in his power to help his friend with whatever he needed and he was sure that Jack would do the same.
Taking his laptop out, he sipped on his coffee when a nurse came in. "Good morning, Dr Jackson." She smiled at him and went on to check the vitals of her patient. Taking some notes, she always had an eye on the visitor next to her.
It was not a secret that a few women on the base had an eye on Daniel Jackson, especially some nurses. She was one of them. In her eyes, this man was everything she wished for: loyal, handsome, good looking, charming… oh, she could carry on the whole day. Instead, she finished and wished him a good day.
Some dark brown eyes opened slightly and just saw how the nurse left. Closing again and hoping to find some more sleep a voice started talking to him. “So, Jack. How is it going?” Daniel asked, realizing his friend was awake.
“Leave me alone,” Jack mumbled, not in a mood to talk to someone. He was still in pain and his Major wasn’t here. He had hoped he would wake up and the first thing he would see was her. No such luck and Daniel now was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“And a good morning to you too,” Daniel quipped.
“What you want? I told you already to leave me alone.” Jack opened his eyes again and looked at a happy smiling face which belonged to his friend.
"I want you to get yourself better and I want to help you to find the bastard who is after you. Right now SG1 is on downtime so long till the guy is caught and you can enjoy your life in peace again. But this involves you speaking to me or anyone else. We need some information about what's going on and who it is you think you are seeing." Daniel hoped that it was quite clear now that he would not go away and would not let the matter drop, but he also knew how stubborn his friend could be and taking some help was never his priority.
"Nothing to talk about. I just have seen someone who is a long time dead. Can happen to anyone. Now let it go." Jack closed his eyes just to open them again as he heard his name.
“Jack”
“Daniel”
“Jack, don’t be an ass”
"I am not. This guy whoever he just wants some fun. Let him have it. He will soon be tired and move on." Jack was hoping that he could go back to his well-deserved rest now.
“What if he leaves you alone and picks someone else? How could you live with that?” Daniel tried to challenge him.
"Not my problem." With that, the conversation was finished as he closed his eyes again and turned his head slightly to the side.
“Yeah, the great Colonel Jack O`Neill just picking the easy way out. Everything is not his problem.” Disappointed, Daniel got up and left his friend still in disbelief at what he had just heard.
Sam sat with her breakfast as Daniel stormed in and got himself a coffee first. Sitting next to Sam a little while later, he shook his head, still angry and mad over the conversation he had had in the infirmary.
“What happened to you?” Sam looked at him a bit irritated.
“Jack happened,” he grumbled.
“He is awake?” Sam still looked confused. She knew that her CO could be a pain but seeing Daniel so angry she wondered ‘What did he do now?’
Daniel explained what had happened. After he was finished, he sunk into himself. His steaming coffee still in front of him on the table he played with his thumb.
"Daniel, I believe that the Colonel just wants to protect you. Knowing him he wants to deal with that matter himself and want us out of harm's way. He is our leader and a good leader protects his team. He would never forgive himself if something would happen to you, me or Teal`c." She tried to explain.
“Ah, and you know this all how?” he fired back still hurt.
“Because he and I are Air Force and that is what I would do in his position,” she admitted.
Daniel looked at his friend in surprise. He just felt like someone smacked him over his face to wake him up. He should know better. All this Jack O`Neill bravado. He always pushes his friends away if it gets too dangerous because this old stubborn Colonel still didn’t get it that he has friends, very good friends.
“Ok, makes sense. What’s your plan? We need to find that guy. Otherwise, sooner or later, he will kill him and that is so sure like the amen in a church.” Daniel’s face had changed as the fire of his helpful nature came back.
“So far we don’t even know what the guy looks like. All we know is that Jack said the guy is dead. He died a long time ago.” Sam mumbled under her breath.
Xxx
Jack opened his eyes again. Looking around he noticed that he was alone. No one was waiting for him to wake up, no one who had a friendly word for him. He frowned to himself. Sometimes he didn’t even know himself what he wanted. Too much fussing around would annoy him and when no one was here for him it wasn’t right either.
Checking himself over he felt ok. Not much pain so far which was a good sign. His stomach rumbled and he realized that he was hungry. A bit of bacon and eggs would be nice for him to have now. He sighed. If he would have been nicer to Daniel a bit earlier, he could have asked him if he would bring him something from the commissary.
His thoughts had gone back far, far back to a time he never wanted to relive again. He closed his eyes as he saw the whole scenario right in front of him: the hot stuffy air, the glimmerings in the distance. He was on a point high above everything. Beneath him, a little village snuggled itself on the hill. Farmers worked in the fields and traders came and went.
His mission was simple: wait for the guy, shoot the guy, get to the meeting point, get picked up. Just a piece of cake. He was lying on his spot for a few hours now and his eye had grown a bit tired. The dry air didn’t always help to keep the eyes moist. The sand in the air didn’t help either. There, the man in question arrived. He got out of the car and stepped to a group of men. Jack didn’t know where he was exactly. His orders had been clear about eliminating him.
He aimed his rifle and one single shot escaped. The sound flew over the whole dessert. The man crumbled and dropped dead to the ground. Jack had watched the whole scenario. A shot, right between the eyes. He packed his stuff together and made his way to the pickup point when he heard voices. Quickly looking for a different route he started to run in a zig-zag kind of way. He hated killing, but he also was a soldier and knew what must be done to keep the planet safe.
The shouting and screaming came closer and closer. He had to do something otherwise they would get him and he didn’t want to know what would await him.
Very quickly he had set a few traps hoping that would buy him some time. As he ran further, he heard some explosions and more screams. All of a sudden a boy was standing in front of him. He knew that kids could be dangerous but still. What if the boy was just as innocent as they come? Jack was sure the kid didn't ask for any of this and with that, he was moving on. Let the boy stand where he was standing. Not paying attention that the kid got himself a knife from God knows where and aimed it in the direction of the stranger.
A sharp pain erupted in his right thigh. He nearly dropped to the ground but managed to stay up. Cursing and fumbling around to get the knife out, the voices came closer again. As he turned around to see the boy staring at him. Jack lifted the knife into a throw position and released it. He saw how the boy closed its eyes and waited for the kill. It never came.
Jack just had smashed the knife into the ground and now, in much pain, limped forward to the meeting point. It was still a great length to go and he had to hurry as otherwise he would be left behind.
He heard voices talking and was thinking that in the next minute he would be captured, but nothing happened. The voices went away and he managed to reach his chopper. He didn’t know what this was all about but assumed that the boy saved his life on the end as a thank you for sparing his own life in the first place.
Coming back to reality, it took him a few seconds to realise where he was. He was safe inside a mountain. No one could get to him. He trusted the security and all the safety measures in the first place.
Xxx
Hammond was on the phone again and still tried to find something out about the black ops life of his 2IC. It was easier to find a needle in a haystack. Nobody would say anything and he was about to lose his patience. He knew how hard it was to get something to investigate if it was classified. But even a General could dream of an easy mission in that matter.
But, so far, all was a dead end. He was on the end of his rope and didn't know how to handle it. The Colonel wouldn't open his mouth which was understandable, and no one was talking. All he could do was give the Colonel his security team every time he would go home. The time of taking any chances was over. Jack O`Neill was a man who came too close to death a few times too often.
He called Major Carter, Dr Jackson and Teal`c to his office and informed the rest of SG1 that he was sorry but there was no way of getting anywhere in the Air Force to find something out.
“I am very sorry. But, right now, there is nothing I can do for him. I will not be letting him go home so soon anyway. That should buy us some time. Dismissed, people, and keep your eyes open.” He sighed and hoped that sooner or later they would catch the guy who was messing everything up.
Xxx
Teal`c took his place outside the infirmary again. He was standing by his friend every day for twenty hours and used four hours to meditate. So far no one would harm his friend.
“Sir?” Sam stepped quietly into the room where her friend and CO was lying.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped at her before she could even say anything.
"Not here for that. It's your problem. I just wanted to check how you are feeling and as I can see you are almost back to normal." She snapped back at him. Her feelings had been hurt at how he reacted to her. With that, she turned around and left him. Outside the door, she leaned against it and took a deep breath not even realizing that Teal`c had watched her.
“Are you well, Major Carter?” he asked her gently while he observed his teammate.
"He is just such a big stubborn idiot. Why can't he see that we are his friends? We are concerned about him and want him on his feet again. Why can't he see that he will die if he doesn't take help from us? He can't do it himself. Teal`c, I am scared for him. Nobody has seen him so far. So no one knows what the Colonel's ghost looks like." She took another deep breath and was about to apologize to her alien friend as he was about to speak.
“I believe you are correct in that matter, Major Carter. But as I recall, Colonel O`Neill is a great warrior amongst the Tau`ri. Every warrior has his pride and O`Neill has his. We must approach him in a different kind of way to get him to open up to us. Be friendly and kind. Do not bring the subject up anymore with him. Soon, I believe he will relax and then we must be there. He will talk to one of us.” As he finished, he bowed his head. Sam once again realised how wise her friend was.
But for now, she had had enough. She didn't want to face him again soon. Too much hurt by how he was to her. Even with the knowledge, she had before and now it still hurt too much. With that, she went to her lab. Her work could not do itself alone so she had to do it.
Jack was slumped in his bed. He was just assuming she was here to get him to talk again and he was so not having it. As he recalled her words, he imagined them more and more that she shouted at him. The words became louder and louder and with each recall, his breath got faster and faster. He tried to calm himself down, but nothing worked. The first tears spread across his eyes and he was feeling embarrassed, but he needed help. Just with the last of his efforts, he managed to ring the bell as he cramped up.
A nurse walked in with a friendly face as she saw that his whole body was now in a spasm. She saw the tears falling and the breathing going even more rapidly now. She pressed the emergency bell and tried to talk to him. Her soft voice was just for him right now to soothe him.
As the Doctor entered, she was very quick in realising what had just happened and gave Jack something to calm him down, not even asking him. The Colonel had nothing to say in that matter and Janet doubted that he even could.
After Jack relaxed a bit and his breathing slowed down, Janet checked him over and asked him what was the cause of his attack. The Colonel looked at her and denied any knowledge of what or why it had caused a panic attack.
“Sir, you need to speak to someone. You can choose - either one of your friends or Doctor James Mackenzie. It’s your choice. But I am not having that.” She saw that he had understood her and was thinking about his options.
“Thank you for your help,” he said softly and closed his eyes. He knew why had panicked. The thought of Sam being so angry at him that she shouted at him while he was in the infirmary just made him sick. For now, he had to push that to the side. It was no good to brood about it. He had to figure out how to get to the little ghost who was chasing him first before he was out for target practice again.
Xxx
Sam was sitting over a doohickey when Janet came in. She walked over to where her friend was sitting and watched her for a bit. "What are you working on, Sam?" the Doctor asked quite interested in the strange-looking box which was on the table in front of the Major.
"Just something SG11 brought back from their last mission." She waved with her hand as it was not something special. "What brings you to my little dungeon?" She smiled and waited while her friend was clearing her throat.
“Not long ago you went to see the Colonel, didn’t you?” Janet asked softly so as not to scare her friend.
“Yeees,” Sam dragged it a bit wondering what was going on now.
“May I ask what the conversation was about?” Janet stayed with her soft voice for now.
“What is it? Why do you want to know?” Sam became irritated.
“Just tell me first. You know I can tell you nothing about my patients. But I need to know what you both have been talking about.” Janet stayed calm the whole time.
“Well, I entered and he told me he didn’t want to talk about it and I told him that I wasn’t there to see him for that but rather to see how he was doing.” Sam sighed after she recalled the last conversation with her friend. “That’s all. It was very short. I was upset so I left again. If he wants to be grumpy, he can do this but on his own. Maybe I overreacted a bit as I should know how he can be.” She looked at the Doctor. “Is he ok?” Now she realised that Janet never visited her if she wasn’t concerned about something bad.
“Ok, I understand. Just one last question. Did you shout at him?” Janet wanted to get to the bottom of all this. She had enough of kids playing soldiers and vice versa.
"I may have raised my voice a bit. Nothing more than usual when we argue. So again, what's with him? Is he ok?" Sam's concern rose above herself and she felt like someone was sitting on her chest. She knew she had feelings for her CO, and she knew that she never could have him. So, she acted as normal as possible. Now she realised that the hurt and raised voice was probably because it was he who snapped at her. She would have taken it from everybody but him. It did hurt.
Jack was lying in his bed while staring at the ceiling. His brain already had been in overdrive again. In here was nothing to keep him occupied. The fallout with his 2IC was the last straw and he had to be careful not to completely lose himself. If he would have had his game boy or YO YO that would give him something to do. But right now? There was nothing for him to do.
He loved his Major. She was his missing part. More than that. She was beautiful, intelligent, a fine officer to work with and she had nearly the same sense of humour as he did. Now she was gone. She stormed out of his room before he could say anything else, could apologize or at least they could talk about it. He was such an idiot. She was just concerned about him and he had to fight her off. `Jack, you are such an ass. ` he was congratulating himself.
While he was still deep in his thoughts the door opened, the sound made it clear and a few footsteps followed. He wasn't bothered to look at who it was as he wasn't interested. He just will not speak any more to anyone. That's the best way to not get it wrong and hurt his friends even more.
“Hey Jack, how you are doing?” the voice asked sweetly. A syringe was in one hand and was prepared to stick it in the IV line of the Colonel.
Jack`s head followed the voice and his eyes grew big. How was it possible that he was here? Searching for the call bell with one hand he never let the man in front of him out of his sight. Panic started to creep up, but Jack would not show it to him for one single second.
“Jack, Jack, Jack. I would not do this. If you call somebody or tell someone afterwards, I was here the blood will be on your hands. They will all die, like all those years ago. So many people died. Their blood is on your hands. You killed them.” The voice remand sweet and soft.
Dropping the idea of ringing for help or shouting, he just watched as his nightmare came closer and closer.
"I got your daily shot here. You suffer already from two panic attacks as you didn't have your medicine. Just let me help you." With that, he emptied a big syringe into the IV line. With a big smile on his face, he just watched his victim and how the drug took over his body. He knew it would take up to an hour to kick in but also knew that applied right into the bloodstream the effect was almost immediate.
“Where is Teal`c? He was standing outside…” Jack managed to ask before the drug took the ability to speak from him again. His body was limp, and he lost any feelings. He was exposed to the shadow of his past and if no one came, he surely would lose the battle for his life if it came to this.
"He is still outside. But I can assure you I know how to pass him. He never saw me going in here and he will not see me going outside. So, for that Colonel, you are on your own. Do people still believe you? You are the only one who claims to see me. I am not finished with you yet. The game's only begun. Let`s start to make it more interesting, shall we?" With that, he rang the call bell and vanished. Jack`s eyes grew wide. He feared for whoever would come to him.
“Colonel? How can I help you” a young nurse came in.
Jack just looked at her as he still was unable to move and speak. He began to see little creatures crawling up the walls and blinked a few times. This wasn’t real. Nothing of that was real. He tried to talk to himself inside his head and reassure himself that all would be fine. The drug would wear off and then he would speak with his CO.
“Why did you press the call bell, Colonel? What can I do for you?” The young officer grew more and more irritated.
Jack started to roll his eyes as he saw more and more creatures crawling up the walls. By now they had even been crawling up the nurse in front of him and there he was and couldn`t do anything. He wanted to scream and shout. He wanted to save her. But he couldn’t. No sound climbed out of his mouth.
“I will get you a Doctor. Just hold on, Colonel, and sorry that I could not figure out why you wouldn’t speak to me.” She apologised and left to get some help.
Jack had closed his eyes with the hope that his hallucination would disappear. As he opened them again all the creatures were gone. In his head, he sighed in relief as he noticed that there was water on the floor. The level was rising and nearly reached his bed. Swallowing his panic down he tried to stay calm, telling himself that this was also a hallucination. That it also couldn't be real, that it would disappear the same as his little crawling friends had disappeared. Now, the ice-cold water reached his bed and he felt so helpless. The liquid surrounded his face and swamped over his mouth and nose. The Colonel struggled to breathe as he tried to inhale the much-needed air but only got water in it.
He tried to kick and punch and with much effort, he managed to free himself. The feeling was gone which held him down and with a big loud bang, he landed on the floor. He shook his head. The water was gone. All looked normal to him. No more hallucinations. He tried to set himself up and to check if his body had received any more injuries. But the feeling still wasn't back. So, he lied on the floor like a fish out of the water. In the same second his friend stormed in.
“O`Neill, are you all right?” Teal`c asked in concern. He was not prepared to find his friend lying on the floor not moving.
Jacks speech slowly came back as he tried to answer to his friend “I am fine T. Just help me up will ya?” His big Jaffa friend scooped him up and placed him carefully back in his bed. Jack knew he would have a few more bruises in a couple of days.
“Which decision made you sit on the floor?” The alien asked in confusion.
"Oh, Teal`c. I don't know. Maybe I just fell out of bed. They are quite high. Have you ever realised that?" Jack tried to change the subject.
“I have not, O`Neill,” he replied while helping his friend back into bed.
By now Doctor Frasier had arrived and while Teal`c explained what had happened she checked the Colonel over. On a hunch, she took some blood to investigate it. She knew that he would not tell what happened if that would bring anyone in danger. The Colonel had said for not answering the nurse when she asked him before how she could help that he was blinded by her appearance. Janet knew better. The Colonel was a man of honour. He never would say anything to get someone else in trouble or, if not, something was wrong.
Xxx
The phone rang and Janet picked it up in her office. "Are you sure? Have you checked it?" The news she received had been very disturbing and she didn't know how to deal with it. The Colonel would still not talk about it and kept another secret to himself. She had to talk to him.
A few minutes later she entered his room where he was staring at the ceiling again. Nobody from his team was with him. She wondered about that briefly but pushed it to the side as she had more important matters to attend to.
“Colonel O`Neill? We need to talk and don’t give me a hard time answering my questions because if you do so I will contact the General to take the appropriate measures. Are we understood?” Janet had one of her sterns looks on her face.
“Please. I can’t talk about anything. Just leave me alone.” Jack pleaded scared about the welfare of his friends and colleagues.
“Sir, we found the same drug called Ketamine in your bloodstream again as the previous times before. That’s the reason why you didn’t answer my nurse. He was, here wasn’t he?” She looked at him.
Jack didn't know how to react. He wasn't sure if his room was bugged and if he would say anything, he would make it worse. The Colonel stayed silent. With his eyes, he tried to tell her. Janet was smart and gave him a pen and a piece of paper. At the same time, she left the room and ordered a complete sweep of the room just in case. Jack wrote down what he had to. `2x yes.'
As Janet came back and looked at the writing she smiled. It wasn’t funny but the thought about the Colonel not using many words in speaking and not using many words in writing had something comical to it.
She wrote down what happened next and he calmed himself down. He knew the doc was smart and that she would count on it. After over an hour later the whole infirmary was swept clean and nothing was found.
General Hammond in person came down to speak to his 2IC and set some rules. The first rule for the Colonel was to speak about the man who was hunting him down.
Jack was not happy about it. He knew he had to tell his team and his CO as much as he could but at the same time, he was worried about them. The less they all knew, the better for them, especially for his Major. He would rather die himself than lose her.
"Jack, this is not a game anymore if it ever was one. We need to get to the bottom of this. This involves that you must make the table clear. He is clearly out of your past. But why he is so angry with you?" Hammond looked with deeply furrowed brows at his friend.
“I don’t know. Maybe because I killed him, and he didn’t want to die?” Jack quipped.
“Colonel, that’s enough. Everybody knows that you have been BLACK OPS and knows what that means. But I will not tolerate that a maniac has come around, terrorizing my staff and threatening to kill someone. Is that clear?” Hammond did hold himself back, but his patience wore thin and Jack realized it.
“Crystal, Sir.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he opened them again, he began to tell the story of who he was reminded of earlier.
"So, you shot the guy and he is dead?" Daniel asked in disbelief
"Yes, he is dead," Jack replied, getting annoyed that one of his friends doubted him.
"So, Colonel, you have no idea who that person is who wants you dead?" Hammond asked with a much calmer voice.
“I don’t know, Sir. He looks like the guy I shot. But I have no idea who he is or where he came from. Suddenly he was in my life and not even the infirmary or the whole mountain is safe from him." Jack looked more and more exhausted which Janet noticed and ended the interrogation. After she shouted everybody out, she offered the Colonel a mild sedative to calm his nerves.
As she suspected, he declined it and asked to be left alone. He needed to think. The best way to do so was to be left alone. Teal`c was standing again outside the door. After checking closely, there was no other way in or out of Jack’s room and, so far, it stayed as a mystery how the guy could appear and disappear and how he was pleased that no one was seeing him.
Xxx
Two weeks later
"Home sweet home. Come on in, Danny boy." Jack was finally released out of the infirmary. No ghost appeared again. No hallucinations and no drugs.
Nothing out of the ordinary. His team had visited him every day and had spent a great deal of effort to keep him occupied. The General had started an investigation but, so far, there was no outcome. The man Jack had described was dead for over twenty years as he had said and there was no evidence that there was someone else. Jack had given up on the idea that the idiot would be found. In his head, he closed the file and pushed it to the back of his head. He had better things to do than chasing a ghost. That was what he was - a ghost - nothing more and nothing less.
Daniel had driven him home and had volunteered to play babysitter for his friend as the Colonel was not allowed yet to do too much. His leg healed nicely but he still wasn't allowed to put too much pressure on it. The same was true for his shoulder. Now everybody knew that the Colonel wasn't the most patient man on earth and always pushed himself to and beyond the limit of himself. To go home, he had to accept his friend at his side. This agreement with the medical staff always worked as everybody was ever so happy when he left the infirmary.
"How about Chinese tonight Daniel?" Jack asks happily.
“Did the Doc does not say light food for a week?” Daniel replied knowing he had lost the argument already.
"Chinese food is light. Otherwise, I would go with pizza and beer." Jack grumbled playfully back
"Ok, you got me there. But only with water. No beer tonight. That's the deal, take it or leave it." Daniel tried to reason with his friend. Much to his surprise, Jack took the deal. For him, it was more important to get a decent meal after such a long time.
The stuff out of Jacks bag was quickly unpacked and both men sat in the living room and chatted till the food arrived. Spreading everything out on the table, the smell of Chinese and the quietness talked for itself.
“Jack, that was a good idea.” He praised his friend for the idea to get a meal like that. “So, what’s the plan for you tomorrow?”
"No idea yet. I have got some exercises I must do every day. Apart from that, I'm not sure. The first snow is about to fall as well. So maybe I'll take a short walk around the neighbourhood. You want to join?" He rubbed his belly and sat back in his chair. It was so good to be home again.
“Sure, if you like. But you can go on your own if you are more comfortable with it. I know you need your privacy and over the last few weeks you had nothing of it,” Daniel pointed out.
“Good thought. We will see and decide tomorrow if that’s ok with you. For now, we can watch some hockey.” He had already gotten up and slumped himself on his sofa.
“Yeah, fine with me. So, who is playing?” the younger man asked.
"No idea, I am a bit out of the loop. But it`s good to watch a game." Jack grinned all around his face. His mood was as good as it could get at that moment.
"Ok have fun then." Daniel took a chair with lots of cushions on it and made himself relax. The memories of the last night he spent here with Jack crept upon him and he tried to push them to the back of his mind. He was making sure that history didn't repeat itself. Not on his watch.
The game was good. Jack loved to see the L.A. Kings playing against the Vegas Golden Nights. In the end, Vegas won 3:2. So he could see a few goals and it had even gone into overtime. Sticking only to water all night he craved for a beer. But he gave his younger friend a promise. For him, a deal was a deal. Tomorrow he would be allowed to drink a beer and he was so looking forward to it.
"Daniel, make yourself at home. You know where to find everything. I will go to bed now and have a night of sleep like no other. Tomorrow it's a new day with fresh possibilities." He waved his friend goodnight and disappeared.
The archaeologist watched his friend go and shouted after him, "Goodnight, don't let the bed bugs bite." A soft chuckle told him that Jack had understood him. For Daniel, it was far too early. A glance at his watch told him that it was just after 10 pm. As always, he had his laptop with him so he could work on some translations. Making some fresh coffee in the kitchen he remembered how nice it was to watch Jack being happy. Not often had his friend showed himself so happy as when he could watch a hockey game. A smile flew over his face and as the coffee was ready, he got a mug out of the cupboard and took it into the living room.
Outside in the shadows was a figure standing watching every move and taking the whole atmosphere in as everybody felt safe in the house. But for how much longer. He had watched the whole night, the game and the meal. The chat he had listened to and the plans for tomorrow. It was good that he had disappeared for two weeks. Of course, now he had to start again with his game, but he knew that once your body knows the drug Ketamine it will not take long to get used to it again. He just must start on a higher dosage from the start and be more careful. His revenge was near. He could feel and taste it.
But for now, he must wait and be patient. His revenge was only against a certain Colonel. But he would not shy away if someone else got' in his way… The day will come, and he will die. Soon, very soon. With that, he was gone…
The next morning came. Jack was awake with the first light showing itself on the horizon. A glance at his watch told him that the new day was already seven hours old. Wiping a hand over his face he made his way to the bathroom. Knowing Daniel, he would sleep till about ten in the morning as he probably had gone to bed by four or five this morning.
The hot shower was fantastic. He enjoyed every minute of it and the privacy of his four enclosed walls. Not that he minded taking a shower in his workplace. But at home, it was still the best way to get clean while enjoying the feeling.
He knew it was a bit of a cliché, but he tried singing in the shower. The song which popped into his head was from Frank Sinatra. So, he began to sing the lyrics from `My Way`. He got louder and more passionate as the song rolled from his tongue.
Once finished he dried himself and walked quietly down into the kitchen. As he had suspected Daniel was still sleeping on his sofa snuggled in like a child. Carefully he made himself a cup of coffee and stepped in front of his house. He waved at some neighbours who happened to walk past and enjoyed the crisp air of this beautiful day. A slight film of fog was hanging in the air and the sun took the fight on to break it through.
Jack was gazing at the sky sipping on his coffee. Life just could not be better. Knowing his younger friend and that he would not join him, Jack decided to go on a walk without him. Finishing his coffee, he wrote a quick note and got himself into warmer clothes. He didn’t know how long his walk would last. He was hoping for an hour or so, but he knew he would enjoy himself alone with mother nature. Despite, how far he would go.
He had been gone a while and came to a lake. He knew the area very well and, in the summertime, this lake was full of happy kids who were playing in the warm water. Now it was empty, the veil of fog giving something mystic to it. He stood there for a while and watched as two ducks flew away shouting in the morning air.
He also recognized a movement behind a tree and, nosy as he was, he had to investigate it. Jack saw a dark figure standing there and watching him. Was his ghost back? Did he still not deserve a bit of quiet time and peace? Jack sighed and walked towards the hidden figure.
“Hey, watcha doing?” Jack shouted and warned in the same second that he did not mean any harm.
The man didn’t reply. No, he was standing there like a statue. “Good morning sir.” Jack tried again with the same result. As he nearly reached the man of his request, he felt a sting in the back of his neck. Thinking it was a mosquito he just slapped at it. Feeling a metal container, he pulled it out and looked at a stunning arrow, the same type which gets used by animals. He turned around but saw no one. Looking back at the man in front of his face, he looked puzzled.
"I am sorry, he made me do it." With that, the dark figure behind the tree vanished into the shadows of the forest.
Jack knew what would come. He would lose it again and drop to the ground without being able to move. No words would come out of his mouth again and that would feel like he was in a state of a coma. The effect had already taken place. His knees began to buckle under his weight. Still fighting the feeling the Colonel searched for a tree to hold him up.
The fight continued and he lost. Dropping to the ground like a sack of flour, he saw how a pair of shoes came into his line of vision. “Good morning, Colonel. How nice of you to join me on this beautiful day.” With a sweet ironic charm, the man above Jack teased him. O`Neill recognized the voice that it was the same as the one in the infirmary. So, his ghost was back and held him tied again.
"Do you not think it is rude to lie on the floor when someone invites you? Come on, I'll help you stand up." With that he placed a rope around Jack's torso binding it tied behind his back. With the help of a tree and his strong branch, he managed to pull the Colonel onto his feet. He pulled him so far up that the shoe spikes hardly reached the ground. Jack grimaced. As he still didn't have any feeling, he was helpless to see what the man would do to him. He was certain that he still wanted to play. Otherwise, he would be dead already.
TBC