Shadows in the Forest

[Monika]

Thank you Jacky for the exciting continuation and for the "Swiss Army Knife"
We must and will be patient, even if it´s very, very difficult.
What about Jack and what happens Cassie? Oh hurt, questions over questions.
I am looking forward to more.

From Monika with love

[Jack(s)]

hey Monika,

I could tell you how it continues but than i have to s...... .

thank for the active reading and the ride along with our hero and his little alien friend. hope the week goes fast by for all of you

[JackGywer]

perfect, love it

[Jack(s)]

Thanks for all the nice comments, here comes the next part. Enjoy
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Joe and Luke had found the trail of their prey with ease. Both had been experienced in that field and not long after the first sign of the human’s tracks they came into view.

Joe had aimed at the grey-haired man but had missed. Both had witnessed how the girl had slipped and how he had helped her up. Had let her crawl over his body to safety just to fall at the end himself. They heard the scream in the undergrowth and the quietness after.

They were witnesses to the despair that the girl showed and saw her tears. Luke had decided to leave the girl alone. Let her run. She would never make it out of the woods anyway and, if so, it would take her a long time. By then, he would be long gone with his friend and across the borders.
Silently turning around, the way back to the hut was made. Stuff had to be arranged and sorted. Joe came up with the idea to search for their camp and check out if there is anything they could need.

xxx

Cassie ran as fast as she could, leaving the scene of horror behind. Her best friend had saved her life again and paid the ultimate price for it. The pictures of his body laying down there several feet under her circled around in her head. Her anger rose and she used it as fuel to keep going. She had to reach out for help. The death of her friend should not be in vain.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Thorns and leaves slapped in her face without her noticing it. She had lost track of time and orientation. Pausing for a moment to make up her mind where to go, she could hear a sound.

Slowly she crept forward, she did not want to be seen by the two criminals. Before her opened a wide space. She could see how lumberjacks were working on the other side of the clearing.

That was the help she been looking for. As fast as she was able to, she ran to shorten the distance. Cassie was shouting but due to the massive noise coming from the workers, nobody seemed to notice her. Frustration started to grow, and new tears began flowing freely.

She waved with her arms and, finally, someone paid attention to her. She could hear the man shouting and all the work was stopped immediately. The girl reached one of the men who was coming towards her. Collapsing in his arms, she tried to catch her breath.

“Where are you coming from? What are you doing here? It is far too dangerous to be alone here in the woods. Where are your parents? What happened to you?” The questions stormed on to her mind and she had trouble following the trail of it.

“Bruce, bring her over. let her catch herself first. You can see she is exhausted,” demanded one of the men who had been standing a bit away but near enough to see.

“Can you walk again?” Bruce asked with a soft and kindly voice.

“I think so. Thank you, Mister, for catching me,” replied Cassie with her shy nature.
The man helped her up and together they made their way over to the waiting group. Someone got her a thick jacket to warm her up and another one brought a hot cup of tea.

“Shall we start again? Who are you?” the foreman started to take control.

Xxx

Eyes flickered open and tried to focus, staring up into a canopy of green leaves. A soft moan escaped and Jack`s mind came slowly around. More and more memories came back and he looked up at the wall. Nothing was seen and it was quiet. The wind rustled through the leaves as it was telling the man on the ground a story.

He tried to get up but had to realise that this was a mission not to be happening soon. Assessing himself, he had a few scratches added to his body surely, a few more bruises so that he would look like a blueberry cake in a couple of days and finally he was sure that his right leg was broken. His ribs did not do anything to make him feel better and he still had the feeling that he was falling even though he knew he was on the ground safe.
Looking around, the Colonel was lucky enough to find two thick branches which looked relatively straight. Taking his belt of his trousers, he built himself a makeshift splint. The effort he had to put into it to achieve what he needed and wanted did cost him a lot. Sweat was dripping off his face and ran into his eyes. A burning sensation was now added to his misery.

He managed to pull himself up on the crusty bark of a tree. Now standing, he waited till the dizziness subsided.
Still feeling weak, he started to move. He found a strong fork looking like branch which helped him to move.
Jack felt thirst coming up. Moving slowly nearer to a stream he hoped to get some of this fresh liquid down his throat.

Xxx

Cassie was finished with explaining and while some men had gone back to work, others helped her to make the phone call she needed to make. She knew her mum was still occupied with her conference in California, that left Sam as the only option to notify a person she could trust.

Xxx

Carter’s Laboratory

“Carter,” stated a female voice as she picked up the phone.

“Major Carter, I have a Girl here on the phone who claims her name is Cassandra and you would know her.” The operation guard offered her the news.

“Put her through Lieutenant,” the Major ordered.

“Sam?” a young voice was on the other end.

“Cassie, what happened?” Sam tried to stay calm. If the Girl phoned her then something must have happened. It was odd enough that the Colonel himself would not phone her.

“I can’t all explain now, this is not my phone and the man are kind enough to me so I can use it. But it’s about Uncle Jack. He…” the teenager started sobbing again and it was hard for her to continue. That is when the foreman took the phone out of her hand.

“Miss?” he asked.

“Who is this?” Sam was irritated.

“I am the foremen of Lumberjack's Dynasty. A little blond Girl came to us and asked for help. She told us a very adventurous story. Apparently, there was a man with her who fell down a cliff and the girl believe he did not survive. Are you able to come and pick her up?” the man wanted to know as silence greeted him after he finished.

“Ma`am?”

“Yes, I am still here. Where can I find you to pick Cassandra up?” Sam forced herself to stay calm, but she had the feeling someone just pulled the floor from under her feet.

The details had been swapped and soon the officer hung up the phone and she was on her way to the General. Fighting with herself not to break out in tears, she was standing faster in front of the door to her superior then she wanted it to happen.

Knocking on the door and entering with the sign she was too nervous to sit down. General Hammond had trouble following her as it just gushed out of her. She did not need to ask him what she wanted to ask. He granted her the leave straight away and told her to take a SF team with her. If what she was saying was true, the body of the man he liked to call son needed to be retrieved.

After the Major had left his office, he was sitting there with a petrified mind before he picked up the phone. A doctor needed to go with major Carter to check over the Girl and anything else what was necessary.

George sat in his chair, his head laid in his hands. His heart ached at the thought that his 2IC would be not around anymore. He did not know a man who had beaten the odds so many times and still came back normal. Maybe he had used up all his lives. Even a cat only had nine and surely the Colonel would have used up more by now.

Picking up another file off his desk he tried to keep himself busy till he would hear something about what had happened.

Xxx

Top in front of the base, 20 minutes later

A special team was prepared to leave. Daniel Jackson and Teal’c had been included in the team of the special forces as was the Doctor on duty at the time.

Sam had promised Cassie to be with her as soon as possible, but the weather was rainy and misty. The helicopter would not be allowed to start and so the only option had been for her to take the ground vehicle.

The convoy of three cars and one medical truck took off. The time for the nearly 180 miles was estimated for about four hours later and it took Sam all the patience she had to not slam her hand into something out of frustration.

The little girl needed her, and she wanted to know what happened to her CO. She knew that he could take care of himself. Why did he fall? How did it happen? So many questions had been around in her head and no answers, it was sheer overwhelming.

Xxx

Jack had found some water and drunk greedily from the little stream beneath him. He had no idea in which direction he should go as his head was still all muddled up. The cobwebs in his brain did not vanish which made it very hard for him to concentrate and stay awake.

He heard his tummy rumbling and protesting about the drink it just received. It cost him a great deal to get up again. The temptation just to lay down here on the soft surface was just too hard to bear. Nothing mattered anymore, in his mind till he remembered Cassie. Where was she? He had to find her.

With a lot of groaning and moaning he managed to get on his feet again. His ribs were burning a hole in his chest and the feeling of not getting any oxygen in anymore had him on the brink to a panic state. But he knew he could not allow it. he needed to search for the teenager. Janet Frasier trusted him. He told her not to worry and he would take good care of her.

Now he was here, in the middle of nowhere. The only thing he realised was that he must have covered quite a large amount of altitude as he noticed that the vegetation looked different.

`Why can I see that but can not concentrate on the obvious?’ he asked himself and looked around. Where would he go? What was the direction he needed to go to find the Girl?

He decided on one direction but never looked on the floor. He never saw the lightly coloured in hues of brown reptile. His brain needed a few seconds to realise what just happened. As he looked down at his left leg, he just recognised the pain which came shooting up.

“Oh crap,” he muttered, looking at his watch he tried to remember the time. The first 30 minutes and he would be fine, after that it was a race against organ failure and death. He knew that he would not find help in 30 minutes but to lose hope, he was not made for that.

Starting to walk in the direction he wanted to go, he made his way back up from where he believed he came from. The need to find Cassie pushed him forward even though he knew there was a good chance that he may not survive this adventure.

Xxx

Joe and Luke had found the campsite which was now deserted. Packing tins of food and sweets, it was nothing else useful for them here. Back at their hut the rest had been packed and thrown all in one corner. It was not very far to the parking lot; they would just come from a different side as at the beginning of the journey.

“Luke, how do you feel to know the dude is dead?” Joe asked out of the blue.

“It had gone a bit too fast for my liking. Bit more fun to make him pay would had not harmed anyone,” Luke confessed and turned back to mind his own business.

“Ok, so where would you like to go from here on?” Joe continued to question his friend.

“Up to Wyoming, and from there over Montana to Canada. Then we are free. Even though it is not directly our fault the guy is dead, the girl is still out there. She is lucky that I have something against hurting kids.” Luke growled.

“It will be ok. We could use the green truck of the dude. It looked nice and comfortable.” Joe suggested but was been silenced by the mad look of his partner.

“Sure, eventually everybody is looking for him and we drive around in his car. Ain’t gonna happen.” Luke shook his head. He could not believe how blind his friend could be sometimes.

Xxx

Somewhere in the woods

Jack started to feel the venom in his bloodstream. He knew it would have been better to suck some of the poison out of his blood but with his broken leg and ribs he just could not reach far enough down. Slowly he walked the way back he came from till he reached the cliff he fell from hours ago. Looking for a way to get up he followed his instinct and found a way. His face was marked by pain and stress, but the thought of Cassie kept him going.

`Come on now Colonel, do not pity yourself, one foot in front of the other and keep going. Left right, left right.’ The thoughts in his head echoed along.

Xxx

Clearing

Cassie was sitting in the shadowed area a bit away from all the working men. She worried herself sick and had gone over and over in her head if there was nothing she could have done. She knew in which state the Colonel was. Why was she so clumsy and fell nearly off that cliff? There was no need for him to help her and, still, he laid himself down and pulled her up. He had waited till she had crawled over his body. He did not scream at all. She felt sick as she remembered that his ribs were not as good as they should been. She should have done something, but what?
The time ran through her hands like sand. She could hear engine noise and looking up from her feet on the ground, four black vehicles came into view. As fast as she was able too, Cassie jumped up and ran forwards to those cars. Seconds later, her friend the Major had her in a tight embrace.

“Sam, I am so happy to see you!” Tears started to well up again.

“Cassie, calm down. I need to know everything. Every little detail could be important. You need to lead us to the Colonel. Can you show us where he fell?” Sam stroked the crying girl over her head and tried to calm her down as good as she could.

Daniel had gotten out of the car and talked to the foreman who came over as he realised that the pickup service for the girl was here.

Xxx

Jack had fallen more then he realised and wanted to. He pushed his body to the limits and beyond. In his mind he had failed his friends. He had failed the trust which Janet had in him and he had failed Cassie.

He could see the hut now where he been held the day before. Leaning against a tree to take a deep breath he observed if there was any movement.
His head started to spin again, and he would have fallen another time if he not had not held himself up against his friend the tree.

He saw how the door opened and one of the tormentors from last night stepped out, stretched his arms and looked in his direction. Jack knew he been spotted, and it was too late to walk away. He did not make the effort to run. It would have been useless and a waste of energy.

“Luke, I have found something. Come and look,” Shouted Joe backwards into the cabin

“What is it, we need to go,” Luke answered annoyed as he knew that they been way behind as it was. Stepping out onto the porch he looked in the direction where Joe was looking at and did not believe his eyes.

“How is this possible?” Luke wondered himself.

“I don’t know. He is just standing there. I am sure he knows that we saw him. Why he is not moving?” stared Joe with a catalogue of questions.

“Don’t know and don’t care. Get the rope. This guy is ours now.” Came the demand.

Within a few steps, Luke was next to a completely exhausted Colonel. He checked him up and down with his eyes before starting to speak.

“Man, you look like shit. What happened to you? I mean I know you fell. I saw that one and I am not sure how you even survived that but why have you come back?” With that he kicked the makeshift crutch away under Jack which caused him to fall where he was standing.

“Girl?” came the one worded question.

“You mean that little bratt? Do not know. She run off after you fell. Do not care. Come on, get up you useless piece of shit.” He kicked the man into his left leg to animate him to stand again.

“If you do not get up it will hurt you more. We are just gonna drag you to the cabin and believe me it will hurt you more than it will me.” With that he grabbed Jack by his jacket and dragged him a few inches up above the ground. Jack did not have the strength to fight or to stand. When Luke let him fall again, he landed on his back and let out a scream.

His whole body was on fire. Being back here and not knowing what had happened to Cassie, he finally gave up. They should do what they want with him. In a day or two he would be dead anyway. Closing his eyes, he shut down his outside world.

“Luke, here is the rope.” Joe came running and came to an abrupt halt as he saw the state the guy was in. He saw how Luke picked him up just to let him fall again and he flinched. Yes, he loved inflicting pain to others, but this guy was half dead already. Where is the fun in that? No, his victims had to be alive. It was so much more fun to see the panic in their eyes, to listen to their screams. But this? Not his field at all.

Luke wrapped the rope around the Colonels wrist. He assumed that the man had lost his consciousness which led to the dragging of the abused body to the hut.

Both men pulled and pushed themselves hard to get their victim over where they wanted it to be. Dragging him up the three stairs they managed it somehow to bound him to that hook on the porch again. Jack was dead weight as he was not awake at all.

After Jack was hung up again like a side of beef in a butchery, Joe went inside the cabin. He did not want to be any part of this. He wanted to leave.
Luke got a bucked of ice-cold water and emptied it across the body of his victim. He could feel the heat radiating from him. But he never came up with the idea to get a doctor to help.

A soft groan told him that his victim was starting to wake up again. He took his bowie knife out and with ease ripped the jacket and shirt from Jack’s torso.

He let the blade slide slowly on the bare skin and laughed devilishly in the process. Jack lifted his head. His vision was extremely blurred by now and he only managed to see shadows. His lips had been so dry and brittle it looked like he been in the desert for too long. He tried to open them, but he failed miserably.

“Did you want to say something?” Luke questioned.

“Water,” the Colonel managed to request the only thing he needed right now.

“Hold on, I bring you some. My apology for not offering it to you earlier.” With that he walked away, filled up his bucket. When he came back, he emptied the bucket of water over the bare torso of the Colonel ever so careful not to get any of the liquid in the man’s face.

“There you go, you see, I look after you. I got you water.” The devilish grin was back on the face of the criminal.
Jack started to tremble, and his teeth chattered out of control against each other. He wished he could go back to the darkness which was always so nice and welcoming.

“You are freezing. Let me help you to warm you up. Just give me a minute.” With that Luke was gone. He came back after a minute or two. “Look what I have found” triumphalist, he held a gas blow torch in his hand. “Don’t ever say I don’t look after you. I will see that you will not be cold anymore.” With that he lit the torch, adjusted the flame and came nearer and nearer to the wet skin of the Colonel.

He tried to turn himself away with no use. As the flame touched his skin, he screamed and lost the fight to stay awake. His body crumbled and the hook made a creaking sound under the full weight which was hanging on it.

“Oh well, never mind. If you cannot appreciate a bit of customer friendliness, I will leave you alone.” With that, Luke packed his belongings together.

“Joe, we are leaving.” He announced and was already by the packed corner to get his luggage loaded on his back. Joe followed him.

“What happened to the dude?” he asked not even sure he wanted to know.

“He did not appreciate the fact that I gave him water and warmth. So, I just let him hang there. He is not my problem anymore”

“Oh.”

“Come now, we have a lot of ground to cover.”
Both men walked in silence to the car and drove off hoping to reach the border of Wyoming by nightfall.

Xxx

By the Cliff

Cassie had led them to the cliff where she left the body of her friend. To everyone’s surprise, no one was there.

“He was here, I left him there laying between the branches and the leaves. I Promise…” Cassie was completely irritated and was hoping no one would call her a liar.

Swarm out and check the immediate area. Any sign of the Colonel, report to me,” ordered Major Carter, trying not to lose it.
Was there hope? Was he still alive? Where was he? So many questions and she did not know one answer to it.

“Major Carter, I believe I found a trail” it was Teal’c who requested the assistance of his friend and leader at the time.

“What have you found?” Carter was next to him in no time to investigate and clarify if it was worth it to pursue the discovery.

“Here, footsteps and a deep hole. It is going that way. I believe that this trail belongs to O`Neill. He seems injured.” The Jaffa stated

“It looks that way. Teal`c, you take point.” She turned around to shout leave to the other SF personnel in the area.

It took Teal`c not long and still for the Major far too long to reach the clearing in front of the hut. The Jaffa signalled a halt and whispered to Sam

“There is someone standing on the porch but I am not sure if this person radiates any danger. I will check it out and if the air is clear I will call you over.”

He did not wait for any response. Walking around he reached the cabin from the back. Moving carefully around he reached the porch from the side. He swallowed a knot down which was building itself in his throat as he saw who was standing there in front of him.

Before he could help his friend, he needed to make sure that there was no one around who might surprise them. As he was sure no one was near and the air clear, he called the rest of his team over.

“Leave the child on the other side, do not bring her near.” He demanded without any explanation.

As he saw that someone was left behind to guard the teenager, he went onto the porch to check out his friend.
Waiting for help, he decided how to get him down without causing anymore damage to the body of the Tau’ri.

“Major carter, please stand away. I ned strong men here to be of assistance to me.” He stopped her where she was in front of the three steps. Two SF’s and Daniel went onto the porch and were standing next to Teal`c in a heartbeat. The sight which they had to see now was nothing for weak nerves.

“Please assist me to get his body down. He’s had enough to endure.” Teal`c spoke softly and with the help of his team, the unconscious body of Jack laid flat on the porch in a minute. Sam had waited till the body was taken off the hock but now she needed to see what was going on.

As she came nearer and recognised the cloth and then the grey hair, she let out a deep gasp. Never would she forget that picture of the man she secretly loved.

“Untie his hands.” She demanded and fought with herself to not cry.

“Doctor, we need your assistance.” Sam shouted over to the little group who been waiting in the distance.

The doctor came and started instantly on his patient. The smell from burned skin hung in the air. The leg was still in his cast and the torso started to show bruises all over it. Feeling for a pulse, he took his time.

“I have found a pulse, but it is extremely weak. His breathing is very shallow and if he does not get into a hospital right now, he will not see another day.

Major Carter stepped to the side and got her phone out, it was not the best signal but better than nothing. Ringing the number, which was on speed dial tone, she waited for the response on the other side.

“General Hammond,” a voice barked into the earpiece of the handset.

“We need a chopper General. I do not care about the weather. If we do not get help in the next half hour, Colonel O’Neill will not survive.” She reported with a tone that had not left any room for further arguments.

“Ok, give me a minute. I will see what I can do.” Hammond confirmed.

Sam knew that she was out of line to speak with the General like that and she will have to face the consequences of her actions later but for now, it was important to save his life.

“Major Carter?” Hammond was on the line again

“Yes, Sir. I am here.” The Major confirmed her whereabouts

“I have arranged a chopper for you. It will still take approx. 10 minutes to reach your destination.” He spread the news out to his officer.

“Thank you General. See you later.” With that she hung up and paid her full attention to the doctor again.

Carefully, the Doctor continued to check his patient over. He was more than concerned for the wellbeing of the man in front of him.

“I need an IV line, pronto. This man needs fluids. He also injected some ephedrine to help his heart to do the job it was meant to do. Slowly he worked his way over the whole body.

“Crap,” he mumbled to himself.

“What is it Doctor?” Sam demanded to know.

“He has a snake bite mark on his left leg. It looks red and angry. As far as I know there are two types of rattle snakes here in Colorado, but I do not know what specimens. If I give him the wrong antidote, he could get worse.” The Doctor confessed.

By now, Cassie had moved herself near the porch so she could listen to the conversation the adults had. She had realised by now without seeing him that the man on the floor was her friend. She wanted to help and remembered what Jack had told her about the rattlesnakes here in this area.

“Jack said there are two types of rattlesnakes in Colorado. The western rattlesnake and the massasauga. He said that the western rattlesnake is in this part but not above 7000 feet. He said that the other one was more in the grassland around the mountains. Maybe it was a western rattlesnake. The cliff was a bit down the hill from here and maybe one example got a bit too far up. Would that be possible?” The teenager raised her hope with every word she remembered and could give for information.

“Cassie, this is brilliant. His blood needs to be tested first for the western rattle snake. That will save a lot of time. You may have saved his life.” Sam smiled at her assuring her that she had done the right thing.

“He explained it to me yesterday to calm my fear of snakes. He told me a lot more and made me laugh. Please, make him well again. I do not want to lose him.” Cassie pleaded for her friend.

“Cassie, that’s ok. You have done very well to remember that information. Jack would be proud of you. He loves you very much. Never forget that.” The Major tried to calm the girl down.

Daniel had understood the slight head motion from Sam and went down to Cassie to take her away again from the scenery. That was the moment when the sound of rotor blades came in to hearing range. The chopper circled over the small clearing. The Pilot seemed to be
an experienced one as he tried to land his machine after being given the signal.

“Daniel, you have to tell the Doctor to be careful. He dislocated his right shoulder and put it back into his socket again, but I think he was still in a lot of pain. He said he was fine, but I know how he is. He never wants anyone to feel sorry for him or be scared on his part.” The tears welled up again and a big sob came from the girl’s mouth.

“Thank you, Cassie, I will let them know. Jack will be fine again. He likes to scare his friends from time to time but always pulls through. You have to believe that.” Daniel smiled at her, taking his walkie talkie, and reported to Sam what he just learned from his young companion.
---------
TBC

Thats for now, hope you enjoyed it...

[bftlovesRDA]

A brilliant section, Jacky! So glad they found Jack. Poor Jack. But he is now among friends.....soooo good!

Thank you for writing and for posting it! GREAT!

[bftlovesRDA]

Bump to the front so all can see this brilliant section.

[Monika]

Thank you Jacky,
a great story.
Please continue
It´s fun to read your stories.

From Monika with love

[bftlovesRDA]

bump to the front. Want all to be able to read this great ff.

[Jack(s)]

thank you both, it is very encouraging that you like it so much

[Jack(s)]

next part, it just happened I got to have some time on my hands before work... have fun
----------------
Xxx

Porch at the Cabin

Lots of portable machines been attached to a certain Colonel who still had not came back to the land of the living. The Doctor fought very hard but had to realise that it seemed to be a losing battle on his hand.

“The patient suffers from cardiac arrest. Get the defibrillator ready. Careful with his ribs, do not want them to pierce into his lungs,” He stated and to Jack he warned him, “Don’t even try and dying on me Colonel. Yes, you have saved the princess but in no fairy-tale does the prince die afterwards. So, come on now. I know that you are not finished and have a lot more to accomplish.” He set the patches on the right points and shocked him. The body lifted in the air for a second before slumping back down.

Major carter was standing there in disbelief. She never had witnessed something like this and now seeing the fight for the life of her friend and commanding officer first-hand, scared her.

`Jack, please, you must fight. Cassie is saved now. She is with us. Come on Airman. You can do it.’ she shouted at him in her mind.
Leaving the scene, she watched the chopper pilot how he maneuvered his bird nearer to the ground. Leaves were going wild and trees started to shake. Another few moments later and the runners reached the soft grass on the clearing. The second doctor jumped out and ran crouched over to where he was needed.

He helped the doctor at the scene to stabilise the man before getting him ready for transport. It had taken another two shocks of Jacks body before there was a sign again that he was still with them all.

Daniel had covered Cassie with his arms so she would not get the wind in her eyes. Sam came over to the duo now and watched from the distance. She did not have the nerves to stand by the Colonel himself. She could have gotten in the way or would start crying again. Either way, it was not an option.

Another few minutes and the trio witnessed how the Colonel was laid on a stretcher and had been taken to the helicopter. The blades starting to turn again. It was that every second that was counting.

Sam saw the lift off and how the aircraft vanished behind the tree line a couple of seconds later. Pulling herself together, she ordered a quick sweep of the area and the hut. Trying to find any clues about what happened here or who had done it.

Xxx

Helicopter

Jack was attached to many cables and wires. Every single little sign was recorded. The pilot had contacted the hospital that they would come with a male patient around 50 years old with multiple injuries and a rattlesnake poisoning.

At the arrival on the hospital roof, a special team was already waiting for their new customer so there would be no loss of any time.
His vitals went through the roof by now and the first thing was to take some blood to check up on the theory about the snakebite. During the flight Jack was another time very close to a cardiac arrest and both Doctors had not been sure how long their patient would fight against the odds he was given.

Xxx

Cabin

The SF team had searched the area but was not able to find anything. The same was applying for the hut. Sam took her phone out of her pocket to report to the General and bring him up to speed with all the news that happened in the last hour.

A quick look at her watch told her it was already late afternoon, realising that it was time to head back and take some care of Cassie. The girl was still standing next to Daniel and did not say a word.

“Hey Cass, you hungry? I believe you have not had anything all day.” The Major smiled at the girl and offered her a chocolate bar.

“No thanks, not hungry. How is Uncle Jack? Did you hear anything?” she asked with fearful eyes.

“I am sorry. So far there is nothing new on the health state the Colonel is in. But I am sure he will be fine.” She tried to reassure her.

“I would like to go home. Is it possible if I can sit in a car and wait there till you are finished with all the stuff here?” she asked shyly.

“Sure, Daniel? Would you like to bring Cass to one car and tell an Airman to take care of her? I need you back here.” Sam asked but it was clear that it was not really a question but more a demand.

“Sure, will be back in a minute.” He replied and as he turned to the teenager, he suggested to her to come with him.

Xxx

The Colonel was in Operation room three. A specialised team was standing at the ready. The blood results came back a minute before which confirmed that it was indeed a western rattle snake. The antivenom was given immediately and before they could do anything else, they had to wait. Too high was the risk that his weak body would not pull through the surgery or any test for that matter.

The vitals calmed down soon. Blood pressure dropped from 149/98mmHg to just under 120/80mmHg. His pulse slowed down from raging 188 beats to just 75 beats per minute and the still unconscious man was ready to be treated for his injuries. Still, it was a touch and go. First, tests needed to be taken to make sure and see what the officer was suffering from.

After fMRI, cat scan, x ray and another whole series of test, the Colonel was back in OPR 3. The diagnosis was shocking: he had internal injuries and bleedings in his abdominal area; one rib had punctured one of his lungs; his right leg was shattered in three places; his right shoulder needed to heal after he had forced it back in; he had several bruised vertebras; a big burned area on his left side; a severe concussion and on top of all that he had had a snake poisoning.

The operation took several hours, and his heart gave up once more. His whole body was ready to just give up. Beaten and buttered he had had enough. Resting in peace and going where his son was waiting for him drew him on. But. then, there were so many more things he needed to do in his life. Was he ready to give that up?

Xxx

It was dark by now as the convoy reached the base top of the Cheyanne Mountain Complex. Cassie had slept most of the way and, as she woke up, her tummy signalled her that it was ready now to receive some nourishment.

Sam reported to the General. She had some explaining to do and that would take some time. She also needed to find out if there had been any news on the Colonel’s side. How was he doing?

She knocked on his door and waited for the signal to come in. As usual she heard the trusted “come in” straight away.

“Major,” the General acknowledged his officer.

“General, I am here to report back.” She stood stiff in front of the General.

“At ease Major” he gestured her to take the seat opposite from his desk.

“I would rather stay standing sir if that is ok with you.” Sam replied but moved herself into a more comfortable position.

“Sure, suit yourself.” He cleared his throat and continued. “How can I help you?”

“Sir, is there anything we can do to help this case?”

“Major, you know that it is not in the restriction of the United States Air Force. He was there on leave in his private time. It is up to the local police to work on that case not us.”

“I know, but I feel so useless.”

“No need. You have done what you had to do and better. On another note, how is Cassie doing?”

“She had something to eat and is resting now in my quarters. I have tried to contact Janet but with her being in a conference she did not pick up her phone. I left a message so she will call back sooner or later.”

“That is good. Did she say anything else? Have she been able to give a statement?”

“She had been sitting with a police officer together on the way to the base. He took some notes and tomorrow someone will contact us. She must go to the police and give a written statement and they will see if she can work with a sketch artist together. Everybody hopes that the guys who done this to Colonel O’Neill will be caught and prosecuted.” She cleared her throat as well for the next question she had and was waiting for the whole time to put it into the room, “On that note, how is the Colonel doing? Have you heard anything?”

“No, but he is in good care. I am sure of it. I have been notified by the receptionist of the Craig Hospital in Denver that he is in surgery after all the tests they had to make. She could not tell me anymore as for I am not a relative to the Colonel.”

“I never heard of that hospital. I hope they are good and can help him to bring him back to his full health.”

“Craig hospital is a world-renowned hospital & centre of excellence, specializes in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Do not worry Major. I had to inform myself as well. But it sounds good.”

“Have they said anything about if we can visit him?”

“No, but I think from what you told me he will be in intensive care and, if so, they will not let anyone in apart from relatives. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone close enough to him.”

“I could get in contact with Sarah. Maybe she can help us, Sir.”

“His ex-wife?”

“Yes, I know that they still had close contact so she might be willing to help.”

“I am not sure about bringing her in.”

“Sir, you know as good as I do that Colonel O`Neill needs someone he trusts around to get better. If he wakes up in an environment he doesn’t know, and no one is around he knows and can trust…” she did not end her sentences as she could see that the General got her train of thoughts.

“I will see what I can do. Anything else Major?”

“Yes Sir, there is something I wanted to clear up with you.” He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.

“Sir I wanted to apologise. My tone towards you on the phone earlier was not appropriate. I just wanted to let you know that I am fully aware and ready to face the consequences.” She stiffened her body which the General noticed.

“Major Carter, I do appreciate your concern on that matter and would have taken the relevant measures, but I do not know what you are referring to. So, if there is not anything else, I would like to go back to my files and find out if I can get hold of Sarah.” He smiled knowingly.

“Thank you, Sir, nothing else, Sir, have a good day, Sir.” Sam turned around and left the office. Outside she stood for a moment and tried to calm her nerves.

She still did not know how her CO was doing or if he was even still alive. Walking to her quarters to check on Cassie, she had a strange feeling.

Xxx

Craig Hospital, OPR 3

The clock was running another marathon and was already at 3 am in the morning. This operation lasted over five hours by now. A nurse came in and hung another bag of the Colonel’s blood type on a stand and checked the flow of the medication.

She could see how calm the operating doctor was the whole time, like it was a game in a sandbox, playing with marbles, having all his friends as his team around to play with him.

The nurse left the area again and remembered the two phone calls from his employer he had already had to answer. The idea of not being allowed to give out information was putting her in a difficult spot.

She did not know much herself about the condition of this patient, but when he came in as an emergency and from what she saw looking like being in a scrap press, it was serious.

Xxx

SGC

Sam had found Cassie asleep and left the girl in that state. She needed and deserved her rest. Going to her lab, she hoped for any kind of distraction. She was not capable of shaking the horrifying pictures out of her head. How he was bound to that hock, not moving, how they laid him down, every so careful not to hurt him more. How the doctor was fighting for his life and how the chopper had taken him away. A tear separated from her eye and rolled down her cheek. She felt so helpless.

Burying her head into her hands on her desk she did not hear Teal`c coming in. He stepped a few steps closer but still far enough away to not startle her when she realised that he was there.

“Major Carter,” he called her softly.

Sam looked up and wiped her eyes trying to hide what was going on inside her but knowing it was no good when it came to her alien friend. He knew her better and sensed it anyway.

“Teal`c, what can I do for you?” she managed to ask him in a relatively normal voice.

“The question is in this situation what can I do for you? It is very late for the people of earth at this time of the night or very early.” He checked the clock hanging on the side of the wall and continued, “At 3:30 in the morning.”

“Oh Teal’c.” Sam wiped her eyes again. I cannot get the whole scenario of the day out of my head. I am worried about the Colonel and really would like to know how he is doing.” she confessed.

“As am I. If it will help you, I can teach you how to do Kelno'reem. It might help you to relax and send your visions away,” he offered with his hands behind his back.

Sam looked at him sceptically. “You sure? I mean you have nothing else to do?”

“No, and besides, it did help O`Neill once.” He stepped to one side and with his left arm motioned her to take the lead out of her lab. “We can go to my quarters. There I can guide you through the process,” he offered.

“Thank you, Teal’c. That is kind of you.” She forced herself to smile.

Xxx

Craig Hospital, ICU, Room 101

The operation was a success: the ribs put back in place; the bleeding stopped; the leg straightened again slightly raised and stuck in a plaster; his head was in a thick wide bandage; and his arm fixed to his body. He was intubated to help his body heal and not to worry about the breathing part. Wires had been attached to measure every single little health sign and a couple of tubes ran through some needles into his body to support him with medication, blood, and fluids.

The rhythm of the heart monitor played his little music in line with the breathing machine. In case he would wake up, the bell was laying next to his left hand. But so far there was no sign of Colonel O`Neill regaining consciousness very soon.

Xxx

Sam had managed with the help of her Friend to calm herself down enough to get some of her well needed and well-deserved sleep.

Xxx

2 days later around 08:00

“Major Carter” Sam answered her mobile phone.

“Sam its Janet. You left a message for me to contact you. What the matter. Is something with Cassie?” Her voice was near enough to overturning itself.

“Cassie is ok. There was an incident. She is here with me on base.” Sam announced, waiting till the news had sunk into her friend.

“Why, what happened. What incident? Where is Jack? He was supposed to be taking care of her. Wait till I get him in my fingers. I was so sure I could trust him.” Janet was starting to get herself worked up. It took her a bit to notice that Sam had not said anything. As it dawned on her she raised the question, “Sam, has something happened to the Colonel?”

Carter took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she answered. “Yes,” was all she could muster at that point.

“Oh, honey, I am sorry. I am coming back early. Sorry I did not get your message earlier. I will take the next plane home. Just let me book my flight and then you can tell me what happened.” She was already hanging up when Sam interrupted.

“Janet, I cannot tell you that on the phone. That has to wait till you are here.” With that she just hung up. It was hard to talk about her CO without knowing how he was doing.

Xxx

Craig Hospital, ICU, Room 101

The Head nurse on duty walked into the room and greeted Jack cheerfully this morning. “Good Morning Sir, I have heard that you are a full-blown Colonel of the Air Force. Is that true?” She looked at him and checked the monitors and his vital signs.

“For a Colonel you are awfully quiet. I would have guessed that you have more to say to me. But that is ok. You will tell me when you are ready.” Standing there for a second longer she looked in the pale face which had deep lines and sunken in eyes. The breathing machine was still doing his job and she wondered briefly how long it would take him to wake up. She was sure that he had wonderful eyes and was eager to see them.

The chief doctor of the ICU from Craig hospital and his team entered the room for a morning visit. This was the sign for the nurse to leave the room.

“Good Morning Mr. O`Neill. How are we feeling today?” He took some notes of the reading which the monitors were giving away and checked the output on the IV his patient would receive.

After a few minutes he was done and wished a good day as he left the man’s room going to his next patient.

Xxx

SGC

“Cassie, your mum has finally called a few minutes ago. She will be here by tomorrow, so she said. She is happy that you are ok.” Sam looked at the Girl who was poking around a bit vacantly in her cereal bowl.

“Ok” was the only answer she was prepared to give.

“How was your visit yesterday with the police?”

“Ok, everybody was friendly.”

“Good. Could you give them a description about the men who were hunting you both?”

“Yes, they found them in the archive from the computer a few minutes later and know how they look like now.” Cassie replied not really in the mood
for a chat.

“That sounds wonderful. What would you like to do today?” Sam asked her friend’s daughter with a soft and friendly voice

“I want to visit Uncle Jack. He needs to know that there is someone there for him. He needs to know that I am ok. He needs to know that he is not alone and that he has friends who care for him.” Cassie became more and more agitated and was nearly shouting her answer by now before she
stopped, took a deep breath and in a much calmer version of herself ended the sentence with “He needs to know that he is not alone, that he means a lot to other people”.

“I am sure he knows. Don’t worry about the Colonel.” Sam tried to calm the girl and herself down.

“Sam, I have seen his eyes. He did not want me to see them but on some occasions he looked sad. I know he was enjoying his time up there with me. I know he likes kids and I have heard my mum and you talking a while ago over his deceased son. I know more than you think, and I know that he feels alone. You are all his family, but you are not with him.” she explained and swallowed down a sob.

“Cassie, he is an adult. His son died years ago, and I know he still struggles from time to time. But still, I am sure he will manage. He is stronger than you give him credit for.” Sam tried to reason.

“I want to see him!” the teenager stated in a tone that did not let any more room for any argumentation.

Sam looked at her and found it best to leave her alone for now. Work was waiting in her lab and she used it to escape the current situation. She was wondering how the Colonel was doing but without Sarah or Janet there was no saying.

The General told her yesterday that he tried to get hold of Sarah but so far without luck. The woman seemed swallowed by the earth itself.
In her lab, she switched the light on and checked the little round orb she had on her desk. SG 17 had brought it back from a mission over a month ago but, so far, she did not have the time to look at it directly.

Xxx

General Hammond’s Office

The phone rang, he picked it up and was positively surprised to have a friendly female voice on the other end of his receiver.
“General Hammond, my name is Sarah O`Neill. I assume it was you who was leaving me several phone calls. How can I be of any assistance to you?”
“Hello Mrs. O`Neill. Yes, you are understanding correctly with that assumption. We need to talk. Can we meet somewhere for a coffee?” Hammond did not want to fall with the door into her house, so they say.

“I’ve got time right now, would it be ok to meet in say, 30 minutes at Loyal Coffee, 408 S Nevada Ave?” Sarah suggested.

“This is fine by me, Ma`am. See you then.” He put down the handset and informed his aide to cancel all his appointments for this afternoon. There was a more important matter at stake.

“Major, can I have a word in my office please?” it was more a demand than a request and soon Major Carter was in his office.

“General? What can I do for you?” She stood in his office like yesterday, realizing that he did not offer her a seat.

“Mrs. O`Neill has contacted me 10 minutes ago. I will meet her in 20 minutes. Anything you want me to say on your behalf, Major?”

“This news is wonderful, Sir. No, nothing on my behalf. Just please make sure she is visiting jack in the hospital and maybe she will take one of us with her, showing Jack that we have not abandoned him. Safe travels Sir. I am looking forward to your arrival back here.” Sam grinned and snapped a textbook salute.

“I will try my best. How is Cassie holding up?”

“She wants to see the Colonel. Like we all do”

“Any word on Janet?”

“Oh yes Sir, I forgot to tell you. She had phoned this morning and will be here tomorrow. She said she will book a flight. She does not know what happened. I only told her about an incident and that something happened to the Colonel.”

“Ok, I will keep this in mind. Major, I must go now. I will brief you when I am back.” He replied with a salute and left.

Xxx

Hotel room for Janet

She was pacing up and down the room. Checking her watch again. It was just after noon. The earliest flight she could have managed to get was tomorrow morning at 06:00. Via Denver it was still an 4-5 hour trip but still better if she had had to drive a rental car. This would take her up to 16.5 hours and she would be totally exhausted at the end of her journey.

She had notified the head of medical surgeons of this conference that she would no longer take part due to private reasons. He was not happy about it but understood that family comes first.

Janet was wondering what happened and what the Colonel did this time. She was concerned about her daughter but it was good knowing that she was in the right hands of her friend.

She checked her watch again and it was only five minutes later. Time did not want to go by at all. She poured herself water into a glass and sipped from it while standing in front of her window which had an overview of a park area.

The Doctor had arranged a taxi for 04:00 in the morning. That should be enough time to make it safely to the airport and onto the flight she needed to take.

Xxx

Loyal Coffee

Sarah was sitting at a table a bit aside from all the rest in a corner. Looking out the window, she saw how a black downtown limousine had stopped and the driver opened the back door for a man in blue uniform.

Sipping on her coffee, she watched him walking up to the door and coming inside. Looking around he came over to her as he had noticed her slight hand wave.

“Mrs. O`Neill?” the General asked quietly.

“That is correct. General Hammond I assume?” She stood to reach him her hand.

“Yes, Ma`am.” He sat himself down after Sarah had seated herself again.

“Sir, what can I get you?” the waitress came over to take the order.

“Just a black coffee for me and what ever this Lady had again for her” he motioned with his hand towards the woman opposite from him. The waitress left with an acknowledging nod.

“Sir, what can I do for you. You sounded very secretive on the phone earlier.” She emptied her cup with the black liquid in one go.

“Yes Ma`am” he cleared his throat.

“Sir, please. Its Sarah” She smiled at him.

“Ok Sarah, it is about Jack.” He paused to see how she would react to the name of her ex-husband.

“What about him? Is he in trouble?” She asked starting to pick nervously on her fingernails.

“You can say that. There was an incident and he is in Denver in a hospital. You are the nearest relative he has.” He stopped again to let the news sink in.

“How is he?” Sarah asked with a soft voice.

“That is the thing, we don’t know. He was admitted to the hospital two days ago in very serious health. Since then we did not hear anything about it.” He continued.

“Why Denver? Do you not have your own hospitals?” she wondered.

“The incident happened while he was off. So, the Air Force has no sayiso in that matter, and he is in a state hospital. They told us that the information regarding Colonel O`Neill will only be available to a relative of his.” He sipped on his coffee cup which was brought to him a while ago

“So, you want me to go to Denver and report back to you how he is doing, am I correct?” Sarah hit the nail on his head.

“It would be very helpful and much appreciated,” the General confessed.

“To which Hospital was Jack admitted?”

“Craig Hospital. You must ask where he is. From the last stand of information he was in the ICU.” He notified her.
Sarah checked her watch. “It is a bit more than an hour up to Denver. I can go now and find out how he is doing. I will give you a call as soon as I
have found out something.” With that she stood up, not wanting to lose any more time.

“General, it was a pleasure.” She held out her hand again.

“The pleasure was on my side Sarah. Thank you for helping us. Have a safe journey.” He took her hand while thanking her.

Xxx

Sarah walked slowly to her car. The news she just received caught her off guard. She knew Jack for a long time and was wondering what had happened to him now.

She picked up her phone and called her best friend to notify her that she will not be attending the meeting for catch up tonight. She only had told her that something important came up which she had to deal with.

With that she started her drive up on the interstate 25. Her navigation program showed her that she would just take over an hour to arrive.

Xxx

General Hammond was on his way back to the base and hoped that he would receive some information on his 2IC in a few hours’ time.
Looking at his watch it was late afternoon and he sighed as he remembered all the paperwork he still had to deal with.

Xxx

Hotel room of Janet’s

Janet had fallen asleep again. It was a light and restless sleep and as her alarm went off at 22:00. She was up and ready to go. Bags were packed and a cab was waiting.

The shuttle to the airport took about another hour and she knew she was way too early.
Strolling around the shops after giving her luggage to the friendly attendant at the check in point, she was hoping to find something to distract her. No such luck for her tonight.
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TBC