Author: Flatkatsi

Email: flatkatsi@optusnet.com.au

Status: Complete

Category: Episode tag

Pairings: None

Spoilers: Window of Opportunity, The Devil You Know

Season: Four

Rating: PG

Content Warnings: None

File Size: 74kb

Archive: Incoming Wormhole, Jackfic

Summary: All that looping turns out to have an effect after all.

Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Author's Note: Many thanks to Aniko and Yllek for making sure that I got it right and to Sharon for the excellent beta.

"Oh come on Doc. You've stuck that damned light in my face every day for God knows how long. You didn't find anything then, why do you think that you will now?"

Doctor Fraiser glared back at the exasperated Colonel. "Well I don't remember that, now do I, sir? So just bear with me for a little longer, and you can get out of here."

Colonel O'Neill shifted restlessly on the infirmary bed. He didn't want to be here He wanted to be at home. He felt like he had been stuck in the Base for months -- in fact apart from a few days here and there, he had. Teal'c had managed to escape the Doc's clutches; he'd had a quick once over and then headed for his quarters to kel-no-reem. That meant that the Doc was free to give Jack her undivided attention.

"How are you feeling, sir?" The Doc snapped her penlight off and turned to take his blood pressure.

"Fine, Doc -- just a bit tired."

"Well, your blood pressure is a little high."

"I've just spent months stuck in a time loop, Doc. What do you expect? How about you let me go home and get some sleep in my own bed?"

With a smile Janet acknowledged that she could find nothing wrong with the Colonel. No reason to keep him in the infirmary any longer. So after a quick visit to General Hammond to confirm that he wasn't still needed, he was on his way home.

*********************************

Jack yawned widely as he pulled back the covers on his bed. Boy was he looking forward to this. The first real night of sleep he'd had in weeks. He lay down and just savoured the feeling of relaxation, the touch of the clean sheets on his bare skin, and the warm pressure of the blankets. He shut his eyes, a slight smile on his face and snuggled his head into the pillow. At last!

An hour later he gave up the struggle and sat up with an angry snort. He couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning wasn't going to do any good. He might just as well get up.

It was still early. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and slouched on the couch, idly clicking the TV remote. Finally he settled on an old black and white movie and sat back. Two beers later he switched off the set.

He couldn't concentrate.

He was so tired.

Glancing at the clock he saw that it was 2100 -- a respectable hour to go to bed albeit a trifle early. He switched off the lights and headed for the bedroom once more.

***************************************

Jack turned over with a groan and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It read 0300. This was ridiculous. He was just over tired. No point fighting it. He swung his legs over the side and stood.

Wow. Head rush. Jack sat on the covers, his head hanging down. A few deep breaths later and he felt a little steadier. He got up gingerly. He was fine nowÉ much better. He slowly made his way back to the living room.

After a fruitless attempt to find something worth watching, on late night television, he picked up the mystery novel that he was part way through. But he found that his vision blurred, preventing him from reading. He wiped a weary hand across his eyes, putting the book down.

The long hours before dawn seemed to last forever. Jack swung back and forth between being wide awake and being so tired that he almost wanted to cry with frustration.

*********************************************

0900 found the Colonel in his office trying to find something to do. He had completed his report on the time loop an hour ago, after having arrived at the SGC at the, unnaturally early hour of 0600. Even for him it was unnaturally early. Trouble was -- he just couldn't concentrate. Waves of crushing fatigue washed over him and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"After the team leaders meeting I'll head home and get some rest", he thought, putting his notes into a folder and standing up slowly to walk to the Briefing Room.

"Colonel, you look terrible. Is there a problem?"

General Hammond watched as Colonel O'Neill slumped into the seat beside him. The dark circles gave his eyes a sunken appearance.

" Just tired, sir. I thought that I'd go home after the meeting. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Perhaps you should see Doctor Fraiser, Colonel."

Jack shook his head emphatically. "No, sir, I'll be fine after a good nights sleep. There's no need to bother the Doc."

The General knew better than to argue. The Colonel's reluctance to visit the infirmary was legendary.

The meeting had seemed to last forever. Jack had tried to concentrate -- he really had, but it had become harder as the minutes ticked by. When the time had finally come for him to give his report, he found himself stumbling over the words, losing his place and having to collect his thoughts before continuing.

He really had to get some sleep.

Even now -- back at home and in his bed - he found that he couldn't relax. Every time he closed his eyes strange disjointed images and weird flashes of color cycled through his mind, keeping him from the sleep that he needed.

Despite his best efforts to stay still he couldn't help moving his legs, shifting position and constantly thumping the pillow into different shapes.

Then he had a sudden and very profound idea.

Hot milk...hot milk just like mother used to make.

He could remember his mother giving him hot milk to drink when he couldn't sleep. That was it.

Jack would have grinned if he hadn't been so God damned tired. He made his way to the kitchen and poured a cup of milk into a saucepan. No thought of using the microwave crossed his mind. His mother hadn't had a microwave. He needed hot milk like his mother use to make. He stood, watching as the small bubbles formed on the milk's surface. He watched as they spread, rising up the side.

Shit! With an oath he grabbed at the pan, trying to stop the milk from boiling over. He over reached and knocked it flying, the hot liquid spilling over his right hand.

Crap. That hurt!

He turned on the faucet and put his hand under the cold water, watching as the skin turned an angry red. He could feel the burn eating away at the skin and soft tissue. It felt like fire licking along the nerves under the thin layer of skin on the back of his hand. Stinging unmercifully, the injured hand painfully throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

This was bad. This was very bad, and it could get nasty.

Looking at the offending appendage, he realizedÉ"Houston, we have a problem."

If, by some weird chance, he got a bandage on the burn -- using one hand, he still had to get help. As much as he hated to admit it, this was not something he wanted to mess around with. He would have to GO get helpÉbutÉ

He couldn't drive one handed; steering and managing the gear changes would be impossible. Plus, if he was going to be honest with himself, he knew that he shouldn't drive in his current state. Even the pain from the burn wasn't enough to stop his head from spinning and his eyes from trying to shut.

There was only one thing left to do. Ask for help.

*************************************

Daniel had been surprised to get the call from Jack. He had assumed that his friend was in his office, not back at his own house. He hadn't even thought to ask what Jack was doing home, mid morning on a weekday -- he just got into his car and went. Jack hadn't given much in the way of details -- just that he was at home and had hurt himself and could Daniel come over. It was then that a feeling of unease had crept up on Daniel -- Jack never asked for help unless it was serious.

The feeling grew as he rang the doorbell. He could hear Jack muttering loudly. Jack didn't mutter. He never muttered. If he had something to say, he just came out and said it.

:"About time!" The door was pulled open violently and Jack stood glaring. "What took you so long?"

"I came as soon as I hung up the phone, Jack." Daniel could see the anger on the other man's face. In fact, as he looked past the anger, he could also see lines of tiredness. "What's up?"

Jack turned his back and stalked off; throwing a grunted few words back over his shoulder. "NothingÉ I just need a lift to the base."

"Then why do you need me?" Daniel was starting to get annoyed. It wasn't like he didn't have better things to do than chauffer ungrateful friends around.

"Hurt my hand." Jack reappeared, pulling his jacket on awkwardly, the white cloth around his hand hanging loosely.

"Let me see that." Daniel reached forward and grabbed at the dangling appendage. Then dropped it just a quickly as Jack gave a yelp of pain.

"Christ, Daniel. Just take me to the infirmary, okay."

Daniel could tell that now was not the time to argue. He waited while Jack locked the house and opened the car door for him. Jack stumbled slightly as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Are you okay?" Daniel was getting really worried now. The only answer that he got was a discontented grunt from the man sitting with his eyes closed, his hand cradled in his lap.

The drive back to the Base was completed in silence. One glance at Jack's set features was warning enough. An experienced Daniel knew not to pressure his friend for explanations. The silence continued as the two men walked through the corridor and took the elevator. After reaching the infirmary level, Jack roused himself enough to tell Daniel not to bother coming in with him.

"I'm coming, Jack. No point arguing about it."

"I don't need a babysitter, Daniel. I've just hurt my hand." Jack stepped out of the elevator and sped up, Daniel hurrying in his wake.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem if I come with you, should it?"

"Suit yourself." The anger in Jack's voice was coming closer to the surface. Daniel watched him closely as he strode into the infirmary and straight up to Doctor Fraiser.

Janet turned around in surprise. "Colonel, I certainly didn't expect to see you. Is there a problem?"

Jack thrust his hand forward. "I had a little accident in the kitchen, Doc."

Janet gave Daniel a quick glance. She caught the slight shake of his head and understood the unspoken warning. Best not push the Colonel when he was in this sort of mood.

"Okay, sir. Let's take a look." Janet carefully unwound the cloth and heard Daniel gasp as the full extent of the injury became apparent.

"Shit, Jack. What did you do?"

"Here, I want you to lie down." Janet gently pushed the protesting man towards a bed. "It'll make it easier for me." She was pleased to see Colonel O'Neill give a grudging nod.

The Colonel's hand was badly burnt, in some parts skin had lifted off when the cloth was removed, leaving it raw. She knew that it must be extremely painful. "How did you do this?"

"I spilt some hot milk on it."

Janet didn't question him any further as she bent to her task. Somehow the idea of hot milk and Jack O'Neill just did not go naturally together. She had noticed her patient's breathing was becoming shallower and quicker as she worked. After carefully covering the burnt area with sticky burn ointment and a large dressing, she pulled her stethoscope from her jacket. Placing it against his chest, she listened carefully. Just as she'd suspected -- his heart was racing.

"Colonel, I'm going to take your blood pressure. Just lie back."

Jack frowned. "Why, Doc? It's my hand that's injured." He moved his legs off the bed and stood, ready to escape, his eyes flickering between his two friends. "I'm fine now." With that Jack began to move towards the infirmary door.

Janet's instincts screamed at her to stop the Colonel. She was already opening her mouth to order him back to bed when, without warning he stumbled and began to fall forward.

"Jack!" No one could fault the speed of Daniel's reactions. He caught the staggering man as he went down.

Within seconds Daniel had the Colonel back up onto the bed and Janet was fitting a blood pressure cuff to his arm.

"Sir, your blood pressure is elevated and your heart is racing. This is more than just the burn." She could see the barely controlled anger on his face and gave him a grim stare. "You're staying here until I know what the problem is."

The Colonel glared back at her and spoke in a tight voice, "I told you. I'm fine."

"You are far from fine, Colonel. Every reading that I've taken is almost off the chart. Now you can tell me how you are really feeling, or I can run tests until I work it out for myself. Which is it going to be?"

Jack sat there, glowering back at her. She stared back at him, unflinching. Finally, with a sigh, the Colonel admitted defeat.

"I can't sleep. I'm tired." The reluctant words where forced from him.

Janet frowned in puzzlement. "This is more than just tiredness. How long is it since you slept?"

The Colonel opened his mouth to answer and shut it again just as quickly. He looked around -- at the door, at Daniel, at Janet. No escape.

"Colonel?" Janet had seen his reaction and noted his reluctance to answer the question.

"A while, Doc."

This was like pulling teeth. Janet sighed in exasperation. "How long is a while?"

"About three months."

There was silence. Jack looked down at his hands, Janet and Daniel looked at each other in total shock, their expressions mirroring each other.

"Let me get this straight. You haven't had a good night's sleep since before the time loop started?" Janet was already attaching monitors to the Colonel as she spoke.

The next answer came even more reluctantly than his last one. "No, Doc. I haven't had any sleep since before the loop."

"Any!" Daniel's incredulous shout echoed through the room. Jack winced. The loud noise sent daggers through him, aggravating an already enormous headache.

"It was day time." Jack raised his voice to match Daniel's. "We were trying to figure out how to stop the looping." His voice rose as he continued. "I wasn't tired. And besides," he glared furiously at the doctor, "every time we looped you shoved me in here and stuck lights in my eyes. Didn't exactly make me feel like sleeping." He sat up straight against the pillow and folded his arms across his chest, panting slightly.

"Do you have a headache, sir?" At the Colonel's reluctant nod, Janet held up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two, three. I don't know." Jack squinted. "If you'd stop waving them around I might be able to tell."

"Colonel, you have all the classic signs of severe sleep depravation -- headaches, blurred vision, irritability to name just a few."

"I'm not irritable." Jack interrupted.

"Ah!" Janet raise her finger to stop him speaking as a snort of disbelief came from Daniel. "No arguing. You will get into this bed. I WILL run some tests and while we're waiting for the results, you can get some sleep. I'll give you something to help you along."

"I don't want any pills."

"You may not want any, but you need them. This is not negotiable. Doctor's orders."

A very disgruntled Colonel O'Neill got changed and into bed, and took his pills like a good little soldier.

*********************************

Doctor Fraiser had expected to see Colonel O'Neill sound asleep when she returned from compiling the test results. Instead she was greeted by the sight of him lying stiffly in the bed, his eyes wide open. She could almost feel the tension emanating from him as he drummed the fingers of his uninjured hand restlessly on the sheet.

Before speaking to him she reached for the chart and confirmed her suspicions. According to the notes, the Colonel had been given enough sedative to knock him out for several hours.

"Colonel." She didn't have time to continue before he jumped in --

"Doc. It's not working. I still can't sleep."

"I can see that, sir." She noted the agitated movements of his hands, the too rapid heart beat. "Try to relax. I might just have to try something a bit stronger." She paused -- ready for an argument. None came. That alone worried Janet more than the test results.

She pulled some items from her pocket and then carefully inserted a needle into the back of the Colonel's hand, attached an IV, and secured it with tape. The Colonel silently watched her every move.

"I asked Daniel to check on Teal'c, sir. Has he come back yet?"

"Does it look like he's here, Doctor?" Jack's voice was icy cold. She looked hurriedly up from what she was doing. She hadn't liked his tone at all. His gaze slid off her, shifting, moving. Janet felt a strange sensation, one that she had never associated with Colonel O'Neill before -- fear. She was almost pathetically grateful when Daniel walked into the room right at that moment, accompanied by Teal'c.

"How's Jack, Janet?" Daniel looked worriedly at the IV in his friend's hand.

"I'm right here and I'm great, thanks, Daniel. Thanks for asking."

"Ah, right, Jack." Daniel was unsure how else to answer.

Janet caught the attention of the two men, and with a nod of her head, indicated that she wanted to talk to them - away from the Colonel. With a brief word to the annoyed patient they moved into her office. Janet shut the door behind them.

"What is wrong, Doctor Fraiser?" Teal'c had picked up on the tension in the woman's actions.

"It's the Colonel. I don't like the way that he is acting, Teal'c. He can't sleep and as he gets more tired he is getting more irritable and angry. He's acting out of character and frankly I'm worried." She moved around her desk and sat wearily in her chair. "How are you feeling, Teal'c? I'm assuming this problem stems from the effect of the time loop on Colonel O'Neill. Do you have any similar symptoms?"

The Jaffa thought for a moment before answering. "Indeed, Doctor. I have found that I have needed to kel-no-reem for a much longer time than usual. I was unaware that O'Neill had suffered any ill effects from the looping, or I would have mentioned it earlier. I regret that I did not."

"I think that the Colonel's body clock has been confused by the time loop. He didn't seem to need sleep while looping, and now his body is unable to get back into the correct rhythm. Hopefully the sedatives that I'm administering now will solve the problem. After a few hours sleep he should be back to normal." Janet glanced out into the infirmary and gave a startled exclamation. "Damn!"

Colonel O'Neill had ripped the IV from his hand and was already half way across the room towards them.

"Colonel. You need to get back into bed." Janet hurried out of her office and reached towards him, only to find herself grabbed and pulled into a tight hold, Jack's arm across her throat. A snarled voice whispered in her ear. She strained to understand what he was saying, why he was acting like this, but she couldn't understand a word.

"Oh Christ! He's speaking Arabic." Daniel moved closer, listening carefully. "Something about getting outÉand taking the doctor with him."

"Do not attempt to escape, Doctor Fraiser. I believe that O'Neill is not properly aware of his actions. It could be extremely dangerous to startle him." Teal'c had seen the same look that the Tau'ri soldier had in his eyes several times before, in combat situations. The result had always been the same -- the enemy had died. O'Neill was a very ruthless warrior when he needed to be. The Jaffa edged sideways; ready to take advantage of any distraction.

"Jack, you're at the SGC. You're sick. You need to let Janet go so that she can help you." Daniel pleaded with his friend, trying to get through his delusion. Jack seemed to be lost in the past. He was still muttering in Arabic. Daniel could barely hear him.

Janet Fraiser was terrified. She knew what the Colonel was capable of Éknew she was only a twist of his arms away from a broken neck. The sedatives should have been enough to knock out an elephant and yet here he was, standing, holding her firmly. She could feel her heart pounding, the sweat beading on her skin. She didn't want to die like this, at the hands of a friend. It wasn't fair. Not only would she be dead, but she also knew that when the Colonel recovered, he wouldn't be able to live with what he had done. She wouldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.

She did the only thing that she could think of. She bit down firmly on his bandaged hand, causing him to yelp in reaction to the pain. He involuntarily jerked his arm away from her.

At the same moment Teal'c lunged forward, pulling the doctor from Jack's grasp and throwing her to safety.

"What?" Jack stood, bewildered. He had no idea where he was, what was happening. He had vague memories of being kept awake for days, being asked questions that he refused to answer. But this wasn't that hellhole. This was somewhere else. He just didn't know where.

He couldn't think straight.

"Jack?" The voice was familiar, unsure. He could feel strong hands holding him, preventing him from falling. But he couldn't stop.

Janet watched as Colonel O'Neill folded, boneless to the floor, Daniel unable to hold him. She remained frozen where Teal'c had tossed her. She knew that she should go to the Colonel, help him, but she stayed rooted to the spot.

"Janet?" Sam Carter's voice roused the doctor. She stood up shakily, seeing the Major in the infirmary entrance. "What happened? I got a message that Colonel O'Neill was here." Sam moved closer, looking to where Teal'c and Daniel were lifting the Colonel. "Is he okay?"

"No, Sam. He isn't." Janet gave herself a firm shake. The Colonel needed her. She could fall apart later.

The others had placed him back on the bed. He lay there rigidly, eyes wild and staring. Janet quickly reattached the IV and monitors, worried at the readings that they gave.

"I really don't know what else I can do. Nothing is working." Janet was thinking aloud. "Daniel -- could you report what has happened to General Hammond? I may need to call on help from outside the SGC."

*****************************************

Despite everything that Janet tried, ten hours after the incident in the infirmary, Colonel O'Neill was still awake. She stood beside him despondently watching the monitors telling her exactly what she didn't want to know -- that the strain on his body was too much. He hadn't spoken a word since that last tremulous question before he collapsed.

She had no answers. All the expert advice that she could get had proven fruitless. So far there was only one sure fact. The human body could not survive for long without sleep. .

And the Colonel had been without sleep far longer than should be humanly possible. His eyes were sunken in his face, the lines of fatigue deepening even as she watched. It was as if he was wasting away in front of her eyes. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c sat beside him, each in their own separate world. Even with their limited medical knowledge, they could tell that their leader was losing this most important battle.

The monitor could barely keep pace with his racing heart, his shallow breaths coming faster and faster. The most disconcerting thing was the way his eyes never stopped moving, constantly shifting as if watching something that no one else in the room could see. He barely blinked now, only drops that Janet carefully placed stopping his eyes from drying out.

The sudden falter in the heart monitors rhythm startled the watching group from their thoughts. The peaks on the screen began to soften, flatten out and slow.

Slowly the Colonel's eyes glazed over.

Pushing Sam out of the way, Doctor Fraiser leapt to the waiting crash cart as her staff came forward quickly to assist her. She barely thought of her actions -- working on instinct alone. Colonel O'Neill was hanging on, but only just. She knew that she had to do something and quickly.

She needed to keep his heart from speeding up again or, God forbid, from stopping altogether. In fact she realised, she needed to keep him in exactly the state that he was now. Grabbing an already prepared syringe she injected its contents into the unconscious man and stood back, her hand over her mouth.

"What did you give him, Janet?" Sam watched, as hope and concern flickered in equal measure across her friend's face. The Colonel's eyes remained open, but his heartbeat began to slowly even out.

Janet hesitated before answering, still shocked at her own actions. "I've given him coma inducing drugs, Sam. I'm afraid that there was no other choice. We were losing him. If this works it might just give his body the time that it needs to recover."

Daniel moved from his position beside Sam and looked down at his friend. It was extremely disconcerting to see his eyes staring up and know that he was unconscious. As if hearing his thoughts, the Doctor gently closed them, placing a small strip of tape across each one.

"When will he wake up, Janet?"

"He won't, Daniel. Not without our help. I'll administer the correct drugs after a few days and hopefully it will have worked, and the Colonel will be back to normal."

"Hopefully?" Teal'c queried. He did not like the sight of his comrade lying so still. The taped eyes reminded him of burial customs that he had seen on one of the planets that he had visited as First Prime. Those people too had had their eyes taped before death, so that their killers would not see themselves reflected in them. It was a memory that he did not want to associate with O'Neill.

" I'm afraid, nothing is certain, Teal'c. I'm not sure that this will even work." Janet didn't mention the doubt lingering at the back of her mind. She'd taken a calculated risk, but there always was the possibility that she wouldn't be able to revive the Colonel - at all. As she told the worried members of SG-1 -- nothing was certain - ever.

**********************************

"Why were Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c the only ones affected by the lack of sleep, Doctor? Surely we should all have been subject to the same thing?" asked General Hammond. To his eyes the woman sitting in front of him looked as tired and stressed as the Colonel had a few days ago.

"I've been thinking about that, sir and I've come to the conclusion that it was because our bodies were unaware that we were experiencing the same day over and over again. As far as our minds were concerned we only lived the one day. The Colonel and Teal'c were aware of the discrepancy and hold the memories of each and every moment and therefore their minds and bodies reacted accordingly. In fact, Teal'c tells me that his symbiote became increasingly agitated as the loops continued. I imagine that it was more aware of its host's need to sleep than Teal'c was himself."

Hammond nodded. "That seems logical, Doctor. Well, we know the cause of the problem, how are we progressing with the cure?"

"It's been four days, General." Janet replied, "I plan to bring Colonel O'Neill out of the coma today, depending on the results of the latest tests. So far, the results are promising."

Hammond nodded. "Keep me informed, Doctor." No one had thought that the time loop had been any more than an interesting interlude in the controlled chaos that the SGC experienced on an almost daily basis. The thought that Jack had come so close to losing his life had come as a shock to the General. He watched as the Doctor left his office and turned back to his work. Much though he would have liked to join SG-1 in the infirmary, he couldn't. He had a base to run, allies to contact, fears to be allayed.

***************************************

Doctor Fraiser tried to keep the worry from her face as she waited to see if the cocktail of drugs that she had just given to the Colonel would have the desired effect. Within a few minutes she would know if her treatment had been the correct one or not.

The Colonel's team were at his side, as they had been since the crisis began, watching for any sign that he was awakening. It was Sam who spotted the slight twitching of his long fingers, then within minutes even his heavily bandaged right hand was moving. The monitors changed rhythm, picking up speed with an irregular beat.

"Damn!" Janet moved hurriedly to the Colonel's side, removing the tape from his eyes and inspecting them closely with her penlight. "He's unresponsive."

"Is there a problem, Doctor Fraiser?" Teal'c ventured the question, a note of concern in his normally unperturbed voice.

"He isn't reacting to the medication the way that I had hoped, Teal'c. I'll review the dosage, but I'm afraid that it's not looking good at the moment. I'm concerned that the strain on his body was greater than we thought." She turned to the waiting members of SG-1, knowing that there was really nothing that she could say to allay their fears. "I think that it will be a long wait for us all before the Colonel wakes."

*********************************

Over the next few hours the Colonel alternated between brief moments of awareness and long periods of almost fever like confusion. At first he had lain unnaturally still, only his hands moving, drumming out a silent beat against the sheet, and then his eyes had fluttered open momentarily, startling Daniel and causing him to frantically call for Janet, before closing again. When he finally managed to stay awake for more than a few seconds, he showed no sign that he knew where he was, muttering once again in Arabic and straining weakly against the arms of his concerned teammates.

Janet was forced to administer yet another sedative as his blood pressure rose once more.

When the following day dawned the exhausted group had almost given up hope. It was with disbelief and elation that they watched the read outs from the monitors gradually return to normal. The Colonel had calmed and now the only signs of movement were his eyes flickering beneath their lids.

Twice in the next few hours the Colonel opened his eyes and looked at them before falling back into what appeared to be a dreamless sleep. As far as Doctor Fraiser was concerned, this was the best sign yet -- a healing natural sleep was exactly what he needed.

Finally all the signs pointed to Jack waking up and, sure enough, it wasn't long before his eyes fluttered open. However, his waiting friends were to be disappointed once more. Although it was obvious that he was aware of their presence, Jack only managed a few slurred incoherent words before falling asleep again.

"Don't worry." Doctor Fraiser put a comforting hand on Sam's arm. "It's only natural that he would be confused."

To the relief of his friends, each time that the Colonel woke over the next hours he showed more awareness of his surroundings. Each time Janet asked the same question -- "Do you know where you are?" and each time the answer became a little clearer. It was taking time, but the Colonel appeared to be gradually coming back to them.

In the late afternoon of the third day Jack slowly opened his eyes, turned his head and gave his watching team a broad smile.

"Colonel?" Janet bent over him. "Do you know where you are?" She waited anxiously for the reply to the familiar question.

For a moment there was a look of puzzlement on the waking man's face. "Is that a trick question, Doc?" He raised his head slightly off the pillows and looked around once more, noting the worried looks on the faces of his team. "They're here, so I can't be in Heaven. Could be Hell I suppose, No -- I've been there, I'd recognise it. Must be the infirmary."

"Well done, Jack. Glad to see that your famous wit is alive and well." Despite his words, Daniel couldn't keep the happiness from his voice.

"My wit might be alive and well, but I'm not sure if I am, Danny Boy. Could someone please tell me how I got here and why my throat feels like I've swallowed a mouthful of sandpaper?"

"What is the last thing that you remember, Colonel?" Sam held a cup of water out as she asked. They all watched as he extended a slightly shaky left hand and took it, sipping it slowly and with evident pleasure.

"Well, I remember doing this." Jack held his right hand up, noting the bandages. "I wasn't thinking very clearly at the time though. I don't recall much after that. What happened?"

"You had a reaction to the time loop, sir. I had to give you something to help you to sleep. That's what you're doing in here." Janet managed to give a warning shake of her head to the others before Colonel O'Neill looked up from examining his bandaged hand. "Now I think that you should try and get some more rest. You still have a lot of catching up to do." Ignoring Jack's protests, she ushered his friends from the room.

"So what don't you want them to tell me, Doc?" Jack was valiantly managing to keep from falling asleep again.

Janet sighed inwardly. She knew that she should have known better than to try to hide anything from the perceptive man frowning up at her from the bed.

"I suppose that if I said that I wasn't keeping anything from you, you wouldn't believe me, would you?" she asked, giving him a weak smile.

"Nope, not a hope in Hell."

"I didn't think so." She pulled a chair over and sat down. "You almost died. You've were comatose for four days."

Jack rested his head back on the pillow, a look of concentration on his face. He knew that there was more to it than that. There was a memory niggling at the corner of his mind. Something important that he needed to recall. No matter how hard he tried, it eluded him.

His thoughts were interrupted by Janet as she suddenly got up and started fiddling around checking his temperature and pulse. He watched her, allowing his mind to wander and soon he was asleep once again.

Janet had seen the Colonel's eyelids droop and then close. She was horrified to realise that she was relieved -- not because she knew that he needed to sleep, but because she still felt very uncomfortable around him. His attack on her had haunted her dreams for the past few nights, causing her to wake up in a cold sweat, shaking. She had no idea why she was so upset by the incident. It wasn't the first time that Colonel O'Neill had had a flash back to his time in Iraq while in the infirmary. She knew that he hadn't been aware of what he was doing. So why was she reacting like this?

Janet stood with her head against the closed door of her office. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself go back to the Colonel. But she had to. *****************************

Jack woke with the feeling of being watched. He lay still for a minute, listening carefully before opening his eyes and looking around. He was surprised to see Doctor Fraiser seated at his bedside. He had been expecting it to be one of his team.

"Hey, Doc. What time is it?" He felt disorientated, as if his body clock was out of sync. He really had no idea if it was day and night, although he expected the latter by the lack of activity around him.

"It's just after midnight, sir. Try to go back to sleep." The Doc made as if to get up and he reached a hand out and grabbed her wrist.

"What is it, Doc?" She had noticeably flinched when he had held her. Now she had a nervous look on her face, as if she wanted to run from the room. He immediately let her go, confused by her reaction to his touch. Then Jack remembered the feeling that he'd had the day before -- as if there was something important that he had forgotten. "Janet, you have to tell me what's wrong. Did something happen while I was sick?"

Janet looked at the worried face of the Colonel. He wasn't just a superior officer, he was a friend and as such she knew that he deserved an explanation for her behavior. Perhaps if she explained it to him, she would be able to understand it herself. Her flesh had crawled when he had touched her and she had been completely unable to hide her reaction.

She forced herself to sit back in the chair. " It's nothing that you need to worry about, Colonel. It's my problem. When you were first in here, you were a bit confused by the lack of sleep and weren't really sure where you were." She hesitated, but then hurried on at the look on the Colonel's face. "You must have thought that you were in Iraq."

She watched the dawning comprehension on the Colonel's face. "Oh crap, Doc! Did I hurt someone? Is that it?"

"No! No. You didn't hurt anyone." Janet quickly reassured him. She took his wrist and rested her fingers over the pulse point. She could feel his pulse racing, a sign of his agitation.

"But something happened. I saw the way that you acted just now."

Damn! Janet could tell that the Colonel was getting more and more upset. She hurried on. "You got out of bed and grabbed me. Teal'c stopped you. I wasn't hurt."

There was no way that she was going to tell him that her heart had turned to ice when he had whispered in her ear. That she had felt the ruthlessness in him and knew that he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her if he had needed to. That it was the first time, despite all her years in the military, that she had really truly understood what the term Ôcold blooded killer' meant.

But, she also realised, it was exactly those qualities that had allowed the Colonel to survive his time in Iraq and so many more terrible times since. That they had always been there, simmering just below the surface and were part of what made him the man that he was. A man that she would trust with her life and knew would always be there for her, no matter what. Just as she would be for him.

"Christ, Doc." Jack scrubbed his uninjured hand across his face. "That must have really scared you. I'm so sorry. I can see why you wouldn't want to be around me."

Janet answered him with a broad smile. "I know that you would never really hurt me, Colonel. I was just a bit spooked. Next time I'll have Teal'c hold you down and tie you to the bed. No problem."

At least that got an answering smile out of him. "Don't do that. What say you just let me out of here?"

Doctor Fraiser shook her finger right in the face of her superior officer, ignoring his startled look. "No way, sir. That's what I did last time and look where it got me. You lie back and go to sleep, without any argument, and I won't call in the Jaffa rope tying team."

"Okay, Doc, okay. I know when I'm licked." Jack shifted himself into a more comfortable position. Truth to tell, he didn't think that he would have made it past the infirmary door without falling asleep. He felt like he hadn't slept for weeks -- wait heÉ

Janet waited until her patient was softly snoring before giving the monitors one last check. It looked like the Colonel was finally over the worst of the time loop's effects. It was funny how he was both her worst patient and her favorite at the same time.

Janet dimmed the lights and handed her notes to the duty nurse, with orders to call if anything changed. She knew that when she returned to the Base in the morning, the Colonel's team would already be there, probably having smuggled in his favorite breakfast of Froot Loops.

The End