Title: A Matter of Time Tag Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Two Spoilers: A Matter of Time Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Angst Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: None Summary: What happened at the end of A Matter of Time (well, in my mind anyway) Archive Permissions: Jackfic, Incoming Wormhole Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only File Size: 38KB Authors Notes: Okay, okay. I think that maybe I should stop going to the Jackfic chatroom because I always end up being bulli……sorry encouraged to write yet more fic. This one is for Aniko.
A Matter of Time Tag by Kazza
As the wormhole shut down, the three of them scrabbled to their feet and raced to the shattered window of the control room. “Sir!” The desperation in Carter’s voice echoed through the eerily silent embarkation room. Peering over the edge of the window, she saw the limp figure of her CO. He was still attached to the rope and was now hanging just feet from the floor of the room. Teal’c and Siler were already running out of the control room to help the Colonel and Sam shakily pulled away from the window, her thoughts now on getting help from the surface. ##### It was obvious that Jack was in trouble by the time Teal’c and Siler reached him. He hadn’t been far enough away from the bomb when it had detonated and the concussion wave had slammed him into the concrete wall. Then, as the wormhole had disengaged, his body had been subjected to a sudden drop in gravity and it was as if all the air had been sucked out of his body. With Teal’c supporting the Colonel’s motionless body, Siler had retrieved a step ladder and began to carefully remove the climbing harness, trying to concentrate on his task and ignore the bloodstains which marred the wall. Finally the harness released its prisoner and Jack slumped into the Jaffa’s arms. Teal’c gently lowered the body to the floor and his hands moved to check for signs of life. As Teal’c did this, Siler hurried out of the destroyed gateroom and returned moments later with a bundle of blankets. It was obvious that the Colonel had lost a lot of blood and would be in shock. When Teal’c confirmed there was a pulse and that the Colonel was breathing, Siler wrapped the unconscious man in blankets. Both of them knew they shouldn’t attempt to move him anymore until the medics reached them. ##### Janet had taken the stairs at an athlete’s pace as soon as General Hammond had given her the signal. Behind her, the medic team struggled to keep up as did the engineers, whose first priority was to restore power to the facility. Finally reaching the door that would lead her out onto level 28, she yanked it open and headed straight for the embarkation room. ##### Sam heard the sound of pounding footsteps and closed her eyes momentarily in relief. As she opened them again she was rewarded with the sight of the SGC’s CMO running into the room. “Janet, thank god!” Janet ignored her, her eyes fixed on the figure lying on the floor. As her medical team arrived, she began barking orders. Sam, Teal’c and Siler moved back to give them room to work and it was then that Sam finally took in the devastation caused to the embarkation room. The concrete walls were blackened and scarred with debris, the metal ramp twisted completely out of shape. But with everything that had happened, the Stargate remained intact without even a blemish. ##### By the time Jack had been immobilised on a backboard and loaded onto a gurney, the engineers had restored power to the SGC and Janet was relieved that she could take him straight to the infirmary instead of having him transported to the surface. Once in the infirmary, Jack was subjected to a complete set of x-rays and an MRI scan. Not once during the multitude of tests he was subjected to, did he show any signs of consciousness. Janet remained at his side talking him through everything procedure as if he was awake, leaving Dr Warner to gather all the results. The results were not good………….. ##### “Janet, how is he?” Sam fixed the doctor with a worried expression when she eventually emerged from the infirmary. She knew that she was needed in the control room to help with the clean up operation but until she knew the condition of her CO, she had remained with Teal’c outside the infirmary. Janet quietly closed the door behind her and looked at the two members of SG-1, thinking it was odd not to see Daniel with them. Then she recalled that Daniel had been off base with another SG team. “Colonel O’Neill is still unconscious.” She saw Sam’s shoulders slump as she continued. “He has a serious skull fracture and the MRI showed massive bruising on his brain with signs of swelling. On top of that he also has a broken ankle, fractured pelvis and cracked ribs. His abdomen is also showing signs of tenderness, which is an indication of internal damage.” She glanced back at the closed door. “Dr Warner is prepping him for emergency surgery.” Sam found herself moving closer to Teal’c as if for support. “Can we see him?” Janet shook her head regretfully. “I’m sorry, Sam. We need to get him straight into surgery.” She reached out and gave the Major’s arm a little comforting squeeze. “The Colonel is going to be in surgery for a while so I suggest that you take the time to get something to eat and then rest. I’ve got a feeling its going to be a few long days.” ##### It was another seven hours before Jack was back in the infirmary, this time accompanied by a myriad of medical technology. During that time, Dr Warner had painstakingly rebuilt his pelvis, repaired his lacerated liver which had caused the internal bleeding, and finally set the ribs and ankle. His blood volume was slowly being restored but as a result of the head injuries, they were keeping him intubated and in a medicated coma until the swelling reduced. Janet sat his bedside, taking the opportunity to clean and suture the wounds caused by the glass in the control room. He was scaring her this time and every so often she would have to pause in her work as she struggled to control her emotions. She had lost count of the times he had ended up in her infirmary, wearing the usual sheepish look as he tried to shrug off his injuries. The stand up rows they had been through when it had come to treating his bum knee. She could still remember the first time she had seen him after he had been transferred to the infirmary from the McMurdo Air Force Base, the exhaustion and pain clearly etched on his face as he struggled through the endless physiotherapy. Late one night he had confided to her that he didn’t know if he would ever be able to go through it again. Watching him now in his drug induced sleep she was frightened that this time he wouldn’t be able to handle it. ##### When permission was finally given for SG-1 to visit their CO and as they gathered around his bed, Janet wasn’t surprised to see that Daniel was back from off world. “Hey Daniel.” She moved to his side. “When did you get back?” “A couple of hours ago, General Hammond called back all the offworld teams.” He didn’t take his eyes off the figure lying in the bed. “I can’t believe what happened. Is he going to be okay?” She sighed. “I won’t lie, Daniel. Until the swelling goes down on his brain and he begins to wake up, we won’t know for sure. Even then he’ll have one hell of a tough recovery period.” “Just like Antarctica.” Daniel moved closer to the bed, next to Sam. ##### The SGC was slowly getting back on its feet. The embarkation room had been scrubbed down and Siler’s team had worked hard on preparing for the installation of new and tougher iris, to replace the one that had been destroyed by the black hole. Hammond stood in the control room and looked out at the Stargate through the new toughened glass, relieved that some sense of normality was returning to the base. The shock of losing an SG team was being absorbed by the personnel and after the initial few days of shock, people were beginning to settle back into routine. That was except for SG1. He had spent an hour that morning in the infirmary with his 2IC just sitting quietly at his bedside, watching the unconscious man. Dr Fraiser had reported that the swelling had all but gone to the point that they had extubated him and started lifting the sedation. They were hopeful that Jack would begin to wake up within the next few days. Hammond vowed to remain on base to be with Jack when he did wake up, knowing that it was going to be hard on the man. ##### Seven days after his admittance to the infirmary, Jack decided to open his eyes. Janet, alerted by a change in his vital signs, had tipped off SG1 and the General who were all at his bedside as his eyes struggled open. A few words were exchanged, enough to give his team the confidence that their CO was on the road to recovery, before he drifted back off into a natural sleep. ##### “Colonel?” Janet sat down at the Colonel’s bedside. “I know you’re awake, sir.” She was rewarded with him cranking his eyes open. “How do you do that?” He looked at her irritably. Janet gave him a small smile. “It’s a skill all doctors have to learn.” She glanced at the monitors. “How’s the pain?” “Manageable.” Was the curt reply that she had come to expect. “Sir, tomorrow you start physiotherapy and you know that pain management is a crucial part of that process.” Janet had used this argument time and time again. “I can handle pain.” He looked away from her and looked up the ceiling. “Pain means you’re still alive.” Janet felt her heart miss a beat and she knew that was she was going to say would anger him. “Unlike Colonel Cromwell.” She hesitated before continuing. “I know that you knew him. His name is in your medical files….from Iraq.” He continued staring at the ceiling but she could she his jaw clenching and decided that she would leave it at that. ##### General Hammond had taken to visiting Jack early in the morning knowing full well that his 2IC never slept past 5.30am, even when he was lying in the infirmary. It had been a couple of days since he’d started physiotherapy and the regular reports from Dr Fraiser were good. Jack would be back on base duties within a month but it would be a further six weeks before active duty would be considered. “Morning Colonel.” He kept his voice low as not to disturb the other patients in the infirmary. Jack pulled himself up into a sitting position. “Morning, sir.” It was obvious to see that he hadn’t had a good night. Pulling a chair up, he shook his head as he sat down. “So are you gonna tell me what happened last night?” He watched as Jack’s eyes automatically flew to the office door at the end of the infirmary and he knew what the Colonel was thinking. “She didn’t have to tell me anything.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You look like hell, son.” “That’s what happens when you are slammed against a concrete wall, sir.” Jack wasn’t in the mood for talking. All he wanted to do was sleep but that was impossible. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was Frank Cromwell’s face as he plummeted into the black hole. Hammond’s eyes narrowed. “Dr Fraiser said that you were doing better, that she was considering discharging you by the end of the week. Do I need to question that decision?” Jack shrugged. “You’re the General, General.” With that he slid down further into his bed and turned away from Hammond. ##### “I’m calling his team back.” Hammond was now in Janet’s office. “It’s clear that he needs the support of his team.” Janet shook her head tiredly. “No, sir. I think that would be a mistake.” She sat on the edge of her desk. “The reason why I suggested a mission would do them good, was to get them away from the Colonel. They mean well, but when he’s hurting he doesn’t want a fuss. Physically for him, it was the right call. He’s up on his feet, albeit on crutches and he’s doing well with the physio.” Hammond didn’t look convinced. “Dr Fraiser, he looks far from well today. He looks like he hasn’t slept for a month!” “I know, sir, and I am dealing with it. You need to trust me on that.” ##### Jack eyed Janet’s suspiciously as she approached his bed with his crutches. “I don’t have physio until this afternoon.” She nodded. “I know, sir, but I’ve cancelled it for today.” She rested the crutches against the bed and signalled to one of the nurses, who carried over a pile of clothes. Janet thanked her and took the clothing, dumping it on his bed. “Get dressed, Colonel. We’re going out.” With that she pulled the curtain around his bed to give him some privacy. ##### As soon as he realised the direction that they were travelling in, the colour drained from his face and he clenched up his fists. “Don’t do this, doc.” Janet, keeping her eyes on the road, played it innocently. “Do what, sir?” “I know what you are doing and you’ve got no right.” Janet didn’t answer him as she indicated for a right turn, which led into the Colorado Spring Cemetery. ##### Claire Cromwell watched as the car came to a halt, her mind still numb as she watched the petite brunette help a familiar figure out of the car. By reading his expression, it was clear to see that this was the last place on earth that he wanted to be. Taking a deep breath, she started walking towards them. ##### “Dammit, why can’t you……..” The angry voice broke off as he saw the woman approach and Janet retreated back into the car, knowing that there was nothing more that she could do. “Jack?” The woman had tears in her eyes as she looked at him. He shook his head, the anger now completely gone. “Claire….” He didn’t know what to do, what to say. She stepped closer to him, taking in the crutches and the fading bruises which adorned his face. “Frank would appreciate you coming to see him.” The tears were now falling freely. “To know that you have forgiven him.” With that, she enveloped him in her arms. ##### When Hammond returned to the infirmary late in the evening, he was surprised to find the Colonel curled up asleep in bed, seemingly peaceful, the lines of pain and tiredness erased. “Doctor?” Janet smiled. “Evening General.” He looked puzzled. “Is everything alright with Colonel O’Neill?” Janet nodded. “Yes, sir, I think it’s safe to say that everything is alright.”
The End.
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