Title: Scarlet Fever Author: Kazza Email: Kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Season 1 Spoilers: Bloodlines Categories: Hurt/Comfort Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: None Summary: They didn't bring Teal'c's wife and son back from Chulak but Jack brought back a souvenir 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: 108 KB Authors Notes: Hey, Jack was in close proximity with an illness…how could we let him get away without catching it? Big thanks to Arnise and Hoo for their 11th hour save on this fic. Ta to Yllek for her comments and Karen (Kent)…don't be mad (LOL)
Scarlet Fever by Kazza
Forget the Goa’uld, because as far as Colonel O’Neill was concerned it was paperwork that was going to cause his downfall. Leaning back in his chair, he stared morosely at the stack of folders on his desk and then shuddered. He could swear that it had grown by 50% in the two days he was off world. And he remembered General Hammond’s parting words after the post mission briefing. “Colonel O’Neill, I believe you have several budget reports due. I would like them on my desk by the end of the week.” Which hadn’t been a problem, Jack had told himself, until Daniel with a snigger had pointed out it was Thursday evening already. So instead of going home to enjoy a cold beer, watch some TV and sample some takeout pizza, he found himself sitting in his gloomy office with nothing but paperwork for company.
* At 2am, he called it quits. He had a headache, his eyes were gritty and his throat dry. It was time to get some sleep.
* At 6am, he dragged himself out of his bunk feeling like crap. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that he also looked like crap. He shook his head in disgust. Wasn’t that just typical. He had a whole weekend of downtime once his paperwork was complete and he was coming down with a bug or something. A quick shower and change of clothes did nothing to improve his lousy mood. The thought of food turned his stomach so he snagged some juice from the commissary and went to check on Teal’c. After assurance from Teal’c that his body was adjusting well to his new symbiote, Jack return to his office to tackle the dreaded paperwork once again.
* With all paperwork completed and handed over to the General’s clerical staff, Jack finally made his way to the mountain surface just after 3pm. The fresh mountain air revived him somewhat and he kept the windows down on the truck as he drove home. By 3.45pm, he was safely esconced on the couch at home with a beer in one hand, the TV remote in the other and his feet up on the coffee table. His throat was feeling sore but the beer was working it’s magic to numb the uncomfortable feeling. No problem.
* Janet was not in a happy mood. She’d arrived back at work on Saturday morning feeling relaxed and ready to tackle anything after a week’s vacation. Three hours later and she was feeling anything but relaxed. Two people had been out sick in the lab and nobody had considered calling in help, thus creating a back up of test requests. With the nature of the SGCs work, it was absolutely vital that all tests were kept up to date, as you couldn’t even begin to imagine what the teams could take off world or bring back. Naturally, she had ruined peoples weekends by calling extra staff back in to cover the backlog. Something that she hated to do. With the lab now running at full capacity and the backlog being addressed, she started her review of the latest missions to highlight any potential problems. She had already flagged that Teal’c had acquired a new symbiote so she put in a call for him to drop by the infirmary for a check up. She vowed never to take another vacation.
* “Crap.” Jack grimaced at the pain radiating from his throat as he uttered that one word. He had been woken in the early hours of the morning by the fire that burned inside his throat and he’d given up trying to take any painkillers as swallowing was virtually impossible. For a few hours he had laid on his bed with a cold flannel wrapped around his neck in an attempt to ease the pain. That hadn’t worked. The next idea had been to suck on ice cubes retrieved from the icebox. They had provided some relief and he’d managed to drift back off to sleep. When he next woke just after 8am, he felt even lousier. Stumbling to the bathroom, he had vomited several times which caused intense pain in his throat. Groaning, he had slumped to the floor and buried his head in his hands. He had sat there for almost two hours before finally mustering the energy to get to his feet. It was then that he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Stretched across his neck was a bright red rash. A rash he had seen only a couple of days ago. The memory flashed….Ry’ac lying on the ground in the tent. He’d known immediately that Ry’ac had been suffering from Scarlet Fever. Crap.
* Daniel was just leaving Starbucks, clutching his precious bag of special mix coffee beans and humming to himself, when his cellphone rang. Retrieving the beeping phone from his pocket, he flipped it open and held it up to his ear. “Hello.” He fowned. “Is that you, Jack?” He moved his other hand to his free ear to block the sound. “Jesus, Jack, you sound terrible………Where am I?. Why?.................You need what?...................Oh, a ride…..Okay, I can do that…………….Give me thirty minutes.” He switched the phone off and quickened his pace, heading for home to retrieve his car.
* “Ma’am?” The lab assistant hovered in the doorway leading to Janet’s office and waited to be acknowledged. With a sigh, Janet looked up from her work. “Yes?” She was still not in the greatest of moods and the woman flinched. “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but I was working on SG1’s post mission tests and thought I’d better highlight this to you.” She stepped forward hesitantly and handed a piece of paper to Janet. Janet quickly scanned the contents and frowned, before looking back at the assistant. “Did you double check?” The assistant nodded. “I got a colleague to confirm.” Janet shook her head. “Thank you.” The assistant took this as a dismissal, nodded again and scurried away. Janet reached for the telephone.
* “Jack?” Daniel stepped into the house having used his own key to gain entry after knocking had elicited no response. “Jack, where are you?” He listened carefully for any movement or noise and was finally rewarded with a creaking of floorboards coming from upstairs. He found Jack in the bathroom, where he’d retreated again after his brief phonecall to Daniel. Daniel took one look at his stricken friend and crouched down next to him. “Jesus, Jack!” He took in the rash which had now spread right around Jack’s neck and noted Jack’s wheezing breaths. “What the hell happened?” Jack tried to speak but it was far to painful. He remained on the floor, resting his head back against the cool tiled wall. With a shake of his head, Daniel pulled out his phone and began punching in the number for the SGC just as Jack’s phone rang. Leaving Jack momentarily, he hurried through to the main bedroom and grabbed the phone from the bedside table. “Hello?” When he realised it was Janet, he sat down on the bed in relief. “Janet, he’s real sick………some kind of rash, his breathing is off…………Okay……….you’d better hurry…………………….he’s in trouble.” He put the phone down and rushed back into the bathroom, sitting back down next to Jack. “That was Janet, helps on the way.” Jack nodded ever so slightly and closed his eyes. * You couldn’t fault the infirmary when there was a medical emergency. Whilst Janet and a team made a mercy dash to Colonel O’Neill’s home, an isolation lab was quickly gutted and transformed into a isolation medical room. The Colonel’s lab results had revealed he was suffering from an infection caused by a strain of the Group A Streptococcus bacteria, in laymans terms….strep throat. Unfortunately, the results also revealed it was an extremely aggressive strain.
* Within two hours, Colonel O’Neill had taken up residence in his hastily prepared hospital room surrounded by a masked and gowned medical team, his friends anxiously waiting outside in the corridor. It was a long wait. An hour after they had watched Jack being rushed into the isolation room, Janet finally emerged stripping off her mask and gown. Daniel was the first to speak. “How is he?” She crumpled the gown up in her hands, giving herself time to formulate an answer. “Janet?” Sam’s breath hitched as she studied her friend. Janet finally looked at the gathered group of Daniel, Sam and Teal’c. “The Colonel is in a serious condition but at the moment his condition is stable.” Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “But it’s only Scarlet Fever.... I don’t understand. I had it as a kid, I didn’t think it was that dangerous.” “Normally I would agree with you, Daniel. Scarlet Fever is a rare complication following an infection of the the Streptococcus bacteria, for example strep throat or a post surgery wound infection. It’s rare due to the quick identification of the bacteria and the almost 100% success treatment rate with antibiotics.” She hesitated before continuing. “However, it would appear that the Colonel has suffered a massive reaction to the bacteria in a very short period of time and although we are now running through high doses of IV antibiotics to fight the infection, he is already encountering complications. We suspect that the strain of streptococcus bacteria he has picked up is not earthbound and is some way or form has mutated, but that is still to be confirmed by the labs.” “Ry’ac.” Teal’c interrupted Dr Fraiser. They all looked at him quizically. Teal’c bowed his head slightly. “My son, Ry’ac. In the camps, he was stricken with fever. Colonel O’Neill named it Scarlet Fever.” Janet gave a brief nod. “At least we now know where he picked the infection up from.” Daniel stepped forward slightly. “You mentioned complications?” Janet sighed. “His throat is swelling badly, and there is a possibility that it will compromise his airway. So we're keeping a very close eye on him until the antibiotics kick in, which is going to take some time. I’m not going to stop you seeing him but you must not enter the room without a mask and gown. Do you understand?” All three of them nodded.
* The mask was irritating, scratching at his face, but Daniel wasn’t going anywhere. As soon as Dr Fraiser had given them the go ahead to keep Jack company, he had donned the hated mask and gown and staked his claim at his stricken friend’s bedside. The rash had spread rapidly from around Jack’s neck, covering most of his upper body and the nurses worked to keep him cool, bathing him with cool water. After a few hours their effort was rewarded with a drop in temperature and it gave everyone a little hope. Daniel had just sat and watched as the medical team worked efficiently, his hand resting on Jack’s arm as if to let his friend know he was there. Thoughout the day and into the evening, both Carter and Teal’c were regular visitors to the room. Teal’c would stand at the end of Jack’s hospital bed, his eyes showing the emotion that his face wouldn’t show. No matter what any of them said to him, assuring him that he should feel no blame, Teal’c wasn’t listening. Late in the evening, General Hammond slipped into the isolation room to find Daniel dozing at the Colonel’s bedside. “Dr Jackson.” He shook the man’s shoulder gently and was rewarded with a pair of eyes opening. “Why don’t you go and get some real sleep.” Daniel straightened up in his chair and yawned behind his mask. “I’m fine, General.” Hammond smiled sympathetically. “Son, I just spoke with Dr Fraiser. The Colonel is doing well, his temperature is down and he’s showing signs of responding to the antibiotic therapy. Take the opportunity to get out of here for a few hours because believe me when I say it’s going to be a lot tougher when he’s awake.” Daniel looked at the sleeping man ruefully. “I guess you’re right.” He glanced at his watch. “I didn’t realise it was so late.”
* Janet had stayed on the base overnight to keep a close eye on her patient, even though she was reasonably confident that the crisis was over. Initially she had been worried about the rapid onset of the symptoms, especially how quickly the strep throat had taken hold. But tests revealed that although it had been a ‘tough’ strain of bacteria, it reacted just like all the other strains of the bacteria when introduced to antibiotics, by dying out. Already the Colonel’s fever had began to drop and more encouragingly, the swelling around his throat was improving. After grabbing breakfast in the commissary just after 5am, she had made her way to the iso rom where she gowned up to visit her patient. The night team had reported no problems and she anticipated being able to kick back on the painkillers and sedation. She finished examining him, relieved to hear clear breath sounds. Another nasty side effect of Scarlet Fever was pneumonia and it seemed as if luck was on the Colonel’s side. Sam was the first of his team to visit just after 6.30am and stayed with him until a refreshed Daniel made an appeared at 8.15am, when she left to continue with her duties. Daniel had come armed with files and settled himself into a chair to work on some translations whilst keeping half an eye on Jack. It was a quiet day, no surprises. Jack slept the time away in the arms of morpheus.
* When Sam strolled into the infirmary the following morning, she was more than a little relieved to see the Colonel awake, albeit an unhappy Colonel. The previous evening, they had begun to cut back on the sedation thinking that they had left it high enough to keep him asleep for the night. Just after 4am, he had proved them wrong by stirring and had been more than a little upset at the amount of tubes sticking in him. When Janet had arrived just before 5.30am, she had marveled at how indignant someone could look with a flaming red rash across his face. She had fought the urge to laugh and after a full exam, informed him that the tubes needed to stay for a while. Which was when Sam walked in. Janet moved the bed up to a semi-reclining position and made sure she was in the Colonel’s line of sight. “Colonel, do you know where you are?” He opened his mouth to talk but no sound came out. However, it was painful and his hands flew to his throat. Janet immediately reached for a beaker of ice chips and held them up to him. “Sir, these will help.” He accepted the ice chips, allowing the doctor to spoon a few into his mouth. He then leaned back against his pillows and savouring the cold, soothing feeling. Unfortunately, it didn’t last for long and he found himself facing reality again. “Doc.” He was surprised at just how awful his voice sounded. When he spoke, he felt as if someone had rubbed the inside of this throat with the sandpaper. Janet smiled at him sympathetically. “You have a severe bacterial throat infection, but the antibiotics are beginning to weave their magic.” He lifted his right hand up and looked disdainfully at the IV. “We believe you picked the infection up from Chulak.” Janet continued after a moment. “And it knocked you for six, sir. Your throat swelled up badly.”
Jack swallowed and immediately regretted that action, his face screwing up with pain. He allowed himself a moment to recover. “Chulak?” Again it was barely a croak. Janet nodded. “Teal’c’s son had scarlet fever.” He frowned and then something clicked. With a look of horror he looked down at his arms and then his chest, registering the bright red rash that had engulfed his body. Again Janet had to bite down on the urge to laugh. “A complication from the throat infection was scarlet fever.” He slumped back in his pillows and rolled his eyes. Janet sighed. “I’m going to keep you on the IV antibiotics until you’re able to swallow properly and I want you rest. In a couple more days, you’ll feel a lot better. The rash will start to clear up and should be gone in no more than 10 days. Understood, sir?” Jack nodded wearily, staring up the ceiling. Janet patted his arm and left him alone, motioning for Sam who had stayed in the background to follow her and let him sleep.
* For the first couple of days, all Jack did was drift in and out of sleep. Janet had assured his team members that this was nothing unusual as his body used up its energy to fight off the infection. On day three, Jack was fully awake having felt he’d slept enough and it didn’t take long for him to start complaining. He complained that the food was bland, the bed was uncomfortable and he was bored. Daniel had located a playstation and got it set up in the hospital room. He played it for about an hour and then said the games were too easy. Sam had made a mercy dash down the mountain to load up on magazines, which he idly flicked through and announced he’d already read them. She bit back a retort that maybe she should have picked up comics to go with his childish behaviour. By day five, the nursing staff were avoiding him as much as possible. Daniel caught a group of them hovering in the main infirmary, drawing straws as to who would take the afternoon shift with the cranky Colonel.
* Janet breezed into the isolation room on day seven brandishing the papers which would release the Colonel from the care of the SGC infirmary, as long as he promised to go home and take it easy. Her entrance went unnoticed as he appeared to still be asleep, huddled down under his blankets. She made her way to the bed. “Colonel?” He shifted slightly and she was rewarded with a bleary look as he forced his eyes open. Immediately she realised that something was wrong. His eyes were puffy and where the rash had once been, he now looked pale. “Sir?” She took hold of his wrist and with practiced ease, took his pulse. It was running a little high. She reached over and snagged the pulse oximeter cable, putting the clip on the end of his finger. Her eyes scanned over the readings. “Tell me how you feel, sir.” He rolled onto his back and sighed deeply. “I’m just tired, doc, and bit sick to the stomach.” Janet nodded. “Anything else?” “Nope.” She noted his blood pressure and shook her head. “Your blood pressure is running high.” She picked up the aural thermometer and placed it in his ear. The beep indicated it had finished and she examined the results. “So is your temperature.” “Great.” He rolled back onto his side as a wave of nausea washed over him. As a precaution, Janet put a basin within his reach. “I’ll be right back, sir.” She hurried from the room to call in reinforcements.
* General Hammond looked at Dr Fraiser in disbelief. “Another complication?” Janet sat in the Colonel’s office and nodded in affirmation. “He has a condition called Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, or PSGN for short, which causes an inflammation of the kidneys. It’s rare but is can be brought on during the recovery from a streptococcus infection.” “And how do you treat it?” She shook her head. “There is no cure for PSGN, sir. All you can do is treat the symptoms and wait for it to clear up on it’s own. The normal recovery period is three to four weeks.” Hammond frowned. “But he will recover?” “The recovery rate is good, General.” Janet looked straight at him. “But there is always the risk of permanent kidney damage.”
* It was late in the evening and the room was quiet, the nursing staff working quietly and efficiently around their patient. Jack, to give him credit, was being the model patient and to Janet and his team it just proved how bad he had to feel. The only fuss he had made was when Janet had insisted on a foley catheter to monitor his kidney output, and she had won that argument emphatically. Teal’c had stealthily entered the room and taken up a watch at his friend’s bedside, not wanting to disturb him from his much needed sleep. He still felt responsibility for his CO’s current disposition but his guilt had been eased by both Sam and Janet, who had done everything they could to allay his guilt. Jack lay on his side, his legs pulled up slightly in an unconscious response to the abdominal pain he’d been suffering. His face was still pale and puffy and he didn’t look like he was resting comfortable. There was a sign taped to the head of his bed, warning everyone that that patient was on a restricted fluid intake and under no circumstances was he to be given anything to drink. All Teal’c could do was to sit with his friend and provide silent support.
* “Penny for your thoughts.” Sam joined Janet at one of the tables in the commissary, where she’d been staring thoughtfully into a cup of coffee which had long gone cold. Janet finally gave up examining the coffee and, pushing the cup away, leaned back in her chair. She looked tired. “Sam, less than a month ago the SGC implemented what everyone thought was the very best tests and checks to ensure no one walked off the base with an alien virus. We thought we had learned our lesson after the ‘touched’ virus.” She straighted up in her chair and glanced around. “Sam, the Colonel was hit with a highly infectious bacteria, one that had mutated off world. He strolled off this base and went home. What would have happened if he’d gone home to a family, infected them? If he’d stopped off at a supermarket and unintentionally infected people there? The Colonel is fit and healthy and it took less than forty eight hours for him to succumb to the infection, to almost die.” “When you put it like that…” Sam leaned forward in her chair. “Janet, we have always known that there’s a risk and we do everything within our power to minimise it. Are you saying that we should give up gate travel?” Janet shook her head. “I don’t know, Sam. I just don’t know.”
* Despite feeling as if someone had turned him inside and dragged him through a cactus field, Jack eyed the new additional of medical equipment in his room with suspicion. “What the hell is that.” Janet finished talking with the technicians who had accompanied the equipment and then walked over to the Colonel’s bedside. “It’s a dialysis machine, sir.” She held a hand up to quell his next words. “And it’s just a precaution. At the moment there is no indication you need dialysis but it’s standard procedure where PSGN has been diagnosed.” He nodded slightly and laid back on his pillows. “How are you feeling this morning?” He sighed heavily. “Sick…” he noted with amusement when she automatically reached for a basin, “…and tired of lying in bed, feeling like crap.” He shivered and pulled the blankets up closer around him. “When can I get out of this damn place.” The Colonel sounded so low, that Janet felt her heart go out to him. He’d been in the infirmary now for ten days and unlike a hospital, where there also seemed to be more activity and at least the chance to breath fresh air, he was stuck in a windowless room, hundreds of feet below the ground level with the noise of a military base all around him. Everytime the Stargate activated the klaxons would blare out, the floors would shake. She had never really thought about it before, but normally her patients only stayed for short periods before being transferred to the Academy hospital, but slowly it was dawning on her that the infirmary was not a place in which to recover. But then again, Jack couldn’t go the Academy hospital. She pulled a chair up and sat down at his bedside. “We need to monitor your progress for a few more days. If we move too fast, you run the risk of permanent kidney damage and…..” she pointed to the dialysis machine, “will become your new best friend. If you keep going as you are, you will walk out of this infirmary with no long term effects and no medication.” He pulled a face and hunkered down further into his blankets.
* At 6am the nurse breezed into the room and switched the main lights on without a thought. "Morning, Colonel." Her voice was chirpy as she approached the bed and prepared to begin the first of many routine checks they ran on him each day. However, this morning he was having none of it. He had now been stuck in this windowless hellhole for two weeks and he was sick and tired of it all. "Get out." His voice was low but angry. The nurse faltered momentarily and then decided to ignore the words, reaching for the aural thermometer that had been left at his bedside. "Let's see how your temperature is today, sir." He struggled into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. "Get out." The nurse looked at him uncertainly. "Sir, I have to run my routine checks." "And I said get out. Now." Without another word, she backed out of the room, and he slumped back down against his pillows and began to silently count to ten. As he reached the number eight, footsteps could be heard and Janet appeared in the doorway. "Colonel?" He flung an arm over his eyes, irritated beyond belief. "What!" "Sir, what's going on? My nurse just told me you told her to get out." He didn't uncover his eyes as he spoke. "Well, doc. When she clatters into this room at the crack of dawn, turns the damn lights up as bright as possible and then announces loudly 'Morning Colonel' while I'm still trying to sleep, what the hell do you think I'm going to say?" "Sir…I know it's frustrating….but I can't….." Janet attempted to placate him but it only made him more angry. For the second time, he sat up and glared. "Could I just ask when I stopped being a human being, a living breathing person to your staff?" He gestured to his surroundings. "When did they suddenly assume the right to just do what the hell they wanted without asking me first? Being poked and prodded because they find it fascinating that I'm sick with an alien version of a earthbound illness? Running their little tests without so much of an explanation? Hell, if it wasn't for the fact I outrank them, I'm sure they would have patted me on the head and ruffled my damn hair! Is there a place at the infirmary door when you stop and check in your dignity when you become a patient. Because if there is, I'd like to reclaim mine now!" She tried to say something but he cut her off. "Don't get me wrong. If I'm in dire need of medical assistance, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here in this infirmary but your staff had better rethink their holier than thou attitude before you bring in your proposed quarantine time for teams returning off world, because I for one will not step foot off world again if it means I have to spend 48 hours on my return being patronised and ignored." Janet stood there quietly. He shook his head in disgust, more at his own outburst. "I'd like to go back to sleep." With that he lay back down and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. Dismissed, Janet left the room.
* There was nothing more that Janet would have liked then to discharge the Colonel and send him home, but it wasn't possible. Although his kidney function was showing significant improvement, he was still weak and very much under the weather. Going home to a empty house wouldn't help him recover. So he was stuck in the infirmary for at least another three to four days until he gained more strength. In the meantime, her staff were having to step carefully around the Colonel as his temperament hadn't improved as the day had gone on. Janet leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tired eyes and waited for the next explosion.
* The explosion occurred in the early hours of the next morning. Jack hadn't been able to sleep, his back ached and he'd been unable to get comfortable. All attempts by the nursing staff to help him had been refused and he'd eventually drifted off into a restless sleep about 1am. At 1.30am, with the infirmary being quiet, one of the nurses had decided to help out the day shift by doing a few of the regular day shift tasks. She had been half way through running through an inventory check of one of the crash carts when she was startled by an airman entering the quiet infirmary. With a start, she'd stepped back and knocked over the crash cart, which hit the ground with an almighty clatter, which echoed horrendously throughout the entire floor of the concrete structure. Jack had awoken instantly and, swinging his body out of bed, had left his room to go in search of the source of the noise praying that it was nothing serious. What he found in the main infirmary area was the final straw. The nurse and airman were both standing over the toppled crash cart, laughing. However, upon his arrival, the laughter tapered off. "Colonel! Sir, you shouldn't be out of bed!" The nurse stepped forward ready to admonish him and steer him back to bed but he cut her dead with a fierce glare. "I wouldn't be out of bed…" he looked pointedly at the fallen cart, "if someone had been more careful." The nurse blushed. "It was an accident. I'm sorry it disturbed you, sir." Jack shook his head in disgust and without another word, returned to his room. The nurse exchanged a look of relief with the airman, which was shortlived when she saw the Colonel's actions through the partially open door. "Damn!" She hurried across to his room. "Sir?" She never made it into his room as he slammed the door effectively in her face. Exchanging a worried look with the airman, she made a quick decision and headed for the nearest telephone.
* The benefit of making his escape at the early hours of the morning, was the lack of personnel in the corridors. It was something Jack would have been grateful for, if he hadn't been so damn angry. Ignoring the nagging pain in his back as his kidneys made their protest known, he had quickly dressed in sweats and left the infirmary, ignoring the one nurse who had feebly attempted to block his way. A brief stop in the locker room had thrown a temporary hitch in his plan, he had assumed one of his team would have retrieved his keys and wallet from his home but they weren't in his locker. However, he decided it was an obstacle he could easily overcome. He'd signed himself out and stepped out into fresh air. The bitter cold air was like a slap in the face, but it was also bliss. He had already reached the conclusion that going home wasn't a realistic hope, he had no car or money, but he was damned if he was going to go back to the infirmary. Looking around him, he began walking.
* He didn't walk far, the fatigue had set in big time and his back was aching badly. He came to rest in a small clearing on the mountainside and he lowered himself down onto the damp grass, leaning back against a tree trunk. His eyes closed, he tilted his head up and let the cold night breeze wash across his face. Throwing a tantrum at the nurse probably hadn't been the one of the smartest things he done lately but at the moment, sitting in the silent darkness, he felt pretty damn good about it.
* Janet cast her tired eyes over the empty isolation room and then, tapping her hand at her side, turned and entered the main infirmary. The nurse on duty, the one who'd woken her in the middle of the night with the news that brought her to the mountain, looked at her nervously. "Ma'am." Janet's eyes bored int her. "What happened, Lt?" The nurse shook her head. "It was an acci…." Janet held her hand up, she wasn't in the mood for excuses. The Colonel had gone walkabouts and she need to know the story fast. "Lt, I've got a patient out there who's dangerously ill, I don't need story time. What the hell happened?" The nurse visibly blanched. "Ma'am, the Colonel was disturbed when the crash cart was knocked over. He didn't appreciate being woken and…." She shrugged helplessly. "He just shouted at me and then turned and left. I couldn't stop him." "And you didn't think of notifying anyone? The duty officer? Someone who could have prevented a clearly unwell Colonel from leaving?" The nurse hung her head. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." She had known at the time she had screwed up and she hadn't wanted to bring attention to the situation, hoping that the Colonel would have returned on his own. Janet shook her head. "Airman, I'll deal with you later because as of right now I have a seriously ill patinet roaming about this base."
* General Hammond sat behind his desk, having listened to the story as stammered out by the nurse. "Lt, as of now you are relieved of duty pending further investigation of this matter. Dismissed." The nurse flushed and, glancing quickly at Dr Fraiser, she hurried from the office. Hammond turned his attention to the doctor. "What is the danger to the Colonel healthwise?" Janet considered her answer carefully. "I don't think there is any danger of a relapse from the strep infection, but he's still a long way from fitness. His body is still struggling to recover from the infection and he's exhausted." She took a deep breath. "The temperature outside is above freezing, which is a positive but the longer he's out there the more open he is the hypothermia. We need to find him quickly." Hammond narrowed his eyes. "And then what?" "Sir?" Janet knew what he was getting at but she didn't want to have to deal with it at this point. Her main concern was locating the Colonel to ensure he was alright. The telephone rang, giving her a moment, and the General picked it up. "Hammond." A short conversation ensued before he put the receiver down and looked at the Janet. "The SFs have located the Colonel but have not approached him." She gave a brief nod. "I'll get my team together." "No." The word stopped her in her tracks, as she turned towards the door, and she turned back to look at him. He shook his head. "He walked because he's mad with you and your team. Sending you out there will probably just excerberate the situation." He thought quickly. "Captain Carter and Teal'c are on base, tell them what they need to do and let them go and talk to him." "But….Sir? I believe the Colonel will need a medical team. The Captain and Teal'c are not capable….." Hammond sighed. "Doctor, I understand your concern, but frankly right now you and your team are the last people Colonel O'Neill wants to see. You, and you only, will be waiting at the entrace for when they come back in." Janet wasn't happy. "And if he's incapacitated? Remember, Sir, he's been seriously ill and a night outside probably hasn't helped." "Then Captain Carter will take a radio. If assistance is warranted, she can call you." The tone of his voice invited no further protestations from the doctor. "Yes, sir." With that she left the office and Hammond sank back in his chair, shaking his head.
* Dawn was just breaking when Teal'c and Sam emerged from the mountain to meet with the SFs. A few brief words were exchanged and armed with the knowledge of Colonel O'Neill's location, they began their walk. Twenty minutes later, they found him. Sitting against a tree, head tilted back and his eyes closed. Sam handed the blanket she had been carrying to Teal'c and slowly moved into the small clearing, not quite sure in the Colonel was asleep, awake or even unconscious. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle this, Colonel O'Neill was still very much an enigma to her and she was still unsure of their 'connection'. "Sir?" She was smart enough to stop a few feet away from him, hoping he would response. After a few moments, she cleared her throat to speak again. "Sir?" She was rewarded with a deep sigh and his eyes slid open. She also didn't miss that he shivered. "Guess I've been found." His voice was hoarse. She covered the remaining distance and lowered herself to the ground next to him. "I'm afraid so, sir." She glanced back and indicated for Teal'c to come over with the blanket. "General Hammond asked us to come speak to you. To check you were okay, sir." "And he didn't think sending out a medical team would be a wise option." Jack shivered again. "So he sent my team." Teal'c unfolded the blanket and handed it to Jack. "It is cold, ColonelO'Neill." The message was clear. Jack took the blanket and shuffled forward slightly, trying to drap it around his shoulders. However, his hands were shaking and it the end Teal'c reclaimed the blanket and took it upon himself to wrap the Colonel up in it. Sam broke the silence. "With all due respect Colonel, what were you thinking? He scowled at the bluntness of her question. "Carter, I appreciate you and Teal'c coming out her but I'm a big boy and more than capable of looking after myself." She eyed him critically as he shivered underneath the blanket, but wisely decided not to respond. Unfortunately, Jack noticed her look. "For crying out loud! I have been stuck in the goddamn mountain for the past two weeks, going stir crazy and being treated like some weird medical experiment!" She looked straight at him. "I do understand." She glanced up at the sky, watching the gradually brightening colours as the sun began to rise. "Being stuck in the mountain on a beautiful day can get to even the healthiest of person, sir. Feeling lousy and staring a grey concrete walls for days on end would drive the sanest person insane." "I indeed understand O'Neill." Teal'c's voice almost boomed in the silence surrounding them. "I do not have the luxury of leaving the mountain unless escorted." Jack looked up at him, the fight leaving him as Teal'c's words sank in. Then he shivered violently, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. "I guess I've been an ass." Jack settled himself back against the tree. "Storming out of the infirmary probably wasn't one of my better actions." "No sir." Sam allowed herself a small grin. "And I think we need to go back there now. Dr Fraiser is worried. "I've really pissed her off, haven't I?" He looked at her ruefully. Sam allowed herself a smile. "I don't think so, sir. She's worried about you sitting out here in the cold and I think you really need to talk to her." "She'll stick me with huge honkin' needles." This time, Sam laughed. "Maybe she will, sir. But then again, if the two of you talk then maybe going forward improvements could be made for long term patient care and….maybe you could gain some understanding of the pressure the medical team is under." "But she'll still stick me with huge honkin' needles, Captain." "Do not worry, O'Neill. I will protect you." Teal'c's face remained impassive but as both Jack and Sam looked at him, his eyebrow twitched. Jack waggled a shaky finger at him.
* "Col…." "Doc…" They both spoke together and then lapsed into silence as they stood outside the entrance to the SGC. Sam looked at Teal'c and rolled her eyes. Finally Jack's squared his shoulders. "Doc, let me just get this out, then you can reem me out, use me as a pincushion or what ever…." Janet gave a small hint of a smile and then nodded. "I may be a Colonel in the Air Force and a patient in your infirmary, but first off I'm a human being." "So are my nurses, Colonel, and humans make mistakes." Janet wasn't prepared to back down. Jack's eyes narrowed. "Maybe that's something they should remember in the future when treating their patients." "And when the patients are talking to them." She spat back. Teal'c stepped forward. "Enough. You are both acting like Chel'tak'pa!" "And what the hell does that mean?" Jack shot the Jaffa an annoyed look. Sam tried not to laugh. "Sir, I believe it's very much open to interpretation, but I could ask Daniel." Jack's shoulders slumped and Janet took a moment to look at him closely, realising with horror that he was shaking like a leaf. Knowing that fussing wasn't going to enhance the situation, she realised they needed to reach a compromise. "Sir, this is still all very new to us all. Every time people step back through the Stargate we are faced with the unknown. It's exciting but also very scary. Sometimes we get caught up in the science of it all and for that, I can only apologise. But as you pointed out, we are only human and humans make mistakes. We can only learn and for us to do that, you need to tell me what we have to do to resolve this situation." Jack looked at her closely, recognising that she was attempting to make peace and he nodded. "I guess we both did a few things that looking back….could have been handled a little better." He said it begrudgingly, determined not to completely back down.
Janet nodded in agreement. "And I think we need to start afresh." "Good." Sam stepped forward, guiding her CO. "Because I think the Colonel really needs to warm up."
* Jack was returned the infirmary, but Janet wisely settled him in a bed in the main infirmary. The last thing she wanted was to ostracise him to the isolation room where he could dwell on his thoughts again. Her nurses, aware of what had transpired during the night, worked quickly and efficiently with the Colonel ensuring that they explained everything they did. Thirty minutes later, his vitals taken and wrapped in warm blankets, an exhausted Colonel O'Neill drifted off to sleep.
* Two days later a much improved, and extremely happy, Colonel O'Neill left the infimary and went home. Janet had been more than a little relieved that he hadn't set back his recovery with his little foray outside. After discussions with both Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond, Doctor Fraiser had put forward a proposal for patient care, including the set up of a SGC unit at the Air Force Academy Hospital. This would enable patients, originally treated at the SGC infirmary but requiring further treatment or recovery time, to be transferred above ground to a normal hospital. Thus away from the confining, artificial feeling of the underground base. However, a forty eight hour quarantine on teams returning offworld had not been approved after it was politely pointed out by all the teams that they would never leave the 'damn' mountain if it was implemented. Instead, a budget enhancement was approved to boost the medical lab staff quota to provide a quick turn around on tests. General Hammond had also had stern words with his Second in Command, advising him that throwing a tantrum and storming off base was not the behaviour expected of a senior officer. Jack had sheepishly accepted the admonishment and had been more than a little amused when at the end of his telling off, Hammond had broken into a smile and told Jack he was glad to see him up and about again. Jack made him home, closeted by his team. He hadn't been surprised to find Daniel lurking outside the infirmary to take him home but he had been more than a little surprised to find Sam and Teal'c there as well. As they left the base, talking about what movies and what food to pick up, Jack felt for the first time they were beginning to 'gel' together as a team and it was a very comfortable feeling.
The End.
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