Title: Sentinel Tag Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Season 5 Spoilers: The Sentinel Categories: Angst, Hurt/Comfort Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: Jack whumping Summary: A Tag to The Sentinel 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: 31KB Authors Notes: I rewatched this episode on DVD and remembered how it annoyed me when it finished when it did. So I wrote a tag for it. Simple as that.
Sentinel Tag by Kazza
Why? It was a simple question. Why was it that aliens always seemed to find it necessary to cause him pain? Did he have something tattooed on his forehead or a sign hung on his back that said ‘Colonel Jack O’Neill – please beat the crap out of me’? Looking across at Grogan, who was already on his feet and raring to go, he felt a stab of jealousy. Why hadn’t the Jaffa knocked the young airman senseless? Why hadn’t the Jaffa stuck him with the pain stick over and over again? It wasn’t fair. He was getting too old for it, it was taking him longer to deal with the aches and pains. He didn’t want this crap anymore.
* “Sir?” The anxious blue eyes of his second in command appeared in his line of vision. “Are you ready to move?” Ignoring the pain that seemed to encompass his body, he gave a small nod and hauled himself to his feet brushing away the proffered hand from Carter. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
* The walk back to the Gate seemed endless and with each step the pain grew in intensity. His ribs ached where the Jaffa had kicked him when he had struggled against the chains, the small of his back was stiff from yet another kick and his head felt like it was going to explode, no doubt a reaction to the pain stick. When he had been introduced to the pain stick by Burrock, his head had hurt for days and he’d only been zapped once. Today he had been zapped countless times. Wrapped up in his misery he didn’t see the tree root jutting out of the ground and his foot got caught. By the time he was aware of what had happened, the ground was rushing up to meet him and then everything went black.
* “Jack!” Daniel had darted forward as Jack stumbled but hadn’t been in time to prevent the man’s fall. Kneeling beside him his fingers fumbled to find a pulse. “Daniel, what happened? Is he okay?” Sam had been with Teal’c on point and subsequently hadn’t seen the Colonel’s fall. “He’s out cold, Sam.” Daniel sat back on his heels. “Damn it, I should have known not to believe him when he said that he was okay.” There was a soft moan and both of them returned their attention to Jack as his eyes opened. “Okay, Jack. Let’s sit you up.” Daniel caught hold of his arm and gently pulled him up into a sitting position, ready to provide support for the distinctly unsteady Colonel. Sam crouched down in front of him. “Sir, I think it’s time to tell us exactly what injuries you have sustained.” “I’m fine, Carter. Just a bit tired.” He tried not to lean too much against Daniel but his body betrayed him and he slumped back. Without waiting for permission, Sam shuck off her backpack and began to examine him. Gently lifting his torn black t-shirt up, the first thing she saw was the heavy bruising around his ribs and, knowing that it was going to hurt him, pressed down gently on them. “Jesus christ Major! What the hell…….” He wheezed as the pain took every ounce of breath out of him. “I can’t tell if they are broken, sir.” She moved her hands away and continued her examination, noticing yet more bruising that travelled from his side to his back. It was deep red in colour, indicating internal bleeding. Wordlessly, she pulled the t-shirt back down and exchanged a silent look with Daniel. “Okay, sir, I think it’s safe to say that you have a date with Dr Fraiser when we get back to the SGC.” Sam tried humour to deflect the severity of the situation. They still had another three miles to go to reach the Stargate and it now appeared that Jack’s condition was more serious than first thought. She signalled across to Teal’c, who had been maintaining a watch of the area. “Teal’c, can you help Colonel O’Neill.” Teal’c nodded and stepped forward to aid the injured officer as he climbed to his feet. With Daniel hovering at his other side, Sam left them and took point with Grogan moving to take up position at the back.
* When the welcoming sight of the Stargate loomed up in the distance, Daniel felt overwhelming relief knowing that it wouldn’t be too long before they got medical assistance for Jack. His friend’s condition had deteriorated to the point that both himself and Teal’c were practically carrying him. The colour had gone from his face and he was sweating, his skin cool and clammy, all signs that he was going into shock. Every so often Sam would glance back at them and he would silently communicate for her to pick up the pace.
* It was one very relieved team who staggered out of the event horizon onto the metal ramp. Knowing that he was home, Jack gave into the pain and fatigue letting his eyes roll up into his head. Fortunately both Daniel and Teal’c were still holding on to him and as he slumped they gently lowered him onto the ramp. “Medical Team to the Embarkation Room.” The announcement bellowed out from the tannoy. Hammond hurried into the gate room, his eyes fixed on the unconscious form of the Colonel. “What happened?” Sam looked at him tiredly. “Colonel O’Neill and Sgt Grogan were captured by Jaffa, sir. The Colonel was beaten and subjected to a pain stick.” “What about Greaves and Kershaw?” Hammond waited for her answer but at that point Janet and her medical team arrived on the scene. Brushing past everyone, Janet zeroed in on Jack, Kneeling down beside him, she began her preliminary examination whilst Daniel stumbled through the story. She listened to him, nodding every so often and then issued orders to her team. Within seconds the Colonel, still oblivious to everything going on around him, was lifted gently onto a gurney and then swept out of the room. Sam watched them disappear, closely followed by Teal’c, Daniel and Grogan, before returning her attention to the General. “Well, sir…….”
* He awoke to the familiar noises and smells of the infirmary and lay there deciding whether or not to open his eyes. He felt pleasantly muzzy which signalled a healthy dose of Doc Fraiser’s happy juice and wasn’t sure if he wanted anyone or anything disturbing it. That was until he heard Daniel’s voice. “Why isn’t he awake?” The stress in his voice was unmistakeable. “Is there something you’re not telling us?” “No, Daniel, I am not hiding anything. You just have to patient. Give him time to wake up in his own time. You have to remember that his body has been through a major trauma and he needs time to regain some strength.” Janet’s voice was equally stressed. Okay maybe it would be a good time to open his eyes and with an internal sigh, he slowly cracked his eyelids open. However, neither of them were looking in his direction. “Hey.” Now that wasn’t his voice, that was pathetic. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Hey.” That was better, a louder croak. “Jack.” “Colonel.” He found two sets of eyes now looking in his direction and he managed a little wave. Janet was immediately at his side. “Sir, how are you feeling?” “Great…..happy juice.” He was rewarded with a smile. “I know how much you like it.” “Jack.” Daniel appeared at her side. “It’s a relief to see you awake.” He looked tired and strained, which set alarm bells ringing in Jack’s muzzy brain. “Doc, what’s the story?” He wished his voice was stronger. Janet rested her hand on his arm. “Colonel, both of your kidneys took a battering and caused internal bleeding. By the time you got back to the SGC you had lost a lot of blood and your kidneys weren’t working properly.” She indicated to the dialysis machine which was working at the side of his bed. “We had to operate to repair the damage and you’ve been on dialysis for a few days.” “Aw, crap.” No wonder Daniel looked like he did. “You’re doing much better now, sir. We need to keep you on dialysis for a little while longer but I anticipate that there will be no permanent damage.” She flashed him a smile. “I’d better go and let the others know that you’re awake. They’ve had a little rota going during your stay.” She began to move away but stopped to look at Daniel. “Five minutes and then let the Colonel rest. You also need to rest before I let you back in here.” Daniel nodded and waited until she had left before slumping down in a chair at Jack’s bedside. “You gave us a scare, Jack.” He shook his head. “Are you ever going to learn to keep your mouth shut? Grogan told us that you annoyed the Jaffa sufficiently so that they left him alone.” Recognising the signs of Daniel switching into rant mode, he decided it was safer to close his eyes and drift back off to sleep.
* A week later, and ahead of schedule, Jack O’Neill escaped the clutches of the infirmary. He had endured the endless tests, the dialysis treatments and suffered the usual mild depression that came with an enforced stay in a medical facility but he’d survived it all and was feeling pretty good with himself. General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser had him on medical leave for another two weeks and then SG1 were scheduled for a mission to Kelowna, a planet that Daniel had excitedly babbled on about for at least an hour last night when he’d dropped by the infirmary. So, tucking the trauma of the last mission away in the dark recesses of his memories, he headed home accompanied by Sam as he wasn’t allowed to drive. He had a backlog of taped hockey and baseball games to catch up with, some stargazing to do and access to home delivery pizza. Life was good.
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