Title: Small Town Hero Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Season 6 Spoilers: Meridian Categories: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: Jack whumping Summary: An arsonist is at work and Jack gets in the way Archive Permissions: Jackfic, Frondfic, 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: 106KB Authors Notes: My thanks to Karen (Kent) for her encouragement. I wasn’t sure about this one but she read it a couple of times, made a few suggestions and bullied me to finish it.
Small Town Hero by Kazza
The smell of burning wood was unmistakable and Jack stopped, his eyes scanning the horizon for smoke. He saw the smoke billowing up over the trees just as the sounds of people screaming reached his ears. Shucking off his pack and throwing it into the undergrowth, he began running. * As he got closer to the source of the smoke, he caught a glimpse of a figure running away and for a moment their eyes locked, but then a renewed bout of screaming grabbed at his attention and he started running again. *
A ring of fire surrounded the cabin and the porch was already well alight, effectively trapping the occupants inside. Their frightened faces could be seen in the windows and their screams of terror filled the air. Thinking fast, he pulled his fleece off and raced over to a water butt, soaking the item of clothing thoroughly. Then, with a deep breath, he pulled the fleece over his head and raced through the flames to the door. Feeling the heat of the fire, he grabbed hold of the door handle with both hands and managed to yank it open. He stumbled into the cabin, which was already thick with smoke, and found himself surrounded by a group of eight teenagers. “Is there water in here?” He had to shout above the roar of the fire and the smoke burned his lungs, but he was rewarded when one of the teenagers nodded. Indicating to his fleece, he watched as it dawned on the kids and within seconds they were soaking blankets and clothes in the kitchen sink. Standing as close as he could to the door, where the fire was beginning to take a proper hold, he checked each kid as they approached, making sure they were as protected as much as possible and then he pushed them outside, one by one. When the last one was out, he followed them. The flames licked around him as he staggered out of the cabin and then he was clear. The kids were already running for the edge of the clearing and he moved to join them, taking in gulps of fresh air. But then suddenly there was a massive explosion and as his mind registered it, he felt something slam into the back of him throwing him through the air. As he crashed into something, his mind too numb to register what it was, he was vaguely aware of hearing more screaming and then everything went black.
* Sheriff Ray Jenkins was not having a good day as he arrived at the small community hospital, having already been out to the burnt out ruin of the cabin. It was the third arson attack in a month, which in a large city wouldn’t have been unusual, but Twin Pines was a small town out in the middle of nowhere where the last recorded arson attack had been twenty years ago. What made this even worse was that eight teenagers from the local high school had almost been killed. “Hey doc.” The Sheriff singled out a rather harrassed looking Dr Angela McKenna. “How the kids doing?” Angela, despite the stress she was feeling, flashed a smile at Ray. “The kids are fine. Smoke inhalation and minor burns. We are going to keep them in overnight for observation and let them loose in the morning.” She dug into her pocket and retrieved a candy bar. “All their parents are here so if you want to talk to them, it’s fine by me.” Ray watched as she unwrapped the candy bar and sank her teeth into it. “That’s not good for you, you know. That’s what the doctors are always saying.” She shot him a look and finished her mouthful. “So I heard.” Ray grinned and changed the subject. “What about the man?” Her face grew serious. “He’s not doing so good. He was much closer to the cabin when the gas cylinders exploded.” She put the candy bar down. “The force of the explosion drove him into a tree. His face has been pretty banged up, I doubt his own mother would recognise him, there’s a skull fracture and cracked ribs. He also broke a wrist. He’s still unconscious and we’re concerned about some swelling of the brain.” She shrugged. “I assume that you haven’t managed to get an ID on him yet?” “Nope.” Ray leaned against the wall, tiredly. “Nada, zilch, zip. The next step is fingerprints.” Angela shook her head. “Not for a while.” She held her hands up and wiggled her fingers. “His hands are burnt. Fingerprints will not be an option until the burns heal. Hopefully by then he’ll be awake and can tell us who he is.” Ray pulled a face. “Until then, we have one mysterious hero.”
* Hammond held the dogtags in his hands and recalled the argument, which had led to to the possession of his second in command’s tags. “No, sir. I will not return to Kelowna.” Jack’s eyes flashed angrily. “I will not assist them.” “Jack, what happened to Dr Jackson was deeply regrettable and the Kelownan Government have expres…..” “Deeply regrettable. I would say that dying to save their asses only for them to accuse him of sabotage was more than just deeply regrettable!” Jack was now standing rigidly in front of his desk. “Colonel, SG1 has a mission to negotiate a deal with the Kelownan Government for deposits of Naquadriah and you will complete your mission.” Hammond’s tone of voice didn’t invite discussion. “Then I step down from SG1, sir.” “That’s ridiculous, Jack.” “No sir, it’s not.” With slow deliberate movements, Jack pulled his dogtags up over his head and put them down on the desk in front of the General. He’d been periodically staring at the dogtags for almost a week and he was glad that tomorrow the owner would be returning and hopefully would accept them back again. With a shake of his head, he returned them to the top drawer of his desk.
* The kids hadn’t been of any help. They had snuck out to the old cabin with a case of beer to have some fun and had been unaware that someone had set fire to the cabin whilst they sat on the floor playing a variation of strip poker. It wasn’t until the smoke began to fill the cabin that they realised that something was wrong and by then they hadn’t been able to get out. Ray had left them with their relieved parents and made his way down to the small ICU, where the man the town was rapidly hailing as a saviour was currently residing. Nodding a greeting at the nurse, he stepped quietly into the room and took a moment to examine the man who lay in the bed. His hands were wrapped in soaked gauze to cool the burns, the bruising on his chest was deep, his head was swathed in bandages and his face badly swollen and grazed. The only sounds in the room were the hiss of the respirator aiding his breathing and the quiet beeping of the monitors which reported his current health status. “Okay, mystery man.” Ray pulled a chair up to his bedside. “Are you gonna wake up and tell me who you are?” There was no response from the deeply unconscious man.
* Although it was nice to catch up with her outstanding work, Sam couldn’t help but worry about Colonel O’Neill. She didn’t know the circumstances which led to her CO taking a week long leave of absence but from the mood the General had been in all week, she knew they weren’t good. Three nights ago, with Teal’c and Jonas in tow, she’d gone to his house. They’d taken pizza and beer only to find the place in darkness. As they had turned to go, one of his neighbours had passed by and told them that he’d seen the Colonel loading up his truck a few days back with camping equipment. They had left it at that and now Sam found herself feeling anxious about Jack’s return.
* “What is all this?” Angela approached the nurses station, which at present was rapidly disappearing under a thousand and one flower arrangements. A flustered nurse looked at her. “They’ve been arriving all morning for the patient in the ICU. So far we have had grateful parents, the mayor, the high school principal all send flowers and call. Plus several of the kids he rescued have been by to ask if they can see him.” Angela shook her head in disbelief. “Unbelievable.” As another delivery boy appeared she made her escape, entering the ICU. It had now been almost eighteen hours since his admittance to the hospital and his condition remained unchanged. A further scan had shown minor swelling of the brain but it wasn’t life threatening and she was confident that within a few days it would reduce. She was hoping that today he would start to wake up. Approaching the bed, she cast her eye over the monitors and then rested her hand on his arm. “Morning, Mr Mystery Man.” Behind her she heard a nurse enter the room and she gave a small sigh. “We need to check your hands, change the dressings. Feel free to wake up and let us know if you find it uncomfortable.” The nurse gave a chuckle as she began preparing the new dressings.
* Sam glanced anxiously at her watch and avoided looking at the General, who was looking more and more displeased as the minutes passed. The briefing had been scheduled for 10am and everyone bar Colonel O’Neill was in attendance. Five minutes earlier, Hammond had ordered Sergeant Davis to contact Colonel O’Neill and they were now waiting for Davis’ return.
* “Saints preserve us.” Ray entered the hospital staff lounge and helped himself to a mug of coffee. “Sometimes I wonder why I ran for election.” He slumped down into a chair. “I must have been mad.” Angela threw him an amused looked. “Let me guess, the emergency town meeting didn’t go to plan.” “Nope. Apparently I’m not fit to be a Sheriff according to half the town.” He took a gulp of coffee, grimacing at the bitter taste. “And the other half didn’t turn up. Anyway, it’s going to be out of my hands by tomorrow. The State police are coming into town to help with the investigation.” “Isn’t that admitting defeat?” “If it hadn’t been for the near tragedy yesterday, I would have agreed. But I’m not going to let this arsonist kill because of my damaged pride.” He sniffed the coffee and put it down. “So how is he?” Angela glanced at the clock on the wall. “Still unconscious.” She got to her feet. “I’m just going to run another check up.” Ray followed suit and stood up. “Mind if I tag along?”
* Sergeant Davies didn’t want to go back into the briefing room but he knew that he didn’t have a choice. Hovering outside, he sucked in a deep breath, counted to ten and then entered the room. The tension was noticeable as he strode across the briefing room and came to stop in front of the General. “Sir.” Hammond fixed him with a steely glare. “Report, Sergeant.” Davis cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, sir, but Colonel O’Neill is not answering our calls. I’ve tried his home and his cell phone.” The General nodded. “Thank you, Sergeant. Dismissed.” He scurried away and it wasn’t until he was safely out of the room that he found he could breathe properly again.
* Sam waited for the explosion and was surprised when it didn’t come. Hammond rose from his chair and looked at them. “Until the whereabouts of Colonel O’Neill are pertained, SG1 will remain on base duties. Dismissed.” He turned himself and walked away, heading for his office. Teal’c looked at Sam and Jonas. “The General is displeased.” Jonas shrugged. “Has the Colonel ever done this before?” Sam shook her head. “No.”
* Ray looked at the unconscious man and shook his head. “I wished he’d wake up.” He walked across to the window. “Before they turn him into a God.” “Let me guess, you’re the bad guy for not catching the arsonist and mystery man is the big hero.” Angela was checking his reflexes. “You’re not…..” She stopped when she saw his hand move. Ray, waited for her to continue and when she didn’t, turned back from gazing out of the window. “Doc?” “Ssh!” She concentrated on the patient, watching carefully as his hands moved causing the face to crease up in pain. She moved to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Can you open your eyes for me?” She found herself holding a breath as his eyes flickered and opened, only to slide shut again. She gently squeezed his shoulder again and was rewarded with another attempt to open his eyes. This time they seemed to be staying open and she smiled. “Hey, welcome back to the land of living.” He looked confused, his eyes foggy from the cocktail of drugs, but he tried to talk only to find his throat blocked. Angela, prepared for him to panic, was surprised as he seemed to recognise that he had been intubated. He blinked hard and she found herself drawn to his eyes. “You’ve been in an accident, a fire. You inhaled some smoke and broke a couple of ribs, the tube has been helping you to breathe. Can you give me a small nod if you understand.” She was rewarded with a small nod and continued. “We need to keep you intubated for a little while longer.” He nodded again and she saw he was beginning to drift. After a couple more minutes, he was asleep again. “That’s great.” She looked at Ray. “Tomorrow, depending on his stats, I’ll extubate him and then we can find out who he is.”
* The Twin Pines Diner was the place to be if you wanted to know what was going on in town. Having been established in the late sixties, it was now well worn around the edges but the food was the best in the area. Ray, having existed on just a couple of hours sleep, found himself drawn to the diner just after 6am in search of a good cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes. As always Claire had the coffee poured and in front of him before he had even managed to sit down at the counter. “Morning Sheriff. Bernie’s just got your pancakes started.” Claire gave him a smile. “Thank you.” He inhaled the intoxicating smell of the fresh coffee, a look of satisfaction on his face. “As always.” “Hey, Sheriff.” Bernie emerged from the kitchen and pushed a plate, piled high with pancakes in front of the younger man. “Maple syrup?” Ray shook his head, picking up his fork. “Not today. The Doc said I was putting on weight.” “It’s low fat?” Bernie waggled his eyebrows as he picked up a jug of syrup and poured a liberal amount over the pancakes. “Besides, do you see the Doc in here this morning?” Ray glanced around the Diner which was almost empty, remembering that it was Sunday which meant trade didn’t pick up until 8am. “So true, Bernie.” He forked up a mouthful of pancake and began eating. Claire refilled his coffee cup. “Besides, Dr McKenna is probably busy at the hospital what with the fire and all that.” She paused thoughtfully. “Maybe I should arrange to have some breakfast sent over to her. I hear that the man that saved the kids is poorly.” Ray swallowed his food and nodded. “He’s been pretty banged up but he’s holding his own. Even tried to wake up yesterday. The doc said he’ll be okay but it’ll take a bit of time.” “Any idea who he is yet?” Bernie loaded a few more pancakes up onto his plate. The Sheriff shook his head. “No idea. He wasn’t staying in town, we’ve searched the area and haven’t found any thing that would indicate who he is or where he’s from.” “Poor man.” Claire clucked. “I hope that he wakes up soon. His family will be worried.” * Mission accomplished and his stomach full, Ray left the Diner and headed for the hospital for an update. By telling Bernie and Claire the status of the man, (then) it was guaranteed that by lunchtime the whole town would know and stop bugging him. * Jonas put the phone down and crossed the final number off the list. For the past three hours he had tried numerous airlines, hospitals, mortuaries and police stations in the state of Colorado in an attempt to find out what had happened to the Colonel. But it had all been without success. * Angela and her colleague, Dr Jim Harris, hadn’t had a good night with their mystery patient. Late in the evening the nurses had reported a rise in his temperature and it had soon become clear that he was struggling with a lung infection, caused by the smoke inhalation. They had reacted with aggressive IV antibiotics but it had yet to make a difference. Dr Harris had left shortly after dawn to grab a couple of hours sleep before morning rounds and Angela had followed suit an hour or so later, leaving the nurses to monitor his condition. Julie Harper, a senior nurse at the hospital, had tasked herself with looking after the patient. He was still running a temperature and a cooling blanket was now at work, hopefully bringing him relief but he still showed no signs of waking up. But not one to be disheartened, she would talk to him as she ran her checks, telling him about her niece whom he had saved from the cabin fire.
* The gossip had spread through the base like wild fire that Colonel O’Neill hadn’t turned up for a briefing and was AWOL. Sam had already overheard two conversations from the time she had signed in for the day to when she reached the commissary, where she was joining Teal’c and Jonas for breakfast. Helping herself to a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal, she sat down at the table they were occupying and it was plain to see that she was annoyed. “MajorCarter, you are displeased.” Teal’c, as always, stated the obvious. “Its just the rumour mill in full swing about the Colonel.” She sipped her juice, ignoring the glances that other people were giving them. “People shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” “Then we should ascertain the whereabouts of Colonel O’Neill.” Jonas peeled the skin back off a banana. “I have begun attempts.” Sam looked at him in surprise. “You have?” “I made a list of hospitals, police stations and mortuaries in Colorado and I called them all last night.” “That’s an awfully big list.” Sam toyed with her cereal. Jonas shrugged. “But I was unsuccessful and I do not know what to do next.” Sam pushed the bowl away. “Then we need to formulate some ideas.”
* Julie had watched as his temperature spiked again and as she stood at the bedside debating whether or not to wake the doctors, she noticed with dismay that his hands began to tremble. “Don’t do this.” She muttered under her breath as she hit the call button, watching him anxiously, but he wasn’t listening. As she watched helplessly, he convulsed. * Ray was ambling down the corridor towards the ICU when he was shoved out of the way by Dr Harris and two nurses, who were running at top speed in the same direction. Picking up his pace, he followed. * “They still don’t know his name, you know.” Claire filled up the coffee cup of the latest customer. “The Sheriff said that he still hadn’t woken up.” The lad sat in one of the booths, his ears tuned to what Claire was saying and ignoring what his dad was saying, after all he had a vested interest in the man. “Thomas, are you listening to me?” His concentration was interrupted by the strident tone of his father’s voice and reluctantly he turned his attention to Mayor Kelvin Smithson. “Sorry dad.” The look of displeasure on the older’s man’s face was only too clear. “Mr Jenner is expecting you tomorrow at 7am and I expect you not to mess up this time.” Tom Smithson nodded, looking as bored as hell as he waited for the lecture. “It was bad enough that you didn’t pursue a college education but this will be your fifth job in as many months. As the Mayor of this town, I have a responsibility and frankly your attitude is not helping.” “Yes, dad.” * “What happened?” Ray stood at the window, looking at the patient. “Is he going to be okay?” Angela leaned against the wall and sighed. “He’s running a fever from a lung infection and he’s not responding as quickly as I would like to the antibiotics. We are going to be watching him very closely for the next twenty four hours.” “So no chance of him waking up today then, huh?” “Mystery man will remain a mystery for at least another day.” She yawned. “And I am going back to sleep for a couple of hours.” She gave the Sheriff a quick pat on the shoulder as she left in search of a bed.
* His fever broke twelve hours later as the antibiotics finally began to do their job and his breathing eased. His vital signs showed improvement but, to the disappointment of the medical team and the sheriff, he showed no signs of regaining consciousness. The State investigators had come and gone after visiting the site of the cabin fire, gathering their forensic evidence and interviewing the kids. Ray swore that they had spent no longer than forty eight hours in town. But, on a brighter note, there had been no further fires.
* It had now been five days since the fire and the town was beginning to settle down. Curiousity remained about the mystery man, however, and the unconscious man had begun to receive a steady stream of visitors. At first Angela had attempted to stop them but after a chat with Julie, she had given in. It was true that external stimulation would often assist in bringing unconscious people back to awareness and so it started. After the breakfast rush at the diner was over, Bernie would go to the hospital and read out loud to the patient from the local newspaper. Leaving to do the lunch rush, he would be replaced by yet another town member who would either chat about anything and nothing or read to him. Later on in the afternoon, the kids he’d saved would drop by to talk to him and in the evening, some of the parents would call in to see how he was doing. Angela watched this with amusement, noting how the town had seemed to have adopted the stranger. There were always fresh flowers, fruit and other baked goodies in his room, the excuse being that you never knew when he would wake up. But the longer he remained unconscious, the more worried she grew. The latest scans had shown that the swelling had gone, his lungs were improving to the extent that she’d extubated him and he was showing signs of a good recovery. If she didn’t know better, she’d say it was as if he didn’t want to wake up.
* Sally Harper had stopped briefly at the nurses’ station to say hi to her Aunt Julie and then carried on down the hallway to visit the patient. She found it easier to chat to him now they had taken him out of the ICU and moved him into a regular room. Sitting herself down in the by now well worn chair at his bedside, she opened her rucksack and pulled out a history book. “History, the one subject I really hate.” She pulled a face. “I’m sure my parents made me take it as a punishment. Why would anyone want to…….” From the corner of her eye, she was sure she had seen his head move. Putting the book down, she watched him closely and held her breath. Just as she thought that she’d imagined it, he moved his head slightly and his eyelids began to flicker. * Julie almost had a heart attack as her niece raced down the corridor, waving her arms like a maniac. “Julie! Julie!” “This is a hospital, Sally. Keep your voice down!” Julie was already out of her chair and approaching the teenager. “What’s the matter? ” Sally grabbed hold of her arm and began dragging her back up the corridor. “He’s moving! I think he’s beginning to wake up!” * The first thing that he was aware of was just how crap he felt. Aware of movement around him and then voices, he was reluctant to open his eyes and face the real world. From the smells and noises, he assumed that he was in the infirmary but something just didn’t seem right. After what seemed like an eternity he realised that he needed to open his eyes.
* Angela almost cheered as his eyes finally opened. “Well it’s about time.” His brow creased in confusion as he looked at her. “Wha……what happened?” His voice was barely a whisper, his throat sore. As if she read his thoughts, a beaker of iced water with a straw appeared in front of him and he sipped from it slowly. “You were caught up in an explosion, it was a fire at a cabin. Do you remember?” She watched as he slowly shook his head, wincing at the pain caused by the movement. “Things are a bit hazy,” he whispered. “No problem. It’ll come back to you.” She hesitated before continuing. “I’m going to get you something for the headache and then I want you to rest. But before that, I need to ask you a couple of questions. Like your name?” “Jack.” He coughed and took another sip of water. “Jack O’Neill. “Well it’s nice to be able to put a name to the face, Jack.” She watched him carefully as he looked confused and explained. “You didn’t have any ID on you.” His injured hands flew to his neck and then he remembered what he’d done with his dogtags. He looked at the hovering doctor, his energy waning. “Colonel, Air Force.”
* “MajorCarter, has there been any success?” Teal’c strode into Sam’s lab, where she was slumped over her desk reading something. At the sound of his voice, she jumped and looked around in surprise. “Teal’c? I thought SG2 weren’t due back for another twenty four hours?” “Our mission was not a success.” He didn’t look impressed. “Neither was mine.” She sighed deeply. “It’s as if the Colonel has disappeared off the face of the Earth. Jonas has resorted to randomly calling hospitals.” She looked defeated. “I think that we have to accept that the Colonel doesn’t want to be found.” The telephone rang.
* He put the telephone down and grinned at Angela. “Well, Dr McKenna, the mystery man was telling the truth. The Pentagon knew who he was and I got to speak to some General.” “And?” Angela had only heard Ray’s side of the conversation. “This General, I think his name was Hammond, said they’d be in town by morning.” He leaned back in his chair. “That’ll save the Colonel from the good townsfolk.”
* Panic was now the name of the game. He was awake, he was a Colonel in the Air Force, he would recognise him. The news had spread through the town like wildfire and Tom knew he was in trouble. The Sheriff would get a description of the arsonist and know that it was him. He had to act before that happened and he knew of only one way with which to deal with it.
* Laden down with a food tray, Ray entered the hospital room to find Jack semi sitting up and looking a hell of lot better than he had at any time since his admittance. “Good evening, Colonel. I’m Sheriff Ray Jenkins and also the food delivery boy.” Jack eyed him suspiciously as he approached to the bed and Ray grinned as he put the tray down on the bedside table. “Compliments from Bernie and Claire. It’s homemade chicken soup and freshly baked bread. Legendary in these parts.” He pulled a chair up and sat down. “Who are Bernie and Claire?” His voice was still nothing more than a croak as he picked up the bowl, and peeled off the lid carefully. His hands were healing well although they still hurt, but there was no way on this planet that he was going to allow a nurse to feed him. “They run the local diner.” Ray watched in amusement as he sniffed the soup and then picked up a spoon. “They’ve been popping in to see you every day.” Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” “Are you kidding? Around here you are the local hero for saving those kids.” “I don’t really remember much.” He took a spoonful of soup and the appreciation was clear to see. “Told you it was good.” Jack didn’t answer, eating a few more spoonfuls before putting the bowl back down. Even though he’d been hungry, his stomach wasn’t up to too much at the moment and he was beginning to feel sick. He slumped back against the pillows. “So what did I do?” The sheriff pulled his jacket off and got comfortable. “What do you remember?” He sighed. “Nothing really, just bits and pieces. Kids screaming, smell of burning.” He raised his bandaged hands off the bed. “Obviously didn’t take care of myself.” “You saved a whole bunch of kids from a grisly death and for that you’ve got a whole town in your debt.” Ray folded his arms. “It may take some time for you to remember and when you do, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know immediately.” Jack grinned wryly. “That’s if they let you make phone calls from Leavenworth.” Ray frowned, about to ask him to elaborate, when the door swung open and Julie entered. “Sheriff, you were only allowed five minutes.” She gave him a stern look as she reached the bed. “The colonel needs to rest and I need to change the dressings.” Ray got to his feet, snagging his jacket. “Okay, I get the message.” He looked at Jack. “I spoke to a General Hammond. He said that he’d be here in the morning.” He headed towards to the door and then turned round. “Remember, if you recall anything, let me know immediately.”
* In the dead of the night the figure snuck around the back of the hospital building, the layout having been memorised from the plans he’d stolen from his dad’s office. Sometimes it was handy to have a dad as the town mayor. He remembered how proud his dad had been when the hospital had opened, a small town having a state of the art clinic funded by the mining companies in the area. Earlier, at great risk, he’d visited the hospital and determined the location of the Colonel and then he’d got to planning. Reaching his destination, he carefully lowered the cardboard box he’d been carrying to the ground, freezing as the bottles inside clanked noisily together. After letting his heart rate return to normal, he selected the first carefully prepared molotov cocktail and took his beloved zippo out of his pocket. * He ached from head to toe and his energy level was zero, but he’d be damned if he was going to call for a nurse’s assistance to go to the bathroom. Waking in the middle of the night, he decided he could manage it on his own even if it took the rest of the night. Sitting up in bed, he slowly swung his legs out over the edge and then, gritting his teeth, pulled himself up onto his feet. Catching his breath, he slowly shuffled to the bathroom. * The rag caught, flaring in the darkness, and he admired the beauty of the flame. Then, taking a few steps back he carefully swung his arm and with deadly aim threw the lethal weapon and watched in satisfaction as the bottle crashed through the window and found its target. Recognising success, he snatched up the box and made his hasty exit. * The homemade bomb shattered the window and landed on the bed, flames immediately taking hold and filling the room with smoke. * The smoke alarms began wailing, scaring staff and patients alike. Dr McKenna, on night duty, raced out of the staff lounge to find the capable nurses already beginning the evacuation. “Do we know where the fire is?” She grabbed hold of one of the orderlies, who shook his head. *
Instinctively he had dropped to the floor in an attempt not to inhale too much smoke but his lungs were still recovering and he wasn’t coping too well. Mustering as much strength as he could he crawled along the floor, thankful that the fire seemed to be pretty much contained to the bed area giving him access to the door. His chest heaving and coughing badly, he concentrated on pulling himself to safety, but he was as weak as a kitten. His arms buckled but he forced himself to kept going until he reached the door, where his strength deserted him and he slumped to the floor unconscious. * He didn’t hear the approaching rescuers and subsequently didn’t feel anything as he was picked up off the floor and carried from the building.
* Ray stood in the doorway and stared in disbelief at the burnt out shell of what used to be Jack O’Neill’s hospital room. Due to the prompt arrival of the volunteer fire team, the fire had been contained to the one room, although smoke damage was prevalent throughout the east wing. Jack was now settled in a room on the other side of the hospital with a deputy posted at his door and the medical staff watching like hawks. This time it wasn’t arson, it was a clear cut case of attempted murder. With a shake of his head, he dragged his eyes away from the destruction and began walking down the corridor.
* General Hammond got out of the first military vehicle and took in the scene. “Why do I suspect that Jack is right in the middle of all of this?” He said it to no one in particular but Janet replied. “Because Colonel O’Neill has ‘trouble’ tattooed on his forehead.” Hammond shot her an amused look and then, straightening his tie, he stepped towards the entrance to the hospital. SG-1 and Doctor Fraiser followed, ignoring the looks being received from the remaining fire crew and curious bystanders.
* Having been told that Dr McKenna was busy with her patient, Ray was loitering in the hallway nursing a cup of strong black coffee waiting for her to finish. Fighting the fatigure, resulting from another night without sleep, he finally took a seat. Letting his eyes slide shut, he was starting to doze when he heard raised voices. “I’m afraid that you can’t go along there!” He recognised the angry tones of Julie and his eyes shot open just as a sea of blue moved down the corridor towards them, ignoring the indignant nurse. With a sigh, he got back up on his feet. “General Hammond, I presume.” The portly, bald uniformed man stopped in front of him. “Sheriff Jenkins, I presume.” “General, I need to see Colonel O’Neill.” A small, petitie woman stepped forward. Ray looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but he’s with the doctors at the moment.” He hesitated. “There was an attempt on his life last night.” Janet looked at the door. “Is that his room?” She watched as he nodded in confirmation, then pushed past him and before he could blink had entered the room. “Hey.” He went to go after her only for the tall black guy to move just as quickly to block his way. Hammond cleared his throat. “Dr Janet Fraiser is Colonel O’Neill’s doctor. Now, I suggest that you tell us what has been happening.”
* “I’m sorry, but you can’t come in here.” Dr McKenna glanced across as Janet entered the room. Janet ignored her and walked across to the bed, shaking her head as she took in the patient. “Jack.” Her voice was soft as she took in his condition. “Why is it you can’t stay out of trouble.” With a soft smile, she reached forward and gently pushed the hair off his forehead. Then she slipped her professional mask on and looked at Angela. “I’m Dr Janet Fraiser, I’m a Chief Medical Officer in the USAF and Colonel O’Neill’s physician. Can you tell me the current status of his condition?” Angela looked slightly taken back but answered. “He is in respiratory distress resulting from smoke inhalation. We tried a mask and 100% oxygen first but his stats dropped to 89%, which is when he was intubated.” She handed Janet the chart. “His lungs were already compromised from an earlier bout of smoke inhalation and infection. As a precaution, I am running through IV antibiotics.” Janet scanned through the charts, noting the length of period that he’d been unconscious. Typical Jack, when he had a minor injury he kicked up a fuss like a teenager who’d been grounded, but when he was really sick he’d just shut down and sleep through it. Finally, satisfied with what she was seeing, she handed the chart back to Angela. “He’s a stubborn patient.” She carefully sat on the edge of the bed, mindful not to jog any of the medical paraphernalia. “How long do you plan to keep him intubated?” “Probably another 24 hours unless he starts to wake up.” The door opened again and another uniformed woman entered the room, her eyes immediately going to the figure lying in the bed. “Janet, how is he?” Janet gave Sam an encouraging smile. “He’s doing okay, considering. Give it a few days and he’ll be back to his normal irritating self.” Sam slowly approached the bed and looked across at the other doctor. “Dr McKenna?” She held her hand out. “I’m Major Sam Carter, Colonel O’Neill’s second in command. The Sheriff told me what you’ve done for the Colonel and I’d like to say thank you.” Angela, momentarily speechless, shook hands with her. Finally, recovering her speech, she smiled. “Just doing my job. Besides, I couldn’t let our town hero die.” Janet looked at her. “Town hero?”
* The deputy had been dismissed and Teal’c had installed himself outside the Colonel’s hospital room, glaring at anyone who dared to scurry past. Hammond and Jonas had moved to the staff lounge with the Sheriff to discuss the events of the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the town gossips were once again in full flow.
* “I think it is safe to presume that the arsonist thinks that Colonel O’Neill is able to identify him.” Jonas and Hammond exchanged glances and then both looked at the Sheriff for further explaination. “Well, once he or she knew that the Colonel had regained consciousness they tried to kill him again. Simple deduction.” Ray shrugged his shoulders. “But when the Colonel was awake, he wasn’t able to recall much of the incident.” Hammond sighed. “I would be happier if we had the Colonel transferred to a military facility. At least there he would be safe.” Janet, who had been standing to one side, stepped forward. “At this moment, sir, I would advise against moving the Colonel. His lungs are in a very poor condition and I don’t want to compromise his recovery.” He nodded. “Okay, then. I have two SFs here and I can get more if necessary. Teal’c will undoubtedly remain at Colonel O’Neill’s side. Until he is able to be moved, I don’t want him left alone.” He turned to Jonas. “Jonas, I’m sure that the good Sheriff would be happy to share the details of this case with both yourself and Major Carter. Let’s see if we can find out who would like to see the Colonel dead.”
* “Damn, damn, damn.” Tom paced up and down his bedroom floor wondering what the hell he was going do. The news that the Colonel had survived his latest attack had shocked him, he’d been so sure that he would have finished him off for good. But no, he was still alive. Claire had told him all the details when he’d gone into the diner for a drink. Now that the military had arrived in town, there wasn’t going to be a chance to get close to him. So it was only a matter of time before the stupid Sheriff would turn up on his doorstep.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, starting the fires gave him power. The power to destroy buildings, to get back at people who had laughed at him or hurt him. Now with the Colonel, the power wasn’t there. It was a matter of survival. It was then that his eyes fell on the stolen hospital building plans which were tucked partially under the bed.
* “Okay, Jack, don’t do this to me.” Janet sat on the edge of the bed and eyed her patient critically. “You don’t like hospitals and this is only going to extend your stay.” Angela watched Janet with amusement as she continued to talk to the unconscious Colonel. They had made an attempt to extubate him this morning and his pulse and oxygen stat’s hadn’t been maintained, dropping to a dangerous level and forcing them to put him back onto the respirator. Both doctors had agreed that they had been optimistic with the attempt as his lungs had taken a lot of abuse over the past couple of weeks and they were going to wait another couple of days before trying again. The door opened and Sam slipped quietly into the room, a concerned look on her face. “Janet?” Janet waved her over and Sam joined them at Jack’s bedside. “How’s it going?” “Not so great today.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better call the General and give him an update.” Hammond had returned to the base yesterday. “Is there any news on the case?” Sam shook her head miserably. “Nothing, Jonas and I have been over everything with a fine tooth comb but can’t come up with anything that the Sheriff hadn’t already thought of.” Janet rested her hand on her arm. “We’ll find something.”
* He couldn’t believe how easy it would be. While they all stood guard outside the precious Colonel’s hospital room, he would be able to get to him without even being on the same floor. Furtively, he snuck into the hospital basement after the day shift had ended and made his way along to a small room tucked in the corner of the basement floor. Entering the room, he found himself exactly where he wanted to be. All oxygen supplies to the patient rooms and OR rooms were piped from huge oxygen tanks stored in this room. He knew that Colonel O’Neill was reliant on oxygen, in fact he’d heard his dad talking to the Sheriff earlier saying that they’d tried to take him off the respirator and it had been too early. So, having studied the plans he was going to cut off the good Colonel’s oxygen supply. * For once the room was empty apart from the patient although the two SFs were on guard outside. Sam, Teal’c, Jonas and Janet had gone over to the diner to grab a bite to eat and to also go over the case notes once again in a group effort to try and identify something minute that they may have looked over. * The valve had been located and after double checking that it was the right one, Tom switched it off.
* Literally as Janet forked up a mouthful of the delicious looking pasta that Claire had put in front of her, her pager beeped annoyingly. With a sigh she put the fork down and picked up, looking at the display. Instantly the food was forgotten as she leapt to her feet.
* He was in respiratory arrest, his oxygen level had dropped dramatically and Angela didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. Her first response had been a blockage in the intubation tube and she’d immediately extubated him, preparing to put another tube down his throat but the nurse had confirmed that the old tube hadn’t been blocked. An examination had shown that there was no blockage in his throat. Janet flew into the room and Angela quickly updated her, as a nurse began to bagging Jack, forcing oxygen into his lungs. It was just as Angela finished explaining the situation that his oxygen level began to climb. With a look of horror as the significance sank in, Janet grabbed the oxygen tube which had been feeding the respirator and pressed in against her hand. ”Oh my god.” She looked at Angela numbly. “There’s no oxygen.” Sam, who with Jonas and Teal’c, had followed Janet stepped forward. “Where’s the oxygen feeds?”
* A portable oxygen cylinder was in place and Jack’s condition had stablised again, although Janet was worried what effect it had had on him. She was scared that there was someone out there who was desperate to kill him and they didn’t have any clues. Sam had reported that they had located the closed valve but hadn’t touched it, in case of destroying any evidence. Instead they had sealed off the room. Janet had spent the entire night at Jack’s bedside, dozing in a chair, reluctant to leave him. She was woken in the morning by Julie entering the room carrying a tray. “Morning Dr Fraiser.” She flashed the doctor a smile and put the tray down on the nearby table. “Breakfast, courtesy of the diner.” Janet got out of the chair and stretched her stiff limbs. “That’s really kind, Julie.” “It’s no problem, honestly. A friend of Jack’s is a friend of mine.” She began her regular checks and as she checked the burns on his hands, she thought she sensed movement. “Doctor?” Buttering up a fresh croissant, she looked across at the nurse. “Doctor, I think he’s waking up.” Janet dropped the croissant and moved to the bedside. “Jack?” She found herself biting her lip as she waited for something and then it happened. His face screwed up in a grimace and his eyes then opened. His eyes drifted to Janet and the look of recognition was just the reward she was looking forward. She flashed him a smile. “Hey, sir.” His hands moved sluggishly to his mouth and she knew what he was indicating. “Jack, we can take the tube out but your oxygen levels are little too low for our liking. You will need to keep a full mask on. Is that what you want?” She was rewarded with a nod. “Okay, you know the drill. Take a deep breath and when I say, exhale.” With a nod to Julie, she waited for him to take a breath and then expertly pulled the tube out. He coughed violently and Julie rolled him over onto his side, reaching for a beaker of water with a straw. “Here, take small sips. Nothing more.” When he’d taken some water and the coughing had subsided, they helped him to roll back onto his back and Janet adjusted the bed so his head was raised slightly. “Better?” He nodded and tried to speak, alarmed when nothing came out. Janet sat on the bed and smiled. “Don’t try to speak, sir. As you know your lungs have taken one hell of a battering from smoke inhalation and the tube has irritated your vocal chords, so speaking isn’t going to be an option for a while. Neither will you be able to leave this bed. Any exertion on your lungs is going to result in that tube going back down your throat. Do you understood?” He nodded again, this time wearily, and she patted his leg. “Well, I’m glad that we’ve got that sorted. Now, I want you to sleep. Julie and I will be around the rest of the day if you need anything.”
*
When his eyes opened again a few hours later, Dr Fraiser had been replaced by his second in command, who gave him a smile when she realised that he was awake. “Sir, it’s good to see you awake.” The relief was evident from the expression on her face. “You gave us all a scare.” He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as his lung spasmed in pain. He clutched his chest, wheezing through the pain. “Sir?” She was now on her feet, the relief replaced with concern. “I’ll get Janet.” He shook his head and grabbed hold of her arm as she turned towards the door. He made an okay sign with his other hand and she relented, returning to her seat. He lay back down and looked around the hospital room before turning his attention back to Sam. “Why am I still here?” He mouthed, obviously frustrated by the lack of sound. She shrugged. “General Hammond wanted to transfer you back to the infirmary at the SGC but Dr Fraiser said that you wouldn’t be up to the trip for a while. So I’m afraid it appears that you are here for the duration, sir.” “Hammond’s here?” “He was here a little earlier but he’s gone with Jonas and Teal’c. But he did say he’d be back before he left town. I think he wanted to talk to you, sir.” She got out of her chair again. “I’ll go see if I can find him.”
* “He’s nothing more than a waste of space.” Mayor Kelvin Smithson sat down at one of the diner’s tables and motioned for coffee from Bernie. Ray looked at him from the other side of the table. “Let me guess, Tom. What’s he done this time?” “For starters he lost the job that I only just managed to get him in the first place because that boy already has a reputation as a shirker.” He took the mug of coffee from Bernie. “And I only found that out when I found him lurking around my offices when he was supposed to be at work.” Ray, about to tuck into a plate of ham and eggs, paused and then raised an eyebrow. “Your offices? Isn’t that a bit stupid for even Tom when he’s playing hookey from work?” The Mayor sipped his bitter coffee and grimaced. “I rest my case.”
* “Jack?” Hammond approached the bed apprehensively, his eyes fixed on his second in command who even in sleep looked in pain. “Jack?” He said his name again, a little louder, and the eyes drifted open slightly unfocused. “Sir?” Again, the voice had yet to return. The General took a seat at his bedside and pulled something out of his pocket, which he held out to Jack. “I believe that these belong to you.” Jack looked at the set of dogtags that were dangling from the General’s hand and then nodded. With a smile, Hammond put them on the bedside cabinet. “Well I’m glad I found the owner.” He then shook his head as Jack tried to talk again. “Take it easy, son. We will talk when you get your voice back and you’re feeling a hell of a lot better than you do at the moment.” He sighed. “I have to return to the SGC but I’m going to leave Dr Fraiser and your team here with you until you are strong enough to travel. I’m just happy to see that you are okay.” He stood up. “The people of this town feel that they owe you a big debt of gratitude, let them pamper you for a while. Believe you me, they’ve certainly pampered the rest of us over the last forty eight hours.” “Thank you, sir.” With all his effort he managed an audible croak and Hammond grinned.
* “And where do you think you’re going?” Julie struggled to keep the stern expression on her face she had adopted upon seeing Jack half way out of his bed. “I don’t remember receiving any orders from Dr Fraiser that allowed you to get up.” Jack glared at her defiantly but stopped his actions, cursing under his breath. If he had been in the infirmary at the SGC the nurses wouldn’t have dared to speak to him like that, but here he knew that he had met his match with Julie. He pointed to the window. “Want fresh air.” His voice was slowly returning but it was still pitiful in his eyes. Julie went over to the window, opened it and then walked over to his bed. “Done.” She pointed at the call button hanging above the bed. “It would be much easier if you would start to use that.” “I can look after myself.” He leaned back against the pillows. “If people would just give me a chance.” It had now been a further six days since the last attempt on his life and cabin fever had set in as he recovered. General Hammond had returned to the SGC after they had finally talked leaving SG1 and Janet to look after the errant Colonel and also to continue assisting the Sheriff with his investigations. During this time, Jack had been confined to his hospital room with only the endless stream of gifts from the town to occupy him. The only visitors he’d been allowed were his own team because of the threats to his life. “Jack, Dr Fraiser is pleased with your progress and in just a few more days you’ll be able to leave. Patience is a virtue.” “So they tell me.” He scowled.
* “It’s like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle without the picture.” Ray looked at all the circumstantial evidence they had all gathered over the past week and then leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. “If we had a hint of the picture, then we could start putting it all together.” Jonas, not quite understanding the Sheriff’s analogy, opened his mouth to ask for an explanation but caught the slight shake of Sam’s head. Instead he changed his question quickly. “Maybe we should present our findings to Colonel O’Neill and hope something here will help him recall something important.” Ray slowly straightened up. “You know, Jonas, that might not be such a bad idea.”
* When each day the Sheriff didn’t turn up on his doorstep to haul him off to jail, Tom began to relax, not quite believing his luck that he hadn’t been identified. Then he’d heard his dad on the telephone the evening before saying that it would only be a couple of days before the Colonel would be leaving, he knew that he was going to be able to get away with it. All he had to do was make sure that the Colonel didn’t see him in case it jogged his memory and also fight the urge to start anymore fires for a while. But then again even the best laid plans do not always go to plan.
* Knowing that Julie had gone off shift and only one SF was on duty outside the room, Jack felt brave enough to rebel against doctor’s orders. Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he climbed out of bed and began what he had termed ‘the Jack shuffle’ across to the door. Pausing to catch his breathe he opened the door and surprised the young airman. “Sir?” Jack gave him a small wave, conserving his breath. “At ease, airman.” He indicated to the soft drink dispenser at the end of the corridor, thinking fast on his feet. “I just need a cold drink.” And without letting the airman protest, he continued his shuffle out of the door and down the corridor. Walking to the machine gave him the exercise he was craving.
* “I don’t need to go to the hospital, dad. It’s just a scratch.” Tom sat in the passenger seat of his dad’s car as it sped in the direction of the hospital, clutching a bloodied towel to his hand. The Mayor gave his petulant son a glare. “Don’t be stupid. That knife has cut deep.” He returned his attention to the road. “Only my son could almost sever a finger whilst making a sandwich.” Tom sank down low in his seat.
* Having borrowed the money for a can of drink from the airman, Jack was returning to his room when Mayor Smithson strode through the doors to the nurses’ station, hauling his son behind him. Following behind them, Ray, Sam, Teal’c, Janet and Jonas had arrived to show Jack the evidence they had to see if he could help them.
* Angela took one look at the blood soaked towel and was about to indicate for Tom to follow her when she spied Jack shuffling down the hallway. “Colonel, what are you doing out of bed?” At the word ‘Colonel’ Tom froze, his eyes wide with panic. “Awww, come off it doc.” Jack looked across at Angela. “I’m just………” His voice broke off when he saw Tom, something immediately troubling him but not quite sure what. As far as Tom was concerned, the pause in Jack’s sentence was just like a noose being hung around his neck. With a yell he lunged towards the startled Colonel, as if all the stress of the past couple of weeks had finally turned him into a madman. But he never reached his target. With lightning speed reactions Teal’c and Jonas had darted forward and caught the teenager, grabbing hold of him and throwing him to the ground. Jack just stood there looking at the scene as it unfolded, a confused expression on his face. “Sir? Are you okay?” Janet and Sam appeared at his side, as if like bookends. He nodded, not able to tear his eyes away from the struggling man on the floor. “What the hell is going on?” Ray pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt and knelt down to help restrain Tom. “I think that we’ve just found the missing piece to our jigsaw puzzle.” Jack shook his head. “Is someone going to explain that?”
* “So why did he do it?” Jack was for the first time in a long time fully dressed and sitting on the edge of his hospital bed. “Why did he set fire to the cabin?” “He hasn’t told us much, sir. Just that he started the fires.” Sam sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. “But as much as we can gather, our young arsonist had a grudge against almost everyone in this town. He didn’t make friends easily, apparently he had an attitude that didn’t endear himself to anyone. The fires were kind of a revenge thing if someone annoyed him. For example the first fire was at the garage and it was started a few days after he’d been turned down for a job there.” “What about the kids?” “They were popular, he wasn’t. As you would say, sir, go figure.” Sam shrugged. He shook his head. “Unbelievable.” The door opened and Julie entered. “Are you ready to go, Jack.” Jack got to his feet, still a little unsteady. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Julie.” He grinned. “I’m finally getting to leave this town.” He waved his hand at the volume of flowers and gifts that were piled up in the room. “No offence, but little town hospitality can be a little overwhelming.” “Ah, Colonel, we aren’t leaving just yet.” Sam was now avoiding looking at her CO. “We’ve had an invitation.” “An invitation?” The narrowing of the eyes showed that he wasn’t impressed. “An invitation to what, Carter?”
* Give him his due Carter thought, Jack took it all in his stride. From the moment they had entered the diner to find it had been decked out with balloons and banners, all emblazoned with Thank You Jack, to when it seemed that every town resident had stopped by his table to say thank you in person as Claire and Bernie force fed him the best cuisine that they could offer. Then with invitations for him to return at the first available opportunity ringing in his ears, Jack made his final farewells and made his way out of the diner flanked by his team, who could sense that he was tiring. As he wearily approached the awaiting car, he found Ray, Angela and Julie waiting and he mustered a genuine smile. “Thank you.” Ray stepped forward and shook hands with him. “Actually I should be thanking you, Colonel. Your team was a great help with gathering evidence, even though we didn’t actually identify the arsonist before……” He shrugged and Jack laughed. “I’m sure Carter would tell you that I tend to walk into these kinds of things.” He looked at Angela and Julie. “And I need to thank the two of you for putting up with me.” Angela nodded in acceptance of the thanks but Julie enveloped him in a hug. “It was a pleasure, Jack.” He returned the hug and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. With a blush she stepped back. Teal’c opened the car door and Jack took that as his cue to move. Glancing back over his shoulder, a crowd had gathered to see him leave and then he climbed into the car with Janet and Carter flanking him. With Teal’c at the wheel and Jonas in the front passenger seat, the car pulled away followed by the SFs jeep. With a small smile, he saw the people waving and then slid down in his seat and closed his eyes to sleep the journey away.
The End
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