Title: With Every Breath Author: Kazza Email: kazzak999@hotmail.com Story Status: Complete Sequel/Series Info: None Season: Any season Spoilers: None Categories: Hurt/Comfort Pairing: None Rating: PG Content Warning: Just the usual gratuitous Jack whumping Summary: Janet and Daniel struggle to keep Jack alive after a trip through the Gate goes wrong. Archive Permissions: Jackfic, Jackfans, Nopeskyfish, 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 and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author's consent. File Size: 89KB Authors Notes: I'm not happy with this fic, but I don't know why. Staring at it just doesn't seem to help so I've decided to post it. Once again, thank you to Karen (Kent) for her beta skills and for ramping up the angst. Oh…and I got the idea for the fic from an episode of the 'The Flying Doctors'.
With Every Breath by Kazza
"Good morning, Doc. And how are we on this fine and dandy morning?" Colonel Jack O'Neill sauntered into the Gateroom, a spring in his step and a grin on his face. Dr Janet Fraiser eyed him warily. He appeared to be in a good mood and that didn't bode well for her new medical recruits "Sir…." He gave her a hearty slap on the back. "Relax, Doc, everything's gonna be fine." Janet's shoulders slumped, knowing it was going to be a long couple of days. She had high hopes for her new Medical Response Team. They had been working well together in the infirmary and at the Academy Hospital, and today was their first trip through the Stargate. The aim of the mission was to let them find their feet off world, and get used to the whole 'wormhole' experience. And, although she was more than happy for SG1 to join them on the mission, she just wished the Colonel wasn't so damned happy about it. There was only so much bright and breezy Colonel O'Neill anyone was able to take in one day, and the trouble was he knew it. Which meant he had a deplorable, and somewhat childish, tendency to start playing up to his audience, and then raise his eyebrows in an infuriating 'Who, me?" kind of gesture. And by the end of the day she just *knew* she was going to be ready to strangle the man. She watched as the two F.R.E.Ds, stacked high with the medical and mission supplies, trundled up the ramp and then vanished through the established wormhole. Behind her stood her team talking quietly to each other, and she was confident they would be fine. She'd already given them her pep talk and she wasn't going to overdo it by mollycoddling them as they went through the gate. She just hoped a large dose of Colonel O'Neill wouldn't traumatise them for life. "Ready, Doc?" Jack was grinning at her again. She nodded and stepped towards the ramp with him, noting how, in an instant, the Colonel had rested his hand on his P90 and., although he was still smiling, his eyes were suddenly concentrated and sharp, and his body had acquired an air of coiled tension. She knew he was already one hundred per cent on anticipating having to deal with a multitude of possibilities when he arrived planetside. There were two sides to her friend: the smart-mouthed, irreverent joker, who spent his time creating a very believable I've-not-got-two-brain-cells-to-rub-together persona; and then there was the clear-sighted, fast-acting, fantastically efficient soldier, which was no act at all. "Wait up!" Daniel Jackson came hurrying into the Gateroom. Jack gave an impatient shake of his head and then glanced back at Sam and Teal'c, who were standing patiently behind the rest of the medical team. "Daniel, you come with me and the Doc. Carter, Teal'c, bring up the rear." He acknowledged their brief nods and then stepped into the wormhole with Janet and Daniel just behind him. * Janet hauled herself to her feet and stared uncomprehendingly at the scene in front of her. As she had stepped out of the wormhole she had been briefly aware of what sounded like a loud explosion and a blast of hot air, before something had slammed into her and knocked her backwards into Daniel. The two of them had fallen backwards…back into the wormhole…only it had shut down and the two of them had tumbled down the other side of the high pedestal. Looking back through the ring of stone, she looked at the smoking debris of the DHD which was scattered over a wide area. She realised numbly that the DHD was no longer intact. Next to her Daniel climbed slowly to his feet. "Ow." He rubbed the side of his head. "What the hell was that?" She pointed wordlessly at the destroyed DHD and then saw Colonel O'Neill. He was beginning climb to his feet, obviously more affected by the blast, as he'd been the first through the wormhole and thus closer to the DHD when it had exploded. However, her relief at seeing him on his feet was swept aside when he let out an strangled cry, clutched at his chest and then folded back down to the ground. "Colonel!" "Jack!" She began running towards him, vaguely aware of Daniel following her. * He lay on the ground, curled on his side and still clutching his chest. His face was screwed up in pain and he was breathing in short, shallow breaths. Janet dropped to her knees at his side. "Colonel?" His arms tightened protectively around his chest as she tried to prise them away. "Janet?" Daniel was now at her side. "What's going on?" "Not now Daniel, give me a minute." The doctor turned her attention back to the stricken man. "Colonel, it's me. I need to know what's going on." He managed to unscrew his eyes, and looked at her with a pain filled gaze. "Hurts." It was barely a whisper. The fact that he wasn't struggling to sit up and convince everyone that he was absolutely fine, thank you very much, spoke volumes to Janet. There was no doubt that the Colonel was seriously hurt. "I know, sir. But you need to move your arms so I can have a look." With his eyes closed tightly once again, she felt his arms relax slightly, and with help from Daniel she managed to get access to his chest. * Sam and Teal'c, together with Janet's medical team stood at the bottom of the metal ramp and looked at the Stargate, minus the wormhole. For a moment, confusion registered on all their faces. Then, it quickly became clear that something had gone seriously wrong. Sam spun on her heels and raced for the control room. * "Janet?" Daniel still knelt on the ground next to Jack, gently supporting him and keeping him on his side. Janet had insisted they needed Jack to maintain that position, in order to ease his laboured breathing. Her examination had confirmed all her worst worries. Several of the Colonel's ribs were broken. She could feel the bones moving underneath her careful fingers as she traced them across his chest. He'd hissed with every delicate touch of an indented irregularity, and bitten through his bottom lip in an attempt to stay still and not cry out. She'd tried hard to be gentle, but had known that the necessary examination had caused him severe pain. Janet finished taping over an IV site and then glanced at Daniel. "Give us a minute." She took her stethoscope and listened once more to the Colonel's chest before running through his vital signs again. After a few minutes, she sat back on her heels. "Colonel?" He forced his eyes open. "Doc…" She tried to give him a reassuring smile. "You're determined to never give me a peaceful life, aren't you sir?" She checked the IV. "Sir, you need to lie still and concentrate on breathing. When the DHD exploded, a piece of debris hit you across the chest. The force broke some of your ribs, which is why you're experiencing so much pain. There's fluid gathering and I need to deal with that. Do you understand?" He grimaced. "Crystal…..clear…..Doc." Janet glanced across at Daniel. "Okay, we need to get him under shelter and comfortable before I can treat him further." "I'm on it." Daniel shifted his position and Janet took over supporting the stricken Colonel; trying to ignore the sounds of strained breathing, the pain-clenched fists and the well-bitten bottom lip. * "Report." General Hammond arrived in the control room, straight from a meeting with NORAD. "Sir." Carter stood to attention in front of him. "We are unable to re-establish a wormhole with P3X 655." Hammond looked out of the viewing window. "How did we lose the wormhole?" "We don't know, sir." Carter struggled to maintain her composure. "The computers haven't reported a power surge of any kind. It appears that the connection was just lost". "Were Colonel O'Neill, Doctor Jackson and Doctor Fraiser still en route?" Hammond voiced the question, that no one else had dared to ask. "Again, we don't know, sir." Hammond nodded. "Okay. What are our options?" She took a deep breath. "We continue to try to establish a wormhole." "Is that all?" "For the time being?" She nodded. "Yes, sir." * For about the tenth time that day, Daniel thanked whoever it was who had decided to send the F.R.E.Ds through first. He'd located a four man tent amongst the equipment they carried and had then spent the next hour putting the damn thing up in a sheltered spot, where they would not be immediately obvious if any nasty neighbours decided to come calling. Between times, he had made frequent trips to ensure that Janet didn't need any help with Jack. With the tent erected, his next task was to locate and put together a field stretcher, which he did under Janet's instruction. With everything ready, all they needed to do was move Jack. * "Colonel?" Janet leaned in close to Jack, listening carefully to his laboured breathing. "Sir, believe it or not but Daniel has managed to put up a tent." She didn't wait for an answer, knowing that he was using all his strength to concentrate his breathing. "We're going to use a stretcher to move you to the tent. But I have to warn you, it's going to hurt like hell when we move you."
"Do it….Doc," he managed through gritted teeth. He didn't even open his eyes, and his forehead glistened with a sheen of sweat. Janet moved out of the way and then, together, she and Daniel slid the stretcher into place. "Okay," Janet took hold of Jack's legs whilst Daniel took his shoulders. "Be careful of his ribs, Daniel." Daniel threw her a tense look and then counted to three. Jack couldn't help the sobbing cry that escaped past his lips. His face creased in pain and then, thankfully, he passed out. * Sam leaned forward, head in hands and massaged her temples. She had run a set of diagnostics through twice, each time with the same results. There was no fault with the gate or the dial up computer. The fault had to be with the Gate and DHD on P3X 655. With a sigh, she pushed herself away from the desk, got to her feet, and began the journey to General Hammond's office. * It had taken them longer than they'd hoped to transfer Jack to the tent. Frankly, Daniel had been surprised that they'd done it at all. At over six feet, and despite his slim frame, Jack wasn't a light weight but Janet had amazed him with her strength. Jack was now settled on two sleeping bags, with the remaining bags rolled around him to keep him propped on his side and slightly elevated. Janet had got to work as soon as he was comfortable, inserting a chest tube in an attempt to ease the pressure on his lungs. Resting her fingers over the intercostal area of the chest, she had taken a deep breath and made the small incision, before quickly but carefully inserting the chest tube. With the tube in place, she connected it to the drain and watched as it began working. Unfortunately, his breathing remained severely compromised and she had been forced to resort to using the limited supply of oxygen they had with them. Whilst she had been busy with Jack, Daniel had set about examining the DHD. He'd quickly ruled out any chance of repairing it and he could only suppose that the Stargate must have been damaged as no one from the SGC had managed to re-establish the wormhole. After an hour of tinkering, he returned to the tent and began to set about making a fire. It seemed that they were going to be here a while. With the fire blazing, he brewed some coffee and took it inside the tent for Janet, which she gratefully accepted. "What…about…my cup." With his voice all but muffled by the oxygen mask, Jack mustered all his failing strength to glare at Daniel. Daniel shook his head. "No can do, Jack. The Doc would kill me." Jack managed a weak grin and then closed his eyes, his wheezing breath filling the silence of the tent. "Janet?" Janet put down her cup of coffee. "He's all right for the time being, Daniel. He looked at her in disbelief. "All right?" She indicated for them both to leave the tent but before leaving, she leaned over Jack. "Colonel, Daniel and I are going to go and stretch our legs. We'll be back in a minute." She pushed Daniel out of the tent and then climbed wearily to her feet, stretching. Daniel stood by the fire. "He's not all right, is he?" he asked, quietly. "No, Daniel, he's not." She shook her head. "But he's not in danger at the moment, because he can still breathe by himself." She ran a hand through her hair. "Look, in a few more hours he won't be able to." She stopped, then continued, "Breathe by himself, I mean. Not because of a complication…but purely because he won't be able to fight the pain. He'll become tired and his body will struggle to find the effort to breathe. That's when I'll need to intervene." "How?" Daniel looked distressed. Janet hesitated before answering. "I'll have to breathe for him. There's an intubation kit on one of the F.R.E.Ds. And that's when the problems will start." She looked up at the clear night sky with the two moons lighting up everything clearly, and then looked back at him. "I'll have to hand pump the oxygen into him and you can only do that for a limited amount of time."
Daniel frowned. "Why only a limited time? Is there a problem with the hand pump?" She shook her head. "Not with the hand pump, but with the person operating it. You can only hand pump for about an hour or so before your hands cramp up. So the longer he stays breathing without assistance, the better the situation." "But we don't know how long it'll be before there's a rescue. If they could, the SGC would have already come through the gate. I can't fix it to dial up……. Jack could die." Janet stared at the burning fire. "That's why it's up to us to do everything in our power to make sure he doesn't." * As darkness fell, the temperature dropped rapidly and Daniel draped a second sleeping bag carefully over Jack. Jack was tiring; his brow was creased in silent pain, his eyes were ringed with black smudges, his cheeks had started to sink into slowly deepening hollows and his face was bleached of colour. But he kept on fighting. For once, both Daniel and Janet admired the O'Neill stubbornness. But the intubation kit was prepped and ready. * The call had gone out to the SGC's allies for assistance, but so far with no success. Carter sat at the briefing table and finished reporting to General Hammond. "I'm sorry, sir, but I've no further suggestions." Hammond digested the information and nodded. "Thank you, Major. I know you and the SGC technicians have done all that you can. All we can do now, is wait for either the Tok'ra or Asgard to respond." "That is most unsatisfactory." Teal'c stated. Carter looked at him wearily. "I know, Teal'c, I know." * "Ja…net." Jack's back arched up in pain as he frantically struggled for a breath. Daniel, sitting next to Jack, looked desperately at the doctor as she rested her stethoscope against the stricken man's chest, her brow furrowing. For a moment she hesitated, not wanting to make the decision but knowing now that they had no choice. "Colonel." She moved into his line of sight. "Colonel, I'm going to try something else now." Her hand moved to his forehead and she stroked his hair comfortingly. His tired, pain filled eyes fixed on her as she continued talking. "I'm going to give you something that will take the pain away, allowing you to rest. I'll intubate you so we can help you breathe." He shook his head. "No…." Janet looked at him beseechingly. "Sir, you can't keep this up whatever happens. This way we have a fighting chance. Daniel and I are not going to able to sit by and let you die without exhausting all our options." "Please, Jack." Daniel forced his voice to be strong and confident. "Don't argue with the Doc this time." The brown eyes swivelled to look at him. "Please." Jack closed his eyes briefly, the pain and overwhelming exhaustion almost taking control before he struggled to open them again. "Do….it." Janet squeezed his hand and turned to the small tray of equipment she had set up. Selecting a syringe, she uncapped the IV port she had already inserted into Jack's hand. "It's going to be ok. In less than a minute there won't be any more pain." She injected the contents of the syringe into Jack's hand. After waiting a minute, she checked that he was deeply unconscious and began to work on intubating him. Carefully tilting his head back she gently pushed the tube into the back of his throat and then down the windpipe. Two minutes later and she was hand pumping precious oxygen into his lungs. Daniel surreptitiously looked at his watch and began to pray. * Janet had never felt so sick in her entire life as she squeezed the ambu bag and looked at the slack features of her patient, helpless and reliant as she breathed for him. In all the previous times she had performed this procedure, she had known that mechanical assistance, in the guise of a respirator, would only be minutes away. This time there was nothing. If she and Daniel couldn't keep performing the simple action of squeezing the ambu bag, then Jack would die. It was as simple as that. "Janet?" Daniel's voice brought her out of her worries and self doubt. "Can I help? Is there anything you need?" She gave him a wry smile. "More coffee would be good." Daniel got to his feet. "I think I can do that." He left the tent and she could hear him out by the fire. This was hitting Daniel hard, even if he was trying not to show it. But she didn't have time to comfort Daniel, she needed everything she had to concentrate on keeping the Colonel alive. * Daniel felt himself being drawn to the Stargate platform again, as dawn broke and illuminated the giant structure. He knew why they couldn't dial out, that was painfully obvious. But why weren't the SGC dialling in? For probably the hundredth time since he stepped through the gate, he wished he'd listened more carefully to Sam's lessons on gate technology. With a shake of his head, he turned back and made his way to the tent. * The SGC halls were not quiet. Every thirty minutes the klaxons blared out the warning of gate activity as the control room attempted to dial in to P3X 655. After the tenth try, hopes were no longer raised as the first six chevrons locked into place; as no one wanted them dashed when the seventh chevron failed in its task. The atmosphere was tense. * "Daniel!" Janet felt the ambu bag slip out of her painfully cramped hands and she looked at him in desperation. His head jerked up from a doze and he immediately took stock of the situation, seizing the ambu bag and continuing the operation of this vital piece of equipment. Janet slumped back exhausted, holding her useless hands out in front of her. She had managed to hand pump for just over four hours, despite Daniel's pleas to let him take over. Everything was now with Daniel, it would take time for her hands to regain any motion. Possibly longer than he would be able to keep up the action. Every second now counted. * The tent was silent except for the whoosh of air as Daniel continued to squeeze the ambu bag. He had persuaded Janet to rest a while as she had curled up on a bag just thirty minutes ago, her hands laid out carefully in front of her. It was deafening. He had too much time to think and it was driving him crazy. Despite all their efforts, Jack was going to die. They couldn't keep it up indefinitely and then he was die. He hated feeling so useless. He looked at the tube running down his friends throat, and the ambu bag's tenuously connected to it….. Connection. That one word stuck in his mind. Connection. Oh… my …God. Could it possibly be that simple? "Janet!" Janet's eyes flew open and she moved into a sitting position, grimacing at the pain it caused her hands. "What's happened?" She was already examining the situation, seeing nothing unexpected. He looked at her excitedly. "I think I've figured out why they can't dial in. It's the DHD, it's still connected. The damage to it could be stopping them dialling in. I remember something similar happening with SG6." Janet frowned. "Can we disconnect it?" He nodded. "I think so. I saw Sam do it once…..I think. I can do it." Then he remembered her hands. "Daniel, do it." She moved to sit down next to him. "I can do it." He looked appalled. "Janet, you can't. Your hands……." "Will be fine if you can do what you need to do as soon as possible!" She took the ambu bag from him, screwing her face up in pain as she began to work it. "Go!". Daniel scrambled to his feet and was gone. * With trembling hands, he pulled open the concealed panel at the base of the ruined DHD and revealed a small set of crystals. Not being able to recall the exact crystal which connected to the Stargate, he pulled them all out and threw them on the ground. He then ran back to the tent. * The sound of the Stargate activating was music to their ears. * Hammond hurried into the control room and stared at the activated wormhole in disbelief. "Airman, is that wormhole connected to P3X 655?" The airman nodded excitedly. "Yes, sir!" Hammond grabbed hold of the tannoy microphone. "SG1 and SG2 report to the Gateroom with full mission equipment!" He turned to his attention to the airman. "Can we get a visual?" Moments later the MALP, which had been originally sent through the previous day, sent back pictures. The sight of a tent and the remains of a fire lifted General Hammond's hopes but his radio calls went unanswered. There were, however, comfortingly, no real signs of violence. The Gateroom doors slid open to grant access to Major Carter, Teal'c and SG2. Hammond made his way down to meet with them. * With the General's calls for caution, SG1 and SG2 stepped out of the event horizon onto P3X 655, weapons at the ready. "Sam?" Janet's relieved voice cut through the air as she emerged from the tent and called across at the SGC personnel. "Janet." Sam and Teal'c broke out into a run, leaving SG2 to secure the area. "Is everything ok? What happened?" "Daniel and I are fine, but the Colonel was injured when the DHD exploded. We need to get him back to the infirmary immediately." Sam's eyes narrowed and she keyed her mike. "Major Carter to SG Command." "Go ahead, Major." Hammond's voice was clear over the radio. "Sir, we need a medical team and a portable Naquadah generator sent through. The DHD is not working and the Colonel has been injured." "Understood, Major." Sam put the radio down. "Are you ok?" She looked pointedly at Janet's hands, which she was holding awkwardly at her sides. "I'm fine, Sam. But Daniel may need some help." With that she ducked back down and disappeared inside the tent, giving Sam no option but to follow whilst Teal'c remained on watch outside. * The scene inside shocked Sam to the core but she calmly took over the ambu bag from Daniel without a word. Rubbing his sore hands, Daniel scooted backwards and rested. "Thanks, Sam." Sam gave him a brief smile and then looked closely at her CO. "What's wrong with him?" Janet smiled sympathetically. "His ribs are broken and they were stopping him from breathing properly. When he got tired, we had to step in. Once he's on a respirator back at the SGC, his ribs will be given the chance to heal and then he'll be fine. There won't be any permanent damage." Sam looked across at her. "How long have you been doing this?" "Seven hours, give or take. The Colonel hung on for as long as he could, which was longer than either of us expected." Janet shook her head. "But it's been far too long a wait. If it wasn't for Daniel, he would have died." Daniel protested. "That's rubbish!" Janet shot him a look. "Daniel, you figured out that the DHD had to be disconnected!" "Hang on." Sam looked at the two of them, it was clear they were both exhausted. "Let's get the Colonel back to the SGC and then we can sort out what happened. Agreed?" The two of them looked at each other sheepishly. * Hammond stood at the end of the infirmary bed, which was presently occupied by his second in command. The hiss of the respirator had replaced the whoosh of the ambu bag, but Jack O'Neill was totally oblivious to it as he remained deeply sedated. The x-rays had confirmed Dr Fraiser's original diagnosis. Free floating sections of his rib cage had prevented his lungs from expanding properly, causing him immense pain. But he was healing now, albeit slowly. Doctors' Jackson and Fraiser were currently bedded down in VIP rooms, with Major Carter and Teal'c acting as guardians. It could have been so much worse than it was. If Doctor Jackson hadn't pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, he wouldn't be standing here watching the Colonel sleep. It was an extremely scary thought. *
Ten days later….
There were times when Janet couldn't believe that she had actually *wanted* to keep Colonel O'Neill alive. Had, in fact, struggled for hours, pumping the necessary oxygen into his lungs after he became too weak and consumed by pain to be able to do it for himself. She must have been mad. He'd been weaned off the respirator three days ago and boy hadn't they known about it. After the initial raspiness of his voice had dissipated, he had soon begun complaining. Why did he have stay lying down? Why couldn't he walk around? Why was he being kept in the infirmary when his injuries didn't hurt? He was bored. Why couldn't he go home? Every time she walked past his bed he hollered out, 'Doc!'. She was going to have to visit her dentist, she was sure she had damaged her teeth from all the grinding and gritting. She knew he was grateful for everything they had done for him. He had made damn sure that she and Daniel knew that after calling them both together for a chat. But after all the thanks, he still was being a pain in the 'mikta', as Daniel had laughingly put it. *
Four days later…..
Jack, albeit a little unsteadily, stood impatiently at the side of his infirmary bed as Janet adjusted the sling. "Remember, sir. You can move from the bed to the bathroom to the couch, then from the couch to the bathroom to the bed. Nothing more for at least the next few days." He scowled. "Colonel." She looked at him fiercely. "Remember, Daniel and I put in a lot of effort to ensure you got back to the SGC in one piece, and we wouldn't like to see it wasted." He scowled again. Sam ambled into the infirmary. "Are you ready, sir?" "Carter?" His brow creased in puzzlement. "Where's Daniel? I thought Daniel was giving me a lift?" Janet mustered up a sweet smile. "No sir, Daniel is busy with SG11. Major Carter will be looking after your needs for the next few days." He looked aghast. "You're kidding?" "Gee, sir. Way to make me feel wanted." Sam moved to Jack's side and gave Janet a small wink. "The car is ready up top. Are you good to go?" He mumbled something under his breath about conniving, conspiring, manipulative and downright scheming women, and then took a deep breath and, accepting his fate, reached forward to pick up his bag. Only to have Sam snatch it away. "Don't worry, sir. I'll carry it." Janet held on to the urge to laugh until after they were clear of the infirmary, before allowing it to escape. She had been pretty dumb to the fact that the Colonel was more than capable of manipulating Daniel if he was really desperate. In fact it was Sam that clued her up to this fact. So she had turned the tables, knowing Sam, with all her military training, would be a whole different kettle of fish for the Colonel to deal with. That was why she liked to keep the Colonel alive…..the challenge was always so much fun.
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