Lying Together
Lying Together
by Kimberly
Summary: Sam watches as Jack tries to deal with her death. There is an alternate ending included for those who can not stomach the idea of Sam dying.
Category: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: character death, none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 01/29/04
I can feel him lying behind me. He is curled up to match my position. His stomach is pressed to my back. His legs are touching my legs. Our ankles are intertwined. His left arm is under my head. I brought my right hand up and linked my finger with his. His right hand is on my stomach. His hand never stops gently caressing me. He lifted my top up, just enough, ages ago so I could feel his hand better. He never asked if he could but he knew I wouldn't mind.
This would be perfect if.....if......if I wasn't dying.
It was another routine mission. The Margantians had been mining naquida for years although they don't have the technology necessary to purify it nor put it to maximum use. As far as they are concerned it is decorative and makes nice serving spoons and such.
The Colonel and Daniel were working on a trade agreement, which would give us a steady supply of naquida and provide the Margantians with antibiotics, agricultural equipment, and mining equipment. It looked like the deal would be closed by the end of the day. It was still a three-day leisurely hike back to the gate, two if we pushed it, but bringing a new trade deal with us would make those packs feel a lot lighter.
Teal'C went with me to take another look at one of the naquida mines. Teal'C stayed out front, doing the watching for trouble thing, and I went with one of the mining supervisors to see the mining in action. I will never know what happened. I just remember flying through the air.
Teal'C found me within moments and got me out of the mine. He told me there had been an explosion. I tried to sit up but he kept me down. The pain was incredible. My head and stomach were on fire. A Magantian medic came by to check me. After he had examined me he painted something on my head.
When the Colonel and Daniel arrived I was just barely holding on to consciousness.
"Carter, what happened?"
"There was an explosion, O'Neill. She was in the mine when it happened."
"What does the yellow stripe on her head mean?"
"I do not know."
"Where does it hurt, Carter?"
"My head and stomach."
The Colonel grabbed a Magantian as they walked past and asked about the stripe.
"Yellow means she is not treatable. I am sorry for your loss."
"To hell with that. She is definitely treatable."
I heard it but I wasn't sure I believed it. The Margantian's were just going to let me die. The Colonel looked at my stomach and chest. The bruising was obvious and the implication was internal bleeding. I probably had a concussion also.
"Alright boys, back to the gate."
"I can't make it, sir."
"We are going to carry you Major. That isn't a request, it's an order."
They made a stretcher with their jackets and some poles. Teal'C carried the front end and the Colonel carried the back end. I think he just wanted to be able to keep an eye on me. Daniel took up the rear. Good thing we hadn't encountered an hostiles on this planet because Daniel doesn't do a great job as a lookout, especially when something is distracting him.
We traveled well into the night. I eventually asked them to stop. I needed to rest and so did they. The colonel agreed to stop for four hours. He was determined to reach the gate soon.
After four hours the Colonel had everybody else up and packing.
"I can't go again, sir."
"Carter don't give up on me." The way the Colonel looked at me told me how bad I must look.
"You can get to the gate and bring back help faster without carrying me. The Margantians need that help as much as I do."
"Alright. Teal'C, Daniel, make a run for the gate. Get the doc to bring back help for Carter and the Margantians. We'll be here when you return."
It was obvious Daniel was going to put up a fight until he looked at me. I hated to think that I looked so bad that it was obvious I couldn't make it to the gate, even being carried. Teal'C and Daniel carried only the basics. It was obvious they really were going to make a run for it.
Once Daniel and Teal'C were gone, the Colonel made a rough lean-to to keep the sun off me. He gave me water every few minutes and kept me awake asking me all sorts of questions about my childhood. He told me about growing up and even a little about his pre-SGC work. We had never had such an open conversation before.
Night fell again. The Colonel started a fire.
"They should have made it to the gate by now. Help will be here tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." My ability to converse had diminished as the day grew. It was getting harder to breath. Some part of my brain knew that meant there was so much bleeding in my gut that my diaphragm was running out of room to move. We both knew morning was questionable.
"You made the right choice to send them on, sir."
"I know."
"Even if I don't make it until help arrives it was the right call."
"Don't you dare talk like that! They will get here in plenty of time and Doc will get you fixed up. You might even have to walk back to the gate so a real sick person can use the stretcher." The Colonel was actually breathing hard by the time he finished his tirade. He was clearly worried I was right.
Even with my blanket and the Colonels, I was still cold. The Colonel saw me shivering and crawled in beside me. The added body heat was helpful but his touch was even better. I was running a fever. Another bad sign.
"Better?"
I could feel his breath on my neck when he spoke. It made me smile.
"Yes, thanks."
"I owed you one." I knew he was talking about Antarctica.
"I still have no regrets."
"None?"
"I'm happy with the choices I made. Going through the gate with you and the rest of SG-1 is what I was meant to do."
"Ditto."
"If I had time there are other things I would like to do. If this is all the time I have then I think I did the most with it."
"You have plenty of time Sam. I'll make sure of it."
Sam. It was a bad sign he had started using my first name. He knew, even if he couldn't accept it or admit it.
"Please make sure Cassie is taken care of with whatever money is left from my estate. She needs money for college. I'm sure my niece and nephew won't understand but Mark has everything planned for them."
"Cassie will be fine because you are going to be helping her move into her first dorm."
My breathing got more labored. We lapsed into silence, a comfortable silence, lying next to each other. I had never felt so loved. He couldn't see the few tears that I couldn't keep back.
"Jack! Jack! We're back!"
Daniel, Teal'C, the Doc, a couple medics, and a few marines headed straight for the lean-to. They found Jack cradling my body. He didn't try to hold back the tears. The Doc could tell I was beyond help so she never tried to pry me out of his arms.
Teal'C led the Doc, the medics, and the marines to the mine so they could offer their assistance. After a couple of hours Daniel and Jack put me back on the stretcher they had made and covered me with our blankets. They made their way back to the gate. It took almost two full days to get there. It was obvious even if they had tried to carry me I still wouldn't have made it, not that Jack was ever going to accept that.
Alternate ending:
"Jack! Jack! We're back!"
The Doc leaned over me and began checking me over. One of the medics got an IV inserted.
"We have to get the blood out of her gut and give her a transfusion. I can't do surgery to stop the internal bleeding here but I may be able to keep her stabilized enough to get her back to the gate."
After Doc got me ready to go it was decided that everyone would return with me. Doc didn't think I could make the journey without constant medical intervention.
It took two days to reach the gate. I lost count on the number of pints of blood transfused into me. I was also tired of having blood drained out of my gut. I was elated to finally get to a surgical suite.
"Hey stranger."
"Colonel?"
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Anything for you Carter."
Back to Carter. That meant I was going to make it. That meant I would get to go through the gate with him again. Everything would be fine.
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