18
Sam arrived, not pleased at all with Jacks storming out of the house. She knew he was blaming himself, but truth be told, even though she wasn't showing any outward symptoms she was feeling tired and could not have chased him up the mountain. She had retreated to their room and laid down, hoping he would return soon.
The security escort onto the base she saw as him being over protective and over reacting, and it took some fancy talking by Hank to get her to realise that they had not been sent just to pick her up, but Jacks detail, that he had left behind!
They moved to the briefing room, Carolyns office just wasn't big enough for everyone, for some reason Jack didn't understand Sam had dragged Jennifer Hailey into the meeting as well, Bill Lee and his bunch of geeks and the doctor in charge of the medical research team (Jack couldn't remember his name) were both attending 'virtually' their faces and comments on computer screens on the table, they all had copies of the medical notes and the mission reports.
Sam looked through her copy of the notes Carolyn had made, and recounted the mission exactly the same as Jack and Jon had. She examined the levels over the years, wondering why she had been so constant at certain times when by rights she should have been low.
"Look here!" she pointed at a blood test in 2004 everyone leaned forwards to see what she was indicating "I know I lost a hell of a lot of blood then, hell I needed at least 2 pints when I got back, the gash on my leg bled for hours."
Carolyn worked through the file to get the relevant medical reports, Jon frowned "I don't remember that!" he said
"That was after you were… created" Jack reminded him, he told the youth about the Alpha site and the Kull warrior chasing Sam all over the area.
Carolyn pulled out several sheets of paper, Jon winced when he saw a photograph of the damage Sam had sustained "Damn I hope he looked after you well when you did that!" he said, Jack looked at his shoes and Sam blushed "What?" he asked
"She was going out with the cop" he said, Jon nodded, his face bleak… he understood why Jack had allowed Sam to go for what she seemed to want, of course he did, he was the same person, he understood everything Jack did. What he just couldn't understand was how someone like her could hook up with such a miserable loser! The man had made every single decision in the so called relationship, he had overridden all her wishes, as well as showing a remarkable lack of trust!
"So… you lost a lot of blood" Jon said Carolyn jumped in to the gap.
"According to this Sam needed two pints immediately and also received a pint of plasma and a pint of saline over the first 24 hours post mission" she sorted through the print outs and report sheets "And her naquadah level was 'normal' throughout!"
"I don't get it" Jack said "it isn't even as if the planets were alike, well not near the 'gate, 116 was dessert, and the alpha site was in the middle of a temperate zone forest" he said, Sam called up the specs on both planets, there wasn't a lot in common apart from the fact that they could both sustain human life, like the majority of the planets that had 'gates.
"Look!" Jennifer said, pointing to the most recent test, which had been attached to the sheet with a staple as it had come in after Carolyn had printed the others out. It showed a marked increase, but not enough to combat the recent loss. "I know what it is!" she declared jumped to her feet and grabbed Sam by the arm.
"What?" Jack said, Sam tried to stop herself being dragged along but for such a small woman Hailey was very strong.
"Trust me!" Hailey said as she dragged Sam down stairs.
"Sgt. Let me onto the dialling computer!" she shouted, pulling Sam down the steps. Jack nodded to Walter, and he moved over, Jennifers hands danced on the keys and before anyone could see what she had input she grabbed Sam and dragged her down onto the 'gate level, she snatched a GDO up from the cabinet in the corner as they watched the chevrons engage.
"Hey wait… don't we need to get weapons or anything?" Jack said to the diminutive woman
"No time!" she said "Every second may count" Jack agreed, explanations could wait, she wouldn't dial a dangerous world and go through without weapons, so it had to be somewhere 'safe' that they were headed.
As soon as the wormhole was established Jennifer headed for the event horizon "Come on!" she said, running up the ramp, Sam and Jack looked at each other and went through the wormhole.
They stepped out into the Land of Light, an SG team had moved the 'gate to the lighter side of the terminator on Tuplo's request years ago. The 'dark' side forest was just 40 yards behind them as they looked around.
"Now what?" Jack asked, Hailey went to the DHD and started dialling again, Jack and Sam moved away from the danger zone and as soon as Hailey nodded they walked back into the blue puddle, they found themselves in the SGC.
"What the hell was all that about?" Jack asked, he was getting angry now. He never wanted to be baffled with science but he DID want to know what was happening!
"I bet if you run a blood test now the reading is normal, or close to it!" Hailey said, Jack fumed and Hailey must have realised how close he was to losing his temper. "It's 'Gate travel!" she said as if that explained it all.
Jack looked at Sam who looked stunned for a while and then suddenly her face lit up, like she had just found the theory of relativity for the first time.
"Of course it is!" she said and she grabbed the small woman and pulled her into a bone cracking hug.
"SOMEONE EXPLAIN!" Jack shouted, Sam put her hand on his arm to calm him as she and Hailey led him to the briefing room.
"The 'gate system detects that I have naquadah in my bloodstream when it scans me as it demoleculorises me, when it puts me back together, naquadah being the element it is, it draws a minute amount, from either the 'gate itself or from the native surroundings, and 'tops me up'"
"So why didn't you ever get too much in your system all those times you went through and was not injured or low on it?" Jack asked.
"I probably just excreted the extra naturally" she said "like you do with most things you build up in your system that you don't need"
They reached the briefing room and Carolyn listened to Jennifers explanation. "Could it be that simple?" she asked "let's go down to the infirmary and run the test" she said, everyone trouped down and Sam rolled up her sleeve so the doctor could draw the blood, Jack looked around, for once Siler wasn't in a bed, the SF from earlier was though and he glared at Jack, Jack shrugged his shoulders, he didn't care one way or the other if the man decided to go ahead with the charges. Though he did feel slightly guilty that he had broken his wrist, he shouldn't have tried interfering with someone who was obviously in a hurry.
"Ok" Carolyn said, marking the vial with Sams details, I'll just run this down to the lab myself, it's going to take at least an hour, you lot going to wait here until I come back?" everyone nodded and she left.
"So what's going to happen if this has worked?" Jon said
"First I'll kick myself for allowing the USAF to convince me that Carter shouldn't be allowed to go offworld!" Jack said, watching as his wife settled down on the bed. He had been so worried about the thought of losing her he had left her behind as he stormed out of the house, and he realised that that had been the last thing she had needed when she was feeling ill. He had some serious apologising to do later.
He moved next to her and brushed the hair away from her face, she leaned into his touch, her eyes opened and fixed on his, and she gave him a sweet smile, but he could see the weariness behind the expression.
"You get some sleep" he told her and he waved the others towards Carolyns office, where they could talk without disturbing her.
"I'm worried about the long term effects, Dr. Lam seemed to think that she was about to develop liver failure, even if we restore the naquadah I aren't sure it would reverse the liver damage, it's been going on for months" Jennifer said "She could go on a donor list, but with the baby…" Jack closed his eyes… it was still possible that he would lose her, or even both.
"STOP IT!" Jons harsh voice cut through his thoughts. His gaze fixed on the knowing eyes identical to his own. "You know it isn't your fault! Stop trying to heap the guilt on!" He couldn't deny it… not to the being stood in front of him, but he also couldn't help the fact that he honestly believed it WAS his fault. The irony of the two totally conflicting statements both being absolutely true, did not pass him by. They were irreconcilable, but they WERE both true!
He scrubbed his face with his hands, he was tired. It had been a traumatic week.
"We will see what the tests say and if Carter is in any danger we see if WE can do anything, there are other options than falling into a blue funk" He was right, if they could heal Bosworth then why shouldn't they be able to heal Sam?
Jack leant back in the chair and closed his eyes, just for a second…
OoΩoO
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