Jack was flat on his back and still fighting for breath when the Jaffa appeared above him, staff weapon aimed straight at his chest. Without a second thought Jack brought up his own weapon and shot repeatedly until the larger man finally went down, revealing Sam who had been behind him.
Jack's brow wrinkled as he tried to decipher the reason behind her startled, almost confused, expression. "Carter?" he called to her.
And that's when he saw the blood. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he watched her bring her hands to the wound in her abdomen just before her eyes fluttered shut and she began to collapse. Jack launched himself off the ground to help break her fall, terrible understanding worming its way into his brain: one of his bullets must have passed right through the Jaffa.
He had shot her.
"Teal'c!" he bellowed, the obvious desperation in his voice drawing the attention of both his teammates as he tried frantically to stop the flow of blood; fortunately, the rest of the Jaffa had either been taken care of or had retreated.
Daniel took one look at Sam laying motionless on the ground and the expression on Jack's face and took off running for the DHD, slamming his hand over the glyphs in record time. Teal'c swept Sam into his arms and headed swiftly for the Stargate, Jack awkwardly keeping pace as he applied pressure to her injury.
"Get Fraiser!" Jack barked the instant he materialized on the other side of the 'gate. Without waiting for acknowledgement or explanations he and Teal'c headed for the infirmary themselves, meeting Janet halfway. Teal'c gently placed Sam on the gurney and Janet snapped a half-dozen orders to her nurses as they took off.
"What happened?" Janet called over her shoulder, knowing that the rest of SG-1 would be following close behind. The answer was one which she was definitely not expecting.
"I shot her. In the stomach."
Janet spared them a quick glance, one that was equal parts disbelief and concern at the bleak tone of despair, before returning her attention to the person most in need of her help. "All right. Frewer, see if Dr. Warner is still on base. Turner, prep the OR. Andrews, your job is to help me keep the major from bleeding out before we get a chance to operate. Everyone clear?" There was a chorus of affirmative noises as the elevator finally arrived, the medical personnel plus their patient crowding into the car. "You'll have to wait for the next one. I want you guys in the infirmary within the hour for your post-mission physicals," she reminded them as the doors slid shut, leaving the three male members of SG-1 standing alone in the suddenly silent corridor.
***
Medically cleared, freshly showered, and recently debriefed, Jack entered the infirmary in search of news. He spied Janet in her office and headed straight there. "Doc?"
Janet looked up from her charts. "Colonel. I was just on my way to report to General Hammond."
"Could I just have the short and sweet version before you go?" he asked quietly, glancing around the infirmary in a vain attempt to find his 2IC.
Janet nodded and gathered her notes together, leading him to the curtained-off area in the corner. "It's not nearly as bad as it could have been. The bullet had slowed significantly before it hit her and miraculously missed any major organs. The fact that you kept pressure on the wound and got her back here so quickly works in her favour; I expect a full recovery."
"How long 'til she wakes up?" Jack asked, staring down at her pale face.
"Right now she's still under the effects of the anesthesia; she should probably begin to wake within a few hours."
Jack nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, and Janet knew that he had no intention of leaving any time soon. She checked the readouts of the equipment monitoring Sam, got Jack a chair, and left to make her report to Hammond.
***
It was about an hour and a half later that Sam began to wake, alerting an almost-dozing Jack to her consciousness with a restless movement followed by a low moan in the back of her throat. He sat up fully and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Carter?" he called softly, watching as she forced open her eyes against the brightness of the overhead lights. "Hey. You're in the infirmary but Fraiser says you're gonna be fine."
She turned her head slightly, squinting as she tried to bring his features into focus. "Water," she croaked, her mouth dry.
Jack poured her a glass from the pitcher someone had left nearby, supporting her head while she sipped from the straw. Settling her back against the pillow, he went to get Janet. Sam was sound asleep by the time they got back.
***
When she awoke again several hours later, Jack was still sitting by her bed. "Hey," she whispered, still feeling weak, and he blinked at her.
"Hey yourself. How're you feeling?"
She grinned faintly and Jack knew precisely what she was going to say before she'd even opened her mouth. "Like I've been shot," she quipped, struggling to raise herself on none-too-steady arms. "Help me sit up."
Jack wasn't too sure that she should be moving around but helped her nonetheless, wincing in empathy when he saw her flinch in pain. Sitting back down, he resisted the urge to take her hand and instead gripped the sheets. "God, Carter, I'm sorry."
She regarded him quizzically. "For what?"
The look he gave her was disbelieving. "What do you mean, 'for what�? For *shooting* you."
"That wasn't your fault, sir. You could hardly have known that I was standing behind that Jaffa."
"But I should have known! It's my job to protect my team and I *shot* you!"
"Colonel -"
"My God, Sam, I could have killed you!" He drew a shuddering breath, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "I could have killed you," he repeated softly.
Instead of reassuring him verbally she instead disentangled one of his hands from the sheet it grasped and brought it to rest flat against her chest, which certainly caught his attention. After a few seconds understanding set in and he closed his eyes, letting the strong, steady beat of her heart calm him.
"You could have, but you didn't," she murmured, her thumb stroking the back of his hand as it rested over her heart. "I'm right here. A little worse for wear, maybe, but nothing that won't heal."
They stayed like that for a few minutes more, until with a sigh Jack pulled his hand away, letting it hover over her injured stomach for a moment before bringing it up to brush his fingers across her cheek. Her eyes closed, Sam leaned almost imperceptibly into his touch.
Though reluctant to do so, Jack removed his hand and sat back. "You should get some more sleep, Carter."
She nodded slightly, finding herself suddenly exhausted. "I'll see you when I wake up," she half-questioned, in her own way asking him if he'd stay. She thought she felt warm skin touch her hand, and then his voice broke the silence one final time.
"Of course."
And then the darkness was pulling her down, and she drifted willingly into sleep.
--end--
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