Stargate SG-1: Lost and Found

The Call

     Sam walked down the corridors of the SGC, making her way to the Gateroom with the rest of SG-1 at her side. The pain ripped through her with every step, and she would have to stop occasionally and lean against Daniel or Teal'c before continuing. Jack was half tempted to carry her to the Gateroom himself, but he knew that would only look silly and probably hurt Carter more.

     Sam was suddenly grateful for the fact that the SGC was busy; no one had time to stare at her, much less even shoot a glance her way. She swore she could still feel blood and acid pouring down her body, but she credited this to her imagination. Then, she felt that feeling again. The urges seemed to be getting stronger the closer they got to the Gate, and Sam bit her lip so hard that it began to bleed. "I can't do this," she blurted out, and the rest of the team stopped to see what was wrong.

     "Are you alright, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked, offering a hand so that she wouldn't fall.

     "I can't wipe those coordinates. Not now. And you're not going to make me, either!" she shouted, running in the opposite direction. Her friends had no time to be shocked before they ran after her, hoping that she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone else.

     Sam had knocked a few people down in her rush to get away, but she never dreamed of hurting anyone. She just wanted to get away from the light, and go back into the dark, cold room that she had been held in. It wasn't long before she found it, along with a shocked Dr. Fraiser. "Sam?"

     The Major didn't respond. She crawled under the infirmary bed, covering herself with whatever she could find.

     It was then that Daniel ran in, nearly knocking the doctor down. "Have you seen-"

     He was cut off by crying, and he looked down to see that Sam had hidden herself underneath the infirmary bed that she had been placed in only a week ago.

     "Sam...You don't have to hide from us. We're your friends, Sam. Please come out."

     He could feel her watching him from where she sat, and he caught a glimpse of her peeking out past the leg of the bed. "I want to be alone," she muttered, her voice cracking with pain.

     "Sam, listen-"

     "Go!" she shouted, refusing to speak to Dr. Fraiser.

     "You three go on. I'll keep an eye on her, I promise." At first the three men refused to budge, but Janet urged them in a commanding voice. Finally, they all did as she asked, stepping out of the infirmary and back into the corridor. Jack gave Janet a quick glance, as if to say something, and Janet caught it before they stood in the corridor, wondering what they could do.

      "I should go talk to General Hammond," Jack said, walking away from the other men at a steady pace. Teal'c decided that he would be no good to Major Carter if he didn't eat, and he invited Daniel to do the same.

     "No, thanks," the young man replied, walking towards his quarters to read for a while. He thought that maybe if he read something, he could get his friend's pain off his mind, but he was sorely grieved by what he had seen.

                                                                                              ***

    Sam's hair fell in front of her face as she lifted her legs up, holding them close to her stomach in a folded position. This was how Janet left her, and she was tempted to crawl under the sheets of the bed and fall asleep, but she knew that the longer she stayed away from human contact, the harder her recovery would be. She had stripped her regular clothes from her body and taken back a gown; at the moment it seemed more comfortable to move around in. At times she caught herself crawling on her hands and feet, and everytime she tried to stand, she wanted to fall over. She had been giving in to the urges, and they now controlled her, but deep down inside she could hear her old voice, reasoning that she must fight. However, no matter how hard she tried, the voice was always extinguished.

     Eventually, she grew tired of sitting by herself, and decided that she liked the men again. She crawled from the bed and stretched her legs, then opened the door before she fell to her hands and feet. She could smell the scent of her friends from where they had been standing in the corridor, and now had to decide which scent she should follow. She argued with herself for a few seconds before darting down the corridor, following the scent of the one who pleased her the most.