Stargate SG-1: Lost and Found

Recovery

     Jack's head was tilted as he glanced down at Carter, who was pulling on his pant leg. General Hammond seemed too shocked to speak; he'd never seen the Major act this way before.

     Sam sat close to the ground on her hands and knees, staring up at Colonel O'Neill with a questioning expression. "Hey, Carter, it's good to see you up and about...how ya feeling?" he asked, wondering if she realized the way she looked.

     "I'm feeling alright, Sir...maybe a little hungry, I guess."

     The Colonel glanced at General Hammond, who's mouth was hanging open.

     "Uh...Carter, maybe you should...stand up."

     The Major looked at him like he was crazy. "What are you-" her voice broke and she looked down at the ground. When she lifted her head, an expression of fear crossed her face.

     Jack offered an empty hand, and Carter took it, steadying herself against him in her attempt to stand. She was a little wobbly at first, but after a few minutes, she was able to support herself. Her face turned a bright red as she noticed she was being watched, and she let go of the Colonel's hand, not daring to look back at him. "Thank you, Sir."

    Before things could get even more awkward, Jack called over a young airman who was guarding a room nearby. He asked the man if he could guide Major Carter to the mess hall, and the man nodded, waiting for Sam before heading that way.

Jack waited for the man to leave with Carter before he started, "That's what I came to talk to you about. She's not acting like herself lately; she's been crawling around on her hands and knees, and she insists on sitting alone in the dark."

     "According to Janet's medical report, that thing did some horrible things to Major Carter. I wouldn't be too surprised if this is just the icing on the cake."

     "We've found a psychiatrist that has all the qualifications to help Carter, but Janet says she just needs more time."

     "Well, as much as I hate to say this, Jack, time is something she doesn't have much of. I've talked this over with the President. He understands that the Major is important to the team, but he insists that if she's been compromised, I have to pick someone else for the team."

     Jack was genuinely suprised; he hadn't thought about how long Carter had been out. Her surgery hadn't taken too long, and she seemed fine physically...it was the mental part that was the problem. "How much time does she have?"

     "The President was willing to give her a month."

     Jack hadn't wanted to argue, but he couldn't believe the way the General was talking. "A month? He's given us longer than that before-"

     "I'm sorry, Jack, but with the current situation, we need SG-1 to be able to go through that Gate."

     Jack wanted to argue further, but he knew that the General was right. With the threat of the Anubis and his Kull warriors, the team had been tied up lately, and Sam had been through a bit of emotional stress. He knew that he might not be able to convince the President, but he refused to believe that this was the last straw for Carter.

                                                                                                ***

     Major Carter picked a tray from the stack, then sat it down and waited for her plate to be filled. She watched as the airman put meatloaf on her plate, then added green beans and carrots. Although the smell of veggies made her turn up her nose, she couldn't turn down the meat.

     She did her best to eat like she normally would, until she zeroed in on the thick, warm lump of meat. She downed it savagely and went back for more, bringing her plate back each time to have another hot helping of meatloaf.

     The airmen were perfectly fine with the fact that Carter liked the meatloaf, until they realized that they were all out. "Sorry, ma'am, we're all out of meatloaf," one of them explained, trying to be as patient with her as possible.

     "I'm still hungry!" She insisted, acting like she was ready to punch both of them.

     "Sorry, ma'am, we have some pie left, but-"

     "I don't want pie, I want meat," she demanded, slowly making her way around the counter to get closer to the two men.

     "Well, see-"

     Before either of them could appease the woman, she had launched herself at them, shrieking visciously. The shock of her attack threw both men off-guard, and they tried to get away without hurting her, with no success. She picked one man up by his shirt collar, throwing him across the table. She bit down on the other man's arm, and he cried out in pain, grabbing her by the scalp and pulling her away.

     "Carter!"

     The Major released the man, and glanced in the Colonel's direction.

     "Come here."