The Stars Have Gone To Bed And So Must I
Title: The Stars Have Gone To Bed And So Must I
Author: pepper_field
Rating: G
Warning/Spoilers: None
Prompt(s): 1. The stars are going out; 2. In the cafeteria at night; 3. Knucklehead.
Summary: Sam was the one to find him.
Sam was the one to find him. Closing her eyes in relief, she ducked back into the corridor and keyed her radio. “I’ve got him. Commissary.”
“We’ll be there in five,” replied Janet’s voice immediately, tersely. “Keep him busy until then. Out.”
Sam leaned back against the reassuring bulk of the concrete wall for a moment, drawing strength from its cool solidity, and then pushed herself upright and strolled casually into the room.
The Colonel was lying on his back on a table in the middle of the darkened room, knees propped up, elbows splayed to the side. His hands were resting lightly against his chest, fingers tapping arrhythmically. Thank god they’d not managed to get him into an infirmary gown before he escaped, she thought, eyeing the cuffs of his pants. For some reason he'd rolled them up to his shins, as though he was planning to go paddling. His feet were bare, but it didn’t look like he was feeling the cold.
“Hey, sir.” His fingers stopped tapping, and he hitched up his head.
“Carter!” he said, brightly. Although she’d intended to smile, it turned out she didn’t need to fake it. He really was kind of amusing when mildly poisoned.
“What’re you doing?”
He dropped his head back down. “Oof. At ease, airman. Air woman.” He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “Air person? Siddown.”
She sat next to him, noticing how he was twitching slightly, all over. His toes were curling and uncurling. “I don’t mind being called airman,” she told him.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Huh.”
“What are you doing, sir?” she asked, partly to keep him talking while Janet scrambled her team, but partly because she was genuinely curious.
“Watching the stars.”
Oh. Well, of course. Involuntarily, Sam glanced up, knowing even as she did so that of course the commissary ceiling and more than twenty floors in between them and the surface hadn’t suddenly evaporated. “Um..." Just in time, she stopped herself from pointing this out. She didn't want to give him any ideas about making a break for the outside.
"Look!" He pointed, suddenly, up and to the left. Sam looked. "Did you see that?"
"Sorry, sir - I think I missed it." Whatever 'it' was.
"It went out!" He sounded outraged. "And there!" His arm swung around, narrowly missing her head. "It's those damn Goa'uld, I know it! They're putting out the stars!" He tried to sit up, swayed dangerously, and collapsed back - to her relief. She'd had a brief vision of what would happen if she tried to catch a semi-conscious Colonel falling off a table, and it wasn't pretty. "They've poisoned me, Sam," he groaned.
"The Goa'uld didn't poison you, sir," she said, reassuringly. "You're fine. You just got stung by some... really weird plants. Janet said you'd be fine in a couple of days. D'you remember?" Of course, then he'd disappeared from the infirmary, and Janet had said some other things that didn't bode quite as well for his future health and happiness - but he, of course, had not been present for that. Speaking of whom, where was Janet?
He didn't seem to be listening. He groaned again, and threw his arm across his face. "I don't think I can go on," he said, agitatedly. "You'll have to stop them. I know you can do it. I have faith in you. Save the stars!"
Awww. Just for that, she wouldn't remind him of this at every given opportunity. Just, you know, at every other one. "Sir, it's okay, really," she persisted. "The stars are - are just fine. They're really hard to destroy. And I should know," she added, with a smile.
The Colonel peered out from under his arm. She could see the feverish glitter of his eyes as he blinked at her. "You blew up a sun," he told her, as if vaguely remembering.
"I did," she confirmed. Was that the elevator? Yes, that sounded like Janet's rapid footsteps approaching.
"Pfbbbbt." His arm dropped, tiredly. "And you'll stop them from blowing up our stars?" His eyelids drooped heavily, but he was fighting to keep them open, waiting for her answer.
Sam reached out and tapped her knuckles affectionately against his forehead. "I won't let the Goa'uld blow up our stars," she agreed.
As four burly nurses and one diminutive doctor rushed into the room, Colonel O'Neill closed his eyes contentedly, and drifted off to sleep.
FIN.
Author: pepper_field
Rating: G
Warning/Spoilers: None
Prompt(s): 1. The stars are going out; 2. In the cafeteria at night; 3. Knucklehead.
Summary: Sam was the one to find him.
Sam was the one to find him. Closing her eyes in relief, she ducked back into the corridor and keyed her radio. “I’ve got him. Commissary.”
“We’ll be there in five,” replied Janet’s voice immediately, tersely. “Keep him busy until then. Out.”
Sam leaned back against the reassuring bulk of the concrete wall for a moment, drawing strength from its cool solidity, and then pushed herself upright and strolled casually into the room.
The Colonel was lying on his back on a table in the middle of the darkened room, knees propped up, elbows splayed to the side. His hands were resting lightly against his chest, fingers tapping arrhythmically. Thank god they’d not managed to get him into an infirmary gown before he escaped, she thought, eyeing the cuffs of his pants. For some reason he'd rolled them up to his shins, as though he was planning to go paddling. His feet were bare, but it didn’t look like he was feeling the cold.
“Hey, sir.” His fingers stopped tapping, and he hitched up his head.
“Carter!” he said, brightly. Although she’d intended to smile, it turned out she didn’t need to fake it. He really was kind of amusing when mildly poisoned.
“What’re you doing?”
He dropped his head back down. “Oof. At ease, airman. Air woman.” He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “Air person? Siddown.”
She sat next to him, noticing how he was twitching slightly, all over. His toes were curling and uncurling. “I don’t mind being called airman,” she told him.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Huh.”
“What are you doing, sir?” she asked, partly to keep him talking while Janet scrambled her team, but partly because she was genuinely curious.
“Watching the stars.”
Oh. Well, of course. Involuntarily, Sam glanced up, knowing even as she did so that of course the commissary ceiling and more than twenty floors in between them and the surface hadn’t suddenly evaporated. “Um..." Just in time, she stopped herself from pointing this out. She didn't want to give him any ideas about making a break for the outside.
"Look!" He pointed, suddenly, up and to the left. Sam looked. "Did you see that?"
"Sorry, sir - I think I missed it." Whatever 'it' was.
"It went out!" He sounded outraged. "And there!" His arm swung around, narrowly missing her head. "It's those damn Goa'uld, I know it! They're putting out the stars!" He tried to sit up, swayed dangerously, and collapsed back - to her relief. She'd had a brief vision of what would happen if she tried to catch a semi-conscious Colonel falling off a table, and it wasn't pretty. "They've poisoned me, Sam," he groaned.
"The Goa'uld didn't poison you, sir," she said, reassuringly. "You're fine. You just got stung by some... really weird plants. Janet said you'd be fine in a couple of days. D'you remember?" Of course, then he'd disappeared from the infirmary, and Janet had said some other things that didn't bode quite as well for his future health and happiness - but he, of course, had not been present for that. Speaking of whom, where was Janet?
He didn't seem to be listening. He groaned again, and threw his arm across his face. "I don't think I can go on," he said, agitatedly. "You'll have to stop them. I know you can do it. I have faith in you. Save the stars!"
Awww. Just for that, she wouldn't remind him of this at every given opportunity. Just, you know, at every other one. "Sir, it's okay, really," she persisted. "The stars are - are just fine. They're really hard to destroy. And I should know," she added, with a smile.
The Colonel peered out from under his arm. She could see the feverish glitter of his eyes as he blinked at her. "You blew up a sun," he told her, as if vaguely remembering.
"I did," she confirmed. Was that the elevator? Yes, that sounded like Janet's rapid footsteps approaching.
"Pfbbbbt." His arm dropped, tiredly. "And you'll stop them from blowing up our stars?" His eyelids drooped heavily, but he was fighting to keep them open, waiting for her answer.
Sam reached out and tapped her knuckles affectionately against his forehead. "I won't let the Goa'uld blow up our stars," she agreed.
As four burly nurses and one diminutive doctor rushed into the room, Colonel O'Neill closed his eyes contentedly, and drifted off to sleep.
FIN.