Title: I Like The Quiet

Author: Wonderland

Rating: G

Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, wish I did, you know who does, yadda, yadda, yadda

Summary: Prompt- I like the quiet, General Hammond, Janet Fraiser

Season/Spoiler info: Out Of Mind, Into The Fire

Author’s notes: Written for the SG-1 Friendship Ficathon.

I Like The Quiet

I like the quiet. At least, I used to like the quiet. Now, I find it oppressive, overwhelming. And I don’t think I’m alone. Just this morning, two Marines who had been the best of friends got in a shoving contest in the gym and had to be brought to my infirmary to have their heads sewn up. They apologized as instructed and stomped off in different directions. I just shrugged at the general when he looked over at me. What could I say, what can any of us say?

This base has been like a powder keg for the past three weeks. Ever since a badly injured Teal’c was brought home. Alone. Without the rest of his team. And that’s the problem. Teal’c is still unconscious, fighting for his life, unable to tell us what happened, unable to help us locate his missing team.

SG-1 has been officially listed as missing in action. A message has been sent that General Hammond hopes will reach Jacob, one that should reach Bra’tac. The colonel and Daniel have no family to inform; what passes for their family is lost with them.

The only thing I can do for SG-1 at this point is to keep Teal’c alive. And I intend to do so. Come hell or high water.

*

“Dr. Fraiser?”

I sleepily lift my head then jerk upright when the voice finally invades the fog. “Sir! I’m terribly sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Dr. Fraiser. If anything, I should be apologizing for waking you. I just thought you should go home, you’ve been here for days.”

“Teal’c…”

“Is in good hands.” He pulls up a chair to sit by my desk. “Dr. Fraiser, you know there’s a better than average chance that you aren’t going to be able to save Teal’c.”

“I refuse to accept that.” My spine stiffens in anger.

“The facts don’t change because we refuse them. We have to face the possibility that we’ve lost all of them this time.”

I’m mortified to feel the tears on my cheeks. I drop my head, wipe them away. “Sir.”

His very big, but very gentle hand lands on my arm. “I don’t want to give them up either, but life doesn’t always give us what we want. If that were true, my wife would be giving me hell every evening for being late for dinner. Your granny would have lived long enough to see you graduate from med school. There wouldn’t be sons without parents and parents without sons. But there are. That’s a fact. But here’s another fact. You have a little girl who needs a mother, who hasn’t seen that mother for a few days. Go home, Dr. Fraiser, go home and hug your little girl.”

*

I give the general my version of the evil eye as they file into the infirmary, Daniel being assisted by Teal’c. I sigh loudly, where they can all hear me. “Put him over there, please.” Teal’c hefts Daniel like he weighs less than a child before walking back to stand beside General Hammond and Bra’tac. “Perhaps you three could tell me what possessed you to try this hair-brained scheme? I’m ashamed of you, the lot of you; you’re all old enough to know better.” O’Neill snorts loudly, oddly dressed in a filthy white outfit, before draping himself on the bed by Daniel and elbowing him discreetly. The general opens his mouth to reply and I fold my arms, still glaring. “General, since you seem to be the leader of this band of miscreants, you get the first exam as soon as I’ve patched up Dr. Jackson. Over there, please.”

He finally comes to life. “You’ll have to make it brief. I have a few phone calls to make.”

“Oh, yes, sir. And I know Major Davis is eager to return command of this facility to you. Poor man nearly had a nervous breakdown when you skipped off through the gate.” His lips twitch at the thought and I school my face not to smile back at him. “I’m still mad at you, just so you know.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And agreeing with me isn’t going to help.”

“No, ma’am.” Bra’tac gives Teal’c a puzzled look, who explains the chain of command in the infirmary. I don’t get to order the general around very much, so I’m savoring every single moment.

*

Those three weeks have faded into cloudy memories. Time has a way of making the worst of memories grow misty so that they don’t hurt as badly if they sneak into our dreams.

I look around my backyard where we’ve gathered to celebrate the lives saved. Cassandra has Teal’c in her clutches, forcing him to push her on the tree swing. I swear, I think I saw them trading the favor just a few minutes ago. Sam is the self-appointed director of food and has Colonel O’Neill toting and lifting and arranging and re-arranging until the table is mathematically perfect. Daniel, due to his still healing leg, has been relegated to armchair quarterback; a job he has taken to with genuine relish. Jack’s finally caught on to the fact that Daniel’s made him move the heavily laden cooler at least four times.

Colonel O’Neill hasn’t stopped giving Daniel grief over his new haircut. Everyone has just let him rant about it because we know it hides the real issue, his overwhelming relief over what happened and worry over those three weeks none of them can remember.

“Jack, will you give it a rest?” Daniel swats the hand that is fluffing his hair.

“Come on, Daniel, even you have to admit it makes you look twelve.”

“And I suppose that make you look fifty? Would you stop before I punch you or something?”

“’Cause I’m so afraid of you hitting me. Face it, you hit like a girl.”

“So if a girl hit you, it wouldn’t hurt?”

“Not at all.”

Daniel shrugs then raises his voice, “Sa-am! Jack said you hit like a girl!”

General Hammond sits beside me. “I thought you told me you liked the quiet?”

Cassie is squealing with delight, ‘50’s rock is blaring out of my portable stereo, Sam and Jack are arguing good-naturedly, I do wonder when they are going to figure out that Daniel’s sotto voce comments are designed to perpetuate the argument. “Today, sir, I think I like the noise a lot more.”