Meant To Be 12

Reservoir

by SJSlashfan

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sjslashfan/meantt12.php
Summary: Will the rescue be in time to save Sam?

Sam came to with a jolt, as the truck sped down the road. She cried out in agony as a white-hot pain lanced down her leg and ankle. She tried to work out where she was, and then it all came flooding back to her in a rush. Desperately she tried to sit up, but the pain from her shattered leg prevented her and she fell back again, panting desperately. She didn't know what Richmond had planned to do with her, but she knew it wouldn't be good.

= = =

"Doc, try and stay calm. Tell me, slowly, what's happened," O'Neill put a reassuring hand on Janet's shoulder.

Janet took a deep breath. "He's taken her," she said, "drove off in her truck. She's not in the house. Must be in the truck with her. Neighbor called and told me." Janet had never felt so desperate.

"Okay," O'Neill tried to keep calm. "We'll fix it Janet. We'll find her. I swear. Nurse?" O'Neill looked over at Sharon, who had a steadying arm on Janet. "Can you take the doc to my truck in the parking lot? Bring her coat. You come too, she needs you. I'll meet you there in three minutes with Teal'c."

"Yes sir," Sharon replied, as O'Neill set off at a sprint down the corridor. "Janet?" she said gently. "You ready to go?"

Janet nodded. Sharon grabbed both their coats, and guided her traumatized boss toward the elevator which fortunately was there waiting. They stepped in, and Sharon pressed the button impatiently. It took 2.5 minutes for the elevator to reach the surface. Sharon put her arms round Janet and pulled her to her tightly. She kissed her on the top of her head, and rubbed her hand up and down Janet's back, to try and force some warmth into the trembling woman. "We'll do everything we can," she said in a quiet voice. "And Sam's a trained soldier. About the best there is. She won't let him win," she said gently.

Janet nodded in her friend's warm embrace. "I love her," she said in a whisper.

= = =

The truck swerved off the highway, and headed down a bumpy track. Sam could feel every jolt and stone in the road jarring against her terrible injuries. They must be heading for the reservoir, she realized in horror. Was he going to try and drown her? She was hardly in a position to defend herself.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the truck shuddered to a halt. Sam heard the tailgate being lowered, and felt the truck dip as David Richmond climbed into the back, and hauled the tarpaulin off of her. She screamed and lashed out, trying to knock him off balance. He fell back onto his backside, but was instantly on his feet again, yelling obscenities at her. Sam regretted her actions, as he grabbed her arm angrily, and dragged her bodily off the back of the truck. As she hit the ground like a sack, the pain in her leg overwhelmed her and, mercifully, she lost consciousness.

Richmond dragged Sam to the front of the truck, and lifted her into the driver's seat. "See," he growled, pointlessly, to the unconscious woman. "This way, if they ever find you, it'll look like suicide." He propped Sam up, so that she was leaning over the steering wheel. He then released the handbrake on the truck and stepped back, slamming the door shut. "Goodbye, bitch," he said angrily. He moved to the back of the truck, and pushed with all his might. The truck started moving slowly, but it gathered momentum, and by the time it reached the edge of the reservoir, it was going at speed.

The truck hit the water below with an almighty splash.

= = =

"Janet!" Ella Kominsky came running out of her house as soon as she saw O'Neill's truck approach, Angus at her heels, barking wildly. She reached Janet just as the small woman flung herself out of the truck.

"Where did it go?" Janet demanded.

"End of the road, then it turned left," Ella said. "Angus ran after them, and he followed them to the left. They must have gone that way."

"What's on the left?" O'Neill asked Janet.

"The highway," Janet said miserably. "They could be anywhere."

O'Neill nodded; he was already dialing on his cell. "Daniel?" he barked when the archaeologist answered. "No, not yet. Listen, Daniel. I need you to contact the Highways Association. Tell them to we need to trace Carter's truck, urgently. Get them to check the cameras at each intersection. We need to know where they turned off. Doc, what's the license plate on Carter's truck?" he reeled off the digits to Daniel. "Call me as soon as you hear," he said. He turned to Janet, who looked like death warmed over. "We'll go look," he said. "Daniel will call as soon as he has any information." He looked down at the dog that stood loyally at Janet's feet. "Bring the dog," he instructed Janet.

Janet nodded. "We'll call you," she said to Ella. She bent down to pick up Angus, and within seconds they were speeding down the road.

= = =

The truck started to sink, and the water rushed in by Sam's feet. It was freezing cold, and the shock of the temperature shocked Sam back into consciousness. She had never been in such pain. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and then panic struck her like a thunderbolt. He had really done it, he wanted her to drown in the filthy reservoir.

Trying to ignore the screaming agony in her leg, Sam tried to marshal her thoughts. She knew she would never get the truck's door open, not against the pressure of the water. Not until it had settled at the bottom of the deep reservoir, and she knew she didn't have that long. She pressed the button to lower the window, knowing that was her only chance of escape. It opened barely an inch, and then stuck. The water had gotten into the electrics. She tried the other window, which didn't move at all. She started to panic, as the water reached her waist. She would have to break the window. Smashing through toughened glass in her weakened state was nigh-on impossible without some sort of hammer. The gun! She remembered that it was in the glove box. She grabbed it from the box as the water reached her shoulders. Flinging the clip out of her way, she started to pound on the window. The damn thing wouldn't break. She continued to hit it with all her strength. Still nothing. The water was up to her neck. Soon she wouldn't be able to breathe. She would die here, alone, frightened, in pain. This was it, she thought. She just wished she could see Janet one last time. Kiss her. Tell her she loved her. Janet! She couldn't leave her. She knew what her death would do to her lover. With all her might, she smashed once more against the glass, and was relieved to see a huge crack appear in the window. She pounded again, repeatedly, as the water closed over her head.

Finally, just as she thought her lungs would explode with lack of oxygen, the glass shattered into a million pieces. Desperately, she reached up, knowing that the pain of forcing her battered body through the small opening would be devastating. She was right, and as she hauled herself out of the seat, she couldn't stop herself screaming in agony. Her lungs filled with water. She could see the surface above her. She would never get there in time. She was going to drown, she was sure of it.

= = =

"What about Cassie?" Sharon asked Janet.

"Staying at a friend's tonight," Janet replied, her knuckles white as she sat tensely in the back seat with Sharon and Angus.

"That's good," Sharon said gently. "One less thing to worry about."

Janet nodded, miserably.

= = =

As she broke the surface, Sam desperately tried to haul oxygen into her lungs, coughing and retching hysterically. The pain in her ribs was agonizing as her chest convulsed, and this combined with the lancing agony of her leg. Red spots started to appear in front of her eyes. "No," she told herself viciously. She would not get this far and give up. She would get back to Janet. How, she didn't know. She tried to calm her breathing as she continued to cough violently. She saw the shore about 10 metres away. It felt like a mile to her. Slowly, trying to keep her leg as still as possible, she paddled to the water's edge. She nearly cried with relief when she finally felt rock against her hand. Somehow, using every last bit of strength she had, she managed to haul herself mostly ashore, pulling her battered body up on to the rock, her shattered leg at an awkward angle and still partly immersed. She gave herself up to unconsciousness.

= = =

"It's been over two hours," Janet said desperately to O'Neill. "There's no sign of her. Or the truck."

"I know," he said grimly. They had been driving up and down the highway, looking in vain for any sighting of Sam's truck. At that moment, his cellphone trilled. "Talk to me," he barked into it. "How can that be?" he asked a few seconds later. "No sign of the truck at all on the cameras?" he looked quizzically at Janet. "Doc, is there anywhere they could have gone before the first intersection?"

Janet paled. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Why didn't I think of it before? There's the old reservoir. They could maybe have gone there."

"Where is it?" O'Neill's tone was sharper than he intended. He was almost as desperate as Janet to get to Sam, who was one of his closest friends.

Janet gave him directions. Sharon reached over and took Janet's hand. "Sam hates it there," Janet said in a quiet voice. "Took Angus there once for a walk, said it creeped her out. It's kinda sinister. Dark. Weird. And the water's filthy. Oh my God, if he's..."

Sharon squeezed her fingers. "Don't anticipate," she said quietly. "You need to stay calm. Sam may need you."

Janet nodded bravely. "She's the priority," she said.

= = =

O'Neill drove his truck up the track as fast as he dared, but as they got to the end of the track, his heart plummeted. There was no sign of the truck.

"We should still take a look," he said, "now that we're here."

Suddenly Angus started to bark frantically, clawing at the door to get out.

"He knows something," Janet said. She opened up the door, and the dog shot out, running at top speed to the water's edge. Janet was at his heels, running faster than she had ever done in her life. The dog disappeared from sight as he bounded down the steep rocks. Janet lowered herself carefully down to the water's edge and, in the distance, he saw Angus approach a pile of rags. A pile of rags with blonde hair, she realized. "Sam!" she screamed, trying to keep her balance as she darted from rock to rock to reach her lover.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Janet was at Sam's side. The blonde was still unconscious, lying face down on the rock, dried blood in her hair and on her face. More horrifyingly, her leg stuck out at an unnatural angle. Her hands trembling, Janet reached gently and pressed her fingers to the pulse point in Sam's neck. She was alive. Janet realized she could hear her labored breathing too. She sounded horribly congested, but at least she was alive.

Janet stripped off her coat, and draped it lovingly over the injured woman. She looked up and saw Sharon clambering toward them over the rocks, Teal'c just behind her. She was relieved to see that Teal'c was carrying her medical bag. O'Neill stood at the top of the rocks, his cellphone to his ear.

"Ambulance!" she yelled, and saw O'Neill wave affirmatively at her.

"Chopper!" he called back. "Ten minutes."

She turned back to Sam, and ran her hand lovingly down her cheek. "You're safe now, baby," she whispered. "It's gonna be okay."

Sam's eyelids fluttered opened, and she fought to focus on the vision in front of her. "Jan," she croaked.

"It's me, honey. I'm here. We're gonna take care of you, Sam. Air ambulance is on its way. You'll be in the infirmary before you know it," Janet fought to keep her voice calm.

Sharon finally reached Janet, and opened her bag for her. "Morphine?" she asked Janet quietly, taking in the sight of Sam's shattered leg. Janet nodded, and Sharon drew up the syringe.

"Don't feel good," Sam gasped, trying vainly not to cough.

"I know, baby," Janet took the syringe from Sharon and plunged it into Sam's uninjured thigh. "We'll fix that, I swear."

Sharon took off her own jacket and balled it up, passing it to Janet, who gently pushed it under Sam's head. Teal'c lay his own coat over her. At that moment, O'Neill arrived, carrying a blanket that he always kept in the trunk of his truck. Janet nodded gratefully at him, and wrapped it round a shaking Sam. "Chopper's on its way," O'Neill said. "Be here any moment."

"Thank you," Janet said in a quiet voice, as she took Sam's hand and chafed it between her own. "Hear that sweetie? You'll be safe and warm real soon."

Sam opened her eyes again. "You came for me," she whispered hoarsely.

"Of course we did, my darling. We'll always come for you. I love you," Janet tried to keep the emotion from her voice.

"Love you," Sam's voice was weak.

Next: Operation