An Innocent Man

Jack O'Neill pulled into his driveway and turned off the engine of his truck. He was completely exhausted and just wanted to fall into bed. SG1 had just returned from a six day mission on a desert planet, and even after taking two showers, he still could feel the grit of the sand in his eyes and mouth. He had managed to strain his knee hightailing it back to the gate, and he was sore. He climbed slowly out of the truck cab, grabbing the cane Janet had given him, and pushing the seat forward, reached into the back seat to get his duffle bag.

A light caught his attention and he turned towards the end of the driveway to see a police car pulling into the driveway behind his truck. He suddenly had a moment of panic that something had happened to Sam or Daniel.

"Officer, is there something wrong?" He asked as two officers approached him.

"Are you Jonathan O'Neill?"

"Yes."

"Colonel Jonathan O'Neill?"

"Yes."

"Sir, could you please come with us?"

"Why? Did something happen to Daniel or Sam?" Now he was panicked.

"No sir, I don't know who Daniel and Sam are. You need to come with us."

"Not until you tell me why." Jack said seriously.

"Look sir, we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. We just want to ask you some questions."

"Look, I've just come back from being away for almost a week and I'm really tired. Do you think you guys could come inside my house and ask your questions there?"

"No sir, I'm afraid not."

"I want to know why I'm being questioned or I'm not going anywhere with you. I know my rights, Officer." He was trying to stay calm. He knew this could escalate very quickly if he provoked them in any way.

"Okay, fine. You're a suspect in the abduction and assault of four children."

"What?!" He said incredulously. "That's crazy."

"No, sir, it's not. We need to ask you some questions. Please come with us willingly, don't make this any worse."

Jack considered refusing and then changed his mind. It would just provoke them, and he knew how cops felt about child molesters. He could easily get the crap beat out of him by these two very large policemen.

"Okay, I'll come with you to clear this up. I need to put my bag back in the truck or in the house."

"No sir, we're going to need to take that."

"I'm sorry, Officer, but I can't let you do that. There's classified materials in that bag. I'll leave it in the truck or the house, but I can't allow you to take it."

"Fine, leave it in the truck. Are you carrying a weapon, sir?" He asked as Jack was putting the bag in the truck and locking the door.

"I have a utility knife in my pants pocket." He replied. The officer came over to him and asked him to lean on the truck and spread his legs, taking the cane from him and giving it to his partner.

"Do we have to do this right here?"

"Yes. Please do as I asked." Jack hesitated briefly but then did as the officer asked. The officer found the knife and continued to frisk him, finding nothing else dangerous.

The officer pulled his hands roughly behind his back and put the handcuffs on him. "Am I under arrest?"

"No sir."

"Then what's with the cuffs?"

"Just procedure. Let's go."

The officer put his hand on Jack's arm to steady his walking without the cane. Jack drew in a sharp breath at the pain in his knee walking awkwardly handcuffed. The office put his hand on Jack's head as he got into the back seat. Jack was mortified to see that the neighbors were standing out on the front lawn watching the drama unravel. He turned away from the window, not wanting to see the curiosity in their eyes.

They arrived at the police station within a few minutes, and Jack was lead into an interrogation room. They uncuffed one of his hands and cuffed it to the chair. Jack was left alone in the room, baffled by how he could be a suspect in such a horrendous crime.

After leaving him wondering for nearly 30 minutes, a detective entered the room and sat across from him at the table.

"Mr. O'Neill, I'm Detective Collins."

"That's Colonel O'Neill, or Jack will do." Jack interrupted.

"Fine, Colonel. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Where were you on Tuesday this week, March 10th?" Someone had tried to grab a child that night, but was unsuccessful.

"Out of town."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you, it's classified."

"Sure it is. How about January 18th?"

"January 18th? I have no idea. I'd have to look at my calendar to see where I was that day."

"You don't remember?"

"That was two months ago. I have a crazy schedule, I'm afraid I don't remember."

"How about December 15th last year?"

"Again, I don't remember."

"How about November 23rd?"

That one, he knew. He was in the infirmary, sitting vigil by Daniel's bed. He had been injured on a mission, and it was just a few days before Thanksgiving. "I was on base. One of my team had been injured in a training exercise and I was staying on base to make sure he was alright."

"That one you remember?"

"Yes, I remember because it was a few days before Thanksgiving, and the rest of my team and I stayed on base for several days and then had Thanksgiving dinner with Daniel in the infirmary."

The detective was puzzled. He would not have made that up since he knew base sign-in records could verify it. Maybe someone else had done that kid. He wasn't ready yet to let this one go. The girls had all described a man fitting the Colonel's description, driving a truck like his.

"How about September 12th?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know a girl named Gina Rodrigues?"

"No."

"How about Cynthia Adams?"

"No."

"How about Sarah Mason?"

"No."

"How about Lindsey Asher?"

"No."

"How about Cassandra Frasier?"

Jack leaned forward. "Cassie? Has something happened to her?" He knew nothing could have, he'd seen Janet not two hours ago when she'd examined his knee and sent him home. He'd know if something was wrong.

"Do you know her?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"She's the daughter of the Chief Medical Officer at Cheyenne Mountain, where I'm based."

"And does she spend time with you?"

"Sometimes."

"Alone?"

"Sometimes, but her mother is usually with her. Look, what's this about, and what's Cassie have to do with it?"

"Well, sir. We've been watching you for a while, and we've seen you at Cassie's school several times in the last few weeks. You sit outside the school watching. Why are you doing that sir?" The four assaulted girls had described a dark truck, big, with a cover over the back. The detectives watching one day had seen Cassie get into the truck and leave with the Colonel, but on other days, he was there, but she didn't go with him.

Oh god, they thought he was a pedophile checking out the kids at Cassie's school. "Cassie told me that one of the other kids had been bullying her after school, so when I'm not offw...out of town, I sometimes drive over to the school to make sure she's okay. That's all. She knows I'm there, and sometimes if she doesn't feel safe walking, I give her a ride home, that's all. I've also spent time with her class, you know, volunteering. Her mom knows all about it."

"So you like kids."

"Yeah, I like kids, but not the way you're insinuating."

"Are you married?"

"Divorced."

"Do you have kids Colonel?"

"I had a son, he died about 4 years ago when he was 10."

"I'm sorry, how?"

He took a deep breath and answered slowly. "He accidentally shot himself with my gun." Jack closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest.

"That why you divorced?" The detective said, seemingly unaffected by what Jack had said. He seemed to already know the answers to most of the questions he was asking Jack.

"Yeah. My wife forgave me, but I could never forgive myself." Jack said as he raised his head once more wearing a grimace on his face.

"Colonel, do you have a cabin?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Minnesota. Up in the blue hills."

"Please write down the address." The detective pushed a pad of paper over to him, which Jack quickly scribbled the address to his cabin on.

"Am I under arrest?"

"Not yet."

"I'd like to make a phone call please."

"Sorry, not yet. Since you're not under arrest, you're not entitled to one...yet. We're going to take you to a holding cell for a while until I can check out some of the information you gave me. Get up." Jack started to stand, forgetting that his hand was cuffed to the chair. The detective called to an officer outside the door, who came in and unlocked the cuffs, putting them back on his belt. The detective motioned for Jack to precede him out the door.

"I really could use my cane, I injured my knee." Jack hated to sound like a wimp, but his knee was killing him. He wasn't even wearing a brace, he had intended to go home to bed, and so he hadn't bothered.

"Sorry. I'll help you." The detective then came up beside him holding his elbow, leading him into the holding cell area. He led him into the cell, already occupied by three other men. The detective gave him an encouraging shove and he moved inside as the door slid shut behind him.

There was no place left to sit in the cell that wasn't already occupied by a very large man, and so he moved to an empty wall, and slid down to sit against it with his good knee bent up, and the other stretched out in front of him. How could this be happening? He would never hurt a child, never. He leaned his head against his hand and his elbow against his knee, absently rubbing the other one with his hand. Damn, he had a headache and his knee was throbbing unmercifully.

He looked up when he heard the sound of someone approaching him. One of the other men in the cell was walking slowly towards him. "So, I heard the cops talking about how you assaulted four little girls. You pervert."

"I didn't assault anyone. They've got the wrong guy."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. You son of a bitch. Get up!"

"Look, I didn't do anything, just leave me alone."

The man reached for Jack and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to his feet. His military training took over, and Jack put his hands between the guy's hands and pushed out, making him lose his grip on Jack. He put his hand on the man's chest and shoved him.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you. Just leave me alone."

"Leave you alone? Like you left those girls alone?" He was coming towards him again, and now one of the other men was too. Before he could make another move, they had grabbed him by his arms and shoved him against the bars. Jack's back slammed against the unyielding metal bars, knocking the wind out of him. One of the men hit him in the eye, opening up a cut over his left eye. Blood ran freely down his face, and then the blows to his chest began, and he could feel a few ribs crack. Before they could do any more damage, a guard heard the ruckus and came running. He immediately opened the door, and yelled for the men to back away, drawing his gun. As they let go of him, Jack slid to the floor, holding his chest.

"You, get up and come over here." He yelled to Jack. Jack was trying to catch his breath, and then slowly got himself painfully to his feet, holding onto the bars for support. Between his knee, his eye and the cracked ribs, he was hurting. The guard waited for him to come out and then closed the door behind him.

He led Jack up to an interrogation room and told him to sit in the chair. "Are you alright?" he asked, but Jack could detect no real concern in his voice.

"I don't know." He really didn't, something felt funny in his chest. "I'd like to make my phone call now." He said hoping the guard would not check with the detective and find out he wasn't supposed to get one.

"Okay." He brought Jack a phone, and he promptly called the base, the General's direct number. He was in trouble, and he knew he'd need the big guns on this one. It rang twice and then Hammond answered.

"General?"

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"General, I hate to ask this, but I'm in trouble and I need you to come to the Colorado Springs police station. And sir, can you bring Janet with you?"

"Are you okay?"

"Not really. I'll tell you more when you get here."

"Okay, we'll be there in 15 minutes son." He hung up.

Jack hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair, trying to get more comfortable. The officer stood near the door as if he was afraid Jack was going to jump up and attack him, which he was in no shape to do at the moment. He was so tired, he could hardly keep his eyes open. It had been nearly 36 hours since he'd slept last, on the planet they had been exploring. He leaned forward to lean his head on his hand and instantly regretted the move, drawing in a sharp breath at the pain in his ribs. He leaned back again, praying for the General to hurry.

*

He must have dozed for a moment because a loud voice made him jump. He instantly recognized the voice as General Hammond's. He was demanding to see his second in command, and that he be seen by his personal physician. The detective was telling him that he could not see him because he was being questioned. The general demanded to know if he was under arrest, and when he was told no, he again demanded to see him. The general's imposing style finally got the detective worried that it might be more trouble to prevent him from seeing O'Neill, and jeopardize the case. He reluctantly agreed. He led them to the room and then went into the adjoining room to observe.

"Colonel! Are you alright?" The general asked, taking in Jack's haggard appearance and the blood running down the side of his face.

"Been better sir. Thanks for coming." Janet went over to him and pulled a chair up next to his.

"Sir, where else are you hurt besides your eye?"

"Ribs." He stated simply as she grabbed the leg of the chair and slid it so it was turned towards her.

"Can you lean back for me?" He leaned back and she unbuttoned the denim shirt he was wearing to reveal what were obviously new bruises on his chest. She pressed gingerly on the darkest spots, and he hissed in pain. "Sorry sir. I think you've got at least one broken rib here, you need x-rays. Are you having any trouble breathing?"

"A little." She took out her stethoscope and listened to his chest, frowning at what she heard.

"I think your lung is collapsing." Looking up at the General, she said, "Sir, we need to get him to the hospital. Academy is closer than the base, we should take him there."

"I'll take care of that doctor, stay with him."

Janet took a gauze pad out of her bag and stood, pressing it to Jack's eyebrow. His eye was already bruising all around. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking, what's going on here?"

"They think I assaulted four young girls."

"That's crazy sir. Why do they think that?"

"I guess I fit the description, and they saw me waiting outside Cassie's school a few times over the last few weeks, you know watching for that kid she said was bullying her. Now they think I'm a pedophile. Janet, you know I would never..."

"Hey" She said gently putting her hand on his arm, "I know you'd never hurt a child like that, and I trust you with Cassie's life. That's ridiculous sir. You're no more a pedophile than I am."

"Yeah, well convince the detective of that, he seems pretty convinced he's got his man."

The detective watching from the observation room took in the exchange between the man and the doctor. It was obvious they knew each other well. She seemed completely aghast at what he was accused of. No matter, every time someone had been convicted of a crime like this, everyone always said how they never would have believed it. It meant nothing.

Jack suddenly drew in a sharp breath and put his hand to his chest.

"What is it?"

"My chest hurts." He said through clenched teeth.

She put the stethoscope back to his chest and was alarmed by how little breath sounds could be heard on his left side. "Is it getting harder to breathe?"

He nodded his head, not trusting his voice. She rose from the chair and went to the door, opening it to see Hammond demanding that Jack be released into his custody so he could be brought to the hospital. Janet walked over to him quickly and told him that they needed to call an ambulance - now. The detective emerged from the observation room and told the desk sergeant to call an ambulance, but that an officer would be accompanying them.

"Fine, but make it fast. His lung has collapsed. Do you have a portable oxygen tank here?"

"Yeah, sergeant, get it." The detective answered.

Janet headed back into the room to monitor Jack's condition.

"Easy sir, take nice slow breaths. There's an ambulance on the way." She was holding his wrist monitoring his pulse, which was way too fast for her liking. She was sure it was the combination of his injury and the horrible thing they were accusing him of. Of all people, this man would do anything to protect a child. How could they think it was him? The sergeant arrived with the tank, and she turned it on all the way, putting the mask over his nose and mouth.

Within 10 minutes, the ambulance was there, and they were getting Jack onto the gurney. "I'm his physician, Dr. Frasier. I want him on 3 liters of oxygen, he has a collapsed lung." As they got him on the gurney, trading the oxygen tank the sergeant had brought for a larger one, an officer entered the room and stood by the stretcher. He followed them out of the building, and sat in the back of the ambulance with Jack and Janet. Hammond followed in his car.

Jack was getting paler by the minute, and Janet was concerned she would have to put in a chest tube right there in the ambulance. "Hang in there Colonel, we're almost there." He nodded his head and closed his eyes. When they arrived at the hospital, Janet quickly got him into a treatment room and told the officer he would have to wait outside.

"I'm afraid not m'am. I have orders to stay in the room with him."

"Fine, but stay out of my way." They moved Jack from the ambulance stretcher to the ER stretcher and Janet opened the front of his shirt, pushing it to the side. "Sir, this is going to hurt, try to stay still."

She expertly inserted a chest tube, and then stood listening to his lung. A nurse had put a monitor on his finger to check his pulse ox, and it rapidly went from the low seventies to the low nineties. "Sir, is it getting easier to breathe?"

"Yeah." He replied, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"Good, just take slow, long breaths, okay? Nice and easy, you're going to be fine." She said soothingly as she pushed the hair away from his forehead and raised the head of the bed. She stayed with him until he was stable.

Jack just closed his eyes and focused on breathing. If he allowed himself to think of anything else, he thought he might hyperventilate. 'Focus Jack, just breathe.'

"I'll be right back Colonel. I'm just going outside to talk to the General."

Janet stepped out of the room to find the General standing right outside the door. "How is he doctor?"

"He'll be fine sir. We need to do some x-rays and see how many broken ribs he's got, but I'm guessing at least two. I'd like to know how he got them. Do you think the police did it?"

"I don't know doctor, but I'm sure as hell going to find out."

"I'm going to admit him, I had to put in a chest tube, so he'll need to stay. I'll keep you updated sir. You can go in and see him if you want."

Jack's bed was in a semi-sitting position, and he had an oxygen mask on his face. He opened his eyes as the General entered the room and came to stand next to his bed. He pushed the oxygen mask aside, and looked at the general grimly.

"General, I did not do what they're saying." He said hoarsely.

"I know, son. You've been with my granddaughters hundreds of times in the last 4 years, and I've never once had a doubt you would protect them with your life. I will never believe that you could hurt a child."

"Thank you sir. That means a lot."

"That being said Jack, what can I do to clear this up?"

"They've got some dates they are looking for me to tell them where I was. I need to look at my mission log to see where I was - some were several months ago. I just can't remember."

"No problem, son. I'll talk to the officers and get the dates they are...."

"That won't be necessary General. I've already got a court order for you to reveal the whereabouts of the good Colonel here for the dates in question. Here you go." The detective said as he entered the room and handed the General a folded piece of paper.

"Detective, I would like to know how my officer was injured."

"I'm afraid a couple of guys in the holding cell overheard what your friend here did, and they didn't like it much."

"My officer has done nothing, and he never should have been in that holding cell in the first place since he wasn't under arrest." Hammond's voice was getting louder and louder. Jack seemed oblivious to it, he was so exhausted, that he could no longer keep his eyes open and he fell asleep, despite the noise.

"Gentlemen, please. This is a hospital." Janet said as she entered. "If you want to have an argument, please do it outside. Colonel O'Neill needs to rest."

"My apologies Doctor. Detective, I'd like to talk to you outside please."

"My pleasure General, after you. Mike, stay here." He said to the officer in the corner of the room.

The two men went outside of the ER doors and stood in the ambulance bay.

"Detective, I'd like to know just what makes you think that Colonel O'Neill did this?"

"He fits the description the girls gave, his truck fits the description, all the girls say they were taken to a cabin where they were assaulted, and he's been seen hanging around the school where all the girls go. You have to admit, it's pretty compelling."

"On the contrary, you have to admit it's pretty circumstantial. I've heard no hard evidence that he did anything. I'm well aware of his what you call 'hanging around' that school - it's where Dr. Frasier's daughter attends school. He and Cassie are friends. He's a father figure to her."

"Well General, we'll just have to see how the hard evidence shakes out. We're going to want those records ASAP. If you can't tell me where Colonel O'Neill was on those dates, then we have a problem."

"I may not be able to tell you where he was, but I can certainly tell you if he was on Air Force business."

"Sorry, General, but that's not gonna cut it. I need an airtight alibi or fly boy in there is going to trial. I'm sure you can imagine what happens to pedophiles in jail, even murderers have a problem with pedophiles."

"In this country, people are innocent until proven guilty, Detective. Colonel O'Neill is NOT a pedophile, and you would do well to stop referring to him as one, or I will have you up on defamation of character charges so fast, you won't know what hit you. Is that clear? "

"Crystal. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to ask the Colonel a few more questions."

"You will do no such thing until he has a lawyer present, it's obvious that you've already got him convicted, I will not allow you to railroad a good man. Stay away from him until his lawyer is here. Understood?"

"Look General, I'm not one of your subordinates. I don't take orders from you. If Colonel O'Neill wants a lawyer, he'll have to ask for one himself." With that, he walked back in to the hospital headed for Jack's room. He entered the room intending to talk to Jack.

"I'm sorry detective, you'll have to leave, the Colonel is being moved to a room and we need to get him into a Johnny." Janet said as he entered. "Besides that, he's unconscious so you won't be able to talk to him." She'd made sure of that by giving him a sedative. He was exhausted and needed to regain some strength before he was questioned again.

"Fine, I'll wait until he wakes up."

"Suit yourself, it could be several hours."

"Fine."

*

In the meantime, Hammond had taken the liberty of calling Daniel. He filled him in quickly and Daniel promised to be at the hospital within the hour, and that he would fill in Sam on the situation. Teal'c was off -world visiting his son.

The General leaned against the wall in the hallway. How could this be happening? It was anyone's worst nightmare - to be accused of something you didn't do. And for Jack, this was the worst thing to be accused of. He knew that Jack was not capable of this. He thought back to the time when the Rhetou boy had shown up on their doorstep. He took immediately to Jack, and he'd seen how gentle he was with the boy, who had insisted on being called Charlie. He'd witnessed Jack interact with children hundreds of times, there was no way he would do this. The dilemma was how they were going to provide him with an alibi if he was off-world on one of these dates. Would the base sign-in and sign-out records be enough to provide him with an alibi? They would not be able to reveal classified information, so how would they get around this?

He rubbed his eyes, not so much in fatigue, but in worry. They could not allow Jack to be railroaded by this detective eager to slap a pedophile label on someone. It wouldn't be Jack O'Neill.

*

Three hours later, Jack began to stir. General Hammond and Daniel were sitting by his bedside.

"Hey Jack, how you doing?" Daniel asked as he opened his eyes.

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Jack said, pushing the oxygen mask aside.

"General Hammond called me, thought you could use a friend. He told me what's going on, I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not."

"So, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay, a little groggy."

"Well, there's a detective outside who's been waiting to talk to you. We told him you weren't talking to him again without a lawyer."

"I don't need a lawyer, I didn't do anything."

"I know that Jack, but this guy's got you tried and convicted already. You've got to protect yourself."

"I guess you're right. I don't have a lawyer."

"You do now. Sam knows a really good lawyer here in Colorado Springs. She called him and he's on his way. Should be here any minute."

"I wish you hadn't told Sam what's going on. It's humiliating." He said looking away.

"You didn't do this Jack, we all know it. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Jack didn't respond. The door opened and a man in a dark blue suit entered.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Steven Burns, sir. Samantha Carter called me. She said you were in need of a lawyer?"

"I suppose I am."

"Can we talk in private for a few minutes sir? There's a very anxious detective outside who wants to talk to you."

"They can stay." He said, waving towards Hammond and Daniel.

"Sir, it would be better if they left, it affects client confidentiality rules."

"It's okay Jack, we'll be right outside." Daniel said and left the room along with the General.

"So Colonel, tell me what's going on here." Steven said.

"To tell you the truth Mr. Burns, I don't have the foggiest idea."

"Please call me Steven. I've talked to the police, they have no hard evidence you were involved. They say you've been seen outside the school these girls attend, is that true?"

"If you're talking about Kennedy Elementary, then yes, Dr. Frasier's daughter Cassie goes to that school too. I've been picking her up after school a few days a week."

"Why ?"

"Some older kid's been bullying her after school, so I've been watching out for her."

"Do you know why they think you have something to do with this?"

"Apparently I match the description the girls gave, and my cabin has something to do with it. Beyond that, I'm baffled."

"Okay, I'm going to let the detective come in now. I don't want you to answer any questions about your whereabouts until we get the information on the dates they're looking at. You can answer basic questions, unless I tell you not to. Okay?"

"Okay. I'd like the General and Daniel in here too."

"It's fine with me."

He went to the door and motioned the three men inside. "Go ahead Detective. But let me warn you that Colonel O'Neill will not be answering any questions about his whereabouts on those dates until we have a chance to check his base records regarding his whereabouts. Is that clear?"

"Yes. Colonel, what kind of car do you drive?"

"A Chevy Avalanche."

"What color?"

"Dark green."

"Is the back covered?"

"Just a bed cover, not a cap."

"When you've been at Kennedy Elementary, have you had contact with other children besides Cassandra Frasier?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"The other kids in her class. I already told you I visit there on a regular basis. I do special programs with the kids."

"Special programs?"

"Yeah, you know, tell them what it's like to be in the Air Force, to fly jets, stuff like that."

"When was the last time you did that?"

"Christmas week."

"What did you talk to them about?"

"We made Christmas cards for troops stationed overseas. I had matched each of them with a penpal at the beginning of the school year and they were making cards and putting together care packages for their penpals."

"I see. Did you ever see any of those children outside the classroom?"

"Only Cassie and one of the boys, Jake Tyler."

"Why did you see Jake outside the classroom?"

"He lives across the street from me, he sometimes asks me to referee their street hockey games."

"And do you?"

"If I have time, yes."

"And have you ever had any children at your cabin?"

"No."

"Never, not even Cassandra?"

"No, never. When I go up to my cabin, I'm usually alone."

"When were you at your cabin last?"

"Last Sunday."

"And you were there alone?"

"Yes."

"Colonel, have you ever assaulted a child?"

"NO!" Jack practically yelled.

"Calm down Colonel, I had to ask. We're going to need a DNA sample from you. I'll arrange for it."

Steven spoke up. "Wait a minute - I don't think we're at the DNA stage yet detective. I'd like to see some hard evidence tying the Colonel to these activities before we do a DNA sample. You and I both know you don't have enough to get a warrant for that, so let's not waste our time."

"Fine, it can wait. I want to see his back."

"Why?" Steven asked.

"The last girl said she scratched her attacker several times on his back before she got away, and she had his skin under her fingernails. I want to see his back."

"Steven, let him see it." Jack said.

He tried to sit up, but couldn't so Daniel came over to help him. He sat him up, and then unbuttoned the snaps on the shoulder of the gown he was wearing to expose Jack's back. The detective looked carefully at his back.

"You've got a lot of scars Colonel."

"Yup."

"None of them look fresh enough to be from last week, but Colonel, don't leave town. You've got 24 hours to document your whereabouts on the dates in the court order. We'll talk again after that." With that, he left the room.

Jack let out a shaky breath, and Daniel moved over to stand next to the bed. "Jack, are you okay?"

"No, Daniel, I'm not okay. Do you hear his voice? He thinks I did this! I would never..." His voice broke and he couldn't continue to speak.

"I know Jack, we're going to figure this out. Just hang in there." The machine monitoring his blood pressure and oxygen level began beeping and Janet came in.

"Colonel, you need to put this mask back on, and take some deep breaths." She said looking at the readings on the monitor and sliding the mask back over his mouth and nose. "You're understandably upset, but your blood pressure and oxygen levels are very low and you need to calm down. Now take some slow deep breaths. I know it hurts, but breathe as deep as possible."

She stood by him monitoring his vital signs and didn't see any improvement. "Okay, everybody out. He needs to calm down, and that's not happening with you all standing here gawking at him. Out." They filed out and she leaned over Jack, stroking his hair back from his forehead as he closed his eyes. "It's okay Colonel, nice slow breaths. That's it."

When he had calmed down and his vitals looked stronger, she injected a mild sedative into his IV and he drifted off to sleep once more. She went out to the hallway.

"General, I would suggest that you guys go do whatever you need to do about that court order. He's going to be sleeping for the next couple of hours, and I don't want him getting that upset again."

"Dr. Jackson, why don't you stay here and I'll work on the dates. He shouldn't be alone when he wakes up. Major Carter just called to say she's on her way as well."

"Yes, sir. I have my cell phone if you need to reach me."

"Good. I'll be in touch."

*

Hammond looked at the mission log, matching it against the dates the detective had given him. There were five dates - September 12th, November 23rd, December 15th, January 18th and finally, March 10th, just last week. On three of the five dates, Jack was off duty, the fourth, he was on base, the fifth he was off-world. He remembered Jack hanging around the base that week of Thanksgiving. Daniel had been injured on a mission, and Jack didn't want to leave him alone. Besides that, the holidays were always difficult for Jack and so he preferred to stay on base. He was always the first to volunteer to be in command over the holidays, giving the General some time off to spend with his family. He knew that Jack hated the holidays ever since his son died, and he had no real family in the area, except his team.

This wasn't the result he was hoping for. Although it would have been a challenge to get around the classified nature of what Jack does for a living, at least he could have provided military support to the alibi, even without the details. This left three of the dates wide open, and no real way to prove his whereabouts on the day he was off-world. For that matter, he couldn't really prove he'd remained on base the week of Thanksgiving the entire time.

He sighed, and threw the mission log on his desk. Now what?

*

Jack moved in his sleep, and began thrashing around. Daniel put his hand on Jack's hand and tried to calm him. Jack jolted awake, startling Daniel.

"Jack, you okay?"

"Yeah, bad dream."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better. My chest doesn't hurt as much." He replied but didn't meet Daniel's eyes.

"Jack, look at me." He refused to turn his head and Daniel repeated it. "Jack, look at me."

Jack turned his head but didn't meet Daniel's eyes. Daniel put his hand under Jack's chin and forced him to look up. "I know, and everyone else knows, that you didn't do this. You have nothing to be ashamed of - you're innocent and we're going to help you prove it. Got it?"

"Yeah." He said unconvincingly.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Water please." Daniel poured a cup of water from the pitcher on his table and put a straw in it, handing it to Jack who took it with a shaky hand.

Janet came in, having noticed the change in his vitals on the nurse's station monitor that signaled he was awake. "Hi Colonel, how are you feeling?"

"A little better." He again refused to meet her eyes either. He wondered if she was having doubts about whether or not he'd done something to Cassie.

"Colonel, are you in pain?" She asked, since that was usually the reason he avoided her eyes.

"A little."

"Is that why you won't look at me?"

"I'm fine."

"Then look at me."

He slowly brought his eyes up to hers and he saw nothing but concern there. He looked surprised at what he saw there.

"What is it Colonel?"

"I guess I thought you might be worried that I'd done something to Cassie."

"Jack, I would never think that. The thought never even crossed my mind. In fact, Cassie's coming over here this afternoon, and she can't wait to see you."

"Really? You didn't tell her what's going on did you?" He asked, suddenly panicked.

"No. She sometimes meets me here so we can have dinner together when I work a double shift. But I told her you had an accident and were here. She should be here in an hour. I'll send her in when she gets here."

Jack looked visibly relieved. He relaxed against the pillow and closed his eyes.

"You must be hungry, I'll send in something for you."

"Thanks Doc, for everything."

"You bet. See you in a while."

*

As predicted, an hour later, Cassie bounded into the room. Daniel had gone to get a cup of coffee.

"Jack! Are you alright?" She asked as she came up beside his bed and took his hand in hers.

"I'm okay sweetie, just got a little banged up."

"How?"

"You know, work stuff."

"Yeah, I know, you can't tell me, it's classified. How bad are you hurt?"

"Not too bad, I broke a few ribs. Nothing serious."

"I see you cut your eye in that same spot again. How many times does that make?" She asked.

"I lost count honey, a long time ago." He said with a smile, feeling better than he had since this whole mess started last night. For the first time, Cassie noticed the policeman standing in the corner.

"What's he doing there?"

"Just looking out for me. It's okay." He could see she was getting nervous.

"Why? Are you in danger? Shouldn't Sam or Teal'c be here to protect you?" He chuckled to himself at her obvious omission of Daniel as a protector.

"Hey, it's okay, nothing to worry about. I'm fine, I'm not in any danger. I promise Cass."

"Okay." She conceded. "Want to play checkers?"

"Sure. Did you bring some?"

"No, but there's some in the rec room if no one's using them, I play with the other kids here sometimes. I'll go get them and be right back."

"Okay. I'll be right here." He said, smiling after her.

When she returned, she was followed by Janet. "Colonel, are you sure you're up for this?"

"It's just checkers, Doc. Just one game?" He whined.

"Okay, but when he gets tired Cassie, let him rest, got it?"

"Got it Mom." Janet kissed her daughter's head and left the room.

They played checkers for almost an hour while Jack nibbled on the sandwich Janet had brought him earlier. He wasn't really hungry, but knew Janet would want him to try and eat something. He started to feel tired, but didn't want to tell Cassie he needed to rest.

"Cass, I'm sorry to say that I think I'm gonna fall asleep on you."

"It's okay Jack, you sleep, I'll just sit right here and watch over you, like you watch over me. Okay?"

"Deal. I'm glad you came Cassie."

"Me too."

Jack turned his head and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. Cassie curled up on the chair next to his bed and opened a book from her bag. It would be almost an hour before her Mom would be ready for her dinner break.

*

Daniel and Sam had watched Jack with Cassie through the window for a few minutes, glad to see the Colonel looking a little less lost. They moved to the waiting area to talk.

"Daniel, what do you think the chances are that this will go any further? I mean, what if they find enough circumstantial evidence to go to trial?"

"I don't think it'll come to that Sam, but you know that even if it doesn't, Jack will be living with this accusation for a long time. You know people who get accused of stuff like this, even when they didn't do it, it forever changes the way people look at them."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The general said they mentioned wanting a DNA test, and his lawyer said no. Wouldn't that be the quickest way to exonerate him?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but his lawyer must have a reason for not doing that. I'll mention it to Jack when he's feeling better.

"He looks pretty wiped. He hadn't slept that whole last day and night we were on P3X-386, and then he was at the police station all night. He must be exhausted."

"Yeah, and you know he's worried that people will believe what they're accusing him of. Anyone that knows him would never believe it, it's the people who don't know him that will be a problem."

"Well, we'll just have to be there for him until they find the real guy and it's all over." Sam concluded.

"Right."

*

The next day, General Hammond reported the results of his match to Jack "I'm sorry it didn't exonerate you, son. I had hoped we would be able to give you an alibi for all the dates."

"It's okay General, at least two of the dates are covered. Where are you going to say I was last week? You can't tell them where I really was." Jack said quietly looking towards the policeman in the corner.

"No, I'm going to tell him you were on a classified mission, out of the country. It's the truth, you were out of the country."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry about all this, General. I'm sorry I've put you in the position of having to defend me."

"You have nothing to be sorry about Colonel, you didn't do anything wrong. Stay strong Jack, we'll work this out." He said, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Thanks sir."

"Oh, I got your calendar from your desk so you could figure out where you were on the other dates."

"Good. That will help."

Janet came into the room. "Hello sirs. How are you doing today Colonel?"

"Much better."

"I think we'll be able to take the chest tube out today. Your lung reinflated itself, so I think you'll be fine to take the tube out. I want to take some new x-rays first and then if they look good we'll take it out this afternoon."

"Okay."

"Good. I'll be back."

*

That afternoon, as promised, Detective Collins made his appearance to get the information he wanted about the Colonel's whereabouts on the five dates. He had called ahead knowing that Jack would not talk to him without his lawyer present. Steven was there when he arrived.

"So Colonel, what's the result of your mission log?"

"Well, on March 10th, as I told you, I was out of the country. On November 23rd, I was on base. On December 12th, I was at home, I had twisted my knee on a mission and I was on crutches for that week and the week after. The other two dates, December 15th , I was off duty, and September 18th, I was at my cabin."

"Really. Was anyone there with you?"

"No, I was alone."

"No one saw you coming or going? No stopping for supplies or anything?"

"No."

"I'm going to need to see your medical records from December to verify the knee thing, and I need to know where you were last week."

"I can't tell you where I was, it's classified."

"Well Colonel, until you can tell me where you were, you are our one and only suspect. You're going to have to come up with better than this. I'll be back."

"Detective, give me a minute with Steve here, but don't leave."

"Sure, I'll be outside."

After he left, Jack turned to Steven and asked: "Why can't I just give them a DNA sample and end this? I don't know how many more times I can look in that man's eyes - he thinks I'm a pedophile."

"Jack, you run the risk that they're going to find something."

"How can they if I don't even know those kids?"

"It's your choice Jack. I think it's risky."

"I want to do it. Make it happen."

Steve called the detective back in the room and told him what Jack wanted to do. He was surprised. Would a man who had done it be willing to have his DNA tested?

"Okay Colonel, I'll go call the tech from the station, he can be here in an hour."

"Fine."

*

Later that day, Janet came into Jack's room to give him the results of his x-rays and to remove the chest tube. "Hi Colonel, good news, the chest tube can come out."

"Good."

There was a soft knock on the door and a man popped his head in. "This Jack O'Neill's room?"

"Yeah, come on in." The man came into the room and put a small metal suitcase on the bedside table.

"Sir, what's going on?"

"I'm letting them do a DNA sample so I can clear myself."

"Sir, I thought your lawyer advised you against that?"

"Yeah, well I can't prove where I was on all the dates, and I need for this to be over."

"I understand, sir."

"Will you stay while he does it?"

"Of course."

The man directed him to open his mouth so he could swab the inside of his cheek. "I need a skin sample, sir. I'm just going to scrape a little off of your forearm, it won't hurt."

"Go ahead, I'm tough."

In just a few minutes, the samples were complete and the man left to deliver the samples to the police lab. Jack hoped this would be the end of this mess and prove his innocence. It would take several days to get the preliminary results. He would just have to be patient.

*

The following day, Janet pronounced Jack well enough to go home, and sent him home with strict instructions to rest and take his medication. "And stay off that knee. Got it mister?"

"Yes M'am!" Jack said as he saluted her.

Daniel drove him home and helped him get settled. "Do you want me to stay for a while?"

"No thanks Daniel, I'm just gonna watch a hockey game and relax. I'll be fine."

"Okay, call me if you need me, I'm only 10 minutes away. Take it easy, okay?"

"Yes Mom. Go on, I'm fine."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

About two hours after Daniel left, the doorbell rang. Jack stood slowly from the couch, and using the cane, walked slowly to the front door. When he opened the door, Jake Tyler and his mother were standing in the doorway.

"Mrs. Tyler, Jake, how 'ya doin'?" He said in an upbeat voice, but he had a pit in his stomach. Had they heard what happened?

"Fine Jack. I see you got hurt, are you alright?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, I might be old but I'm tough." Jack said, and Jake giggled.

"Can I go up on the deck and look through the telescope?" He asked Jack.

"If it's okay with your Mom, sure."

"Can I Mom?"

"Go ahead, be careful on the ladder." Jake scrambled around his mother to go to the back yard.

"So Mrs. Tyler, what can I do for you?"

"Colonel, we heard what they're accusing you of, and we wanted you to know that we don't believe it. Jake's told me how good you've been to him and his class. I've seen you with the kids playing hockey, I know you could never do this. I just wanted to tell you that."

"Mrs. Tyler, you have no idea how much that means to me. I was afraid that even though it wasn't true that people would start to wonder about me anyway. It means a lot to me that you don't believe it. I really do love kids, and not the way the police are insinuating." He trailed off and then noticed she was still standing on the porch. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure, but please call me Dana. I know Jake will have a fit if I don't give him at least 15 minutes to use the telescope. Do you need help?"

"No, I'm alright."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you?"

"Well, I twisted my knee at work just before the police showed up, and then some guys in the holding cell decided to teach me a lesson."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't do it." He said with a smile.

"True. So how long will you be out of work?"

"Oh, if Doc has her way, about four weeks. If I get my way, which I never do, about 3."

She laughed at the mischievous smile he had on his face. "I bet you give your doctor a run for her money, don't you?"

"I'm sure she'd agree with that." He said smiling.

"Jake and I were just going to pick up a pizza, would you like us to bring you back something?"

"Pizza? Oh, you have no idea how good a piece of pizza sounds right now. That hospital food is horrible. Why don't you let me order a pizza and have it delivered here, it'll give Jake a little more time on the roof."

"Okay. Do you need the phone number?"

"Oh no, it's on the speed dial." He laughed as he rose to get the phone. "Agh!" He got up too fast and the pain in his ribs flared.

"Hey, are you alright?" Dana asked.

"Yeah, I just got up too fast, I'm alright." He said through clenched teeth as he leaned on the arm of the chair.

"Why don't you sit down, Colonel."

"Only if you call me Jack."

"Okay Jack, sit down before you fall down." She said seriously.

He sat back down, and took a minute to take some slow breaths. She stood next to him with her hand on his back while he tried to get his breathing under control and dull the pain.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks." He said when he thought he could trust his voice.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm alright, it's my first day home."

She was taking his wrist to check his pulse. "I have my stethoscope and blood pressure cuff ay my house, I can go get it and make sure you're okay."

"You're a doctor?"

"No, a nurse at Academy Hospital. So should I go get them?"

"No, please don't. I'm fine."

"What kind of injury did you have Jack? If I'm prying, please just say so."

"No, it's okay. I broke a few ribs and my lung collapsed. The chest tube came out a few days ago. I browbeat Doc into letting me go home today, she wanted me to stay until tomorrow. I think she was secretly kinda glad to get rid of me." He said with a weak smile. Dana laughed, imagining how he'd be as a patient.

"Well, you just sit here a rest a minute, and I'll order the pizza, where's the phone?"

"Around the corner in the kitchen. It's #1 on the speed dial."

"Figures - typical man, pizza is the most important thing in his life..." She chuckled.

After she'd ordered the pizza, she came back into the living room and sat on the couch across from the chair where Jack was sitting. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. So Dana, now it's my turn to ask a question and you can tell me if I'm prying. Jake never mentioned his Dad. Are you married?"

"I was, Jake's dad died when he was a year old. I've been raising him by myself ever since."

"I'm sorry. You certainly know what you're doing, he's a great kid."

"Thanks. How about you?"

"Divorced"

"Is that your son's picture on the mantle?"

"Yeah, Charlie, he died about four years ago when he was 10."

"I'm sorry Jack. I didn't know."

"It's okay, it's why Sarah and I got divorced."

"Losing a child is difficult."

"That's an understatement." He hesitated, and then decided to tell her the whole truth. "He accidentally shot himself with my gun, in our house." He finished as he looked down.

"Jack, I'm so sorry." Dana said.

"It's okay, I made my peace with it, I'll never really forgive myself, but I can forget sometimes. Jake kinda reminds me of Charlie a little. Same outgoing personality. I hope you don't mind that I play hockey with him when I'm home."

"Mind? Jack, you're all he talks about. You've been great for him. He hasn't had a male role model since my Dad moved to California a few years ago. He loves spending time with you. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I overheard you guys talking on the steps a few weeks ago. You're really good with him Jack. He trusts you, and Jake doesn't trust people easily."

"A man after my own heart..." Jack chuckled.

"Anyway, you can spend time with him anytime you want. I want him to have strong male role models in his life. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I hate to ask, but what are you going to do about this thing with the police? They can't possibly have any hard evidence."

"No, everything they have is circumstantial, but because a lot of my work is classified, I can't document my whereabouts on a couple of the dates, and on the others, I was at my cabin by myself. Not exactly airtight alibis. I gave them a DNA sample yesterday to clear it up once and for all. The scary part is that someone is taking kids from Jake's school, and they'll do it again."

"You're right. And unless they clear you, they're not looking for anyone else, they think they've got their man."

"Right, that's why I gave them the DNA sample even though my lawyer advised me against it. I want them to clear me so they can look for the real guy before he hurts another child."

"I hope they do."

Just then, the doorbell rang and Dana got up to answer the door, waving for Jack to stay where he was. She paid for the pizza and came back inside. She put the two boxes on the table.

"Well, I've taken enough of your time, I should let you rest. I'll go get Jake."

"Nonsense, I've been doing nothing but resting for the last few days. Why don't you guys eat with me? I've got soda in the fridge, or milk for Jake if you prefer. What do you say?"

"Are you sure you're not too tired? You still look pale."

"I'm sure, you can call Jake from the back door there. I'll get the drinks." He started to get up and she put an arm on his elbow to help him stand.

"I could have gotten the drinks you know..."

"I know, but I can't sit here forever, I need to move around a little. Go on, I'll get the drinks and some plates. Meet you in the kitchen." Jack said, picking up the pizzas and headed for the kitchen.

For over an hour, they talked about astronomy, Jake asked questions about jets, and Jack told stories about flying.

"Do you still fly?" Dana asked.

"Once in a while. I tested a few experimental aircraft last year."

"Really? What kind?" Jake asked anxiously.

"Can't tell you - it's classified."

"What's classified mean?" Jake asked.

"Secret, only for me to know."

"Oh. Cool."

"Anybody want more soda?" Jack asked.

"No thanks, we've both had enough. We should get going, Jake needs to get cleaned up and get to bed. Jake, you've got pizza all over your face, why don't you go wash it." He jumped down from the stool and headed down the hallway where Jack pointed.

When he had gone, Jack got serious. "Dana, thank you for tonight. My friends at work have been telling me that no one would believe what the police are saying I did, but they're my friends, they have to say that. Anyway, thanks, I really needed this."

"You're welcome Jack. I hope you'll consider Jake and I your friends."

"I do." Jack started to stand to clear the table and as he stood, Dana's eyes widened.

"Jack, there's blood on your shirt. Sit down." She said, rising to stand near his stool and putting her hand on his shoulder guiding him back into the stool he was sitting on.

"May I?" She asked pointing at his shirt.

"Sure." She lifted his shirt. The bandage covering the sight of his chest tube was soaked with blood. "Oh boy, I think your chest tube wound opened up. Do you have a first aid kit in the house?"

"Yeah, in the closet right behind you." She reached into the closet and found the first aid kit, taking a sterile gauze pad out of the package.

"I'm going to have to take the bandage off, can you lean back a little?"

He leaned back and she peeled the bandage off as gently as possible, but it stuck a little, and he drew in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry Jack."

"It's okay." Jake came back into the kitchen and was shocked to see the blood soaked bandage.

"What's wrong Mom?"

"Jake, honey, go in the living room, okay? Jack's bleeding a little and I need to fix him up."

"I want to stay."

"Jake, do as your Mom says." Jack said, and the boy turned to go into the living room.

She pressed the gauze pad to the wound. Jack winced a little, but tried not to let on that it hurt.

"Jack, you don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt. I can see that the spot where your ribs are broken is right near here." She continued to press on the wound and when she was sure the bleeding had stopped, she pulled it away to assess the damage.

"It looks like a small part opened up again. I'm going to put some sterry strips on it, that should hold it together. You should call your doctor; it doesn't look infected, but that can change quickly." She cleaned up the blood around it, put the strips on it, and covered it with a clean bandage. "There, good as new. Are you dizzy or lightheaded?"

"No."

"I think you're fine, but I'd like to check your blood pressure before I go. Sometimes it can get very low when you've lost blood. I'll be right back." She went across the street to her house to get her blood pressure cuff and was back in a few minutes. She checked it and although it was a little low, it was still within the acceptable range. "A little low, why don't you call your doctor tonight, and tell her what the reading was, I'll write it down for you. See what she wants you to do."

"Okay. Thanks, again. You seem to be helping me out a lot tonight."

"You're welcome. I'm going to leave my phone number with you, if anything happens and you need help, please don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Jake, let's go buddy, Jack needs to get some rest."

"Are you okay, Jack?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Jake, just sprung a little leak." He smiled at the boy.

"Thanks, I had fun tonight." The boy said.

"Me too." Jack responded.

"Goodnight Jack, and take it easy on those ribs." Dana said.

"I will, thanks again."

"It was my pleasure." She said as she was leaving.

*

Jack picked up the phone and dialed the base, asking for Dr. Frasier when the operator answered. In a minute, he heard her voice on the phone.

"Doc, it's O'Neill."

"Colonel, is everything alright?"

"Um, I think so, but the incision from the chest tube opened up a little and it was bleeding."

"Was? So it's stopped now?"

"Yeah, my neighbor is a nurse and she stopped the bleeding and put a new dressing on it. She said I should call you."

"She was right - how much blood was there?"

"The dressing was soaked through and there was some on my shirt."

"Do you feel lightheaded or dizzy?"

"No, but she said my blood pressure was a little low." He read her the numbers Dana had written down.

"Okay, how about if I stop by on my way home, in about an hour?"

"You really don't need to doc, it's not really bleeding anymore, and it doesn't hurt or anything, it can probably wait until tomorrow."

"I'd feel better if I looked at it tonight, it might need a few stitches. I want to recheck your blood pressure too. About an hour?"

"I'll be here." He hung up the phone and went into the living room to wait for her, promptly falling asleep.

*

Janet rang the bell three times, getting no response, now she was worried. Had he passed out? She started to go around the back when a woman approached her.

"Dr. Frasier, is everything alright with Jack?"

"Dana! I don't know, I've rung to doorbell three times already. Are you his neighbor? The nurse he said helped him earlier tonight?"

"Yes, he never told me the name of his doctor, if I'd known it was you I would have called you myself."

"Well, the Colonel called me and I told him I'd be here in an hour and now he's not answering. I'm worried he's passed out or something. Do you know if he keeps a spare key nearby?"

"I don't know. Let's go around back. My son Jake came in the back door when we were here earlier, maybe he forgot to lock it."

They went around the back and tried the back door. It was unlocked and Janet led the way in to the house, calling Jack's name.

"Colonel? Colonel O'Neill?"

She came around the corner from the kitchen into the living room, and saw him sacked out on the couch. She quickly moved to his side and shook him. He was normally such a light sleeper, he would not have slept through the bell.

"Colonel, can you hear me? Colonel O'Neill!" After shaking him several times, he finally began to stir. "Colonel, open your eyes."

After a long pause, he turned his head towards her and opened his eyes slowly.

"Doc?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's going on? I couldn't wake you."

"Just fell asleep." He said groggily.

"Sir, you were a lot more than asleep. I'm going to check your blood pressure, just lay still." She reached into her bag and took out her blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. She put it around his upper arm, and inflated it while she put the stethoscope under the edge at the crook in his arm.

"Wow, it's very low. Sir, we need to get you sitting up." Dana came over and helped her to get him sitting up.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He said, noticing Dana for the first time.

"I saw Dr. Frasier ringing the bell and I got worried, so I came over." Turning to Dr. Frasier, she said: "His blood pressure was a little low an hour ago, it certainly took a nose dive. I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't think it was at a level to cause concern."

"Don't be sorry, I didn't think it was either, that's why I waited until my shift was over to stop by." While they were talking, they were getting Jack sitting up and propping him up with pillows from the couch.

"Sir, I'm just going to check your incision." She put on a pair of gloves and lifted his shirt and saw the bandage had a little blood on it, but not a worrisome amount. She peeled away the bandage and pressed around the edges of the incision.

"I think you need a few stitches sir, it's in an awkward place that stretches every time you move your upper body. I think we should take you back to the hospital."

"Doc, please, can't you do them here?"

"Colonel, it's not just the stitches, I'm worried about your blood pressure too. If it's not back to a normal level within about 30 minutes, you're going back whether you like it or not."

"Okay, okay. But do the stitches here and see if my blood pressure comes up. Okay?"

"You are going to be the death of me, Colonel."

"Thanks Doc."

"Dana, could you give me a hand?"

"Sure." She reached into Janet's bag and got out all the things they would need to do the stitches, and set them up on the coffee table. While Janet was doing the stitches, Dana was checking his blood pressure every 5 minutes. After each check, Janet looked at her, and Dana shook her head to indicate that it was still too low.

"Colonel, stay still."

"Sorry. It hurts."

"I know, the local only dulls the pain. Try to stay still, we're almost done."

Within 15 minutes, she had the stitches in, and a new bandage over the sight. Dana checked his blood pressure once more and found it had gone up a little.

"His BP is coming up a little."

"Okay, let's give it a little longer. Colonel, are you dizzy?" Janet asked, noticing him closing his eyes.

"No." he said unconvincingly.

"Colonel, are you telling me the truth?"

"Okay, maybe I'm a little dizzy."

"Why can't you ever tell me the truth the first time I ask?" She asked him, smiling.

"I like to test your powers of perception."

"Yeah well, lucky for you, mine are strong."

"Yeah, I guess I am lucky." He smiled back at her.

After ten more minutes, Dana checked his blood pressure once more and found that it a little better.

"Well Colonel, you're blood pressure is better, but I'd still like you to come back to the hospital so we can keep an eye on you tonight."

"Doc, I'm fine, I feel better, not dizzy anymore. Please, I really don't want to go back."

"I know Colonel, but you really should be monitored tonight. You're blood pressure was dangerously low, you were very close to unconscious when we got here. I could call General Hammond and he could make it an order, please don't make me do that."

"You play dirty, doc."

"Whatever it takes sir."

"Okay, you win. Let me get my shoes on and put on a less bloody shirt. I'll be right back."

"Jack, let me go get you a shirt - you shouldn't be going up the stairs when you're dizzy. Which room is your bedroom and where are your shirts?" Dana asked.

Knowing he wasn't going to win, he didn't bother to argue, and said with a sigh, "Last room on the right, and they're in the top drawer."

In a minute, she was back with a clean t-shirt which Janet helped him change into. He sat back down to put his shoes on and found he couldn't bend over to tie them. Dana quickly moved in to help. "Well, this is humiliating. We've just become friends and you're already having to tie my shoes for me." He said, blushing in embarrassment of how helpless he seemed at the moment.

"Hey, what are friends for?" She said, smiling up at him.

With that, Janet piled him into her car, and Dana locked the door behind her. "Take care Jack. I'm working tomorrow morning, I'll stop by to see how you're doing."

"Thanks again Dana. I'm sorry I was so much trouble tonight."

"Yeah, well when you're better, you owe me dinner."

"Deal."

*

Jack spent the night in the hospital. His blood pressure remained slightly low, and Janet had to give him some medication to get it to stay in the normal range. The blood loss and low BP had wiped him out and he had slept most of the time since he'd been admitted.

Dana had stopped by to check on him and found him sleeping. He looked so relaxed in sleep, and younger. Not that he was that old, but he had a boyish look to his face in sleep. She stood watching him for a minute, thinking about this new friend. He had a great mischievous smile and twinkle in his eye, all part of a ruggedly handsome face, good looks which he seemed to be totally unaware of. But sometimes, she could see the hurt and sadness behind that smile, probably the result of what had happened to his son. He seemed to really come alive when he interacted with children. He must have been a great Dad.

When he didn't wake, she left his room, promising herself she would check on him before the end of her shift if he hadn't been released. Two hours later, Dana made good on her promise and stopped by to visit Jack.

"Hey, how are you doing?" She asked him when she saw he was awake. He had a tray of food in front of him and he was picking at it, as if it was poisonous.

"Better, thanks."

"You look better, not so pale. Food's not too appealing though, huh?"

"No, can't say that it is."

"I hear Dr. Frasier's going to spring you this afternoon. Think you can manage to stay out for more than 12 hours this time?" She said with a smile.

"I certainly hope so. How's Jake? I didn't scare him last night with the blood, did I?"

"No, he asked me if you were okay when we got home, and he made me explain all the details of a chest tube. I think he's going to be a doctor when he grows up."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it? He can support you when you're old." They both laughed.

Dana stayed with him for her whole lunch hour, and then had to go back to work. She promised to stop by with Jake later. Besides, she'd made a secret deal with Janet to keep an eye on him. Not that it would be much of a hardship, she really liked Jack. He was fun to be around, and Jake loved him.

*

Jack was released from the hospital that afternoon, and went home with strict orders to rest. Janet didn't trust him alone, and so she sent Daniel home with him.

About six o'clock, the doorbell rang. Daniel and Jack had just finished dinner and were planning on watching a hockey game - not that Daniel particularly like hockey, but it was growing on him. Daniel answered the door, and was surprised to see a woman standing there.

"Um hi, can I help you?" He asked.

"Hi, I'm Dana, Jack's neighbor, I just came by to see if he was okay."

"Daniel, let the lady in!" Jack called from the sunken living room.

Dana came into the living room with a smile on her face, followed by Daniel.

"Daniel, I'd like you to meet Dana Tyler, my friend and neighbor. Dana, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, a member of my team, and my best friend."

"Dr? You're a doctor?"

"Of archeology and language."

"Oh, how interesting. How many languages do you speak?"

"Oh, I don't know, lots." Daniel said vaguely.

"27 at last count. He's a genius." Jack added.

"Jack, please."

"Daniel, don't be so shy, you're a smart guy, you shouldn't be ashamed of that." Dana was just sitting there laughing at the exchange between the two of them. It was obvious they were very comfortable with each other.

"Okay, great. So Dana, would you like something to drink?" Daniel said trying to change the subject.

"I'd love a soda Daniel." She answered laughing.

When Daniel had left the room, Dana sat down across from Jack. "So, how are you really feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"How about if I check your blood pressure just for the hell of it?"

"Janet put you up to this didn't she?"

"Not the visit, just the blood pressure. So what do you say?"

"Fine, do your stuff, Nurse Dana." She reached into her bag and took out the cuff and stethoscope. She came over to sit next to him and was in the middle when Daniel came back into the room.

"Hey, everything alright?"

"Yup, just another of Janet's spies." Jack said with a smile.

"Ah. I see."

"Very good, Jack. Back to normal. Now I can just visit."

"Good. Hey, where's Jake?"

"Oh, he tossed you aside for a chance to go to the batting cages with his friends. Sorry..."

"That's okay, that's what he should be doing."

"Hey look, the game's coming on." Dana said excitedly.

"Don't tell me you're a hockey fan??" Daniel asked.

"Fan? I'm a fanatic!"

"Oh Lord." Daniel said rolling his eyes.

"You are? That's fantastic!" Jack said.

"Jack, she's the perfect woman. She can take care of you after your countless 'accidents' and she loves hockey. She's your dream woman." Daniel said with a chuckle, and they both joined him in laughter.

With the game on in the background, the three of them talked for several hours until Dana's cell phone rang. It was Jake telling her he was on the way home.

"Well, mother duty calls, I better be going, he doesn't have his keys, as usual. This was fun, we'll have to do it again. Jack, take it easy, and you have my number if you need anything, okay?"

"You bet. I had fun too."

Daniel waved for Jack to stay where he was that he would walk Dana out. When they reached the door, Daniel shook her hand.

"It was nice to meet you Dana. I'm glad you and Jack are becoming friends, he could use a friend who isn't someone he works with. And spending time with Jake has really made him happy."

"Well, I'm glad I can be that friend. It was nice to meet you, too, Daniel." With that she left, walking across the street to her own house. Yup, she was good for Jack, maybe something would come of it.

*

Two days later, Jack got the call he'd been waiting for from Detective Collins. He called Steven and asked him to meet him at his house that the detective had the results of the DNA test. An hour later, the three of them were sitting in Jack's living room.

"Colonel, I'm glad to see you looking better."

"Thanks." Jack said, anxious for him to get to the point. "So, you have the results?"

"Yes, they're negative, no match."

Jack visibly relaxed and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Colonel, I'm sorry to have put you through this. I've talked to a lot of people about you over the last several days, and it's reminded me there are still good people in this world, and people who can be strong role models for kids. I'm sorry to have cast doubt on your character, sir. I hope you can understand why we had to do this."

"Detective, I won't say I'm not angry about what happened, the way I was treated in your custody." The detective had the grace to look embarrassed. "I'm disgusted by what you thought I did, and the look in your eyes when you were asking me those questions will haunt me for a long time to come. But, I know that child molestation cases must be very difficult to handle from your perspective, and I understand why you had to follow it through. Having said that, I hope you'll get back to finding the guy who really did it before he hurts another child."

"Colonel, you're a very understanding man, I'm not sure I could do the same in your shoes. Look, I've asked Cassandra's teacher to get the parents and kids of her class together tomorrow afternoon right after school, so that I could tell them myself you had nothing to do with this. You're welcome to be there if you like, if you're up to it."

"I'll think about that. Thank you." Jack said with a tight smile.

"I've taken enough of your time. Again, I'm sorry for putting you through that, and I hope someday you can forgive me."

Jack rose to stand in front of the man. "Detective, don't let this eat you up, you were doing what you thought was right. There's no forgiveness necessary, just find the guy who's doing this." Jack held out his hand to the man, who took it in surprise.

"Thank you, Colonel. You're a good man." He finished shaking Jack's hand and left the house.

*

The following day, Jack drove up to Kennedy Elementary School, stopped across the street, and shut off the engine. He had struggled with himself all day about whether to come. In the end, he decided he needed to see the faces of the kids and parents to know if this was really over. He slowly got out of the truck, leaning heavily on the cane, and stopping for a minute to catch his breath before going into the room. He still got winded easily and had to stop a few times on the way to the room.

He straightened himself, not wanting to look pathetic, and walked in to the room, and the detective was standing in front, when she saw Jack, he smiled. He had hoped Jack would decide to come.

The detective started by saying: "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure most of you have heard that several girls from this school were assaulted in the last few weeks. We took the descriptions from the girls, and from that, thought we had a suspect. Colonel Jack O'Neill, who I'm sure you all know, was that man. We were wrong, dead wrong. Colonel O'Neill willingly took a DNA test to prove that and I wanted to be sure you all knew that. As I conducted my investigation, I heard nothing but what a stand-up guy he is, how much he gives to this school, and what a man of integrity he is. I have already apologized to him in private for casting doubt on his character, and wanted you to hear it as well." He walked over to stand near Jack, and again apologized to him.

"Thank you, detective, that means a lot to me. Now, you can stop apologizing to me and find the guy who really did it." Jack said with a smile.

"Deal, sir." They shook hands and Jack turned towards the class, leaning on the edge of the teacher's desk. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand there unaided.

"Do any of you have any questions?" He asked the kids.

"Colonel, why is someone hurting kids?" It was Michael, one of Cassandra's friends.

"I don't know Mike. No one ever really knows why someone would do something like that. You just all need to be careful when you leave school. Stay away from cars you don't know, and people you don't know. I know most of you walk home, so when you do, try to stay together. If someone does approach you, run to the nearest house and yell as loud as you can. The person doing this doesn't want to attract attention, so the more noise you make, the more likely he'll just take off."

"Did you get arrested?" another boy asked.

"No, they were just asking me some questions." Jack answered.

"My Mom saw you go in the police car with handcuffs. Doesn't that mean you're arrested?"

Detective Collins took that one. "The police have certain things they have to do, as a precaution, when we ask someone to come in for questioning, that includes putting handcuffs on them. The Colonel was never under arrest, he just answered some questions, which he did very willingly. It's obvious to me now that he really cares about you guys. I know it's hard to do, but you should just forget this ever happened, he didn't do anything, and we have evidence to prove that now."

"What kind of evidence?" Cassie asked.

"DNA results. You remember that project you guys did earlier in the year and we talked about DNA being the building blocks of your body? Well, they tested my DNA against the DNA evidence from one of the crimes, and they didn't match, so it means it wasn't me."

She seemed satisfied with that, but Jack could see she was going to get more out of him later. The wheels were turning, and she would want to know what kind of stuff they had from the crime scene to match his DNA against. She was an incredibly bright child, and she would want all the details.

"How did he hurt them?" One of the girls asked quietly.

Jack considered her question for a moment. Before he launched into an answer, he wanted to make sure he wasn't giving more than she was asking. "What do you mean Kayla?"

"I mean, did he kill them?"

"No, honey, he didn't kill them, they're okay now." Jack was trying not to tell her more than he needed to, but he could see she wasn't satisfied with that. The teacher jumped in.

"Kayla, are you asking if he touched them in places where no one should touch you, like we talked about last week?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, he did." She had talked to the detective at length before today so she'd be prepared to answer questions from the kids. They might only be 11 years old, but they were perceptive little buggers, they knew when you weren't telling them everything.

Jack walked over to Kayla's desk and sat at an empty desk beside her, putting a hand on her arm. "Hey, you don't have to be scared. You guys need to stick together, there's strength in numbers, and you can all protect each other. You can do that, can't you?" He stood slowly stretching his knee, leaning on the cane, and moved back to the front of the class and continued. "Remember when I told you about my team at work, how we protect each other and watch out for each other? Well, that's what you guys are, you're a team. And together, you can do anything. Who's got an idea about how we protect each other?" Jack was looking to the kids to come up with solutions. He knew that the more they felt a part of what was going on, the safer they'd feel.

"I know, we can make smaller teams of kids that live near each other so no one walks home alone!" Jake shouted out.

"Yes, Jake, my man, now you're thinking!" Jack said. "Who else has an idea?"

"We could carpool - some of the moms pick up kids after school so that means the others would be walking home alone. If we carpool, then no one will be alone."

"Another fabulous idea. Moms and Dads, you've got some smart kids here." Jack said to the parents, who were smiling at the interaction between the Colonel and their children, and the biggest smile in the group was Dana's. He spent an hour with the kids and their parents after the detective left, and by the time they left, they had a plan of action so that no child would ever walk out of the school alone. Jack hadn't felt this good in weeks.

*

Two weeks later, Jack was cleared for light duty. He'd been spending most of the last two weeks at home, meeting Dana now and then for coffee, and for dinner a few nights. They'd kept it low key, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Jack hadn't even told Daniel. He was meeting Dana tonight and wanted to tell her he was going back to work. They met at a small restaurant not far from their house.

"Well, Doc cleared me to go back to light duty tomorrow."

"That's great, Jack. Are you happy?"

"I guess."

"You sound really convincing..."

"I'm glad to be going back to work, but it means I won't get to spend as much time with you. I'm out of town a lot when I'm on active duty."

"Well, that stinks. But, hey, we'll make the time. Unless of course you don't want to continue seeing each other..." She finished uncertainly.

"No, no, it's not that at all. It's just that I'm away a lot, and my job is kind of dangerous, so I want to be sure you're prepared for that."

"Deep space telemetry is dangerous, huh? Or is it the experimental aircraft part?" She was teasing now, she knew that the deep space telemetry thing was a cover story for classified work, she just liked to tease him.

"Very funny. Look, if you want to walk away, I won't hold it against you. I'm sometimes gone for a long time, and I know from experience that gets old, fast. And, I'll almost never be able to tell you where I am. I won't blame you if you want to spend time with someone with a more normal schedule, a more normal life."

"Jack, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, absolutely not, I just want to give you an out, if you want one that is..."

"Well, I don't. I can't say that I won't worry about you, but I'd like to give this a try. What do you say?"

"I say, yes. I'd like to give it a try too." He said, giving her a gentle kiss across the table.

*

Well, 2 months later, they were still trying it out, and it was great. The phone rang in his office, and he answered it on the first ring.

"Jack, Jake's missing." Jack hadn't even said hello before Dana started talking.

"What do you mean he's missing?" Jack asked.

"He didn't come home from school with the rest of the kids and they said they couldn't find him after school. I called the school and they said he wasn't there. Oh god Jack, they never found the guys who stole those girls, what if he has Jake??"

"Okay, calm down. I'm leaving the base now, I'll be at the school in 15 minutes. Have you called the police?"

"Yes."

"Okay, stay put in case he comes home, I'll check all his regular spots. Call me on my cell phone if you hear anything."

Jack rushed from his office, bumping into Hammond on his way out. "Colonel, what's the rush?"

"Sorry sir, I just got a call from Dana that Jake didn't come home from school today, he's missing. Sir, I need to go, I hope that's okay."

"Of course, son, do you need help?"

"I'm going to see if Daniel can come along and help me look for him."

"Go."

"Thank you sir." Jack said as he rushed towards Daniel's office. When he reached it, he tore into the office, without knocking, making Daniel nearly jump out of his skin.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"It's Jake, he's missing. I need your help, come on."

Without saying another word, Daniel followed him out of the office. On the way up to the surface, they made plans as to where each of them would search. They made sure they both had their cell phones and promised to stay in touch.

Within in 10 minutes, they were both on their way to their search areas, and Jack was on the phone with Dana.

"Have you heard from him?"

"No. Jack, I can't just sit here. I have to do something."

"I know it's hard sweetie, but you've got to be there in case he calls or something, Daniel and I are looking for him now, we'll find him." He promised, hoping he could keep that promise.

"Hurry Jack, please."

"We'll find him." He promised once more as he hung up.

For more than an hour, Jack and Daniel drove around the neighborhood, calling Jake's name and asking questions. Jack was about to call Dana for an update when he saw something odd. He looked up at the woods behind his house, a place he often went hiking, and saw smoke coming from a chimney in the woods. There were no houses up there, just an old boarded up cabin. It couldn't be, would the person taking kids be bringing them somewhere so close to their homes? It was worth a look.

Jack called Daniel to report what he'd seen and gave him directions to the house, asking him to meet him there. It only took about 15 minutes for Jack to reach the house, but he knew Daniel would be at least 10 minutes behind based on where he was when they talked. As Jack approached the house, he saw a truck much like his own parked in front of the old abandoned cabin. He immediately called Detective Collins to tell him what he'd found. He advised Jack to stay put, which Jack promptly ignored. Jack had no intention of doing that when god knows what was happening to Jake inside.

He got close to the house and then ducked so he could peek in the window without being seen. As he looked in, he could see Jake sitting in the corner hugging his knees to his chest. He looked okay, but terrified. He tried to get a view of whoever else was in the room, but from the angle of the window, he couldn't see anything. He had to get to the other side of the house for a better view of the room. As quietly as possible, he crept around the other side of the house and peeked in a window on the opposite side. That's when he saw him. A man that could be his brother - same hair, same build, but taller, and a bit heavier - but with an evil look in his eye. No wonder they'd thought it was him, he fit the description perfectly.

The man was approaching Jake. Oh god, I've got to stop him. He purposely made noise outside the window to draw the man away, and it worked. He looked towards the window and Jack purposely moved slowly so he'd see him.

The man immediately raced out to the front of the house, and Jack raced towards the same spot. He hadn't seen a weapon, but that didn't mean he didn't have one. Jack's heart was hammering in his chest. He'd faced the G'ould a million times, but this was terrifying. Just as Jack reached the corner of the house, the man came out the door.

Jack ran around the corner of the house, tackling the man to the ground. He was bigger than Jack, and he used his weight to get out from under Jack. Jack got to his feet quickly, not wanting him to get the advantage. Suddenly, the man lunged at Jack slamming into his shoulder. They rolled around on the ground, the larger man gaining the upper hand only briefly by slamming his fist into Jack's collarbone. It wasn't long before Jack used his training to force him to the ground, with his arm twisted up behind his back. He was bigger, but less agile than Jack. He pressed his knee into the base of the man's neck, effectively immobilizing him. "If you've hurt him, I'll kill you myself."

He reached into the cargo pocket of his pants where he always kept one of those plastic ties and tied the man's hands behind him. He forced the man to his knees and then to his feet. "Move, and if you try anything, I'll break your neck." Jack hissed.

As Jack turned, he saw Daniel pulling up to the driveway, followed by several police cars. When they saw him, they drove up closer to the house and jumped out. Jack shoved the man towards the police. "Here, take him, Jake's inside."

Jack ran into the house and saw Jake sitting in the same spot, he seemed to be trying to curl up tight enough so he might just disappear. He approached him slowly, calling his name. "Jake, hey buddy, it's me, Jack. It's okay, the man's gone now, I'm gonna take you home to your mom. Jake, can you hear me?" He touched Jake's arm, and he recoiled. Through his tear-streaked eyes, Jack probably looked like the man. "Jake, it's Jack, come on buddy, look at me, it's okay now."

Finally, Jake looked up.

"Jack?" He said shakily through his tears, in voice that sounded like he was just a baby.

"Yeah, it's me. Come here, it's okay now."

The boy nearly leapt into Jack's arms and began sobbing. Jack just held onto him tightly, as if Jake was giving him a choice. "Jake, are you hurt?"

He didn't say anything, but he shook his head against Jack's chest. "I'll take that as a no. Come on, let's go call your mom, she's worried sick about you."

Jack emerged from the house carrying Jake who had his arms wrapped tightly around Jack's neck, and his legs around Jack's waist. Immediately, the police swarmed them. "Please- can you give us some room. He's pretty upset. He needs to talk to his mother, then you can ask him what happened." Jack tried to set him down on the large bumper of his truck, but he clung to Jack's neck for dear life and wouldn't let go. Daniel saw his dilemma and dialed the number for Jack on his phone, handing it to Jack.

"Dana, I've got him, he's not hurt."

"Oh thank god. Can I talk to him?" She was near hysteria.

"M..Mom?" Jake said, still clinging to Jack.

"Jake, honey, are you okay?"

"I think so, Mom. I was so scared." Jake said, trying not to cry, and losing the battle.

"I know baby. You're not hurt?"

"No."

"Baby, let me talk to Jack so I can find out where you are. Mommy will be right there. I love you baby."

"I love you too Mom." He said and handed the phone to Jack and resumed his death grip on him.

"Dana?"

"Jack, is he alright? Really?"

"I think so, he's scared to death Dana. We're only 10 minutes from your house, but we're five minutes from Academy hospital. I think we should take him there to make sure he's okay. Meet us in the ER, we're leaving now."

"I'll be there. Jack, thank you for finding my baby."

"You bet. See you in a few minutes."

Jack started towards the ambulance parked at the end of the driveway. The EMTs approached him and tried to get Jake to sit on the gurney, but he would have no part of that. Jack sat on the bench inside the ambulance with Jake on his lap, his arms wrapped around Jack's chest, crying softly. The ambulance pulled away from the house and towards the hospital, sirens blaring.

"It's okay Jake, it's all over now. We need to see if you're okay. Can you sit up just a little so we can see if you're okay?" Jack motioned for Daniel to come sit next to him. "Look, it's just me and Daniel and a paramedic. No one's going to hurt you. It's okay." Slowly, Jake pulled away from Jack, but Jack kept his hand on Jake's back at all times. The paramedic was taking his blood pressure and pulse. Jake was visibly shaking, so the paramedic reached over and got a warm blanket, putting it around Jake's shoulders.

The paramedic was checking Jake for any obvious signs of trauma and seeing none, he asked Jake if he was hurt anywhere. Jake shook his head no and then leaned against Jack, suddenly exhausted. Jack enveloped the boy in his arms, relief finally washing over him.

Five minutes later they were at the hospital and Dana was standing in the ambulance bay waiting, she must have flown there. As the ambulance doors opened, she saw Jake huddled against Jack. Her heart broke when she saw the look on his face. He looked like a toddler again, so young. "Jake, baby. Mom's here, it's okay." She said as she climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat next to Jack. He looked up and saw her and fresh tears sprang to his eyes.

"Mom." He said softly and she reached over and took him from Jack's lap into her own. He sobbed anew and she held him, stroking his head trying to soothe him. Jack jumped down from the ambulance and as she rose to follow him, she realized her knees were so weak she couldn't get up. Jack saw her sink back to the bench and jumped back up into the ambulance to help her carry him into the ER. She walked close to them, never taking her hand off Jake's hand. He was immediately taken into a treatment room, and Jack stayed behind, moving into the corridor. When he reached the corridor, the events of the last few hours finally hit him and he could stand no longer. He allowed his body to slide down the wall until he was sitting against it, putting his head in his hand and leaning his elbow on his knee.

"Jack, are you okay?" It was Daniel, he had sat down next to Jack.

"I haven't been so scared since...well for a long time. The G'ould are nothing compared to this..." Under any other circumstances, that would have been funny, but not today, Jack was dead serious.

"Jack, are you hurt? You're shaking and you're awfully pale."

"I don't think so. I think it's just the adrenaline rush wearing off. I'll be alright in a minute." He said, but he could already feel a deep ache in his shoulder where the man had rammed him with his shoulder and then punched him. He would be fine, it was Jake that mattered right now. They sat there in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts of what could have happened.

"Sir, are you Jack?" a nurse asked.

"Yes." He answered looking up at her.

"Jake Tyler is asking for you, come this way sir." Daniel helped him to his feet and the nurse lead him back into the ER treatment rooms where Jake was laying on a gurney, with Dana laying right beside him.

"Hey buddy, how are you doin'?" He asked gently touching the boy's arm.

"Okay." He looked up at Jack with those big blue eyes, and Jack just melted. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and put his hand on Jake's head.

"I was scared today Jake, how about you?" He asked him.

"Yeah, me too. You get scared Jack?"

"Oh yeah, especially when someone I care about is in danger. That guy kinda looked like me, didn't he?"

"Only when you looked at him quick. He had scary, mean eyes. Not like yours at all. Yours are soft, and sparkly. His were dark and mean. He's nothing like you."

"I'm glad you can see the difference Jake, I never want to scare you because he looks a little like me. You can tell me if I do, okay?"

"Okay. Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for finding me."

"It was my pleasure, Jake. I'm glad you're okay. I'm going to let you rest, but I'll be right outside, okay?" Jake nodded his head. Jack leaned over, kissed his forehead and left the room. His shoulder was really starting to throb, and he didn't want Dana to know he was hurt. She should be focused on Jake. If he wasn't feeling better later, he'd let Janet take a look at it.

He went out to the waiting room to find Daniel. He told him that Jake was alright, but he wanted to stay here for Dana. Daniel was concerned at the paleness of Jack's face.

"Jack, are you sure you're alright? You don't look so good."

"I'm a little sore, but I'm alright."

"Look Janet was just here, why don't you let her take a look at you. By the looks of your clothes, you must have had a pretty good tumble with that guy."

"Yeah, I guess I did. I don't want Janet fussing over me, I'm fine." He said, suddenly feeling like his legs could no longer hold him up, he quickly sunk in to a chair.

"I'm going to get Janet, I'll be right back."

Within a minute, Daniel had returned with Janet. "Sir, are you alright?" She took his pulse and it was racing. "Colonel, lets go into one of the treatment rooms. Come on." She took his hand intending to help him up, and he yelped in pain. "Whoa, sorry sir, did you hurt your arm?"

"I guess so, I'm not sure." He really didn't know, the last hour was now a blur and he remembered nothing except taking Jake into his arms on the floor of the cabin and holding onto him until Dana got there. Janet and Daniel got him to a treatment room where they laid him down on a gurney. She unbuttoned the BDU shirt he was wearing to get a look at his arm. His collarbone was already bruising and his shoulder looked a little funny.

"Sir, I think you're shoulder's dislocated, and you may have broken your collarbone. We're going to need some x-rays." Janet turned to the nurse and asked for a portable x-ray machine. She turned her attention back to Jack, asking him if he was hurt anywhere else.

"No."

Not really trusting his assessment, she poked around his ribs and stomach, checking for possible internal injuries. She found nothing else except a few scrapes on his left side, nothing serious, just needed to be cleaned. The x-ray machine showed up and in a little while, she had a preliminary read on them. The collarbone was not broken, but his shoulder was definitely dislocated. "Sir, I'll be back in a minute to fix that shoulder."

"Doc, please don't tell Dana where I am, tell her I went to get coffee or something. She's got enough to worry about."

"Okay."

In a few minutes, Janet came back with the help she would need to do the reduction of his shoulder. It was done quickly, but painfully. She let him rest for a while and then got a sling for his arm. With some help from Daniel, they got him sitting up so she could immobilize it, first helping him back into his shirt. "Rest here a while, and I'll fill out the paperwork and get you something to take for the pain. Then you can leave."

"I'm okay, I'd like to check on Jake." He said, gingerly sliding off the table.

"Okay, but take it easy." Nodding, he and Daniel made their way back to where Jake was. Dana was standing outside his room talking to the doctor. Jack hung back until they were done, not wanting to intrude.

"Hey, is he okay?" He asked Dana when the doctor had walked away.

"Yeah, he's fine. Jack, what happened?" She said taking in the sling.

"I'm fine. What did the doctor say? Was he...assaulted?"

"No, thank god. He's just got some bruises on his arm where that bastard grabbed him and dragged him into the truck. He must have banged his shin on the truck too, it's a little scraped up. Besides that, he's fine. He's sleeping. Now what happened to you?"

"That bastard dislocated my shoulder when he rammed into me. I'm fine."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"To be honest, I didn't even realize it until the adrenaline rush wore off. I'm alright, you should be worrying about Jake not me. How are you doing?" He asked putting his hand on the side of her face and caressing it gently, knowing that now that she didn't have to be strong for Jake, it was her turn to break down. She fell into Jack's one-armed embrace and cried. Cried in relief, and cried for what could have happened. They just stood there, both of them with tears running down their faces. When she had finally regained control, she pulled away from him.

"Jack, how can I ever thank you for what you did today?"

"There's no need. I care about Jake, too. I'm just glad I got there before he really hurt him." He said, thinking that at least he'd been able to save this boy, if not his own.

"Me too, every time I think about what could have happened...." She cut herself off.

"Shhh, don't think about it, you'll drive yourself nuts. He's okay. Just keep telling yourself that. He's okay." He said putting his index finger over her lips.

"I hope so, I've never seen him so terrified in his life, it broke my heart."

"We'll get him through this. If we need to, we'll get him some professional help."

"I like the sound of that, we'll get him through this. I'm so glad you're here." She said leaning into him.

"Me too." He said.

*

The next few weeks were difficult. Jake was having nightmares regularly, some nights multiple times. Dana was exhausted and didn't know how to help him. He was seeing a psychologist, but it didn't seem to be helping with the nightmares. He was getting better during the day, but when he slept, he was haunted.

"Jack, I don't know what to do for him. He wakes up screaming every night, sometimes three times. The psychologist says it's normal, but I can't help him, and it breaks my heart to see him so terrified. What am I going to do?"

"Dana, maybe I could talk to him. I've had nightmares like Jake's having, maybe I can help him through it."

"Really? You have nightmares?"

"No so much anymore, but in the 1980's, I was a POW for 4 months in Iraq. When I came home, I had flashbacks and nightmares for more than 6 months. It almost broke up my marriage because I couldn't, no wouldn't, tell Sarah what was in my nightmares. I didn't want her to know the truth of what really happened there, I thought she'd never be able to look at me the same way again if she knew. Maybe if I can get Jake to tell me what his nightmares are, it'll help him. You said yourself he trusts me."

"I guess it can't hurt." She admitted.

"Don't you have to work late tonight?" He asked and she nodded. "Why don't I stay with him instead of the normal sitter and see if I can get him to talk to me?"

"Okay. Thanks Jack."

*

That night, Jack showed up just as Dana was leaving for work, he was still wearing his BDUs. He was running late leaving the base, and he knew Dana wouldn't want to leave Jake in the house alone even for a few minutes until Jack got there.

"Hey buddy, how are you?" He asked Jake.

"I'm okay. How come you're here tonight?"

"Well, your normal sitter is sick, so I told your Mom I'd be glad to stay with you. You owe me a rematch at chess mister." Jake smiled.

"Okay, but only if we can have pizza for supper." Jake said winking at Jack.

"You two are so predictable. I've already ordered it, should be here in 10 minutes. Have fun, and I'll see you in the morning." She leaned over and kissed Jake's head and then gave Jack a kiss before turning to leave, signaling for Jack to walk her out.

"Set up the board Jake, I'm just going to walk your Mom to the car."

He followed Dana out to the car and she said: "Jack, I hope you can get through to him, I feel like I'm starting to lose him. He won't talk to me, it's like he wants to pretend it didn't happen."

"I'll do my best, don't worry. Go to work, you're going to be late." He said, heading back into the house.

For the next couple of hours, they ate pizza, played chess and talked about nothing important, mostly chatting. When they hit a lull in the conversation, Jack took his opportunity.

"So Jake, Mom says you've been having nightmares. Pretty scary stuff, huh?"

"I guess." He said noncommittally.

"I'd like to tell you something that I haven't told many people because I think it could help you with that. Would that be okay?"

"If you want to." He responded.

"When I was about 25 years old, I was in Iraq, you know, over in the middle east. There were people there who didn't like Americans, and a man took me away from my family, like that man took you away from yours. He kept me there against my will, just like you. I was scared Jake, scared that he would kill me, scared I might never see my family again. I bet you felt that way too. Did you?"

"Yeah." He said not looking up.

"My friends found me like I found you, and I was back home where I belonged. But I didn't feel safe there. I saw the man around every corner, and I was always looking over my shoulder for him. That wasn't the worst part though."

"What was the worst part?" Jake asked, now interested in what Jack was saying.

"The worst part was the nightmares. I had them every night, sometimes 3 or 4 times in the same night. It seemed like every time I fell asleep, he was there. It scared me a lot, and I would wake up with my heart pounding. Does that ever happen to you?"

"Yeah."

"Jake, do you want to tell me what your dreams are about?"

Jake didn't respond. He sat looking out the window, away from Jack. Jack used that tactic all the time when he didn't want to talk about something.

"Jake, why won't you tell your mom what your dreams are about?"

"She cries all the time. She thinks I'm crazy. If I tell her about my dreams, she'll really think I'm nuts." He said quietly.

"No one thinks your crazy. Your mom cries because she's worried about you. She wants to help you but she doesn't know how. Do you think you could tell me about your dreams? I've had some doozies, I certainly wouldn't think you're nuts."

He hesitated, and then decided to trust Jack. "I'm sitting somewhere, like school or some place like that, and someone's standing near me. All of a sudden, they turn into that man. I can feel his breath on my face, and he's about to hurt me. He has this really evil look in his eyes. When I wake up, I can still smell his breath, and I can almost feel his hand on my arm. I know it's not real, but it feels real."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Just because your head knows it's not real doesn't mean your heart knows it. You know Jake, during the day, you can occupy your mind with the stuff you're doing - school, hockey, whatever. When you go to sleep, your mind doesn't have other things to think about, all the stuff you've been trying to forget all day pops up." Jack stopped to see if Jake was listening to him. He wasn't looking up at Jack, but he could tell he was listening.

"I know it's hard to believe this now, but it will get easier to deal with this. I think if you can talk to your therapist about the dreams and not try so hard to pretend nothing's wrong, the nightmares will go away. Jake, you can't just pretend this didn't happen."

"Why not? If I just ignore the bad feelings I have, eventually, they'll go away."

"I used to think that too. I was wrong. I tried to push away all the bad stuff I was feeling, think about other things, but it kept coming back to haunt me. Jake, you've got to let it out, buddy. It will eat you up inside if you don't."

"I can't. I'm too scared. I'm scared all the time."

"I know. I know how that feels Jake. Let me help you." Jack said moving to kneel down in front of him. "Jake, please, don't let him win, don't let him make you afraid to live."

"I don't want him to win, I don't. I don't know what to do." He was crying now.

"Hey, what you're doing right now is a start. Don't hold it in Jake, let it out." Jack said putting his hand on the side of Jake's face.

Jake moved slowly into Jack's arms, and started to cry, sobbing like the day he found him in the cabin. He just sat on the floor with him, rocking him and stroking his head. He cried inconsolably for almost half an hour. Jack was starting to wonder if he was in over his head. Was he really the right person to be doing this?

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be scared anymore."

"I know."

"What do I do?"

"I don't know Jake, but we'll figure it out, me and you and your Mom. Okay?"

"I can't tell Mom."

"Yes, Jake, you can. You have to. She loves you so much, and she can help you, you just have to let her. Can you do that?"

"I guess."

"Good man."

Two hours later when Dana came home, she found Jack sitting on the couch with Jake curled up next to him, they were both sound asleep. Jack had his arm thrown around Jake. They both looked exhausted. She didn't have the heart to wake them so she covered them with a blanket and went to bed.

*

A few months later, Jake had almost fully recovered from his ordeal, after getting some help from the psychologist, and finally coming clean with Dana. He was almost back to himself, and only once in while he looked over his shoulder, or startled at a touch.

It was a Saturday and Jack had promised Jake he'd take him skating. He walked across the street to let Jake know he was ready, and found him sitting on the front steps.

"Hi Jack."

"Hi Jake. Ready to go?"

"Sure. Guess what?"

"What?" Jack asked as he sat down on the steps next to him.

"I walked to the store by myself today. I didn't look over my shoulder once. I wasn't even scared."

"That's great Jake. I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks. Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for telling me about when you were in Iraq. And thanks for helping me not to be afraid anymore."

"You bet. I'm glad I could help you." Jack said putting his arm around Jake. "That's what friends do for each other. What do you say? Shall we go skating?"

"Yup! I'll bet you can't beat me in 5 laps!"

"Well, we'll just see about that." He laughed as they headed for the car.

He was going to be alright. Jack felt like he really made a difference for this child. Maybe he couldn't save Charlie, but he'd made a difference for Jake. What had started out as a horrible experience ended up with a new start for Jack. He'd fallen in love with Dana in these past months, and Jake had stolen his heart.

Maybe second chances could happen...

The End

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