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Part Two
It took him a long time to fall asleep. He was still awake when Teal'c came to relieve Carter in the middle of the night. He could feel Daniel occasionally shiver beside him, but his temperature was back to normal. He knew that his friend wasn't sleeping, but he wasn't sure if it was his own restlessness that was keeping Daniel awake, or if it was due to something else.
Hearing voices, he opened his eyes and saw Carter and Teal'c talking in the corner. Looking at his watch, he realized he'd slept late, it was past 10 am. When she saw that he was awake, Carter came and sat on the bed beside him. "We got word from the Tok'ra that Dad will be coming by today. He apparently has some important information for us."
Yawning, he turned to check on Daniel, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. Placing his hand on Daniel's forehead, he was relieved to see that his temperature felt normal. Getting up, he went to the bathroom to take care of business. Carter had offered to get them breakfast and returning to the bed, he settled back beside a still slumbering Daniel.
"I was observing DanielJackson last night. It was only after you were clearly asleep did he permit himself to do so also. He lifted his head to look at you once you had begun to snore, and then promptly went to sleep."
"Teal'c, I don't snore," Jack said, insulted.
"Indeed you do, O'Neill."
"So, you're saying that he didn't want to sleep until he was sure that I was sleeping."
"Perhaps he felt safe enough to sleep only because you felt safe enough to."
"That would explain why he's trying to stay awake all the time. Maybe I should fake the snoring bit a little to get him to sleep more."
Carter came back with a breakfast tray. Handing Jack a cup of coffee while she divided the dishes up, Jack sighed and sipped it gratefully. Rustlings beside him soon revealed a disheveled head and sleepy eyes. Smiling, Jack took another sip of coffee. Suddenly Daniel sat up partway and sniffed. He stared at Jack's cup.
"Oh no you don't, this is mine. Anyway, Janet's gonna kill me if she saw you drinking this stuff right now." Daniel pulled himself up fully to a sitting position and leaned in towards Jack, his eyes still on Jack's cup. Begging blue eyes looked at Jack.
"Okay, just a sip," Jack relented. He offered Daniel his cup and let him take a drink, then placed the cup on the tray that Sam handed him, away from Daniel.
Daniel leaned back against the headboard, savouring the taste. Looking at the coffee cup sadly, he sighed. He pushed the blankets back and got up shakily. Jack stared as Daniel walked to the bathroom by himself. He shared a look with Sam and Teal'c. After a few moments, they heard the toilet flush and Daniel walked back to the bed.
Sam handed Daniel his breakfast. This time Daniel was able to handle the fork with only a bit of discomfort.
- - - - - -
Janet came in as they were finishing up, and she looked happy. "Last night's blood work shows the drugs starting to dissipate. I think that Daniel and the others will start behaving a little more normally soon. Actually, Daniel, you're looking a little more alert today."
Daniel smiled at her, and continued eating.
Sam added, "there doesn't seem to be any kind of adverse reaction from yesterday's episode."
"DanielJackson woke up this morning and smelled the coffee."
"What?" asked Janet, confused.
"He woke up and literally begged to have some of my coffee," grumbled Jack.
"You didn't…"
"Um, yeah, but just a sip."
"Colonel, you know better…"
"Doc, if you had seen the look on Daniel's face, you'd have given him some too."
Sam laughed.
At that, Daniel reached over onto Jack's tray and picked up his nearly empty cup of coffee and drained it.
- - - - - -
Jack guided Daniel to the bathroom where he had him undress. He then led Daniel into the shower. He himself had stripped to his underwear, and he stepped into the shower with Daniel. Daniel managed to wash himself, although he was very shaky on his feet. Jack remained at the edge of the shower only to ensure that Daniel didn't fall.
He helped Daniel into some old sweats that Daniel usually slept in when he stayed overnight on base, and settled him back into bed. Feeling stronger, Daniel sat leaning against the headboard, watching his friends. Jack wished he knew how aware Daniel was of his surroundings. It wasn't normal for Daniel to be so still, he normally had his nose buried in a book, his hands were constantly moving while talking…seeing him lying there quiet all the time just didn't seem right.
General Hammond accompanied Jacob Carter to the VIP room where SG1 were currently awaiting their arrival. Knocking softly on the door, they entered when the door was opened by Teal'c. On seeing her father, Sam went to him for a hug.
Daniel remained sitting on the bed, looking warily at the two visitors, but not showing any signs of anxiety. Jack was keeping a close eye on him. He remained lounging beside Daniel.
Looking at Daniel, General Hammond asked, "How's our boy doing?"
Jack answered, "he seems to be doing better today, sir. He had a bad episode last night, but he seems to have gotten through it pretty well."
Walking over to the bed, Jacob looked at Daniel. "Danny, George told me what happened. I'm so sorry."
Daniel blinked at Jacob. Nobody knew whether Daniel had even understood what Jacob was saying.
Jacob and George made themselves comfortable in the chairs by the corner. Sam went and sat on the foot of the bed, her hand reaching back and rubbing Daniel's leg. Teal'c stood at attention by the door.
Looking at Jack, Jacob continued. "One of our Tok'ra operatives learned that a trap was being set for the capture of some Tau'ri, but she was only able to get the information to us yesterday. Had we been able to warn you earlier, we'd have done so."
"Why'd they set up a trap? Who? What for?" Sam and Jack exclaimed together.
"Apophis has put out a reward for any information on a device which the Tok'ra had discovered a few months back," Jacob answered reluctantly.
"You forget to tell us something a few months ago, Jacob?" Jack asked sarcastically. That was just like the Tok'ra, keeping most information hidden from their allies if they thought they didn't need to know about it.
Glaring at Jack, Jacob continued. "Our operative heard about a bunch of mercenaries who discovered a planet where you guys had recently shown an interest. They were planning an ambush there. We'd also heard that they possibly had gotten their hands on certain rare drugs…"
"Looks like Danny got to experience those drugs firsthand," interrupted Jack. Looking over at Daniel, he noticed that he was rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Dad, Daniel obviously didn't know anything about the device you mentioned. We think that he sort of willed himself to stop speaking, so why would he have gone to those extremes if he couldn't tell them anything about it."
"Sammie, the mercenaries wouldn't ask about the device alone. They probably wanted to know about the Harcesus, the Tok'ra, the Asgard, the SGC. Any information which they could sell to Apophis would have made this worth their while."
"Dad, is there anything you can do for Daniel and the others?"
"No, sweetie, not in this case. The drugs will just have to run their course and we can only hope for the best that your men can recover from their effects."
Sam nodded her understanding. "Janet says that the drugs are nearly gone from Daniel's system. Maybe he'll be able to tell us more about what happened in another day or so."
"I hope so, Sammie." Jacob looked at Daniel, who was rubbing his forehead.
- - - - - -
George and Jacob soon took their leave thereafter. Sam left with them, wanting to take a bit of time to talk with her father before he left the base.
Noticing that Daniel had taken his glasses off and had laid his head back against the headboard with his eyes closed, Jack picked up the phone and called the infirmary. When Janet arrived, he told her he thought that Daniel might have a headache.
She told Jack that she wanted to try something. Getting some water from the bathroom, she then picked up three bottles from her supply of medications on the bureau. She went to Daniel and shook his leg lightly to get his attention. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Daniel, I want you to pay attention." Holding up three bottles of pills one at a time, she placed them on the bed before Daniel. Pointing to each, she said, "this one is for an upset stomach, this one is for a headache, and this one is a sedative." Pointing to the glass of water, she said, "this is for if you're feeling well. Can you show me if you need any one of these?"
With a frown, Daniel looked at the four items lined up in front of him. He glanced quickly at Jack, then at Janet, and resumed looking at the items. Jack was encouraged, it was a definite 'Danny' look.
// Tired. Head hurts. Oh, gotta concentrate. Headache, yeah, want to tell her my head hurts. Why can't I tell her? My brain feels like it's on novacaine…why can't I…oh, that one, that's the one, the headache bottle. //
Daniel reached out and picked up the bottle Janet had pointed out was for headaches. Jack reached over and squeezed Daniel's shoulder.
"That's good, Daniel," she said. Taking it from him, she shook out two pills and handed them to him. He took them from her and then took the glass of water she held out. Swallowing the pills and draining the water, he then sat there with the glass in his hands, not knowing what to do with it. Jack took it from him and placed it on the table beside the bed.
"He's improving steadily, Colonel. I think maybe by tomorrow you could take him home. It might be best for him now to be in familiar surroundings."
"I'd rather take him to my place, he feels just as comfortable there as he does at his apartment." Jack remembered all the times he'd taken Daniel to stay with him; when Daniel first came back from Abydos and had nowhere else to stay, or after he'd been injured and needed someone to care for him for a few days, whenever he was depressed or needed a friend. Heck, Jack himself had stayed at Daniel's place when the tides were turned.
"It doesn't matter where you take him, as long as he feels safe. It might also be a good idea for Sam and Teal'c to stay with you, if it's not too much bother. Having them around will be good for him, they're familiar."
"They're family," Jack corrected. "We're family." Jack looked over at Teal'c, who inclined his head at Jack's warm gaze.
After Janet left, Teal'c and Jack began discussing arrangements for moving Daniel to Jack's house. As they talked, Daniel slid down onto the bed until he was lying on his back. He could hear the drone of their voices, it was comforting and relaxing. He closed his eyes, willing his headache to ease.
A noise beside him caught Jack's attention. Daniel was snoring softly, lying sprawled on the bed. This was the first time in many days where Daniel had slept in the daytime, and he wasn't using Jack as his security blanket. Things were starting to look better.
- - - - - -
This time when Sam and Teal'c brought supper, Daniel got up out of bed and joined them for their meal at the small table provided in the room. He still appeared confused and disoriented at times, but more and more of his personality was cropping up in his expressions. A few times Jack thought that Daniel wanted to say something, but a bewildered expression would appear on his face, as if he wanted to speak but lost his train of thought.
Janet had wanted to see how Daniel would react today with Jack being out of Daniel's sight for a while. It was decided that Jack would go get their civilian clothes from the locker room, and the rest would stay and monitor Daniel. Jack was to come back after 20 minutes.
As the door closed behind Jack, Daniel got up and started for the door. Teal'c moved quickly to stand in front of it, barring the way. Looking a little confused, he looked at his friends sitting at the table, and then he glared at Teal'c. He went to the bed and threw himself down, leaning back against the headboard. He sat there with his arms crossed, a visible pout on his face.
"Ooh, he's not a happy camper," Sam said in an undertone to Janet. Both smiled.
After a few minutes, Daniel got up and walked to the door again. Seeing that Teal'c wasn't going to let him out, he turned back and started pacing. He was visibly becoming a little uneasy. Stopping a moment and giving Sam and Janet a pleading look, he turned back and threw an arm out in an agitated manner. He resumed pacing.
After several minutes of this, Sam couldn't bear to see Daniel so upset. She went up to him, and taking his arm, led him to the side of the bed. She could feel him trembling slightly as she sat him down. "Daniel, Jack will be back in a few more minutes. It's okay, he didn't go far."
He looked at her, then placing his glasses down on the bed, he rubbed his face briskly. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax. Sam could see that Daniel was making an effort to control his emotions. He remained sitting, his arms hugging his sides. Sam sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
// Jack Jack Jack Jack Don't go Don't leave. Daddy left, Jack don't leave me too. Sam, please let me go find him. Jack. Where are you? Teal'c, please let me out. Jack. //
"Five more minutes," she thought to herself. Actually, Daniel was reacting better than they had thought he would. Janet said that there were still trace amounts of the drugs in his system, and these would take several more days to clear completely. He probably would remain at the same emotional state until then.
Jack had stood outside the door for the last few minutes, counting the seconds before going back in. He had no idea what to expect, but the sight of Daniel sitting fairly calmly beside Sam was a sight to sore eyes. Upon seeing Jack, Daniel got up hastily and rushed to him. When he reached him, he did an about face and threw himself back on the bed as he had done earlier. He wouldn't look at Jack. Confused, Jack looked at Daniel then at the girls, and asked, "what?"
"He wasn't too thrilled about you leaving, Colonel," replied Janet. "He's going to have to get over this, otherwise he'll be following you around the house like a puppydog."
Placing the clothes on the table, Jack walked to Daniel and joked, "Heeere Danny, heel Boy." Everyone snickered, but Daniel just glared back. He'd definitely gotten that joke.
- - - - - -
General Hammond came by to inform them that both Ramirez and Sullivan were fairly stable and lucid. They had just finished debriefing the General, but weren't able to remember much. Jacob's information was correct, the mercenaries had wanted information about the device the Tok'ra had discovered, but had also questioned them about the SGC and their allies. The archeologists hadn't been able to divulge much information as they had only basic information on those subjects. They also didn't know what had happened to Doctor Jackson, they had been so muddled with the effects of the drugs that most of their memories were too dream-like to be relied upon.
- - - - - -
They spent the remainder of the evening playing cards. Daniel joined in but he tired quickly, and his concentration waned. He left the group after a bit and picked up Sam's laptop. He fiddled with it for a while and started going through the videotape that Teal'c had brought back from his investigations a few days ago.
Jack was watching Daniel, not paying much attention to his poker hand. He was glad that they weren't playing for money at the moment because he'd probably be owing them quite a bit. He was happy to see Daniel doing things on his own, his natural inquisitiveness seemed to be returning. He had hated seeing Daniel lying there in an exhausted stupor.
Daniel watched the tape curiously, his memory at times just on the verge of being jogged.
// Pictures, images. Familiar, yet not familiar. Want to ask…can't, mouth numb, questions, tip of the tongue. Tongue won't work. Why? //
Suddenly when the image of a large room came into view, he tensed. He knew this room.
The video camera had filmed the image of Goa'uld script on the ceiling, painted in a large circle. The room was huge, and the person who had taped this scene had been standing directly underneath.
// Circle, coverstone, stargate, circle, coverstone, Iris opening. Pain. Voices, questions. Circle overhead. Iris opening. Coverstone falling. Screams. Daddy Mommy! Screams. Sullivan. Ramirez. Questions. Hurts. Lying underneath circle. Circle overhead. Questions – can't answer. Pain. Questions – no no no. Pain. Questions – stop asking! Jack where are you? //
Jack saw Daniel stiffen suddenly. He realized that Daniel had recognized something on the tape. He put his cards down and started to get up. Daniel suddenly gasped and shoved the computer away from him as if it had burned him. As he got up to run, he bumped into Jack, who had come up behind him. Jack grabbed his arms and held him. He could feel him quivering, his breath started to come in gasps.
Slowly, Daniel's knees buckled and he started to fall to the floor. Jack held onto him and helped guide him down, Sam and Teal'c rushed over to assist. Daniel was sobbing now, lying in Jack's arms.
Sam looked at Jack helplessly, and then picked up the computer. The frame had frozen on the picture of the circle painted on the ceiling. Turning the screen so that Jack could see, she shrugged her shoulders. Only Daniel could tell them what it meant, and he wasn't talking.
- - - - - -
After several minutes, Daniel got himself under control. He remembered now, he'd been lying under that painted circle, the aliens having drugged him. The circle had reminded him of both the stargate when the Iris was closed protectively before it, and also the coverstone that had fallen and killed his parents in a New York museum when he was a child, and the drugs had confused his memories with the current moment. He hadn't been able to tell if the screams were coming from him and his companions, or from his memories of his parents' dying screams and horrified museum workers.
He remembered thinking all along that Jack would find them, that thought had kept him strong during most of the interrogations. He knew that Jack wouldn't stop searching once he'd known that he was missing. He himself had nearly worked himself sick on those occasions that Jack had been missing and needed his help. Jack would find him, it had just been a matter of time. He'd had to hold on till then.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to sit up. Jack was holding him, but upon feeling Daniel pull away, he loosened his grip. Wiping his damp face with his hands, Daniel looked up at Jack with what he hoped was an apologetic smile. Standing up with Jack and Teal'c's help, he walked unsteadily to the bathroom and washed his face. Jack appeared behind him and handed him his night clothes. Guess that meant funtime was over. God he hoped he could sleep. He shakily got undressed and changed his clothes.
When Jack had seen Daniel go down, he was sure that Daniel had lost it, and that he'd regressed back to the state he'd been in when they had first found him. He was relieved to see Daniel calm himself down quickly and see his usual intelligence behind his eyes when he'd looked at Jack.
- - - - - -
Memories of what had happened in the room with the painted ceiling kept Daniel from falling asleep. After feeling like he'd been in a stupor for the past several days, tonight his mind had finally started feeling close to normal. Realization of what had happened to him in that room had embarrassed him. The drugs had confused his memories of his parents' death with the pain of the interrogation, and the need to feel safe and secure had caused him to confuse Jack with his father. He felt that he had been turned into a fretful, whining and spoiled child. Geez, how had Jack stood to be around him the past few days. He remembered the awful need to feel Jack's presence close by to keep the nightmares away. Always needing to hear the sound of his voice, his touch on his arm or shoulder to keep him grounded.
He couldn't seem to get comfortable in the bed. He tried turning on his side, facing away from Jack. Even now, he could hear Jack's breathing behind him, and he felt safe. He'd almost lost it earlier today when Jack had left the room. God how was he going to be able to get on with his life if he couldn't let Jack out of his sight for two minutes? He 'knew' Jack hadn't gone far, but he'd not been able to rationalize the thought. His emotions had taken control so quickly that he was panicking before he'd known it had happened.
He wished he could tell Jack how he felt, apologize to him for having been such a pain. He knew something was still wrong with him, because whenever he tried to say something, or to answer a question, his brain just wouldn't work. The words were there, he could picture them, outline them in his mind's eye in whatever language he wanted, he just couldn't get them past his tongue. He had heard his friends talking, saying that it was something he'd done to himself. If this was true, he couldn't remember. There was so much that he didn't remember during his captivity, he'd been heavily drugged for most of the time and most of what he did remember either came through in flashes, or in his nightmares.
He turned on his back. His head was starting to ache again.
He had tried to write something down, and nothing had happened. He had held the pen in his hand, he could see the words in his mind, but he couldn't get the message through from his brain to his hand. He thought of Janet's experiment with the headache pills and the multiple choice answer. That was pretty inventive on her part. That might work, but it would take a heck of a long time to ask 20 questions.
His brain still wasn't functioning at one hundred percent capacity. There were times that he was listening to his friends talking and suddenly he realized he had zoned out, had missed a large part of the conversation. Sometimes it was only for a few minutes, sometimes he thought it might be longer. He figured the drugs were still affecting him, that was probably why he still felt shaky and dizzy. And that darned headache that kept coming back was not helping him get to sleep.
Maybe he'd sleep if he turned back on his side. Oops, pulled too hard on the blankets.
// Whoops, sorry Jack. I know I'm keeping you awake, I just can't sleep. What? What are you doing? Darn, I don't want to sleep on top of you again. Okay okay, if it'll make you happy. Here, happy now? I have a Jack pillow underneath me. Yawn. Mmmm, feels good. Safe. Yaaaawn. Okay, I'll stay here for a moment, maybe you'll be able to fall asleeee…//
- - - - - -
Having had enough of Daniel tossing and turning behind him, Jack turned around and pulled him into his arms, placing his friend's head on his shoulder. He felt Daniel tense for a moment, then felt him relax against him. Two minutes later, both were sleeping soundly. Daniel's fingers slowly came up and entwined themselves in Jack's shirt.
- - - - - -
Jack escorted Daniel to the infirmary. He carefully watched Daniel whenever they met someone in the corridor, but Daniel seemed to be reacting well to being with people. Once in the infirmary, Janet checked Daniel's vitals one more time, took a final blood sample, then gave them her blessings to leave.
Teal'c accompanied them to Jack's house. Sam was staying at the mountain as she had work to complete, and would join them for supper. Settling Daniel on the couch and handing him the TV remote, Jack went about getting a grocery list made and then sent Teal'c out to fill it. He made sure he remained in Daniel's line of sight all the time. Daniel eventually dozed off and Jack took the opportunity to go upstairs and change the linen on his bed. While he was making up the spare beds for Sam and Teal'c, he heard footsteps on the stairs. Yup, there was Danny, still half asleep and probably a little disoriented.
"Miss me?" Daniel heard Jack tease. He scowled at Jack and went over to give him a hand with the sheets. Darn, he'd woken up alone and had almost panicked when he couldn't find Jack. He was ready to run outside to look for Jack, when he heard the creak of floorboards coming from upstairs. Janet was right, he felt like a puppydog having to follow his master around the house.
"I figure after lunch we'll take a trip over to your place and get you some fresh clothes, feed the fish and get your mail. You okay with that?"
Daniel had finished spreading out the bedspread and had leaned back against the wall as Jack placed the throwpillows onto the bed. Daniel was staring blankly out the window.
"Daniel, did you hear me?" Jack asked, taking Daniel's arm. A startled look from Daniel answered his question. "Hey, you still feeling a little spacey? I said we'll go to your place after lunch and get you a few changes of clothes, feed the fishies and pay your bills, okay?"
// Okay? he asks. How does he want me to answer that? Two stomps on the floor for yes and one for no? Hey, I wonder if that would work… //
Jack was baffled as he watched as Daniel stared at his feet.
// Nope, doesn't work either. Shit! //
He rubbed at his forehead. His headache was back.
- - - - - -
Daniel tried reading the book he'd brought back from his apartment, but the nagging headache prevented him from concentrating. After reading the same page several times, he slammed the book's cover in irritation.
Daniel really needed something for his headache. He'd been warned by both Jack and Janet that he wasn't to take any medication on his own because they were afraid he'd overdose himself as the drugs were still making him muddled at times. But he didn't know how to let Jack know that he needed something for his head.
Jack had noticed Daniel rubbing his forehead again. Remembering what Janet had done, Jack grabbed a bottle of pepto bismal, and two bottles of pills that Janet had given him for Daniel. Going to Daniel, he lined them up on the coffee table, along with a glass of water.
"Danny, remember this?" While looking at Daniel, he pointed to the bottle of sedatives. "Okay, this is for if you have a headache."
He pointed to the bottle of painkillers. "This is if you have an upset stomach."
Pointing to the pepto bismal, he said "and this is if you need to sleep. Dya need one of them?"
// Jaaaaack. What kind of test is this? I really really need those painkillers, but you want me to take the sedatives? You did point to the sedatives, didn't you? Or did I misunderstand? Or… shit my head really hurts. //
He looked up at Jack confusedly. He put his hand out and nearly took up the bottle of sedatives, and then pulled it back.
"O'Neill, perhaps you should try again." Teal'c suggested.
"Oh. Okay. Danny, this is for a headache," he repeated, pointing to the sedatives.
"O'Neill, perhaps you should look at the bottle first. Those are not for headaches."
"Oh crap. Sorry. Danny, you know which are for headaches?"
Daniel's hand shot out and grabbed the painkillers. "That bad, huh?" Shaking out a couple, he handed them to Daniel along with the water, and then insisted Daniel lie down on the couch. He covered him with a throw from a nearby chair and walked quietly into the kitchen to start on supper.
- - - - - -
The painkillers had taken the edge off his headache, but it was still nagging him by the time he dragged himself to supper. Sam had arrived with the news that Janet and Cassandra were going to drop in the next day for a bit. Cassie wanted to give Daniel a little something to help make him feel better.
After supper, they sat around in the living room, discussing the civilians' abduction while sipping their coffees. Sam told them that Sullivan and Ramirez still couldn't remember much more than what they had originally told the General. They were to undergo hypnosis in a few days. Daniel was only keeping half an ear open, until Sam mentioned 'why would they bother drugging only three civilians when they had seven SGC staff members to choose from'.
// Three? No, that's not right. There were more, weren't there? Why can't I remember? The room was full, three?…no five, or…more? There had to have been at least four others with me at times in the room. //
Jack had noticed Daniel suddenly stiffen up and a panicked look appeared on his face.
"What is it, Daniel?" he asked. Daniel looked at Jack and he opened his mouth.
// There were others! Jack, they took the others! SG4 !!! God, Jack, how do I let you know? //
Daniel jumped up and started pacing along the living room a couple of times and then walked right up to Jack. He was clearly agitated. He stared at Jack again, and Jack could see that his hands were shaking. He resumed his pacing.
"Danny, is there something you remembered? Do you want to tell us something?"
Daniel spun around and faced Jack, clenching his fists.
// Yes! I need to tell you this. How can I tell you this! //
"Daniel, is it about the hypnosis?" Sam queried.
He looked at her, then returned to stare at Jack.
"Is it about Ramirez and Sullivan?" Jack asked.
He turned and started pacing again.
"Is it about SG4?" asked Teal'c.
Daniel suddenly went up to Teal'c and grabbed his arms.
"That's it, it's about Hanson not assigning someone to guard you guys at the temple, isn't it?" Jack said.
Daniel ignored Jack and continued staring at Teal'c.
"I do not believe that is what he is trying to tell us, O'Neill."
Sam tried. "Okay, you remembered something about SG4…do you remember them looking for you?"
Daniel dropped Teal'c's hands and rubbed his face.
// How do I tell them? //
Jack said. "What would you remember about SG4 and your kidnapping, they didn't even know you were taken."
Daniel spun towards Jack.
// They knew they knew! They were there!!! //
Jack suddenly understood. He sat up. "Shit, Daniel. You mean they knew? Was SG4 also captured?"
Daniel grabbed Jack's shoulders.
"That's it, isn't it? Shit shit shit."
Jack lunged for the phone and dialed General Hammond's private number.
Daniel listened carefully to the conversation.
"Sir, it's O'Neill. You have to question Sullivan and Ramirez again right away. Ask them if they remember any members of SG4 being captured along with them…No sir, Daniel seems to think that SG4 might have been among the prisoners…it's hard to explain how he told us that, sir. You just have to trust us, he remembered something."
Daniel sat down on the couch. He was exhausted beyond belief.
"Thank you, sir. Yes sir, we'll be waiting for your call."
- - - - - -
Twenty minutes later, Jack hung up the phone. "You were right, Daniel. Sullivan and Ramirez remembered that one or two members of SG4 were with them during their interrogations. The General has ordered them back to the mountain, where they'll be examined more thoroughly and placed under observation."
Daniel was slouched on the couch. He shut his eyes in relief.
"My God, we didn't know, they could have been programmed to do anything," said Sam.
Jack nodded. "The General's also ordered that their movements be backtracked to make sure they didn't tamper with anything."
Turning to Daniel, he said, "You know, for someone who can't talk, you sure said a lot tonight. Come on, let's get you to bed. You look exhausted."
Helping Daniel up, he turned to Sam and Teal'c. "You guys gonna stay down here or are you coming up?"
"If it's all right with you, I'll stay here for a while. Don't worry, I'll lock up."
"I will remain with MajorCarter."
"Okay, goodnight kids."
Jack brought Daniel upstairs, then guided him to his bedroom. His eyes half-closed, Daniel hadn't been paying attention, but when he walked into the room he realized that Jack had led him into his own bedroom, and not the guestroom where he normally stayed. He stopped in the doorway, confused.
"Hey, you can go sleep in your usual room and then spend the night tossing and turning, or you can share the bed with me like we've done the past couple'a nights and get a good night's rest. It's up to you."
// Safe. I'm safe here. I'm so tired, why can't I focus? Jack understands. Want to sleep, don't want to dream. Want to sleep. //
Daniel walked forward into the room and sat on the bed. His sweats were already laid out on the bed for him. He kicked off his shoes, grabbed his clothes and shuffled into the adjoining bathroom to change. As he got into bed, Jack entered the bathroom and by the time Jack got into bed, Daniel was already asleep. As Jack stretched out beside Daniel, his friend turned around and moved closer to Jack, his hand coming up to grab Jack's sweatshirt. Jack grinned, and closed his eyes.
- - - - - -
Jack quietly left the bedroom, leaving the door ajar. He could hear voices coming from the kitchen, and went down to join his teammates. Grabbing a cup of coffee, he sat down at the kitchen table.
"Any news?" he asked.
"They've found all of SG4 and put them in confinement. I spoke to Janet a little while ago and she said that there were no abnormalities in their blood work. I'm going to speak to Dad later, maybe he knows more about those drugs. There might have been a third one that we're not aware of."
Jack agreed.
"When are Janet and Cassie coming over? You did invite them for supper, didn't you?"
"Oh, Janet didn't want to impose…"
"Carter, you call her up right now and make sure they know they're welcome to stay. I'll just set the BBQ up and we'll grill a few steaks."
"I'm on it, sir."
- - - - - -
Not long before lunchtime, Jack heard the shower start upstairs. He waited until he heard the water turn off, poured a cup of coffee and went up to greet Daniel. As Daniel stepped out of the bathroom nearly dressed, Jack handed him the coffee. Daniel's grin was quickly lost behind the cup.
"Don't tell Janet, she'll kill me if she finds out what I just gave you." An empty cup handed back was Daniel's agreement.
"Come on downstairs, I'll make you brunch."
- - - - - -
Cassandra Fraiser nervously walked up the path leading to uncle Jack's front door. She knew that uncle Danny was sick, mom had explained that he couldn't talk. He could understand whatever she said, but he wouldn't be able to answer back. She didn't know now if this had been a good idea to come by and see him, she didn't know what she was going to say to him. Switching the plate containing the home made chocolate brownies to her other hand, she turned around and watched her mom walk up to her side. Janet saw her adopted daughter's worried look.
"It'll be okay, sweetie, Daniel will be happy to see you. Just knowing you care will make him feel better."
"Mom, what will I say to him?" she whined.
"Exactly what you would say to him if he wasn't sick. Tell him how you feel. Just be there for him." The young teenager nodded uncertainly.
Janet rang the doorbell and the door was answered by Sam. She kissed Cassie hello, and took the plate from her. Jack came up and grabbed Cassie in a huge hug and spun her around. Squealing, she started hitting him on the back to let her go. "How's my favourite girl?" he asked. "I'm fine" teased Janet. "Moooom" complained Cassie, giggling.
"Hey, whatcha brought me?" Jack asked, seeing Sam go by with the covered plate.
"I baked some chocolate brownies for uncle Danny. I thought, um, he might like some…maybe to make him feel better."
"The same ones your mom brought a couple of weeks ago?"
Cassie nodded.
"Sweet. I'll make sure to leave a couple for Daniel." Cassie giggled. "Go on in and say hi, he's in the backyard."
Reluctantly, Cassandra walked through the house to the backdoor. She saw uncle Teal'c sitting in a deck chair beside uncle Daniel. She froze when Daniel turned around at the sound of the door opening. Seeing her uncertainty, he stood up and smiled at her. He spread his arms out, begging for a hug. Sobbing, she ran to Daniel and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, uncle Danny," she whispered in his ear. He hugged her tightly and rocked her in his arms.
"I'm sorry you're not well," she said when she was able to stop crying. Looking up at her uncle, she saw tears in his eyes too. Embarrassed, she had to get away. "I um, think I have to go wash my face. Excuse me."
Daniel stared at her retreating back, and sat back down, staring at his hands. Teal'c reached over and silently touched Daniel's shoulder in understanding. Daniel glanced at Teal'c, then laid his head back, massaging his forehead.
Janet came out shortly, with a glass of juice and a bottle of pills in her hand. Crouching beside Daniel, she said, "Sullivan has been complaining of constant headaches. The Colonel told me you seem to suffering from them too. I brought a different medication for you, this is a little stronger and is longer lasting. Let's see if they'll help, okay?" She shook out a couple and handed them over to him. He swallowed them down with the juice. "You'll need to take these with every meal, so if Jack forgets to give them to you, just bounce the bottle off his head as a reminder," she teased.
While her mom was talking to Daniel, Cassandra walked over to Teal'c. "I'm sorry, uncle Teal'c, I didn't mean to ignore you. She bent over and gave him a hug. Teal'c hugged her back. "I understand, little one. Daniel is very happy that you came."
- - - - - -
The pills were making Daniel drowsy and he was having trouble keeping track of the conversation. Janet and Cassie had left a short while ago. While Cassie had been a little uncomfortable around Daniel, he was happy that she had made the effort to sit with him.
Daniel decided he was going to go to bed. He got up and looked at his friends, and realized he couldn't even tell them goodnight. Sighing, he made his way upstairs.
Jack and the others watched Daniel leave. Worried, Jack followed him up and saw him enter the bathroom. He leaned against the doorjamb and waited for Daniel to come out. Seeing Daniel in his sweats, Jack realized he'd been getting ready for bed. "Just thought I'd tuck you in." Jack smiled and pulled the blankets away from the bed, inviting Daniel to get in. "You gonna be all right up here by yourself, or do you want me to come and join you?"
Not knowing how to answer Jack, he simply smiled at him, and turned on his side away from him. Jack reached over and tousled his hair. "Okay, I'll tell everyone you said goodnight." Jack walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.
Joining his friends, it was about 30 minutes later when they all heard Daniel yell Jack's name. Hurriedly running upstairs, they all piled into the bedroom to see Daniel in the throes of a nightmare. Trying to wake Daniel up, Jack sat beside him, gripped his shoulders and called his name. Daniel's eyes opened suddenly, and he called Jack's name again as he sat up.
Bewildered, Daniel looked around to see everyone staring at him. He recognized the bedroom and realized he'd been dreaming. He dropped back down onto the mattress and closed his eyes. In his dream he had seen the stargate again with the Iris before it opening, and then the stargate had turned into the painted circle on the ceiling. This time there was no memory of his parents' death, no vision of the coverstone falling.
"Daniel?" Jack coaxed. Daniel opened his eyes. "Dya remember calling my name?" Daniel frowned, looking at Jack, then glanced quickly at Sam and Teal'c.
"Daniel, you called Jack's name twice in your sleep," Sam said. Daniel looked at Jack for confirmation. He nodded.
Daniel sighed. He may have spoken unconsciously but he still couldn't utter a word consciously.
"Hey, it's a start." Jack consoled. "You gonna be all right now?" Daniel closed his eyes and turned again on his side. Sam and Teal'c said their goodnights and left Jack alone with Daniel. Jack put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, and waited until his breathing evened out and he fell asleep again before joining his friends.
- - - - - -
Janet had asked that Jack bring Daniel to the infirmary for a follow up the next day. They arrived at the mountain shortly after breakfast. There'd been a message for Jack to go see General Hammond upon his arrival, so after escorting Daniel into Janet's care, he left to see his boss.
Hammond informed Jack that the Tok'ra had confirmed there had been a third drug rumoured to have been used by the mercenaries. It was used mainly to alter memories, but could also be used to plant a command in someone's mind. They suspected that SG4 had been drugged to forget the capture of the civilians, and that perhaps one or more of the soldiers had been used to try and perform sabotage.
They'd had no luck so far in prompting more memories from the civilians. They were also still trying to trace SG4's movements, but it was a time consuming job.
Once Janet had finished with Daniel, he decided he wanted to go look for Jack. The craving to be near Jack was still there, but it was much weaker. Daniel decided that he was more bored than anything. Worried, Janet called after Daniel as he left, but he just turned around, his hands in his pockets, and smiled at her.
Wandering up towards the General's office, he tried to listen to see if he could hear Jack's voice. He didn't want to barge in if Jack wasn't there. The General was talking and Daniel could make out that he was on the phone, and that Jack was sitting before the General's desk, waiting for him to finish his phone call. Daniel wandered into the briefing room which overlooked the stargate. He went to the window and stood staring at the 'gate.
He felt slightly dizzy at the moment, the drugs still caused him to have occasional dizzy spells, and combined with Janet's latest headache pills, there were times when he wasn't too steady. The stargate wavered before him and suddenly he could see the painted ceiling superimposed over the stargate. He staggered slightly, catching himself against the bulletproof glass. The ceiling faded and he could see the stargate again, and suddenly he saw a vision of the Iris closing over the stargate, and then opening.
// Voices, he could hear voices. Crude sounds, speaking English, accented English. The words 'Stargate, Iris, Codes', why do I keep hearing these words? Were these memories? Can't remember. JACK! There's something I have to remember… //
Jack had seen Daniel walk by and go into the empty briefing room. The General had just hung up the phone when he heard Daniel crying his name. He and the General ran out just in time to see Daniel fall to his knees, and Jack reached him before he toppled over to the floor. He heard the General call for medical help. Daniel's eyes were open but he was definitely not seeing anything in the room. Jack supported Daniel's weight as he leaned limply against him.
Suddenly Daniel found himself on his knees, hardly able to support himself, leaning against something. He realized then that Jack was crouching beside him, holding him up to prevent him from falling over. He grabbed Jack's arm and found he could barely lift his head. He couldn't stop shaking.
Janet arrived moments later, looking unbelieving at Daniel. He had been fine minutes ago, how could he have deteriorated so quickly. His pulse was racing, he was sweating and shaking. His breathing was shallow and quick.
// Something about the stargate. Something important. I have to remember, it's right on the tip of my brain //
The thought made him want to laugh. // Tip of my brain, wish I could get it past the tip of my tongue. Damn, my head's so fuzzy, why can't I remember? // He lifted his head off of Jack's shoulder and looked at the stargate again through the clear glass.
"Daniel, what is it? Did you remember something?" Daniel could hear Jack talking, but he couldn't seem to be able to focus on the words. He could still hear echoes of the accented words in his mind // Stargate, Iris, Codes //. If only he could concentrate on that memory.
// Jack be quiet, you're making too much noise. I can't think. I have to remember. It's so fuzzy. Why can't I think? //
When the medics appeared with a gurney to cart Daniel off to the infirmary, Daniel grabbed Jack's arm tightly to try and convey the message that he didn't want to leave. He had to stay here, he had to remember.
"Daniel, you have to go with them. Come on, you're sick again."
When the medics insistingly tried to move him, Daniel started to struggle. Jack held him down while Janet injected Daniel with a sedative. When he'd calmed down and stopped fighting Jack, they placed him on the gurney and wheeled him back to the infirmary.
- - - - - -
// Infirmary. I'm in the infirmary again. What happened this time? //
He heard a rustling beside him and turned his head towards it. Jack was sitting on the chair beside him, staring across the room. Daniel moved his hand to get Jack's attention. Jack smiled on seeing Daniel's eyes open.
"Hey, can't leave you alone for any amount of time, can I?" he teased.
Daniel just stared at Jack.
"Shit Danny, what the hell happened up there. Janet said you were fine minutes before. And then you go and have a fit or something and get carted back here in shock."
// I don't know, I don't know what happened. I don't know how to tell you that I don't know. This is so frustrating! //
Daniel turned his head away from Jack, getting angry at himself.
"Did you see something in the embarkation room that scared you? Did you remember something maybe? About the stargate?"
// Stargate? Yeah, I was looking at it when I had some kind of flashback. I remember looking at it, hearing voices, the 'gate, the Iris…shit, I remember the mercenaries talking about it! That's it, they want to sabotage the Iris! Jack! shit Jack! //
Daniel sat up suddenly, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, and dizzily toppling on top of Jack. Jack grabbed his arms to hold him steady and tried to lay him back down. Daniel fought Jack, trying to remain seated. He tried to look at Jack, but his face kept wavering. Taking a deep breath, he put his head down onto Jack's chest for a moment, trying to take control of himself. Looking back up at Jack, he squeezed Jack's arms as hard as he could.
// I have to tell him! How? How? //
"What Danny? You remembered something?" Daniel lowered his head again and loosened his grip on Jack's arms.
// I didn't want to tell the mercenaries anything, I remember now them wanting me to give them information about the Iris, about the GDO codes. I was so close to telling them, and I wanted to not talk so badly that I must have willed myself then to stop talking. Okay, that makes sense. Now how do I will myself to talk again. Shit! //
"Shhhit." The word was slurred, but understandable.
"Daniel!"
// What? //
"Wuh"
"Daniel, you know, if you're gonna start talking again, I'd really like to hear my name rather than hear you swear."
// wwhhaa what? //
"Whut?"
"Danny, can you say Jack?"
// Jack what are you talking about? //
"Jck, whut r yu talkin bout?"
"Danny!!"
// I'm talking ! God! //
"Rrris, sabtaj! Jck, ssstaargte, Irsss"
"I got you Danny. Stay here, don't move."
Jack ran to the phone and called the General. "It's the Iris! They tried to sabotage the Iris! Get all available personnel to check out every little screw and bolt, get Carter to check the computer system. I'll be up there as soon as I can, Sir."
Jack returned to see Daniel standing by the bed, wavering slightly. "Daniel, get back in that bed."
"Noooo, wanna go up."
"Danny I don't have time to take care of you now."
"Jck, go! Now! Lll flllow."
"Crap. You'll fall flat on your face. Okay, lemme help you. But you make sure you stay out of the way."
- - - - - -
A meticulous search revealed an intricate bomb concealed in the inner workings of the Iris. A cursory look would never have revealed it. It was on a timer, which was set to go off in several more hours. Search crews continued searching in the off chance that further sabotage had been attempted. Nothing suspicious had been found.
Daniel sat at the conference table, his arms on the table, his head pillowed on his arms. The search had taken several hours, and he had refused to return to the infirmary. He hadn't spoken any more, the effort of speaking those few sentences had exhausted him. He was dozing on and off, partly aware of what was happening, and when he had the energy, he could lift his head up and see the goings on around the stargate.
He was aware of Jack coming to check on him occasionally. He'd tried to coax Daniel to go to bed at one point, but a deliberate and slow shake of the head on Daniel's part convinced him that Daniel actually needed to be here.
Things were winding down and the General had actually ordered Jack to take Daniel home to rest. Janet had come up twice to check Daniel's vitals, and had stated that at the moment he seemed to be suffering mostly from exhaustion. A good night's sleep and a proper meal would probably do him the most good.
Walking up to Daniel, Jack pulled a chair out next to him and sat down. Daniel shifted his head slightly towards Jack, acknowledging his presence. Placing a hand on Daniel's nape, Jack said "You ready to go home? The General's throwing me out of here. I just thought you might like to come along."
Daniel lifted his head up tiredly and pushed his arms up off the table until he was leaning back in the chair. "Go now?" Daniel asked.
"You got it."
- - - - - -
Two days later, Jack and Daniel were walking up to Janet Fraiser's home. Daniel was talking animatedly, one hand gesturing enthusiastically to emphasize his words, the other hand carefully balancing a cake box. "So you see, the real reason we civilians were taken was simply a diversion. Their main objective was to get that bomb up on the Iris. We were just icing on the cake, had we talked, any information they got would simply have been a bonus."
Jack tucked the bottle of wine he was carrying under his arm. "Sorry, I disagree. I still think that you were the main target. Had you talked, given them the GDO codes, the bomb would have been obsolete. I think the bomb was simply a backup plan, which incidentally, why do you think the timer was set for nearly a week later?"
"I don't know, either Hanson managed to sneak the bomb onto the Iris only a short time ago, or it was a planned attack set for a specific day and time. Guess we'll never really know."
"I guess."
"You know, you're gonna have to apologize to Hanson."
"What for?"
"That comment about leaving the civilians unguarded. He actually had two of his team members up at the ruins with us when we were attacked."
"Um, yeah, guess I'll have to go talk to the guy."
At their knock, Janet opened the door and invited the guys in, accepting the wine and dessert from them. Cassie came running down the hall and threw herself into Jack's arms, who hugged her and swung her around. Once her feet were back on the ground, she turned and grinned at Daniel and turned into his open arms. As he held her close, he whispered in her ear, "I love you too, Cassie."
FINIS << BACK TO PART TWO
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