April 17th 1999 – Cheyenne Mountain, Infirmary.
“Excuse me.”
Daniel bolts from the room like his ass is on fire, avoiding looking me, or anybody else for that matter, in the eye.
“Daniel?”
Carter chases after him. Teal’c and I hover for barely a minute, telling the General you know how he is… without saying a word and leave hot on their tail.
Entering the corridor Teal’c spots them, Carter having managed to corner Daniel at the elevators. I can hear them talking as we approach.
“I’m fine, honestly,” Daniel offers her a smile to prove it – and I’m sure if his eyes weren’t welling up quite so much… she’d believe him. “Just got a little overwhelmed in there.”
Oops, a crack in the armour. Is she going to take the bait? Tense moment here folks - she does, straight in for the kill. Carter lands a smacker on his cheek and wraps him up tight for her encore.
We arrive at their side just in time for Daniel to start blubbering on Carter’s shoulder. Poor bastard, she didn’t really give him much choice. Being a guy myself I just know I’ve got to save him, Carter won’t like it, but it’s Daniel I’ve got to think of at the moment.
“Carter, let the boy breath.” I chide, getting my end in.
She laughs, and I note, she’s started the teary eyed thing too.
“This out come is a cause to celebrate.” Teal’c states, in his usual nonplussed way when one of the Tau’ri is acting strangely.
“Never a truer word spoken my friend,” I pull Daniel off Carter. “You two pack that in. We’re going out for drinks.”
“At O’Malley’s.” Teal’c confirms, like me, absolutely not broking any argument.
Daniel’s alive and I have my hair, never a better thing to celebrate if you ask me.
“Daniel?” Carter asks him, he looks back at her, then around to me stood on his other side, arm still in my grasp.
“Okay.”
Bless him, he’s so unsure, so quiet, that just looking at him makes my heart melt with sympathy. The confusion, the worry – the guilt, all shines as bright as a new penny on his face. I can deal with the confusion; I’ll let Carter and Teal’c scrap over who gets to ease the guilt and who staves off the worry later.
“So why were you in my body?” Daniel whips his head around and pins me.
I encourage movement in the direction of the locker rooms, at least that way time isn’t a wasting while I answer 101 questions.
“Ask Carter.” I divert. I know he won’t ask her, they’re both as upset as each other. Even Daniel as docile as he is right now can see that.
“Daniel?” Doc appears and shouts us to stop. “Daniel, I promise you can go soon, but I really need to look you over first. Just in case.”
“Just in case what?” Hoo-boy I know that tone.
You can always tell when Daniel’s upset because the more hurt he is the more pissy and short-tempered he gets. Judging by the bluntness I’m thinking we have a six on the tantrum scale.
“Do as she says, Daniel.” I push him in Doc’s direction. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“No you’re not Colonel. I want you and Teal’c too.”
Doh! Should have known.
“Come on,” Carter takes Daniel’s arm in hers again. “It’ll be okay.”
Seriously outnumber, Daniel has no choice but to comply with the women. But damn it if it isn’t nice to see them looking after him – I just know I’ve got a dopey smile on my face, and while I work very hard to tame it I nudge Teal’c to follow with me. The girls have Danny as a hostage and we can’t have a glad you’re not dead celebration without the original come back kid now can we?
Daniel looks back at me – I don’t know what to say to that look of despair, so settle for a confident wink before he disappears through the doorway with Carter and the Doc.
Teal’c and I follow in after them.
“Right Daniel, hop on the bed.” The Doc pats the bed in question; “Colonel you and Teal’c take those two.” She smiles pleasantly enough; even so, it’s an underlining message warning me to make one crack about any of this and its curtains.
A nurse wanders in my direction and I breathe easy, as much as I love the Doc and her matron ways a pretty nurse goes a long way to make a guy feel better. Danny’s got the full package poor kid, super brains Carter on one side and maternal instinct Frasier on the other.
I glance over at the bed previously occupied by Daniel’s brain wave and note it’s been changed. No dead body to remind anyone of our body-snatching ordeal.
Damn it was weird staring at me and knowing it wasn’t …me. I thought having Junior was weird, but hearing me speaking with Daniel’s voice, seeing that look of fear and confusion on my own face? I don’t know what I looked like to Daniel, but even in a 40 plus year old body he still looked like the kid.
I tried to comfort him, best I could in our situation, but hugging yourself is just plain weird. I won’t be surprised if after a few beers Daniel starts making Freud jokes.
“I said you can go, Colonel.”
“What?” Did I fall asleep or something?
“Janet’s letting us go, Jack.” Daniel’s eyes beg me to get with it so he can leave here.
“O’Neill, if you wish to remain-“
“Later Doc.” I jump off my bed and race Daniel out the door, leaving Teal’c behind in a cloud of dust.