"We made it Jack...we made it." Gently lowering the travois to the ground, he slipped out of the harness and staggered to the DHD, prayers of thanks to every God he'd ever read about passing his dry parched lips at the feel of the cold stone beneath his hands. As the vortex burst forth in an enormous blue wave, Daniel's weary muscles gave way and he crumbled to his knees. 'NO! NOT NOW!' Pulling up the sleeve that hung almost to his fingertips, and aiming at the gate he punched in SG-1's code. Crawling to where Jack lay motionless, Daniel tossed the sleeping bag aside and slipped Jack's arm around his shoulders pulling him into a sitting position.

"Come on Jack...I need your help." He gently slapped the older man's cheek, relieved to see the brown eyes flutter open, trying to focus on him.

"Home?" The raspy word, spoken in a voice weaker than Daniel had ever heard sent a chill down his spine.

"Almost...we're at the gate. You gotta help me Jack...understand...you gotta help me here...Come on stand up."

Jack groaned, feeling as if the bullet was ripping through his chest again as leaning heavily on Daniel they climbed the steps and entered the event horizon.

"Off world activation! Incoming travelers!" The airman announced as alarm klaxons blared throughout the complex and armed troopers rushed into the embarkation room, taking positions, their weapons trained on the Stargate.

"Do we have a decoder signal."

"It's SG-1 sir."

"Open the iris." Major Carter and Teal'c followed him to the gateroom, waiting anxiously at the bottom of the ramp to greet their teammates.

"Medic!" Daniel's shouts for help as he eased Jack to the floor were drowned out by the airman calling for a medical team to the embarkation room and everyone surrounding them all asking questions at once.

"What happened?" Janet pushed past the others. "Daniel?...Daniel! What happened?"

"Shot. I had to cauterize it to stop the bleeding but the bullet's still in him."

"Let go of him Daniel." Janet urged. "It's alright...We're gonna take care of him." Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away as the orderlies gently but firmly pulled Jack from his arms and lifted him onto a stretcher, hurrying toward the infirmary.

"Dr. Jackson where is SG-6?" General Hammond's question filled the room.

"Dead." A shudder wracked his body at the thought of the four men laying in the tent on that faraway planet. "They're all dead."

"Daniel are you alright?" He brushed the back of his hand across his eyes wiping at the tears caused by Sam's gentle question as she and Teal'c helped him to his feet holding him steady.

"Fine. I'm fine...Jack isn't."

Daniel had reported to the debriefing room as soon as they wheeled Jack into surgery. In reality his report had taken only a few minutes but had seemed interminal as the others listened to Daniel's story, asking very few questions and noting that his eyes constantly sought the door waiting for Janet to appear with news of their friend.

"I don't think anyone even had time to return fire. Jack's-" He swallowed convulsively. "Jack never even had a chance to pull his sidearm." Convinced that the attack had been that of native hunters who thought the team was poaching, rather than Goa'uld, General Hammond ordered a unit to prepare to retrieve the bodies of SG-6.

"Dr. Jackson...Daniel?" The general's quiet voice stopped them as SG-1 headed back to the infirmary, the linguist, flanked by Teal'c and Carter, looking as if he were barely able to move. "Son have you been checked out by one of the doctor's?"

"I'm f-fine...Jack needed them."

Daniel set the cup aside as the liquid sloshed over the lip and would have scalded his trembling hand, if the coffee hadn't long ago turned cold. God, what was taking so long? It seemed like years since he and Jack had come through the gate. What was going on behind those steel swinging doors? Why didn't someone come out and tell them something...anything? They could have watched but Daniel had seen enough of Jack's blood spilled and if he were honest with himself he didn't think his shaky muscles would allow him to climb the flight of stairs leading to the observation room.

"Daniel, why don't you go get some rest. We'll let you know as soon as there's any news." Sam coaxed, becoming more concerned with each tick of the clock. Daniel hadn't made a sound since leaving the debriefing. His usually clear blue eyes seemed glazed, enhanced by the dark circles standing out against his pallid skin. The hand she held felt cold and clammy and she was certain she'd seen a nasty cut hidden beneath the hair hanging on his forehead.

"I told you I'm fine." Daniel snapped irritably, instantly apologetic. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"That's okay Daniel...really." Sam glanced at Teal'c noting that although he said nothing, his frown deepened each time he glanced at the brown stains covering Daniel's shirt and he stayed exceptionally close to the youngest member of their team.

"Major Carter is right Daniel Jackson. You should rest. Dr. Fraiser will make sure that O'Neill is alright."

"I appreciate your concern but-" He jerked to his feet swaying slightly as the steel doors swung open and Janet stepped from the operating room.

"Janet?" Daniel tried to read her expression, paling further as his eyes locked on the splotches of Jack's blood on the front of her green scrubs.

"It's gonna take a while but he'll make a full recovery. The bullet dislodged and pressed against one of his lungs, probably when you came through the gate." She smiled trying to ease the worry in the archeologist eyes. "You did good Daniel. Cauterizing the wound probably saved his life."

"Can I see him?"

"In a little while. I have to check a few things and then I want you in for a full exam. I mean it Daniel. I want you in the infirmary in ten minutes." She stopped in the doorway, turning back to the small group. "Don't tell Jack I said so but he was right. Until we put him under he kept mumbling it wasn't just a scratch."

Jack was going to be fine. He was going to make it. He'd have another scar but he'd be alive to tell the story behind it.

"Daniel?" Sam's voice seemed to come from a great distance, her face wavering in front of him. "Daniel are you all right?"

"Tired...ve-very tired." The anxiety, determination and adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins, disappeared without a whisper giving way to shock. The last of his strength and energy depleted, his system seemed to shut down, letting the exhaustion, pain and fever run rampant. Teal'c grabbed him, the warrior's quickness keeping his head from slamming into the floor, as Daniel's eyes rolled back, his knees buckled and he collapsed in a heap.

"Janet!" Sam screamed amazed at the heat emanating from Daniel's limp body. "Janet!"

"What the hell!" The petite doctor rushed back into the room at Sam's frightened cry. Daniel moaned weakly trying to pull away as Janet's hands gently ran over his body, probing for injuries. "Son of a bitch!" Lifting the shirt, Janet fought the bile rising in her throat at the puss filled gash; angry fingers of infection spreading across his chest and stomach working their way up his back.

"I need a gurney in here! STAT!"

"That will be unneccessary." The jaffa lifted him as easily as if carrying a small child, and quickly followed Janet to one of the exam rooms.

"What the hell was the boy thinking? He should have seen a doctor immediately. Why didn't he at least say something?" General Hammond demanded, taking in the sight of SG-1's archeologist heavily sedated, laying so still against the white sheets, attached to machines that monitored his condition, an IV feeding him much needed fluids and medication. He had joined the remainder of SG-1 in the infirmary upon hearing of Daniel's collapse.

"I believe he wanted everyone concentrating on the colonel, General Hammond." Teal'c answered the hypothetical question. "When you asked before, Daniel Jackson reported that he had not seen a doctor because O'Neill needed their attention."

Jack eased from the bed and using the IV stand to steady himself, moved to the chair next to Daniel's bed as his friend began to stir mumbling in his sleep. Preferring to avoid an argument that would not only upset her patient, but one she was sure she would eventually lose, Janet had Jack placed in the bed next to Daniel's as soon as he left recovery. Due to the pain medication, Jack had drifted in and out of sleep, well aware of the battle going on beside him as the infection fought to take his young friend, unable to help except to hope that his presence gave Daniel the strength he needed. The fever had ravaged Daniel's body for three days before the antibiotics loosened it's hold and began chasing the infection back to the hell from which it came. He gently brushed the hair away from the bandage on Daniel's forehead whispering soothingly as Daniel stirred again.

"Ja'k" The word was barely more than a breath.

"I'm here Space Monkey." Jack squeezed the limp hand relieved to feel a slight pressure in return. "Thanks to you I'm right here."

"K?"

"Yeah. I'm okay...We're both gonna be okay...just sleep." He grinned as still gripping his hand Daniel seemed to snuggle deeper into the covers. Jack couldn't help himself, and was rewarded with a small smile lifting the corner of Daniels lips as he whispered, "I told you it wasn't just a scratch."

That's All Folks