Chapter 1

Colonel Jack O'Neill unfolded the tiny scrap of paper that he had hurriedly stuffed into his wallet after having to rush out of his house that same morning.

Uncle Bill's Pub.
Corner Riverside and Metcalfe.
8:00 p.m.

Jack smiled to himself as he slammed his locker shut. Tonight, his plans were simple. He was going to eat grease-infested food, drink beer, belch while watching the hockey game and be loud and obnoxious to all the waitresses with his old military buddies. Nearly five years had gone by since he had last seen them and they had a lot of catching up to do.

Jack looked at his watch.

5:14 p.m.

He had to go home, get cleaned up, and then meet the guys at the sports pub before the game started.

While Jack prepared to leave the locker room, he had to jump back as the door swung out before him nearly hitting him in the face.

"Oh G-d... sorry, Sir. I didn't know you --"

"Son of a... Jesus, Carter! Will you stop doing that? Almost had a heart attack this time!" The blond military officer had to look down in order to suppress the grin that was threatening to make its uninvited appearance on her face. She squeezed her way past him towards her private locker only allowing her lips to curve into a fine smirk once her back was to the colonel.

"Sir, Daniel and I are going to go over some old reports for General Hammond. We're going to order pizza. Would you like to join us?"

"Regrettably, I'll have to decline, Captain. I've already got some plans tonight. But, ah, you guys knock yourselves out." Jack threw his blue sports bag over his shoulder and headed towards the elevators.

The phone rang nearly causing a nick just under his chin. He clumsily made his way to a nearby towel, in the hopes of freeing his hands from the foamy shaving cream. He picked up the portable phone. "Hello? Oh damn!" Daniel nearly dived to the floor after the phone slipped out of his still soapy hands. After a couple of attempts, Daniel finally managed to hold the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"What happened?" Daniel let out a sigh of relief. It was only Sam. He was dreading that the voice on the other line would be Hammond calling him back to the base for some sort of emergency. Nearly hanging up on the general would not have been a smart move on his behalf.

"Oh... sorry Sam. The phone fell... um... What time are we meeting? Oh yeah, Teal'c can't make it tonight. Cassandra had to do a project on the most interesting person she knows so naturally, Teal'c was her first choice." Daniel grabbed the towel and wiped the rest of the shaving cream off of his face.

"Actually Daniel, how about a little change in the plans tonight?"

"Oh? How do you mean?" The towel was so saturated with shaving cream he turned in a circle trying to think of a place to put it. He opted for the hamper in his bedroom.

"Well, I was really looking forward to watching the Colorado Avalanche play against New Jersey in the playoffs."

"Look Sam, we don't have to do it tonight." Daniel squinted inwardly as the towel he tried to throw into his hamper landed on his gray carpet not two feet in front of its destination.

"No Daniel, its nothing like that. I was just wondering if you wanted to go to a restaurant where we could sort of do both."

"Sure Sam. No problem. What time?" He already grabbed another towel and ran it under the sink.

"How's eight-thirty-ish?"

"Perfect. You'll pick me up? Okay, see you soon." Daniel hung up the phone and stared at the white mess next to his bed. He would really have to do something about that aim.

"Hey baby. I'm not too good at algebra, but doesn't U+I =69?" O'Neill and the other four men sitting at the side booth could hardly hold in their snickers as they awaited the waitress' reaction.

"Excuse me?" the young waitress answered in response with a hint of anger and disgust in her tone. Jack felt like he was going to explode into a fit of laughter at any second. He quickly took a sip of his beer nearly choking on its contents in the process.

"You heard me baby!" How Colonel Sanders could keep a straight face throughout it all was beyond his comprehension. Mind you, the guy has been doing this kind of thing for as many years as he could remember. He hadn't changed a bit, O'Neill remarked mentally as the waitress gave his friend a fake laugh followed by a dirty look. "Why don't you go and fuck yourself?" she added more as a question than a comment before walking away. The moment she left, the men could no longer contain themselves and a volcano of laughter erupted.

"Sanders man, I think that topped them all! Where do you come up with these lines?" Smith asked through desperate attempts of stealing some air into his lungs.

"Smith my friend... it's all in the mind... all in the mind!" Sanders leaned back and placed his hands behind his head in obvious satisfaction with himself. "I guess I'm just a genius. So, O'Neill, what have you been up to lately? I heard you retired."

"I did. But, I'm back again," O'Neill said quickly not liking the topic of discussion. He carefully drank from his beer mug and changed the subject. "What the hell is wrong with these pansies huh? Their getting paid millions and they can barely stay on both feet." He pointed at the large T.V monitor just above their booth.

"Wait a minute Jack. We haven't seen each other for G-d knows how long and all you tell us is shit all! By the way, how's the wife? What's her name again... Sara?" Colonel Cunningham asked as he took a big greasy bite out of his steak, chewing and reaching for a napkin at the same time.

Jack reflected on the question feeling foolish that he had nearly forgot he would have to talk about his past and all that had happened to him and his family since they had last seen him. A memory made its way to his subconscious. All five of them sitting around his dining room table. Him calling out to Charlie to go back to sleep while Sara heated up the chicken...

The rattling of the restaurant table and the loud shouts from his fellow friends brought him out of his state. The television. Colorado scored to tie the game. As the men settled down, he was happy to note that they had thankfully left the topic alone. He really didn't want to explain to them that his son had accidentally killed himself with his own gun and that his wife had left him to live alone in a house full of haunting memories. Sure... that would have really livened up the party.

Chapter 2

Sam smiled as she saw Daniel get out of the passenger seat and make his way to her side. He opened the car door for her, a goofy smile pasted on his face. He knew she wasn't expecting it. She got out and thanked him.

"You know Daniel, it's not like we're on a date or anything. Besides, this is Uncle Bill's Pub, not some fancy restaurant. Beer, noise and sports." She smiled as he offered his arm out to her. She knew that Daniel was one of a kind. Thousands of women would die to have a guy like him. Sam hooked her arm in his as they made their way to the restaurant entrance.

"Well, this is the first time I've heard a woman complaining when she gets royal treatment from a man." His smile turned serious as he stopped walking and looked at her. "You deserve it Sam. You deserve someone to open doors for you and pay for your dinner." A grin reappeared on his face momentarily while he continued walking. "And no, I'm not making a move on you... I'm married as you and I both know. But, you're a woman who deserves respect." Sam turned to face her friend "Thank you, Daniel. Of course, you have to remember. I'm not your ordinary woman!" Daniel shook his head slightly as he saw the blond woman beat him to the door. He followed her in and thanked her for holding the door open for him.

Jack O'Neill, the colonel who had to lead a team through the Stargate the following morning at 6:30 a.m., was thoroughly and utterly drunk. He didn't even know how he was going to get home, but at the moment, he didn't really care.

He looked at his watch. 10:45 p.m.

Jack cursed inwardly. He tried to listen in on the conversation to his left but was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate. At the moment, sitting upright was the most important thing on his mind, a mission that he did not think he could particularly undertake considering the circumstances.

"Naw! That one's got a chunky butt... nice frontal layout, mind you." Smith consumed another shot of Tequila chuckling as most of the precious liquid missed its destination and trickled down his chin instead. Jack couldn't help but laugh at his intoxicated friend. He sat back and closed his eyes. This was exactly what he needed from the night. He could always count on his friends for a good laugh.

"Hey Smith... what about that blond over there? Nice arms, nice ass... although she can use a bigger rack!" Colonel Cunningham said as-a-matter-of-factly. O'Neill turned his head to take a look at the next victim on the "Smith and Cunningham's List of Potential Porn Stars". Jack's face turned white as he recognized the woman. It was Carter. What the...? When he caught a glimpse of who was next to her, he nearly spilled the remainder of his beer. Weren't they supposed to stay home and order pizza? Surely they wouldn't be foolish enough to do their mission reports in a public restaurant, would they? Unless they were... No. It couldn't be, could it? He eyed them carefully. A shiver ran up his spine. Daniel was married! Daniel couldn't possibly cheat on Sha're.

As his two co-workers made their way towards the restaurant doors, he prayed that he wouldn't be spotted. He didn't want them to see the state that he was in. Even though he was sure they wouldn't report him, he couldn't afford to lose their respect.

Jack quickly turned his body away, exposing only the back of his head. Just when he thought it was safe to turn around, fate nipped him in the ass.

"Hey, cutie." Sanders yelled, reinforcing the fact that he too was more than slightly smashed. Samantha Carter turned to the man calling her. Already, her guard was up. She hated being referred to as "cutie." Sam was all too aware of this sort of sexual harassment. Her college years and her experience in the military had trained her on how to deal with men such as these.

"Yes?" she asked the man with a threatening tone. Daniel couldn't hold back his smile. He'd seen Sam in action once before.

"I have a question to ask you. If you and I were squirrels, could I bust a nut in your hole?" The man facing her eyed her down from head to toe and licked his lips. 'Here we go,' Daniel thought as he crossed his arms. He slowly stepped back and watched Sam take center stage.

Chapter 3

"First off, I'd like to say..."

"Captain, stand down." A familiar voice interrupted her train of thought. She turned her head in the direction of the voice, surprised to find her CO sitting at the same table.

"Sir?" Sam looked at him in utter confusion.

Daniel stepped forward, "Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Daniel, what do you think I'm doing here? It's a pub. I'm eating, drinking, and watching the game. I think the important question is what are you two doing here?" Jack tried his best to hide his drunken state.

"Care to introduce us?" Sanders asked Jack, not daring to take his eyes off of Carter. "I like her feistiness." Carter rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Sanders, shut up." O'Neill slammed down his beer mug on the table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "We work together. This is Dr. Daniel Jackson and that's Captain Samantha Carter," Jack said lacking any enthusiasm. It's not that he disliked his team-mates but he had made it there that night to presumably get away from his work life if only for a couple of hours.

"Jack, you don't look so good. Maybe we should take you home." Already the men around O'Neill began to snicker. Daniel ignored them. "You've been drinking." He pointed at the empty beer bottles scattered on the table. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day so you should get some sleep... um... I also don't think you're exactly fit to drive anywhere." Jack felt his face heat up with annoyance as the snickering continued. He looked sternly at the young archaeologist.

"Daniel, I'll be fine."

"Jack, I'm serious. You've had too much to drink. Carter and I are leaving now so we can --" Before Daniel could get the rest of the words out, Jack took another sip of his beer and calmly interrupted, "So leave." Cunningham leaned over the table and chuckled out loud, "So, O'Neill, did a mom come with the new job?" The men began to laugh again. Jack was losing his patience. Daniel was his friend but sometimes he could be a real pain in the ass. And now he was being embarrassed in front of his friends. Didn't Daniel understand that Jack was his CO?

"Look Jack, I don't want you to drive in your state." Daniel began to reach for the car keys, which were on Jack's jacket stuffed on the seat next to him. With great speed, Jack grabbed Daniel's wrist. "Get out of here, Daniel." Jack stared into Daniel's eyes. "And keep out of my business." After a few moments, Jack roughly let go of Daniel and looked away. He brought the beer bottle up to his mouth and took another long sip, making sure Daniel witnessed it. Jack was soon relieved to see Carter and Daniel move towards the doors and out of his field of vision.

Daniel turned his head back towards the table as they headed for the coat hangers. He heard the outburst of drunken laughter. As Sam searched her purse for her keys, Daniel caught a few of the comments that were being passed amongst Jack and his friends.

Undoubtedly, he was the center of their discussion.

"Who the hell was that, O'Neill, your fucking babysitter?"

"Where does the poor guy shop? He looks like a dweeb if you ask me." Daniel grabbed his coat from the hanger eager to leave as he heard more laughter and snickering. He knew Sam heard it as well, however, it was obvious she was pretending not to for his sake.

"How does a geek like that get a job with the military anyway?" The last thing Daniel saw before he exited the restaurant was Jack laughing aloud with the rest of his friends.

Chapter 4

Daniel brushed the dirt off of his knees while he got up from the cave floor. He wiped the sweat off of his brow as he watched O'Neill in disgust. He was currently lying on the ground, his head on one of the packs enjoying the sun. 'Probably still passed out from the night before,' he thought as he took out one of his logbooks and marked down another translation.

What annoyed Daniel even more was that Jack had shown up that same morning, acting as if nothing had happened. He recalled Jack even patting his back before walking through the shimmering wormhole. Daniel had changed a lot from that first mission to Abydos and he was no longer going to let Jack walk all over him without hearing from him first.

Daniel glanced at his watch and winced. They were due back soon and he wasn't even close to finishing the translations. He surely wasn't going to ask Jack for more time so he decided to wait until they got back to the base.

Daniel moved down the wall and continued to translate the inscriptions. Absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Jack approaching him.

"Daniel, time to pack it up." Jack stood looking at his watch, tapping it as if accentuating his point.

"One minute, Jack..." Daniel mumbled as he rapidly scribbled more words in his book.

"No, Daniel, General Hammond said --" Before Jack could finish Daniel threw down his book and pencil and glared at the man standing in front of him.

"CAN'T YOU WAIT A SECOND? JEEZ JACK, SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY WORK AROUND HERE!"

Jack's eyes opened in astonishment not understanding the reason for the man's sudden outburst. Anger quickly replaced shock as he heard Daniel's last comment.

"What the HELL is wrong with you, Jackson?" Jack was not in the mood for this crap. His head was hurting him and all he wanted to do was go home and sleep.

"What I am saying, Jack, is that you can wait five more minutes while I finish up." Daniel bent down, picked up his book and pencil and continued marking things down.

The commotion soon caught Carter and Teal'c's attention as they neared the cave as well. Jack gritted his teeth in frustration. Sometimes the line between civilian and commanding officer was blurry to Daniel. Jack raised his voice, an action that caused his head to pulsate even more.

"Daniel, we're leaving now!" Jack watched as Daniel continued to ignore him. His hands were already beginning to close into fists. "Daniel... NOW!" The archaeologist didn't move.

Sam glanced nervously at Teal'c. She had never seen the two men fight in such away since their two years as a team. Teal'c's grim face paralleled his emotions.

"FINE!" Jack yelled as he swooped down and grabbed Daniel's field pack. He turned around and began making his way towards the gate. "Carter, dial us out."

"But Sir..."

"That's an order Captain!" Carter knew that Jack was furious at Daniel, but she could also understand Daniel's point of view.

Sam jogged ahead of her CO and began to dial out. She could see out the corner of her eye that Daniel was in no means moving any time soon. With the wormhole established, Jack began to walk up the stairs in front of the gate, dragging Daniel's pack behind him.

"Sir, we can't just leave --"

"Carter, if Daniel wants to make his own rules, then Daniel can take care of himself! I am not that man's babysitter!" Jack stepped through the Stargate while Sam and Teal'c slowly followed. Sam sighed as she looked back at Daniel before her figure disappeared through the Naquada.

"Wormhole disengaged!" the airman announced as General Hammond made his way down to the gate room. When he got to the bottom of the ramp, he gave voice to the obvious question.

"Where is Doctor Jackson?" The general's eyes were fixed on the pack that Colonel O'Neill held in his hand.

In response, Jack simply took off his field cap, ran his hand through his hair and answered coldly before walking away, "He'll be here."

The general looked back at the other members of SG-1 for an answer. The only sound he received was the closing of the iris. "Colonel O'Neill, I have not dismissed you yet!" The colonel stopped in his tracks.

Just as the general was about to open his mouth once more, the airman interrupted, "General, incoming traveler... it's SG-1's signal, Sir!"

"Open the iris!" Within seconds, the titanium alloy iris swirled open. Soon, a lone figure emerged from the shimmering wormhole to reveal the missing linguist.

"Colonel, I want an explanation!"

Chapter 5

Daniel sat at his kitchen table and mechanically went through the motions of eating. His mind was somewhere else. He replayed the events of the day over and over again. The debriefing had not been so successful either. It had resulted in the general warning him never to disobey the colonel again.

A pain in the back of his neck begged for his attention. He stretched out his neck and sighed. 'Probably stress!' he thought. And Jack wasn't helping the situation either.

Daniel got up and brought the dishes to his sink. He had barely touched his food, he noted as he emptied the left over contents into the garbage. He began undertaking the task of cleaning the dishes when an urgent knock at the door interrupted him. Daniel frowned. He wasn't expecting anybody.

He quickly wiped his hands on a nearby kitchen rag and made his way towards the door. He opened it slightly, the chain on the door not allowing him to open it any further. Jack stood in the hallway, his face weary and grim. Daniel swiftly closed the door and unhooked the chain.

Daniel had no more than a second to mutter a quick 'hello' before Jack suddenly charged in.

While Daniel proceeded to close the door, Jack threw his coat onto the couch.

"What the hell were you thinking today, Jackson?"

Daniel turned towards him. "Jack, you don't have to yell!" Daniel really wasn't in the mood to attract any unwanted attention from his neighbors. He slowly made his way to the couch and sat down. Jack didn't follow. Instead, he continued to pace the floor glaring at the archaeologist. "Look Jack, I really don't like how things are run off-world. I need to follow through with my work if I find something that may be of importance. I know that General Hammond expects us to be back within a certain time frame but is it really so hard to send a message through to request for more time?"

Upon hearing the last comment, Jack stopped his pacing and stared at the younger man. "The problem with you Daniel, is that a couple of minutes translates to a couple of hours. If you every looked at your watch, you'd notice that the small hand represents the hours and not the minutes! For Christ's sake, Daniel, you have a watch... use it!" Jack, too agitated to sit, continued to pace. "I'm talking about today, Daniel. Don't you ever pull something like that on me again! Is that understood? You're lucky I didn't officially report you and put you on probation!" Daniel's patience was wearing thin and frustration was beginning to take over.

"Jesus, Jack... stop acting like a child and let it go!" Daniel met Jack's gaze. It was too late for any regrets. Jack quickly covered the short distance between himself and Daniel, towering above the younger man.

"What?" He grabbed Daniel by the collar and roughly lifted him up from his seated position.

"Jack, let go of me," Daniel said calmly. "You don't want to do this!"

"You don't want to threaten me, Jackson!" Jack replied, slowly loosening his grip before he finally let go of Daniel's shirt. Jack turned his back on the archaeologist and walked away in the hopes of calming his nerves.

Daniel, on the other hand, did not back off. "Jack..." he said as he took a step forward, "... This is MY apartment so DON'T push me around!"

Daniel had no time to move as Jack suddenly charged at him, grabbing him once again by the shirt. Jack's piercing eyes penetrated right through him. "If I were you, I would shut that mouth of yours real fast!" Jack shoved Daniel into the couch, the impact causing the man to fall to the floor.

The sudden contact with the ground resulted in shooting pains originating from the back of his neck to travel to his chest. Daniel watched as Jack walked away shaking his head in disbelief.

Daniel pushed himself off of the floor with obvious anger. What gave Jack the right to barge into his apartment and push him around? "Get out, Jack!" he said as he walked towards the door and put his hand on the knob.

Jack grabbed his coat and approached the door. He muttered under his breath a few words as he passed Daniel. Upon hearing them, Daniel's heart stopped abruptly. Rage quickly took control of him and his actions. Before he could stop himself, he slammed Jack against the wall.

"Don't you dare bring Sha're into this, Jack!" With quick reflexes and astonishing speed, Jack grabbed onto Daniel's arm and twisted it back causing enough pain to force the smaller man onto the floor.

Jack held him in a locked position for a few moments as Daniel struggled against his grip. When Jack heard the heavy panting from beneath him, he finally let go and raised himself from the floor.

"Don't, Daniel... just don't!" he said as he grabbed his jacket once more and left, slamming the door behind him. Daniel rubbed at his arm and slowly lifted himself up. His neck continued to ache while he locked the door.

Chapter 6

Daniel yawned as he turned the corner and headed towards the locker room. He had exactly fifteen minutes to get ready and geared up for SG-1's next mission.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to find that it was empty. Usually, he expected to see the rest of SG-1. Daniel glanced at his watch again. 'Weird,' he thought as he began to disrobe. Ten minutes later, Daniel exited the room fully dressed and walked towards the elevator. As he stepped into the elevator car, Daniel couldn't help but notice that his stomach was a bit queasy.

Who was he kidding?

He was nervous about seeing Jack again. How would he react to him after the events of the previous night? Actually, Daniel noted, Jack should be the one concerned. After all, he was the one who was out of line! It was Daniel who deserved an apology.

Daniel rubbed at his neck muscles. The ache in his neck was really getting out of hand already. No amount of Tylenol or aspirin could relieve the pain. He'd have to get Fraiser to check it out. In the meantime, he needed to get to the gateroom and meet the others.

The gateroom doors opened to reveal... absolutely no one. Confusion settled when he couldn't even spot a single soldier in the vicinity of the gate. A familiar voice from up above caught his attention. "Doctor Jackson, please come to my office," the general spoke through the microphone.

What the hell was going on?

Daniel turned around and retraced his steps out of the gateroom. He climbed the stairs leading to the control room, a thousand questions running through his mind. When he reached the general's door, he was invited inside.

"Sit down, son." Daniel did as he was told. He waited for the older man to continue. "Dr. Jackson, I'm assuming you didn't get a phone call this morning." Daniel creased his brows in confusion while he shook his head. "Son, you're being temporarily reassigned." As Daniel's mouth began to open in protest, the general continued. "Dr. Jackson, I know you are a little surprised with this unexpected news but you were supposed to be informed this morning. Colonel O'Neill approached me with the request. He has told me about your recent behavior and he wants you to take a few days off. That's why I am keeping you here on base for the time being. You'll continue to work on translations and --"

"Sir, I need to be on SG-1! I need to be out there --"

"Doctor, this is not permanent. It will only be for a few days." He looked into the man's pleading face and was forced to look down. "Dismissed."

"But Sir..."

"Dismissed, Doctor." Daniel slowly got up from his seated position and quietly exited the room.

General Hammond couldn't help but sigh as he grabbed the first of twenty reports stacked on his desk. He, too, could not quite understand what the hell was going on.

Chapter 7

Sam peeked into Daniel's office for the second time and gave a frustrated sigh. Where the hell was he? The moment her foot had touched the gate ramp upon returning from her latest mission, she had been determined to speak to Daniel. She knew that he was hurting. She couldn't even imagine the feeling of being left behind by her own team. Her questions still remained unanswered by the colonel as to why Daniel hadn't joined them to P3F 456 and she felt that an explanation was necessary. If she could just locate the archaeologist, everything would hopefully fall into place.

Sam moved to the elevators and pressed for level 14. If she knew Daniel as well as she thought, she was sure he was either in his office or getting coffee from the commissary.

Once the doors opened, she stepped out to see Janet leaving the commissary with a cup of steaming hot coffee in her hand.

"Janet, have you seen Daniel?"

"No... Did you check in his office?" Janet took a testing sip.

"He wasn't there."

"No... Oh no!" Janet rubbed at her temple and closed her eyes. "What did he do this time?"

"What?" Sam was confused.

"Well if he's not in his office or in the commissary, then he's probably in the infirmary... again! Did he touch something he wasn't supposed to? Did he --" Sam was quick to interrupt her.

"He... um... he didn't come with us to P3F 456."

"Why not?"

"I'm not quite sure. I'll let you know when I find something out. Just do me a favor and call me if you see him?"

"Will do."

Sam concluded that the only place left to look was the dormitory section of the thirtieth floor. Maybe Daniel had simply fallen asleep.

Sam made her way back into the elevator and pressed for the designated floor. The moment the elevator came to a halt, the doors opened to reveal a long hallway and dozens of doors on either side.

Sam tried to remember which room belonged to the archaeologist. Although they each had their own apartments or houses, the general always arranged for personal dormitories in the case of an emergency when leaving the base would be forbidden. It also made for a good place to crash after an all-nighter. G-d knows she experienced many of those in her two years with the SGC.

Sam stopped in front of one of the gray doors that bordered the long hallway. She put her hand on the knob and experimentally turned it. To her relief, it wasn't locked. She opened the door inch by inch, careful not to make any noise. When the opening was wide enough, she squeezed her way through and closed the door behind her.

Sam could already hear Daniel's rhythmic breathing. She tiptoed her way towards the bed and looked down at the sleeping figure. The blanket lay half on him and half on the floor. Her lips formed into a grin as she continued to examine her friend's peaceful state. While one of his hands was under his pillow, the other hung limply off the bed, his fingertips touching the floor. She hadn't figured Daniel for the type who slept on his stomach.

She took a seat at the far end of the room next to a tiny dresser. Sam winced and cursed inwardly as her weight caused the chair to creak out loud. Almost immediately, Daniel's head popped up and squinting eyes stared back at her.

"Sam?" His voice was barely audible.

"Hey, Daniel." Sam got up and made her way to the bunk bed. She took a seat next to Daniel's feet.

"How was P3F 456?" Daniel oriented his body into a better position. Sam reflected on the question. The mission had been a horrid one. The colonel had barely uttered a word throughout the entire day.

"It was okay..." she lied. "Look, Daniel --"

"Sam, I don't want to talk about it." When he stared back at her, she noticed that his eyes were red and swollen.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about it, Daniel." With careful inspection, she noticed beads of perspiration along his forehead. "Daniel, are you feeling okay?"

"Just a bit tired. Why?" Sam didn't answer. Instead she stretched out her arm and touched his forehead.

"Daniel, you might have a slight temperature. Maybe you should see Janet."

"Yeah, maybe I will. I'm just going to go get some water first." Sam nodded and got up from the bed. She glanced at her watch thankful for the indiglo light.

"I have to go for a debriefing now, but I'll see you in the infirmary, right?" Her tone was serious, much like that of a mother warning her son to be good.

"Yeah, yeah... my second home. You don't have to worry." He gave her a charming smile and climbed out of bed. Sam followed the younger man out of the room, a frown on her face. 'That was way too easy,' she noted as they both went their separate ways.

Chapter 8

"Daniel, Sam was looking for you earlier today." Daniel heard Janet's muffled voice coming from the other room.

"It's okay. I already spoke with her," he called back. Daniel sat on the edge of one of the infirmary beds as he awaited Dr. Fraiser.

"Okay, Daniel. I've got the thermometer," she said as she made her way back to him. "Just hold still." She took the device, and placed the pointy tip into his ear. Upon hearing the first click, Janet pulled it out. "Well, you have a slight temperature but nothing too serious. I want you to go home and sleep it off and don't come back until that fever breaks. If your still not feeling well by tomorrow, I want to run some tests, " she said after examining the numbers fed back to her.

"Okay. Oh, I almost forgot. Before I leave, do you think you can take a look at my neck? It's been hurting me a lot these past few days."

"How so?" she said as she pulled off the disposable tip of the thermometer and threw it into a plastic bag.

"Well, I guess it's just your average sore neck."

Janet began to feel around Daniel's glands, pressing on it to look for swelling. "It's actually in the ba--" Daniel began to say but stopped short. Janet looked up and followed Daniel's gaze. The three other members of SG-1 had already entered the infirmary.

"I'll be with you guys in a second," she called out. She had almost forgot about SG-1. Even though she was sure they were fine, it was standard procedure that every team got checked after a mission.

As she continued to press on Daniel's neck, Janet noticed that it had become considerably stiff. She glanced back and studied the rest of SG-1. Sam had an uncomfortable expression on her face and the colonel was definitely not in a good mood either. Teal'c... well she couldn't tell anything about Teal'c but she knew that the intense silence in the room was extremely unorthodox. She was always so used to them cracking jokes and arguing about pointless things simply to get a rise from one another. Something must have happened that she wasn't aware of. Janet had just figured that Daniel stayed behind due to the fact that he wasn't feeling well but now, she was beginning to think otherwise.

Janet continued to move her fingers to the back of his neck but jumped as Daniel recoiled from her touch. Bingo!

"Okay, Daniel, hold still." She carefully ran her fingers over the sore area. Why wasn't SG-1 talking? Sam didn't seem upset at Daniel earlier that day. Could it be something between Daniel and... She looked down at her fingers, her heart suddenly in her mouth. As calmly as she possibly could, without worrying Daniel, she quickly stripped her hands of the plastic gloves.

She had to be absolutely sure.

Janet ran her shaking bare fingers over the area of concern. A wave of nausea washed over her as. She briefly closed her eyes and looked away... Without even realizing it, Janet's throat had clamped up... she needed to get some fresh air!

Chapter 9

Dr. Fraiser sat at her desk and looked at her watch.

5:34 a.m.

Thank G-d Cassandra was sleeping over at her friend's house for the night. She laid her head on her hands for a moment and sighed. She was tired. There was no denying it. It was going to take a great effort on her behalf to keep her heavy eyelids from shutting. However, she knew that she couldn't surrender to her body's needs just yet. She had to stay up just a little longer.

Janet glanced at her watch again. She predicted that it would be another five minutes. She got up from her desk and began to pace the floor in the hopes of reviving her tired spirit. Her feet were unstable and her vision blurry. Just five more minutes, she told herself. Five more minutes until she could go to her dormitory and snatch some much-needed sleep.

Janet took a seat at her desk once more and played with her collection of pens. Fidgeting was always a problem for her. When she was nervous, there was no way of stopping those hands of hers. Damn it! How much longer? Her watch read 5:36. This was taking a ridiculous amount of time! She slowly put her head back down on the hardwood surface. She had three more minutes to sleep...

The footsteps outside her office awoke her from her peaceful slumber. Her head jerked up and her eyes moved straight to her wrist. 5:43 a.m. Where the hell was it already? In frustration, she reached for her coffee mug and cursed when she found it to be empty. Another trip to the infirmary coffee machine! She had asked General Hammond to install one next to the infirmary so that she and her co-workers would not have to wander all the way to the commissary floor.

Janet got up from her desk and moved to the hallway. She could never quite get used to the base in the early hours of the morning. It was always so quiet and deserted. The security was more lenient and the guards more scattered throughout.

She passed by a few of the infirmary rooms satisfied to hear the heavy breathing of the sleeping patients within. When she reached the coffee machine, she mechanically placed the mug in its rightful position before pressing down on one of the buttons. She breathed in deeply as the fresh aroma of the steaming hot coffee filled the air. Her moment of joy ceased as quickly as it had begun. At her observation, she noticed that only tiny droplets were now falling into her half full mug. Damn it! She hit her fist on the wall. Why this? Why now? Why her?

When her desperate attempts of fixing the broken machine proved pointless, Janet turned around and headed back to her office. With her eyes half open, she reached for the knob and turned. As the door opened, she nearly missed the large envelope that had been placed in her file holder.

It was finally here!

Dr. Fraiser grabbed onto the envelope and closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath. She could already feel her heart rate quicken from the nerves and anxiety that seemed to have assailed her entire body. She felt like she was twenty-three again awaiting the response for her med school application except, this was riding on much more. She reached in and grabbed its contents.

Janet took out the X-ray sheets and placed them against the light monitors on her far wall. Her finger, unsteady, flipped the switch on the side. Light illuminated the sheets. She stared for a long moment at the images in front of her, her feet almost paralyzed. She brought her shaking fingers up to her mouth and continued to gaze, unable to look away. She stayed like that for another five minutes before her brain was finally able to convince her legs to start moving again.

Janet turned around and guided her wobbly feet back to the envelope that lay on her desk. She took out the last sheet of paper and read the results. Her eyes only caught onto a few words but they were all she needed to know in order to confirm her diagnosis. She immediately closed her eyes and leaned against her desk. She could no longer contain the anger within her. With a quick swipe of her hand, papers, books and pens flew off her desk and onto the floor.

Moments later, Janet's senses came rushing back to her. She knew she had to calm down. Janet leaned even more heavily against her desk and concentrated on her breathing. She opened her eyes, and wiped the tears away. When she felt that her legs could no longer support her, she made her way to her chair and took a seat. With a painful sigh, Janet reached for the phone. She knew that it was extremely early in the morning but she had no other choice. With the phone next to her ear, she waited patiently. After five rings, a muffled voice answered. "Hello?" Janet took in another big breath before she opened her mouth. "Daniel...?"

Chapter 10

Janet immediately hung up the telephone. She couldn't tell him like this... not over the phone. The information she would have to make known to him was too traumatic, too short-coming. She wanted to tell it to him face to face, so that he would know right from the start that she would be there for him.

Janet quickly got out of her seat and grabbed her coat. She fumbled for her car keys and took off down the hallway towards the elevator. She didn't want Daniel to be alone.

Chapter 11

Janet kept her finger on the buzzer for a few seconds and awaited an answer. There was nothing. She reapplied pressure and held her finger there, this time for even longer. "Come on, come on, come on..." she mumbled to herself. Her nerves were working on overdrive right about now. She began fidgeting with her keys as a way to calm herself. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

Janet glanced back at the name next to the buzzer she was pressing just to make sure it was the right one.

Daniel Jackson #544

She looked at her watch again.

6:07 a.m.

Janet pressed on the buzzer for the fifth time in as many minutes. Once again, there was no answer. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she noticed movement at the corner of her eye. It was the doorman. He smiled at her and opened the door.

"It's six in the morning, ma'am. The person you're trying to reach is most probably sleeping." Janet nervously fumbled through her purse and pulled out her I.D card as an attestation of her medical background.

"Actually, I'm his doctor." She lifted the card up. "I really need to see him... it's urgent!"

"Look, I'm not really allowed to open the door for you unless the person you are visiting gives confirmation but... I'll let it slide just this once." He pulled open the door completely and allowed her entry.

"Thank you!" Janet called back to the man as she jogged towards the elevators.

Janet knocked on Daniel's door. When nothing happened, she knocked again. "Daniel, open the door!" she called out. Right now, she didn't care about waking up his neighbors. "Daniel!"

Just as she raised her fist again, she heard the sound of a chain on the other side. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Daniel. His long hair was uncombed and sticking out in certain places, an image Janet was not used to seeing. He was wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweat pants, one pant leg higher than the other. His face was a bright red and she could almost feel the heat radiating from it. He was a pure image of exhaustion.

"Janet?" He rubbed his tired eyes.

"Yeah, Daniel. Can I come in?"

"Janet, what's wrong? It's six o'clock in the morning," Daniel said as he glanced sluggishly at his wrist-watch.

Janet could feel her jaw twitch. She didn't quite know how to begin. What was wrong with her? She was a professional! When she had worked in the Lakeshore general prior to being hired at the SGC, she had to tell this kind of news to dozens of patients. Then why did this feel so different to her?

Janet already knew the answer. Daniel was a friend... a close friend.

"Daniel, I need to come in." Janet looked down at her hands.

"Um... sure... sure... come in." Daniel moved aside making room for the petite doctor. He swiftly swooped down and picked up an old sock from the floor. "Um, I didn't have time to clean up... I wasn't exactly expecting any visitors." Daniel smiled in embarrassment as he closed the front door. "Don't mind the mess..." he added mildly. Janet didn't mind at all. She was too focused on the situation at hand.

"Daniel... the test results are back."

Daniel stared at her somber expression. "Oh G-d... what's wrong?" All the weariness that was initially detected in his voice quickly vanished. He was all too aware of the time and he closed his eyes in preparation for the blow. He waited a few seconds for Janet to continue.

"They're not good. Daniel..."

"How long am I out for, Janet?"

"Daniel, you have to listen to me. The pain in your neck is because you pulled it badly." Daniel creased his eyebrows in confusion.

"That's not too bad. That'll take what? Four or five days until --"

"Daniel... there's more. When I was examining your neck, I found something else." She paused momentarily in order to prepare herself.

Daniel's heavy breathing was not helping her.

"Janet... Janet, what is it?" Daniel's alarmed voice responded to the sudden silence. "Janet?"

"Daniel, I found a lump."

"What? I mean wh... wha... what does that mean?" His voice was shaky and urgent.

"Daniel, it could've meant a lot of things. An infection or strep throat perhaps. But when I pressed on it, you didn't seem to react. Normally, if it were an infection, then you would have felt something. That's why I took a blood test and a chest X-ray. I just got them back a few minutes ago. The X-rays confirm the enlargement of a lymph node on the right side of your neck. The blood test gave me your white blood cell count. Daniel... I think that you might have Hodgkin's disease. This is just speculation but unfortunately, I'm fairly positive that this is the case. I still want to perform a few more tests just to be a hundred percent sure. I need you to come in tomorrow for a biopsy. Daniel, I don't want you to be alarmed in any way. Hodgkin's disease, unlike other cancers, is highly curable. The cure rates are as high as 90%. We caught it early Daniel, so I'm fairly certain that... Daniel?" Janet stopped in mid sentence. She looked up at the man standing in front of her. Notably, to her ears, Daniel's breathing had turned into short gasps. "Daniel... it's okay. You don't have to worry." She waited for a response but was rewarded with nothing of the sort.

"Daniel?"

Without any warning, Daniel let out a choked cry. His eyes suddenly rolled back and he began to sway forwards.

"Whoa... whoa! Easy, Daniel!" Janet reached and caught her friend. She cursed inwardly at the memory of sending him home with a fever the previous day. At the sudden human contact, Daniel's eyes fluttered open. "Okay, Daniel. Easy... take deep breaths." Janet coached him as she herself began to follow her own advice. "Let's sit you down," she suggested as she led him to the couch. He gratefully complied.

"Daniel, I know you must be nervous and confused. I just had to tell you as soon as possible... That's right, keep breathing like that..." Janet waited until his breathing had finally become more relaxed. "If you want, I don't have to --"

"No..." Daniel managed to choke out. "It's okay..." Janet could see the solemnity in Daniel's eyes. Despite her eagerness to get up and run away, Janet stood her ground and continued.

"I know you must be nervous and confused but I want you to be clear on everything. The diagnosis, the treatment and so on." Daniel nodded his head in acknowledgment..

"Daniel, Hodgkin's disease is a type of cancer. Although it is highly curable, nobody knows what causes it." Janet silently noted that Daniel's eyes were glazed over, probably from shock. "Daniel... look. I don't know if this is the right way to put it but if someone were to get cancer, then Hodgkin's is the best one to get." Daniel nodded in understanding, his face still tense from nerves. Janet continued, "I'll need to run a few more tests so you'll have to come in tomorrow."

Daniel's voice was soft. "What kind of tests?"

"Well, I'll definitely have to perform a biopsy and CT scan. That's just to verify which stage the cancer is at. It'll help me determine what treatment to use and for how long."

Daniel put his face in his hands and sighed. "You're talking about chemotherapy aren't you?" Janet's heart suddenly sank at the question. She found it exceedingly difficult to breathe past the lump in her throat.

"Yes... um... yes... that is a major possibility." The silence that followed was almost deafening. She momentarily cleared her throat and continued. "Daniel... this is a very private matter. I haven't notified anybody about this yet. It's only between you and me. Would you like me to tell anybody else? It may be easier if you let Jack know --"

Before she could finish, Daniel interrupted. "Sam... you can let Sam know." Janet nodded not wanting to touch upon the subject any further.

"Okay, Daniel. I just want to examine you a little further if that's all right."

"Now?" He looked up at Janet, the worry back in his eyes.

"I don't want to postpone this. There are three places where the enlargement of the lymph nodes is most apparent. I have to know if the cancer spread beyond your neck region." Janet got up from her seat. "I'll need you to take off your T-shirt." Daniel got up and obediently took off the white garment and threw it on the couch.

"Okay, just sit down and relax. I'm just going to check under your armpits." Daniel, uncomfortable with his current situation, sat down and raised his arm closest to Janet. She stuck her finger under the designated area and began to apply pressure. Daniel winced as the pressure turned into pain. "Ow!"

"Sorry, Daniel, but I have to press hard. Sometimes they can be tricky to find." Daniel smiled as he heard her mumble something about men and wishing that they shaved their armpits.

Janet soon moved to his other arm. After a similar examination, she looked at him and smiled. "Well, so far so good!" Just as Daniel was about to get up and put on his T-shirt, Janet shoved him back down. "I'm not finished with you yet, Dr. Jackson! As I said before, there are three areas I have to check. I've already seen two of them. For the next one, you'll... um... you'll need to take off your pants."

"What? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Well, the groin is just as good of a place as any to check for enlarged lymph nodes." Daniel remained seated shaking his head in disbelief.

"Come on Daniel. It's time I finally see what all the nurses have been raving about ."

"What!"

Janet laughed at the exclamation. "Daniel, there's nothing down there that I haven't seen before. Now... off with the pants! Chop, chop!" She clapped her hands accentuating her point. 'It's always me!' Daniel thought in frustration as he began to take his pants off. 'It's always me!'

Chapter 12

Daniel closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the question. All he could think of was how weird this was.

"What's weird?" Janet's voice was muffled to his ears. Did he say that out loud? His thoughts were not quite coherent in his head.

"Daniel... Daniel... Daniel! Don't you faint on me again like you did the other day!" Janet's tenacious voice brought him back to reality. His eyes flew open at the sound of the object that was coming for him... or rather for his neck. He winced at the sound of the buzzing. It reminded him too much of his fear of bees... they were beautiful insects granted... but their stripes were always so mesmerizing...

"Daniel!" His eyes snapped open once more. "Daniel, I want you conscious for the procedure!" The procedure... the procedure... oh yes! Now he remembered! He was having a biopsy!

"Yes Daniel, a biopsy." Janet said unable to keep the frustration out of her tone. Oops! Did he say that last thought out loud too? "It's the Alprazolam and the anesthetics talking. He's pretty drugged up," Janet whispered to one of the nurses nearby. She looked back at Daniel. "I'll just have to tell you a joke to keep you aware!"

Daniel winced as he realized that the apparatus Janet was holding was actually burning the flesh on the side of his neck. It looked like it should hurt like hell. Thank G-d it didn't! He stared up at the operating theatre window and found Sam's warm eyes gazing back at him.

How did he get to be so lucky? Her lips curved into a smile as she waved at him from her position high above him. Daniel tried to smile back but what came out was something short of a giggle.

"Daniel... I haven't reached the punch line yet. Are you even listening to me?"

More buzzing followed the question and he winced. 'This was too weird,' he thought once again ignoring Janet completely and glancing back at Sam. Where was he again? Oh yeah! How did he get to be so lucky? Did Sam know how much her friendship was needed right now? Daniel looked back in the direction of the continuous and on-going buzzing noise as the smoke rising from his neck caught his immediate attention. His 'lump' was being burned to a crisp. He shivered internally at the thought.

He was scared. So scared that he couldn't sleep or eat. G-d! All his life he had been pretty independent, never relying on those around him. But at the moment, he really needed the support of others. He knew that now.

Where was Jack? Why wasn't Jack or Teal'c with Sam? "Because you told me only to let Sam know, Daniel." Damn! He did it again! Daniel was relieved to notice that Janet's voice was much clearer to him now that the buzzing noise had finally ceased. He concentrated on his previous thought. That's right. Only Sam knew. All the events from the last few days came flooding back. He was glad Jack wasn't here! In fact, he wasn't even sure if he ever wanted to see him again. Jack was not a friend! A friend wouldn't laugh at him behind his back! A friend wouldn't insult him in his own house! A friend would not use his greatest weakness against him! Oh G-d... Sha're! What if he died?... NO! That was one train of thought in which he couldn't afford to indulge! He tried to remember what Janet had told him. Mind set was everything.

A sudden spark of pain caught his attention.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" Janet asked with concern seeing the pained expression on the younger man's face. "I'm just stitching you up. Does it hurt?" Daniel's head nodded. "Okay... just hold on." Janet quickly left his field of vision. The pain increased in magnitude as the seconds passed.

"Janet, what's wrong?" Sam's worried voice called out from the speaker.

"Nothing to worry about, Sam. The drugs are wearing off. The procedure is taking a little more time than I had originally thought."

What was that supposed to mean? A few minutes of waiting proved to be worth it as he felt the pinch of a needle. Moments later, the pulsating pain in his neck began to subside as warmth took over his entire body. He faintly heard Janet say something to the nurse before his eyes slowly drifted shut...

Chapter 13

Jack searched the newspaper for the sports section with no luck. He slammed the paper down on his desk in frustration and rubbed at his temples. Why wasn't his headache going away? He roughly grabbed one of the many files that lay in front of him and perused over the front page. Already fed up, he swiped it away with his hand and put his head on his desk. "Son of a bitch..." he mumbled. Things were not going so well this week. His old friends wanted to go out with him again and he wasn't so sure if he was up to it. He had to deal with something else first. That 'something else' being an annoying archaeologist. He knew he had to talk to Daniel. He was the commanding officer and he had to make sure that his entire team was functioning at a level that he was satisfied with. So far... he wasn't.

Jack was reluctant to confront his fellow teammate. He was still upset and thoroughly distressed. As far as he could tell, Daniel was playing with fire. His progressive lack of obedience was a threat to himself and his team. Sure, Daniel got SG-1 out of many tight situations before but he was also the one responsible for multiple scrapes and bruises due to his inability to follow orders. Daniel often had the knack of leaping into trouble and dragging the rest of team along with him. Shyla's planet was a fine example of Daniel's carelessness.

No. He didn't want to talk to him at the moment. His nerves were too tangled up. He most definitely was not in the mood to see Daniel's face right now either. He was too afraid he'd do something he'd regret. That thought brought him back to their last encounter in Daniel's apartment. Sure, he was a little out of line for shoving Daniel around and that whole bit with Sha're should not have been said but, when it came down to it, Daniel was the source of it all! And as far as apologies were concerned, he was still waiting for one! Daniel's lack of respect had to be dealt with! 'Maybe I'll send ol' Carter to check on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Maybe she can find out what's up with him...' His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on his door.

"Yeah... come in!" Blond hair caught his immediate attention as the door opened. 'Well think of the devil!' "What's up, Carter?" Jack asked.

Sam closed the door behind her before speaking. "Sir, I have to talk to you about something."

"Shoot, Captain," Jack said leaning back into his chair.

"Well Sir, it concerns Daniel."

'Oh, here we go!' Jack sighed aloud. "What about Daniel?"

"Well Sir, I can't help but notice that things have not been the same between you and him and..."

"Captain, what's between me and him stays between me and him." The statement was short and simple but Sam knew that there was so much more behind that voice.

"Understood, Sir, but..."

"Look Captain, I think you and I both know why I suspended Daniel." Jack's voice was gradually increasing in volume. "We've been a team for how long now? Two and half years? And yet dogs respond better to the word "stay". We're talking about a man who has three PhDs for crying out loud!!! He runs off on his own free will, never informing me... the superior officer! I'm sick of it Carter! His attitude stinks and I won't have any more of it on my missions." Sam stared in disbelief at Jack's sudden eruption. "If that's all you wanted Carter, then now you know. Dismissed."

Sam remained frozen a few more moments before she finally turned around. Just prior to opening the door, she stared back at her CO.

"He heard you laugh at him, Sir... at the pub... we both did." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Before Jack could utter a word, Sam was gone. He didn't know what the hell she was talking about... Wait a minute... at the pub... He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to remember the other night. Yes, he had been at the pub. He had been with his buddies. He also remembered having been royally drunk.

Jack got up and began to pace. How did she know he had been there? He paced faster. A faint memory confirmed that he did indeed see Carter and Daniel there. Yes! Now he remembered! Sanders was trying to hit on Carter. Everything was becoming clear again. Daniel had tried to take his car keys and... Jack stopped pacing as realization sunk in along with the memories from the rest of that night. 'Shit!' was his last thought before he reached for the phone and dialed Daniel's number.

Chapter 14

"Janet, how much longer do I have to stay like this? And why are we doing this anyway?" Daniel was irritated and restless. His body was pushed to the limits that day, undergoing numerous blood tests and more X-rays, but this particular one just took the cake. The other day, he was given an injection of Gallium and now he was being scanned for 'hot spots' as Dr. Fraiser liked to call them. This procedure required him to sit perfectly still, with his arms back over his head while a machine buzzed around him. The procedure was supposed to last an hour and a half! There was no way in hell he could stay like this for an hour and half! His arms already felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.

"Daniel, I already told you. The Gallium scan is used to identify which lymph node areas are involved. The Gallium is absorbed by your white blood cells in the abnormal lymph nodes. The involved nodes are then identified by scanning procedures." Janet's voice could be heard through the speaker. Daniel rolled his eyes at her. He hated talking to the walls but at this point, it was the least of his problems.

Janet sighed as she looked at Daniel through the glass window high above him. This would be a long day for the both of them! She rubbed at her tired neck. There were still a number of tests and examinations that had to be done. The frustrating part was that Daniel had not even reached the half way point and yet he was already complaining like a little child. If she didn't do something now, he wouldn't have any energy left for the rest of the day. And frankly, she was also sick of his complaining! To alleviate this problem, Janet decided that she would do the talking for now. She pressed down on the button in front of her and began to speak.

"Since we still have another forty five minutes, I'm going to start explaining to you a little more about the cancer and chemo treatments."

"Forty-five minutes? Are you trying to kill me?" Boy, Daniel was starting to sound more and more like the colonel!

"Just calm you nerves... I'll be down there in a second." Janet said as she backed away from the microphone and left Daniel's field of vision.

"Gee... that's one second down... I wonder how many thousands are left," Daniel muttered to himself.

"I heard that, Daniel!" Janet entered the tiny room. "Stop concentrating on the time and listen to what I have to say!" Janet placed her hands upon her hips and leaned against the wall in the far corner. "Your lymphoma is classified as stage 2. This means that you have two enlarged lymph nodes. This is very good news since stage 2 is easier to treat than stages 3 and 4. You also don't suffer from any type B symptoms such as weight loss or night sweats, which is more good news.

"Doctors have classified the Hodgkin's disease into 4 distinct pathological groups depending on the cellular structure of the tissue. Upon reviewing your biopsy results, it has been determined that your case is in the Nodular Sclerosis group. This group accounts for approximately 50% of all cases and is associated with a good prognosis." Janet was glad to see that she had distracted Daniel's mind long enough to make him forget about the time. "Now I want to discuss the chemotherapy with you." This time, Janet took a seat. "I am going to treat you with ABVD."

What's that?"

"It's a type of chemotherapy treatment. ABVD is made up of 4 different drugs. Three are given by an IV push and one is given by a drip. The first one is called Adriamycin. One of its side effects is that it will lower your blood count for the first two weeks of treatment. Because your blood count will be low, your immunity will decline making you more susceptible to such things as colds and flus so we'll have to keep you away from that type of environment. We will also have to constantly check for signs of anemia, which is something that may develop during the chemo treatments. Furthermore, Adriamycin may cause cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle. That's why we made sure to have your heart tested this morning when we put you through the gated blood pool scan. Other side effects from this drug include hair loss, nausea and vomiting. Don't worry about the nausea Daniel, I'll prescribe you something for it before we start the treatment.

"The second drug is called Bleomycin. This medication also causes low blood count. Moreover, you may experience itchiness and skin rashes throughout the treatment. The Bleomycin may cause mouth ulcers of varying degrees. You're going to have to maintain strict oral hygiene."

"Hey, are you insinuating that I have bad breath?" Daniel looked genuinely hurt by the comment. Janet smiled at him and then continued.

"The third drug to be administered is Vindesine. Its effects are similar to the ones already mentioned: lowering of the blood count, nausea, vomiting, loss of hair... It may also give you the feeling of 'pins and needles' at the tip of your toes and fingers.

"And finally, the last one is called Dacarbazine. This drug may affect your liver, particularly if given on a daily basis. However, liver function will eventually resolve back to normal within two weeks." Janet searched Daniel's face for some sort of a reaction. She knew that all this was hard to take in all at once but it had to be said. Upon observing him, she noted that all the color from his face had vanished. He was completely white.

"Look Daniel, I don't want to alarm you. It sounds worse than it really is. I told you all this because I want to prepare you. I want to inform you on everything so that you won't be surprised at any time during this treatment." Daniel nodded his head in understanding. After a few moments of silence, Janet glanced at her watch. "There's forty minutes left and then we have to prep you for the CT scan and the bone marrow biopsy. I'm just going to check up on the equipment and make sure everything is in place...Are you going to be all right?" Daniel nodded his head. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Daniel waited until Janet left his field of vision before he let out a gasp. To his dismay, his heart was pounding uncontrollably. He could feel its intense palpitations within his chest, each powerful beat echoing in his ears. Daniel closed his eyes in the attempt to calm his tense nerves. The lump in his throat was causing his breaths to come in heavy gasps. He knew that Janet was trying to help him but the bluntness in her words was not easing his mind. Liver dysfunction? Heart problems? Oh G-d! 'Jackson, keep your emotions in check!' Daniel scolded himself. He couldn't break down now! He hadn't even started the treatment yet! He looked around him... at the white room, at the large machines, the metal tables... and for the first time it really truly hit him.

He had cancer!

Chapter 15

"Do you feel this?" Janet asked as she pressed on Daniel's hipbone with two fingers. Daniel waited to feel a sensation of some sort.

"No," he responded truthfully.

"Good. Then we're going to start with the procedure soon. I'm just going to clean your skin a little before we begin." Janet moved away from Daniel and reached for something that he couldn't quite make out. Sam squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Janet had promised Daniel that Sam would be allowed to stay with him throughout the bone marrow biopsy since it was only supposed to last fifteen to twenty minutes.

Daniel was put under the local anaesthetic Xylocaine after being given several muscle relaxants. As a result, he couldn't feel the left side of his waist, which also meant that he couldn't really feel the rough material of the towel that was covering his buttocks either.

Daniel shifted his position at the uncomfortable thought of having his butt nearly exposed to both of his friends.

"Daniel, you have to stay on your stomach! You can't move." Janet's voice sounded from somewhere behind him. Daniel found this rather frustrating. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't see what Janet was doing. "There, now you're set." He could see out of the corner of his eye that Janet had thrown out what looked like alcohol wipes. 'Funny,' he thought. He hadn't even felt her apply it onto his hip. This fact comforted him slightly. The last thing he needed today was to feel any degree of pain. The only other comforting thought was that Sam was going to be there with him throughout the entire procedure. She was also practically the only thing his restricting position would allow him to see.

As though she could hear his thoughts, Sam knelt down so that she could be at eye level with Daniel, always keeping close contact with his arm. "Okay, Daniel, I'm going to insert the needle now. I want you to take a very deep breath and hold it," Janet said while Daniel closed his eyes and took a massive breath. It was funny how the calm he had felt not more than an hour ago was quickly dissipating. The silence was thickening in the overly spacious room. The only distraction was the racing of his heart. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, waiting for the slightest sign of pain... or pressure or... whatever he was supposed to feel during one of these biopsies. Instead, he heard the sound of quiet giggling from behind him.

"What?" he asked, annoyed with the sudden change in atmosphere. Daniel turned his neck as far as his muscles would allow him in order to glare at the petite doctor. He waited a few moments until her sudden attack of laughter finally ceased.

"It's just that..." Janet began to chuckle again but thankfully, this time she had enough self control to stop herself." You're... um... you're nervous aren't you?" The grin on her face even got a giggle out of Sam.

"Why?"

"Because, you seem a little... tense." Janet pointed her head towards the towel that was currently covering his behind. Daniel's face suddenly grew hot with embarrassment. Janet's giggling continued and soon Sam joined in as well. "It's okay, Daniel. You can stop clenching now!" It took about a minute until both women regained their composure.

"I'm sorry Daniel," Sam began and then cleared her throat. "Maybe we should start, Janet."

"Yes Janet... maybe we should start." Daniel mumbled with displeasure.

"Okay Daniel, take another deep breath. I'm going to count to three before inserting the needle." Daniel breathed in deeply and waited for Janet's cue. "One... two... three..." The sudden puncture of the large needle through his skin caused Daniel to tense slightly. He could only feel a small tinge of pain. It was actually a funny sensation. He could feel the tip of the thick needle within him. He could also feel the needle getting pushed further and further inside. The 'twinge' of pain was increasing in magnitude as more and more of the needle disappeared. His grip tightened around Sam's hand. Although uncomfortable, the pain was still bearable.

Janet was going very slowly, taking her time so as not to make a mistake. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing and Sam's comforting touch. Her hand was slowly stroking the length of his arm, much as a mother would do to soothe her child.

"Okay, Daniel, the needle is completely inserted. Now I'm going to puncture your hipbone and remove a small piece of the bone while the cells from the marrow will be aspirated. This is going to hurt a little, even with the anaesthetic. Get ready..." Janet slowly began to push harder. Daniel could actually feel the tip of the needle grazing his bone. He gritted his teeth as the sensation became increasingly painful. Upon hitting the hard surface of the bone, Janet took a deep breath before she pressed even harder on the needle in order to puncture a small hole.

At the sudden increase in pressure, Daniel's eyes flew open in a panic. The pain had caught him by surprise. It was beyond anything he was expecting. The flaring in his side caused him to clench his teeth even harder. It was getting worse! He grasped at the material of Sam's shirt, trying everything in his power to hold in the scream that was threatening to escape. Sam's grip on him became stronger as well. It suddenly felt as if a knife was chipping away at his hip, over and over again.

Janet continued to apply pressure, unsatisfied that the needle was not entering into the bone. Daniel's throat clamped up on him and his breaths were coming in short heaves. Why was it hurting so much? A strangled noise forced its way out of his mouth. He could feel millions of electric sparks around the area of the puncture. Perspiration began to settle across his brow. He gasped aloud as a new flare of pain caused his entire body to shudder.

"Janet... Janet, stop!" Daniel managed to whisper in strangled breaths. Janet couldn't hear his silent plea. In frustration, she pressed harder on the needle this time satisfied to feel the tip enter into the bone. The pain suddenly became excruciating. Daniel, no longer able to hold it in, began to scream.

"Janet... Oh G-d! Oh G-d! Janet! Stop!" He buried his face into the pillow underneath him as he tried to contain the pain that he felt. Sam looked up at Janet; her face was pale with concern. Janet stopped her ministrations. Daniel's screaming died down as the pressure slowly ebbed away. He was still gasping in pain when he managed to finally get his mouth working again. "Janet... you have to stop... Oh G-d... it hurts too much!" Daniel's head was rolling from side to side as his hand gripped tighter onto Sam's shirt. Sam took Daniel's other hand into her own.

"Listen to me Daniel. We have to finish this." Although Janet's voice was sympathetic, Daniel continued to loll his head back and forth in protest. His eyes began to tear and his voice lowered to a whisper. "I can't do it Janet! I can't..."

"Daniel, the needle is half way inside. I just have to push it in a little further and then aspirate the cells. I know that it hurts but you can do this, Daniel! I know you can! Now again, on the count of three... One... two... three..."

Daniel tried to object but it was too late. The needle was thrust deeper into his flesh. The pain was agonizing! Daniel's limbs began to twitch uncontrollably as the pain turned into pure agony. When the pressure grew, his screams increased in volume. The colors around him suddenly began to merge into one large blur. White sparks... he could see white sparks everywhere. As Janet had to press even harder, his brain tried to find a way to get his mouth to work again.

"Stop! Oh G-d, just stop!" Tears of pain were stinging his eyes, blurring his vision even further. He could faintly hear Sam say something urgently to Janet but his ears weren't working so well. The noise around him was drowned out and diluted from the pain he was feeling. He was suddenly aware that Janet was talking to him.

"Daniel... just stay with me a bit longer. Everything is done; I just have to pull it out. Are you with me?" Daniel nodded his head weakly. "I'm going to pull it out really quickly... Just breathe a little bit and rest for a few seconds." Janet's voice sounded muffled and far away to his ears. Did she just say rest for a few seconds?

No way! He needed it out of him!

"Take it out now!" Daniel managed to say in strangled breaths. He closed his eyes and once again felt the added pressure of Janet's hand on the needle. This time, he could hardly hear her count to three before he felt gut-wrenching pain. It was as though someone had just ripped out all of his insides in one swift pull. As a result, a wave of nausea passed over him. He had no more energy to scream. Instead, he moaned into the pillow as a bead of sweat slowly trickled down his cheek. Sam's face appeared in front of his. The roaring in his ears was making it hard for him to understand her.

He had to get out or he was going to... he had to get up! He grabbed onto the tip of the table and began to pull himself off of it. He could hear Janet's protest but he didn't care. He had to get out of there!

Daniel quickly lifted up his pants and attempted to run. His frozen left side was giving him some trouble but he ignored it. He needed to get to the bathroom or he was going to vomit right then and there. He dragged his stubborn left foot as he made his way out of the room and into the hallway. Suddenly, without warning, the room spun in a full circle. The abrupt lightness in his head caused him to lose his balance. He collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. He hardly felt the blow to his head as his face contacted the floor. His arms and legs refused to move. He could see Sam and Janet's blurry figures running towards him. He even caught Janet kneeling down next to him pressing a cloth onto his hip. He faintly heard a few of her words as she spoke to Sam.

Bleeding. He was bleeding?

Daniel looked at his hip and saw blood from the puncture leaking through the cloth and onto the cold cement floor. Daniel's consciousness slowly ebbed away along with the pain as darkness took him over.

Chapter 16

Events from the previous day were invading Sam's mind as she attempted to get some sleep. As much as she tried, sleep would not come. How could it when her mind was running in circles? Furthermore, she constantly heard Daniel's screams of pain echoing in her ears. Visions of the archaeologist's limp body on the floor were not helping matters either. As much as she tried, she simply could not understand what had happened the previous day. One minute Daniel was screaming in pain on the infirmary table and the next minute, he was passed out in the middle of the hallway following an attempted escape to the bathroom. Sam couldn't quite take her mind away from the blood that would not stop flowing from his hip, even after they had lay Daniel down in one of the private rooms. Janet had tried to explain to her the reason for the continuous bleeding. After a biopsy such as the one she had witnessed, the patient was supposed to lie still for at least a few hours while putting pressure on the puncture in order to stop any further bleeding. Daniel must have really been in pain if he had to take off like that to the bathroom. She shivered inwardly at the memory of having to lift the unconscious man off of the floor.

The incessant ring of her telephone interrupted Sam's thoughts. She groaned aloud. Who was calling her at... she looked at her clock... seven in the morning? She calculated in her head that she must have only gotten five hours of sleep. Sam cursed out loud. She didn't need to be at the base that day! It was her day off. She had planned on watching some T.V, going shopping and sleeping. Sam sighed when she realized that the last possibility would not be attainable.

She reached for the phone next to her bed and brought the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"Sam, did I wake you up?" Sam recognized the voice immediately. It belonged to Janet.

"No, unfortunately... what's up?" Sam asked as she laid her head back onto the pillow in exhaustion.

"Well, I forgot to talk to you before you left the base yesterday. I need to ask you a huge favor."

"What is it?"

"Well, I started Daniel on his first chemo treatment this morning. He's already an hour and a half into it. Here's the problem. I'm not off work until about four o'clock this afternoon. I was wondering if you would be able to stay with Daniel today until I'm off. I really don't want him to be alone right after the treatment. Everyone reacts differently to the meds. I'm not quite sure how his body will take to them. The first treatment should tell me what I need to know regarding the drugs and the doses his body can handle. I also don't want him to stay on base today. He would be better off in his apartment where he would feel more comfortable. I know it's your day off but I figured that you could relax at Daniel's place while doing him a favor of being there in case he were to need anything." Sam didn't even have to think twice before responding.

"Of course, I just have to get dressed and then I'll be on my way."

"Wait Sam... I have to first tell you a little bit about the side effects that he may experience from the drugs. He may or may not feel nauseous and queasy depending if the anti-nausea medication I gave him will work. Like I said before, every body reacts differently to the chemo. He may also feel extremely tired so he'll probably sleep for most of the day as well. You might want to check on him regularly for any signs of fever or infection. I'll stop by once I'm done work and I'll probably sleep there overnight with him..." Janet paused for a moment and then continued with a grin on her face. "According to my nurses, you're a lucky woman. They would kill to be in your shoes today." Janet laughed. "I know you're not a nurse Sam but I also know that Daniel would feel more comfortable with you there."

"Thanks for the warning, Janet. I'll keep my eyes open for those nurses of yours." Sam's smile faded away as a question suddenly formulated in her head. "Janet, will Daniel be able to work throughout the treatment?"

"Sure he will, just not off-world. He'll be able to work in his office at the base but he may just need to take it easy for a while. He will also have to lay off of the coffee too. He's going to go through four separate treatments, each a week apart. The day of each treatment, he won't be able to work or do any physical activity but he will be able to lead a normal life for the rest of the time." Sam let out a sigh of relief. Daniel's work was his life and without it, he would probably go nuts. She also knew that the work would eventually take his mind off of the chemo as well.

As she was about to say goodbye, Janet continued, "Just one more thing, Sam. I don't know if it is any of my business, but what's going on between Daniel and Colonel O'Neill? I mean, they haven't been talking much lately and he specifically told me not to say anything to the colonel about the cancer. I mean G-d Sam! Aren't they supposed to be good friends? How could Daniel keep this from him? Both you and Teal'c know... even the general knows and yet the colonel is left out of the loop. Why?"

Sam didn't know what to say. She debated on telling Janet the truth but then chose not to. She wanted to respect Daniel's private life as much as possible. "I don't know, Janet. They'll probably work out their differences sooner or later." She faintly heard Janet say goodbye and hang up the phone.

Sam sat on her bed paralyzed in her thoughts. She prayed to G-d that Daniel and the colonel would work things out, for both their sakes. Daniel was strong... he was a survivor. But if she knew Daniel as well as she thought, then she also knew that Daniel would need Jack to get through this. Sure, she could help him out and be there for him but it was Jack's strength and will that Daniel needed in order to beat this... thing.

The sound of the dial tone reminded her to put the receiver back into its place. Sam slowly got up and began to get dressed.

Daniel felt fine. Apart from a sore butt and a sore neck, the first treatment was not too bad. It took three hours of sitting in a chair with an IV attached to his arm until Janet had finally come in and told him that it was over. Now he was heading towards his office to collect a few books and reports that he would work on at home and then he would meet Sam at the parking lot.

He was thankful to finally go home. It had been a long painful two days and he was overjoyed to be finished with all of the testing. Daniel sat at his desk and began to collect some of his books when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he called out. The door opened to reveal the man he really wasn't in the mood on seeing. Jack O'Neill stepped inside and began to play with one of Daniel's artifacts that was sitting neatly on his shelf.

"Where have you been Daniel? Jeez, I must have left a hundred messages on your machine."

"I haven't been home in a while." Daniel answered coldly as he continued to gather more papers together.

"Well look... we have to talk."

"Not now, Jack... I'm busy."

"No, Daniel, we have to talk now." Jack stopped playing with the artifact and turned to face Daniel. Daniel looked up at Jack too, their eyes meeting for the first time in seven days.

"No, Jack. Not everything has to go your way ALL the time. We're not on a mission now so I don't have to follow any more of your orders." Daniel looked down and continued clearing his desk. "I'd really appreciate it if you left."

Jack sighed in frustration. "Look, Daniel, I just wanted to tell you that our next mission is in two days and I'd like it if you came. It's going to be a recon mission so --" Daniel was quick to interrupt him.

"Jack, I'm not going. In fact, I won't be going on any missions with SG-1 for a while. Now if you will excuse me... I have a lot of things to do!" Daniel turned his back on Jack, completely ignoring his presence.

Jack's voice rose in annoyance. "What is wrong with you, Daniel? Can't I have a normal conversation with you or are you just too damn keen on acting like a baby? Jeez Daniel, we're grown ups here! Act like one!"

Daniel suddenly slammed one of his books down onto his desk catching Jack by surprise. He looked up and glared at the man in front of him. "Jack, get out! Just get out! I don't need you down my back all the time! Can't you just leave me alone?" Daniel paused momentarily and then continued, "Believe me, Jack. I have way more important things on my mind right now!" Jack stood there for a few moments and then reached for the door. Just before he left, Jack turned to Daniel and muttered in a low voice, "You don't have to worry, Daniel. I won't be down your back any more!"

Chapter 17

Sam concentrated on the stairs. She had to move faster. Five... six... seven... eight... There! She was up another level. She glanced at the number on the door. Third floor. Dammit! What floor was Daniel on? Oh yeah! He was on the fifth floor. In her haste, she began to skip every second stair as she continued up the staircase.

Between her heavy panting, she called out again, "Daniel... Daniel, answer me!" Of course, he didn't. She could hear the echoes of his heavy footsteps treading up the stairs from above her. What the hell was going on? She barely had enough time to park the car before Daniel had opened the door and took off in a sprint towards the apartment building. She had run after him, following him all the way to the stairwell. She had no idea what had provoked him to run away like that. She had tried calling him as she attempted to catch up to him but it was to no avail. Daniel wasn't answering her.

Finally... the fifth floor! Her mind was racing with questions. Why in the world had Daniel taken off like that? Why had he needed to get to his apartment in such a hurry? By the time Sam opened the door to the fifth floor, she noticed that Daniel's door at the end of the hall was wide open. Her stomach in knots, Sam dashed down the hall towards Daniel's apartment. By the time she reached the threshold, her heart sank as realization hit her. Daniel's bathroom door was flung open and she could already here the harsh sounds that were coming from within.

Daniel was retching.

By the time she got to the bathroom, Daniel was on the floor, his hands grasping the side of the toilet bowl, panting heavily. Sam reached for a small washcloth and made her way to the bathroom sink. As she turned on the hot water, she heard the sound of a groan followed by the sound of more vomiting. When the towel was finally soaked in warm water, Sam got down on her knees next to Daniel.

"Daniel... here," she said as she held out the clean towel. Daniel turned his head in the direction of her voice. Before he was able to utter a single word, his face suddenly scrunched up as if in pain. He clasped tightly onto the porcelain bowl and began to retch once again. Sam closed her eyes and turned away.

Daniel was now coughing and throwing up simultaneously. Sam began to rub his back in swift circles offering what little help she could. While Daniel's coughing suddenly turned into violent wheezing, Sam moved closer towards him and pulled back his hair from his face.

A few moments of silence passed as Daniel did not dare move from his perched position. Sam continued to caress his hair as another fit began. His back arched as he violently battled his stomach for disposition of its contents.

Daniel sank back to the ground, exhausted and blindly groping for the toilet handle. Upon finding it, he held it down and listened to the flushing of the toilet. Sam sighed in relief. She quickly began to apply the warm hand towel onto his mouth.

Daniel lay limply on the floor, his back leaning against the toilet. His heavy breathing was an attestation of his weariness. As she continued to minister to him, Daniel attempted to smile at her.

"Are you okay?" she whispered as terrified eyes stared back at her. In response, Daniel nodded weakly. "How about getting off of the floor?" Sam continued.

Daniel attempted to get up but fell back down onto the cold tiles when the room suddenly spun out of control. Sam grabbed onto him and brought him back up into a standing position. He thanked her quietly, his voice no louder than a whisper. He leaned on her heavily as Sam led him to his bedroom, one small step at a time.

Daniel was thankful as Sam covered his frail form. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "Daniel, try and get some sleep. I'll put a cup of water next to your bed in case you get thirsty. I'm going to be in the next room if you need anything." Daniel mumbled his acknowledgement as his eyes slowly drifted shut.

Sam collapsed on the sofa in the room adjacent to Daniel's. She sighed heavily as she laid her head back against the headrest. Her hands were still shaking in response to the previous episode. She had no idea that the nausea involved could be so horrid. Her thoughts became more and more jumbled as her mind slowly drifted off to sleep...

"Oh G-d!"

Sam's eyes flew open at the sudden outcry originating from Daniel's room. She quickly got up and made her way towards the sound. As she turned on the lights, she was not prepared for the sight that met her eyes. Daniel was shaking violently under the thin sheets. His teeth were chattering as he pulled the covers higher onto his body.

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

"It's really cold, Sam... Oh G-d... cold," he managed to say as his body shuddered with the effort of speaking. Sam placed her hand on his forehead. All the color had vanished from his face. Sam began to search for more covers.

"In the... they're in the... closet." Daniel muttered from under the blankets. Sam followed his directions. Upon opening the closet doors, she spotted two extra blankets. She grabbed them both and draped them over Daniel's shivering form. Even with the added warmth, Daniel could not stay still. His body struggled to find a comfortable position. Seconds later, Daniel gripped at his stomach and moaned out loud.

"Daniel... what's wrong?" Sam asked, panic apparent in her voice. Her only response was Daniel's incessant moaning as he climbed out of the covers and stumbled off of the bed to lean against the wall. He slumped over in pain and slid heavily down to the floor. Sam reached for his shoulder but he quickly recoiled from her touch.

Sam couldn't hold back her worry as tears of frustration threatened to spill over. "Daniel... please! Just tell me what I can do!" She tried to reach for him again, but his reaction to her was the same.. "Nothing..." he whispered. "There's nothing you can do..." Daniel rocked himself as the nausea surged within him.

Daniel sprang for the bathroom, nearly not making it as he draped himself over the toilet. His gagging and coughing began anew. Sam knelt down next to him once again, trying to offer him some form of comfort. While she listened to his desperate gasps for air, Sam could no longer avoid the awful realization swimming in her mind. For the first time in her life, she felt powerless.

Daniel finally wiped his mouth and flushed toilet. Not a minute went by before his body collapsed in Sam's arms. With his arms wrapped around her tightly, he whispered the same four words over and over again: "Sam, I'm so sorry."

Sam, feelings and emotions all in a tangle, allowed the silent tears to flow down her cheek. She sat on the cold tiles, rocking him until she could no longer hear his sobbing.

He had finally fallen asleep.

She shook his shoulders gently until he finally stirred. She needed to get him into bed. Daniel struggled to stand up. With her help, Sam led him back to his bed and laid him down. "I'll be right back," she whispered softly.

Moments later, she returned with a large bin and placed it next to his bed on the floor. Daniel stared up at her in confusion. "It's in case you feel sick Daniel... so that you don't have to run back to the bathroom." She smiled as he nodded off into what she hoped would be a peaceful sleep.

Sam quietly made her way out of his room, leaving the door slightly ajar. She could feel herself losing control as she walked towards the guestroom. Her legs were already trembling under her own weight. She had to fight the tears.

Why was she crying? She could handle this, couldn't she?

There was more coughing and gagging from the other room. Tears were flowing steadily down her face now. She clasped her hand over her mouth as she felt a cry about to escape. She couldn't let Daniel know that she was crying. In a desperate attempt, Sam brought her fingers up to her eyes and tried to wipe the tears away. As much as she tried, her body continued to produce more and more of the salty fluid.

Her eyes wandered around the room. The phone... She needed the phone! She lifted the receiver and dialed as quickly as her shaking fingers would allow her. After going through the essential security passwords, Janet finally answered the phone. Sam was desperate to control her voice. She didn't succeed. She broke down crying before even being able to announce herself.

"Sam?"

"Janet... I can't do this!" Sam managed to blurt out.

"Sam, what's wrong? Sam, answer me!" Janet's voice was urgent.

"He needs a nurse! I can't do anything for him... he's too sick, Janet! I can't..." Sam knew that she was rambling but at the moment, her emotions were stronger than her sense of logic.

"Whoa! Slow down, Sam... what happened? What's wrong?"

"It's Daniel... he can't stop throwing up!" Sam was finding it hard to breathe between her sobbing. "You have to come! He needs you!" The panic in her voice was rising.

"Okay, Sam... calm down. I'm going to leave now. I'll bring Zofran, something that will help him with the nausea. I guess the Compazine wasn't strong enough. Don't worry... he'll be fine. He just had a violent reaction to the meds. I'll be there soon!" It took the monotonous sound of the dial tone to notify her that it was time to hang up the phone.

'Get a hold of yourself, Carter!'

The truth was, she was scared. Daniel needed her and she didn't know how to help him. She looked at the phone again and debated what to do. She swiftly grabbed it and began to dial. As she listened to the ringing, she silently wondered if what she was about to do was right... She needed to do this... Daniel needed her to do this.

"Hello?" Jack's voice answered the phone. Without warning, her throat clamped up. She couldn't go through with it.

Sam slowly hung up the phone as another tear made its way down her face.

She couldn't betray Daniel.

Chapter 18

Sam heard a knock. She quietly made her way to the door and tried to open it. Daniel's stubborn lock was giving her a hard time. After several attempts and a few swear words later, Sam finally succeeded in unlocking it. Janet stood in the hallway, her hair and clothes soaking wet, her face a mirror of fear and worry. Sam was relieved to see that she had brought with her one of her med kits.

"Rain?"

"Yeah!" Janet exclaimed with annoyance.

"Shh! He's finally asleep," Sam whispered as she stepped aside allowing Janet entry. Janet's tense nerves slightly loosened when she took in Sam's calm appearance. She scanned the apartment as she stepped inside. She was happy to see that everything was neat and in place, just as Daniel liked it. In truth, she was expecting total chaos: towels thrown everywhere, remains of Daniel's stomach contents scattered on the floor... she shook the vision from her head. 'Been watching way too much ER' Janet scolded herself. Sam gently closed the door and smiled at her friend.

Janet couldn't help but notice the puffy red eyes.

"I know... I know... I over reacted. You don't have to tell me..."

Janet cut her off immediately. "Not at all Sam. Your reaction was perfectly normal. In fact, I think I am the one to blame for all this. I didn't give you enough background information on what to expect. To be honest with you, very few people react so violently to the drugs... I should have been better prepared. I mean it is Daniel were talking about here." Janet was pleased to see Sam's ashen face lighten up with a smile.

"I don't know why I freaked out like that, Janet! It just wasn't... it wasn't... me. And I think that scared me more than anything." Janet ran a hand through her wet hair and then moved to hang her coat in the closet.

"Sam, I think you're right."

"About what?"

"Well, after every chemo treatment, I'm thinking of sending Daniel home with a trained nurse for the day. I don't want to have to put you through that again."

"It's okay, Janet. I think I can handle it. The first time is always sketchy. I'll know what to expect the next time round." Janet looked Sam over.

"Well... I don't know. We'll see... You don't mind if I see him now? Is he still asleep?" As if in answer to her question, the two women were interrupted by sounds of coughing and gagging from the bedroom.

"Not anymore," Sam said more to herself as they both made their way to the main bedroom.

Janet flicked on the light. Daniel was leaning off of his bed, his face hidden in the bin that Sam had made available to him.

"Whoa... whoa... deep breaths, Daniel." At the sound of Janet's voice, Daniel's head popped up, his eyes squinting in her direction.

"Janet?" he groaned.

"At your service," she said as she sat on the bed next to him.

"Thank G-d you're here..." Sam couldn't help but feel the slightest bit insulted at the comment. Almost immediately, she cursed at herself for thinking such a thing. How could she be so selfish? Of course Daniel needed Janet... Speaking of needs, she desperately needed to wash her face!

As she opened the door to the bathroom, the stench within the small room caused her to wince. She almost felt like gagging herself. She immediately flicked the switch that activated the fan. 'Thank G-d for technology,' she muttered to herself as she reached for the tap and turned the knob.

Sam ran her hands under the cold water and rinsed her face. While she turned off the tap, she stole a glance at herself in the mirror and sighed. She had truly scared herself today. She had really thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown. And for what? She didn't want to dwell on the subject any longer.

Sam turned around and closed the lights. When she exited the bathroom, she noticed Daniel lying in bed, Janet sitting next to him. They were talking calmly between one another. 'See... there's nothing to worry about,' she told herself. Daniel would be fine...

"Hey, Sam... you can go to sleep now without being bothered by the sound of my gag reflexes. Janet gave me something stronger for the nausea. She assured me that I'd feel better within the hour. I'm already feeling a lot better." Daniel looked up at her, a shy smile on his face. If she didn't know better, she would have thought there was a slight redness in his cheeks... embarrassment perhaps?

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Daniel," Sam responded. As she took a step towards him, she immediately felt her heart rate beginning to falter. Fear? Why was she suddenly scared to go near him? Sam examined her friend more carefully. Daniel's skin was clammy, his face was pale and his eyes were worn out. He looked terribly sick. What if he...? Again, she cursed at herself for thinking such thoughts. Despite her feelings, Sam approached Daniel. He looked up at her, a serious expression on his face.

"Thank you, Sam. I really appreciate what you did for me..." He chuckled slightly. "Hope I didn't scare you." Sam reached out to touch his face. At the sudden contact, she pulled back immediately.

"You should get some sleep, Daniel," Janet said while she eyed Sam carefully.

As both women left the room, Sam could still feel Daniel's eyes on her. She could even picture what they looked like. Intense blue orbs, staring at her with hurt and confusion. The moment the door closed, Janet pulled Sam away towards the living room. "Sam, the cancer is not contagious," Janet whispered with concern.

"I know that, Janet."

"Well, you just looked a little nervous back there. You know... he will be fine, Sam. He's a fighter... he has Sha're to fight for. He won't give..."

"Janet, I know!" Sam snapped. She turned away from her friend, ashamed of her behavior. "I'm sorry, Janet..." Sam's voice lowered in tone, the edginess was gone immediately. "It's been a long day!"

Janet looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She understood her friend. She would be a little worn out herself if she had been in her shoes.

"That reminds me, Sam... I spoke to General Hammond earlier and he told me that he's granting you a two day leave. He knows the troubles and the anxieties that come with cancer..."

"His wife," Sam interrupted.

Janet nodded.

"So, what do you say we see what our favorite archaeologist has stored in the fridge?" Janet asked, an evil grin on her face. Sam nodded softly. Janet waited a moment before getting up from her seat pulling Sam along with her.

Once in the kitchen, Sam sat down at the table while Janet raided the fridge. "Cassandra's at Jenny's house tonight. She told me she misses you. Whenever she calls you, you're never home." Janet's voice was muffled as her head disappeared into Daniel's fridge. "What the heck is this?" she asked while she waved a weird looking piece of food in Sam's direction.

Janet frowned. As far as she was concerned, she was talking to a wall. Sam's head was turned away from her, giving Janet the wonderful view of her backside. Quietly, Janet took a seat next to Sam and put her hand on her shoulder. Despite her comforting touch, Sam refused to turn around.

Janet caught her bringing a hand up to her face. "Hey... hey..." She tugged on Sam's shoulder until Sam finally turned to face her. Janet could see her poor attempt at hiding the tears. "Sam... it's okay... he'll be fine." Janet put her hand on Sam's arm.

"I know he'll be fine... it's just... I hate seeing him like that... suffering... He's been through so much this year... Sometimes, I just wish it could have been me..."

"Stop that, Sam. Don't you dare think that way! You don't deserve it any more than Daniel does. Look... I don't know why all these things happen but what I do know is that we all have to be there for him." As Janet spoke, Sam nodded in agreement. "Let me see a smile on that face of yours, Captain!" Sam grinned shyly yet, the sadness was still in her eyes. "There's something else bothering you isn't there? What's wrong?" Sam's red eyes looked up at her friend.

"I'm worried about Daniel on an emotional level. I mean, it's one thing to find out that you have cancer, but it's another thing to lose a close friend all at the same time. G-d Janet! Daniel needs the colonel to get through this. He can't do it himself. I've worked with both of them for a long time now and if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that they each thrive on each other's qualities. Daniel needs the colonel's strength, Janet. It's like you said, cancer is just as much an emotional battle as it is a physical one."

The sudden sound of buzzing interrupted her. Both women got up and searched for its source.

"Sam, over here... it's the intercom." Janet pointed at a small radio device attached to Daniel's wall. A sudden familiar voice echoed through the speaker. "Come on Daniel. Let me up. I know it was you who called me earlier." More buzzing followed as Jack continued to press on the buzzer.

"Daniel, I know you're there! I just want to talk!" Sam looked at Janet, her face stricken with horror.

"We can't let him up, Janet! Daniel doesn't want him to know." Janet nodded her agreement.

"As far as he knows, Daniel could be sleeping," Janet added. Sam turned away from the intercom and followed Janet back to the kitchen in an uncomfortable silence. They both sat down and waited until Jack finally gave up.

Chapter 19

Daniel closed his eyes, enjoying the serene and peaceful surroundings. Although he didn't really eat much, the picnic that both Janet and Sam had organized was exactly what he had needed. It was also the first time in three days that he had actually stepped out of his apartment. Most of his time was spent either lying on his bed or sprawled across his open books sleeping. He had never felt so tired in his entire life. In fact, the previous day, he had actually slept for eighteen hours. Janet had explained to him that this was a normal thing and that it might actually get worse as the treatment progresses. He was glad for the fact that his treatment was only going to last for a month as opposed to two or three. At least that was a relief.

Besides the occasional churning of his stomach and the eternal feeling of being tired, he suffered from no other side effects. The Zofran that Janet had put him on was helping him greatly. However, despite the aforementioned, Daniel still did not feel 'right'. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't quite pinpoint the reason why. All he did know was that there was a definite feeling of emptiness within him. Why was he so depressed? 'Because you have a life threatening disease you idiot!' he laughed at himself. Nevertheless, there was still something else bothering him..

Daniel cracked open one eye and stared at his friends. Sam was sitting next to him on the blanket leaning against the tree. The large novel in her hand captivated her. He turned his head slightly to see Janet cleaning up the remains of their lunch. Her hands were so preoccupied with the food that she didn't notice the bee that was circulating her head.

Daniel's lips curled into a grin. He was definitely a lucky man to have good friends such as these. They were there for him every step of the way. He paused a moment. Then why did he still have an unsettling feeling within him? A sigh of realization finally escaped his lips. He knew exactly what the feeling was-he just didn't want to admit to it.

It was a feeling he was all too familiar with.

A feeling he had not felt for a long time. A feeling he had once promised himself never to experience again. Oh yes... he knew the feeling very well. It was a dangerous one... one that could ruin everything that he had built for himself. Loneliness... It was the feeling of loneliness.

He closed his eyes once more while his mind wandered back in time-a time when he felt safe and loved. In his mind, he was being enveloped in Sha're's arms. He could feel the soft touch of her hands as they caressed his face. The sweetness of her lips as they kissed his eyes. The smell of her scent while her head lay against his chest.

He needed her.

He needed her more than ever before.

Daniel suddenly felt the familiar stinging in his eyes. He fought back the tears. He would do that later... when he was alone.

Daniel opened his eyes and squinted at the sun... He wanted it to rain.

"Daniel!" He turned his head towards the sound of Cassandra's voice calling him. He spotted her, about thirty feet away, playing Frisbee with her dog. "Come on and play with us!" she yelled at him. As he tried to get up from his horizontal position on the ground, Janet reached out and touched his arm.

"Look, Daniel, you don't have to if you don't feel up to it."

"It's okay, Janet. A little exercise couldn't hurt." Janet continued to eye him down for a few more moments before she finally let go.

Daniel got up and jogged towards the small girl. "Here!" She threw the Frisbee at him. The dog quickly followed the flying red disk, jumping and barking while wagging his tail incessantly. Daniel was glad to note that his reflexes were working properly when he caught the Frisbee in mid-air. Although he threw it back to her, it never reached its destination. Out of nowhere, a small brown figure leaped into the air and intercepted the pass.

"Oh no! Catch him!" Cassandra laughed as she began to chase her dog around. The dog was much too fast for her. "Daniel... you have to help me!" she yelled to him.

Daniel waited until the dog was close enough before he too began to run after it. He ran as fast as he could, the dog always two steps ahead of him as if taunting him to move faster. "Jack! Jack!!" Cassandra clamored as she ran. Daniel froze. Jack was here? Wasn't he supposed to be at work? He swung his head around searching for the man in question. "Jack! Come back!" Cassandra continued. Come back? What was she talking about? When he looked up again, Cassandra was approaching him, her dog in her arms. While she tried to free the Frisbee, the animal growled playfully in protest. "Jack... give it to me!" she exclaimed. Daniel let out a huge sigh of relief.

Jack was her dog! Thank G-d!

"You named your dog Jack?" He couldn't resist the question.

"Yeah... Come on! Let's chase him again." She put the dog down on the ground. The moment his small paws touched the grass, he took off again in a fast sprint. Daniel, still recovering from his previous discovery, was slow in following Cassandra.

Daniel was finding it harder and harder to breathe as he put one foot in front of the other. Before he knew it, his chest was hurting him as he gasped for air. He was too tired to run. He had to stop.

Daniel leaned over and put his hands on his knees in the hopes of steadying himself. The dizziness was hovering over him, threatening to conquer him completely. Without realizing it, he was already on his knees panting heavily, struggling to keep his food in his stomach. He faintly heard Janet call his name urgently. He couldn't respond. He had to first catch his breath.

Finally, when the nausea passed, Daniel got up from the grass and turned around. Janet was already jogging towards him.

"Janet... it's okay. I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting to get so tired." He gave her an innocent smile.

"Daniel, I told you to take it easy! Don't overdo it on your first day out!" Janet placed her hands on her hips indicating that she meant business.

Moments later, Cassandra joined them. "What happened?" she asked between gasps.

"Nothing... It's okay, Cass. Daniel just isn't feeling so well. He'll have to take it easy for a while."

Janet smiled at her daughter. She had to be careful with her words. Cassandra didn't know about the cancer and Janet wasn't planning on telling her about it anytime soon. It was too scary of a concept for a young girl of her age to grasp.

Janet turned around and began to make her way back to the blanket where Sam had fallen asleep, apparently unaware of Daniel's previous 'episode'. Daniel picked 'Jack' up and followed Janet towards the shaded area. "Come on, Cass, let's go relax a bit." The young girl snorted in objection. She wanted to continue playing. She hated being with grown-ups. They were always so damn boring!

As Daniel took a seat under the tree, Cassandra took her dog from his arms and sat down next to him. Daniel closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

He suddenly awoke to the sound of muffled giggling. He also heard Janet's stern voice lecturing the small girl.

"Cassandra! Stop that and act your age! Take them out of his hair!" Daniel shook his head. Dozens of tiny leaves fell from his hair. When he glanced up at Cassandra, she was still giggling.

"You still have more!" She reached up and began to ruffle Daniel's hair in the hopes of freeing him from her decorations. Suddenly, without warning, Cassandra pulled away from him. "Ew!" she yelled out loud. She looked up at Daniel in disgust, wiping her hands on her pants. Before he could open his mouth, Janet grabbed Cassandra roughly by the arm and pulled her away. Daniel could hear her reprimanding the young girl through clenched teeth. What was going on?

Daniel caught a few of Janet's words. She was saying something about respect. He also heard Cassandra trying to defend herself.

Disgusting. She definitely said disgusting!

He tried to listen more carefully.

'Daniel' and 'hair' were a few of the other words included in the conversation.

He reached up and ran his fingers over his scalp.

By the time he brought his hands back down, Daniel could not contain the shudder that suddenly ran through his body... There, in his palm, was a clump of his own hair.

Chapter 20

"You do not look well DanielJackson... perhaps we should stop."

"No Teal'c, I'm fine. Go on." Teal'c examined the younger man carefully before continuing.

"Very well. The inhabitants of P3X 977 were a formidable race. Their way of life exceeded that of our own..." Teal'c paused momentarily. "Are you certain you are well?" Daniel sighed in frustration. He was sick of everyone asking him that! He stared at the artifact that SG-1 had brought back from their latest mission. Two weeks ago, its unusual inscriptions would have captivated him, but now he was just impatient to leave. He was too tired and worn out. 'On the other hand, when am I not?' he joked silently to himself.

Daniel was already becoming accustomed to the same daily routine. He would come to the base, analyze and decipher for a few hours and then get driven home by military personnel. However, these past few days were particularly tough. Lately, by two o'clock in the afternoon, he could always be sure to hear a tiny voice in his brain say, 'Warning! Shut down in five... four... three... two... one... ' And then, his head would collapse onto his books and he would visit dreamland for a while.

Daniel glanced at his watch. Okay, today was a record. The tiny voice in his head was an hour early. He could feel his eyes fluttering close, completely forgetting about his current visitor.

"DanielJackson!" Daniel's head popped up. "Perhaps you should pay a visit to Dr. Fraiser." 'Perhaps I should pay a visit to my bed' he joked again. Boy, he was starting to have more and more conversations with himself! Not a good sign. At the moment, what he really wanted was to get rid of Teal'c.

"That's a good idea... maybe I will see Janet." He lied. It was the only way he was going to get the larger man out of his office. To his dismay, the Jaffa merely nodded, his feet remained planted on the ground.

"Then I will accompany you."

"That's not necessary, Teal'c. I can get there on my own."

"I am only concerned for your welfare DanielJackson."

"I know, Teal'c. I appreciate it but..." Quick! Think of something, Jackson! " But... I first have to go to the washroom. I promise you, Teal'c, I'll go and see Janet right after." Teal'c nodded again. Tension filled the room until Teal'c's exiting footsteps interrupted the odd silence.

Daniel grinned smugly to himself. He had an entire hour of freedom before he had to go for his next 'treatment'. Unconsciously, his body quivered at the memories from his last so-called 'treatment'. He was definitely not looking forward to it. On the other hand, he noted, it meant that he would be halfway through the chemo.

Daniel had to keep himself awake for another hour. The task was harder than it seemed. He reached for his coffee mug, an action that had become almost habit in his two years working at the SGC. Of course, the mug wasn't there. It was hidden somewhere in a box along with his office coffee maker and his stash of coffee grains. He was going to have to torture Janet for her evilness when this was all done and finished with. Aware of the fact that he would not be drinking coffee any time soon, Daniel opted for the bathroom. Hopefully, by drenching his face with water, his eyelids would not be so stubborn.

Daniel slowly made his way to the men's washroom where he leaned against one of the sinks and looked into the mirror. The face that stared back at him was haunting. He had large dark rings around his eyes resembling those of a raccoon. Around his cheeks, his skin was clammy and had turned a considerable shade of red. He must have also lost a substantial amount of weight judging from the gaunt outline of his face. He further noted that although his hair had already thinned out a bit, it was not terribly noticeable. Perspiration was beginning to line the top of his forehead.

Teal'c was right. He looked awful.

Daniel ran his hands under the cold water. The moment the liquid contacted his face, Daniel jumped back. It was freezing! He frowned when he realized that the cold tap was not even turned to its maximum capacity. A new possibility entered his mind. Maybe it was fever. He sighed in resignation. He knew where he had to go.

"Well, Daniel, your temperature is at 102.9 degrees. That's very high."

'No kidding,' Daniel commented to himself.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to give you the second treatment today, Daniel. We have to first figure out what's wrong."

"What? C'mon, Janet, I can't take this anymore!" Daniel plopped his head back onto the pillow.

"I'm sorry Daniel... I know this means a longer chemo period but there's nothing else I can do. Your body is not fit to receive the drugs. What I'm going to do is run a CBC... maybe I'll be able to find a few answers then." Janet smiled at Daniel as she dabbed a wet cloth across his forehead. His body looked exhausted, depleted of all its energy.

Janet moved away for a few moments and returned with a large rubber strip and a needle. Daniel winced. "Okay Daniel... you know the drill."

Daniel sat up and held his arm out. Janet tied the elastic strip around his bicep. He could already smell the familiar odor of alcohol as she dabbed at the great vein of his forearm. Daniel closed his eyes when she inserted the needle.

"You know... people will start thinking I'm a drug addict at the rate I'm going." Daniel lifted his other arm, exposing the many dots that were still visible. Janet looked up at him and smiled.

"There. Now I want you to stay in the infirmary and relax. Possibly go to sleep if you can. I'll be back soon." Before she even left the room, Daniel was already fast asleep.

Daniel awoke to Janet's insisting voice. "Daniel... Daniel, wake up."

"I'm up... I'm up," he mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. Wincing at the blinding light, he brought his hands up to his eyes and rubbed at them.

"Problem solved. Your platelets and hemoglobin are fine, however, your white blood cell count is dangerously low, Daniel. The norm is between 4000 and 10000. You're at 200! That's what's causing the fever."

"How?"

"Although the drugs used in chemotherapy help destroy rapidly growing cancer cells, they may also destroy some normal cells too. As a result, infection-fighting cells such as white blood cells called neutrophils may also be killed. These white blood cells, specifically neutrophils are essential to your body since they help fight off infection. They are produced in your bone marrow and are a part of your body's defense against invading bacteria. Because your count is so low, you may be at risk of developing a serious infection. That's why I can't give you the treatment today. It's too risky."

"So what happens now?"

"Now, I get to prescribe Neupogen, the wonder drug. This will eventually raise your white blood cell count to a normal range." A nurse handed Janet a large box. "Thank you." Janet nodded to her co-worker. She then proceeded in opening the container. "You're going to have to inject yourself with Neupogen every day, Daniel. You'll find in here a supply of injection needles and vials of the medication. This should last you for about a week. You have to refrigerate the vials to keep them fresh. However, make sure you take the vial out an hour before you have to inject yourself and allow it to cool down at room temperature. Okay?" Daniel nodded. "Oh and one more thing. The Neupogen has one side effect." Daniel rolled his eyes.

"What now?"

"Well, it may cause bone and joint pains. The good news is that you'll find that Tylenol will help you where that is concerned." Janet could see that Daniel was finding it hard to stay attentive. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up a bit later."

Daniel turned on his side and closed his eyes. 'Why me?' was his last thought before his consciousness slowly floated away.

Chapter 21

He couldn't do it. How could he? It was part of him... it was part of who he was.

Daniel paced the floor for a while as he contemplated his next course of action.

He couldn't not do it either... He reached out for the object located next to his sink. Just as quickly, he pulled his hand back. No, maybe he'd do it later... yes... later would be fine with him.

Daniel moved out of the bathroom and headed for his closet. A shudder, that had nothing to do with the cold air, took him by surprise. Daniel ignored it. He reached into his closet and grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of pants. The hot water from his previous shower had the similar affect of a sedative on him. He was tired...

Daniel climbed into his bed and draped the sheets over his small frame. He closed his eyes the moment his head made contact with the soft pillow... A minute later, he opened them again. Why couldn't his brain just leave him alone?

Daniel cursed out loud. He knew he had to do it. If he was going to do it, now was the time. He roughly threw the covers off of him and trudged back into his bathroom. There... now his body was in the right place... all he had to do was get his mind in the right place.

Steam had filled the room, fogging the mirror and making it harder for him to breathe. The heat was intense and uncomfortable. He flicked the switch next to the entrance. Immediately, the fan turned on. Daniel looked around to see the shower door wide open. 'Closing the door to the actual shower would help,' he thought sarcastically. Great! He was already annoyed with himself! 'Too much time alone,' he noted with displeasure.

Daniel turned to stare at himself in the mirror. The fog, still present but not as concentrated, was making it hard for him to see. In his distress, he opted to use his sense of touch. He rubbed his hands over his face. No stubble... At least that saved him the effort of shaving every day. Almost reluctantly, Daniel raised his hands higher up, the curiosity almost too much for him. He slightly dabbed at his scalp with gentle fingers. His hands explored carefully. To Daniel's horror, in some regions, he could feel his fingers touching his scalp directly.

Bald spots?

Daniel forced down the panicked cry...

He quickly turned around and rushed to the shower. When he opened the shower door, he froze.

How could he have not noticed it before?

Daniel stared at the sight in front of him, his eyes unmoving. He swallowed hard. Clumps of his hair were scattered on the shower floor. The drain emitted strangled sounds as it struggled against the mass of hair to drain the remaining fluid. Daniel's stomach churned as he nervously fumbled for the taps just under the showerhead. He forced them to turn as far as they could before he had to look away. It was only minutes later when he gathered enough strength to look back. Thankfully, this time, the tiles of the shower floor were clean.

A new wave of anger and irritation washed over him. Daniel kicked at his garbage in frustration, causing it to topple over. He was so sick of this! He turned back to the sink and grabbed the object that he had so much been trying to avoid. He lifted the scissors up to his hair and began to snip frantically, allowing the falling pieces to drop into his sink.

"Janet, have you seen Daniel?" Jack asked as he moved into step with the petite doctor.

"He went home early today, Colonel," Janet responded nonchalantly as she turned the corner. Jack could feel his fingers clench into a fist. What was going on? He hadn't seen Daniel for days. It was simply getting out of hand! Something wasn't right with the younger man. When he had quizzed the general about Daniel's continuous absences, the older man had just shrugged it off, as if the matter was of no concern to him. In fact, Hammond had even told him something about an important personal matter that Daniel had to tend to. Well, he was sick of all this crap! He wanted to find out what the hell was going on and he wanted to know now!

Jack had made sure that nobody was in the hall when he had entered Daniel's office. The task was a notably easy one, considering the younger man never locked his door. The office looked the same except for a few new files scattered over Daniel's desk.

Jack perused over some of the papers. There was nothing of interest there. He scanned the rest of the room. What was he even looking for? What was he planning on finding? Daniel never kept any secrets. Then what was this 'personal matter' that General Hammond had told him about? Jack sighed in defeat. There was nothing here. He surveyed the room one last time before he decided to leave. Just prior to reaching the door, Jack stopped in his tracks. Something had caught his eye. He squinted as he stared down at the garbage next to Daniel's desk. What the hell was that? Jack bent down and picked up the black trash bin. He rummaged through the contents, indifferent to the fact that he was violating private boundaries. He quickly backed away in shock. What was going on? He pulled out four empty vials and placed them on the desk. He stuck his hand back inside only to be further perplexed. His hand came out holding three used syringes. His mind began to run in circles. Why was Daniel taking medication? Was that the 'personal matter' that General Hammond was talking about earlier? Was Daniel addicted to...? Jack stopped himself. What the hell was he thinking? Daniel... addicted to drugs? That was ridiculous.

Jack picked up one of the vials. Maybe if he knew what drug Daniel was taking, it would better his chances of finding out what the hell was going on. Jack read the label on the small glass container and frowned. He'd never heard of it before. With only one option left, Jack picked up Daniel's chair and placed it in front of the computer.

Jack sat down and double clicked on one of the icons that appeared on the screen. He waited impatiently as the familiar dialing sound of the modem echoed in the room. When the connection to the Internet was finally confirmed, Jack placed his hands on the keyboard and began to type. Before he began his search, Jack double-checked that his spelling was correct. N-E-U-P-O-G-E-N. Satisfied, he clicked on the 'search' icon and waited.

Chapter 22

"C'mon... c'mon... pick up!" Daniel mumbled as he paced the room, the phone gripped tightly in his hand.

"Fraiser."

'Thank G-d!' "Janet, it's Daniel... Look --"

"Daniel, you're supposed to be here for your second treatment! Where are you?"

"I'm at home..."

"Daniel, this is not a joke! You can't be skipping your chemo treatments!"

"I know that but... look, Janet, I really can't come in today."

"And why is that?" Janet was clearly irritated.

"Because, well... I just really can't, Janet. Can't you come here and do it in my apartment?" His voice sounded desperate.

"Daniel, if it's the nausea that you're worried about, then I can give you something stronger. Sam can drive you home right after the --"

"Janet, please..."

She sighed. "Just tell me why and I might consider it..." She waited for a response but it never came. "Daniel... Daniel!"

"Because I shaved my head." The answer was short and simple, yet it was quite obvious to Janet that the voice behind it was ashamed and embarrassed. She didn't know what to say.

"Daniel, it's nothing to be embarrassed from --"

"Janet, if I walk around the base like this, then everybody will know I'm sick. And then what's going to happen? Everyone is going to stare at me with that 'oh so sorry' look. I'm sorry, Janet, but I won't go through that." Janet took a few moments to contemplate. She knew that she couldn't take off work, yet Daniel was her friend. Perhaps the general would understand and grant her a four-hour break.

"Daniel, I'll go ask the general for a short leave... However, I expect you to come in next time. Daniel, you can't hide away from everybody. Nobody will look at you any differently if --"

"Janet, please! I don't think you know what it feels like to be sick like this. I really don't need to be lectured right now from somebody who doesn't understand!" Daniel winced the moment the words left his mouth. They sounded cold even to his own ears. "I'm sorry, Janet... I didn't mean --"

"No, you're right, Daniel. I'm sorry." Her voice was soft. "I'll be there within the hour."

"Wait! Oh G-d... I nearly forgot. Janet... please don't get mad."

"What is it? What happened?"

"Well, I think I made a big mistake."

"What did you do, Daniel? Out with it!"

"Well, you have to tell the maintenance not to touch my garbage."

"Why?"

"Well, I sort of threw out the empty vials and the used syringes."

"What? Daniel! Don't you remember what I told you about safety precautions? That's dangerous!"

"I know... I know... It's just that, I was in such a rush to get home that I stuffed them into the garbage without thinking. I know it was stupid."

"Okay, Daniel. When did this happen?"

"Early yesterday morning."

"I'll go to your office right now and check things out."

"Thanks, Janet. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah... yeah... yeah... Just be ready within the hour." Daniel hung up the phone and walked to his closet. He opened the doors and pulled out a handkerchief. If a guest was coming, he might as well look as presentable as he possibly could.

Jack sat in his car and waited. His view of Daniel's apartment building was slightly blocked by the dozens of trees that stood between his hidden position and the tall structure. Daniel was bound to leave his apartment sooner or later and Jack was going to be there when that time came.

Jack's head was hurting him. The millions of thoughts bouncing around in his mind all day long were bound to give him a headache or two. The Internet search from the day before had definitely caught his immediate attention. According to the websites he had encountered, Daniel was either suffering from a deficiency of white blood cells, or...he didn't even want to think of the 'or'.

He glanced at his watch. He was supposed to be at the base right now catching up on his work. Jack almost laughed at the thought. Judging from recent events, he knew he would never be able to sit still at his desk let alone concentrate on writing reports! Too much was on his mind at the moment.

Jack abruptly sat up when he saw two people walking towards the apartment building. His eyes squinted as he struggled to make out the two approaching figures. It was definitely two women, he noted with satisfaction. He peered even more closely. One was a blond and the other a brunette. Jack nearly choked when he realized on whom he was spying. What the hell were Carter and Fraiser doing there? His back straightened as he attempted to get a better view. Janet was holding some medical equipment while Carter was carrying a blue container. Someone was coming out to greet them... someone... someone... with a green handkerchief. It was Daniel! He looked more closely.

Jack's throat clamped up.

He had to get out of there! His fingers fumbled clumsily for the keys that were already in the ignition. He turned them forcefully, not even waiting for the motor to start before he put the car in drive. He slammed his foot down on the gas causing the car to screech loudly as it drove away.

Jack shuddered involuntarily as he turned the corner.

He couldn't quite get the haunting image out of his head. Daniel with a handkerchief... Daniel... with no hair...

Chapter 23

"All right, Daniel, all done." Janet smiled as she began to clear away the mess that she had made on Daniel's table. "How are you feeling so far?"

"So far so good," he mumbled as he watched the smaller woman take out the IV.

"Where's your closest garbage?" Sam asked as she helplessly turned in a circle, plastic covers and used cotton balls threatening to fall out of her hands.

"In the kitchen," Daniel answered.

"Speaking of garbages Daniel, I went into your office and checked on yours." Janet said while she checked Daniel's temperature.

"Oh yeah... I almost forgot. What did you find?"

"More like, what I didn't find. Daniel, the vials and the syringes you were talking about weren't there."

"What? You think the maintenance already dumped them?"

"No." Daniel paused at Janet's response, an expression of confusion spread across his face.

"Then how do you know that the garbage wasn't dumped?"

Janet responded with a question of her own. "You said that there were four vials right?"

"Right."

"Did you throw out all the syringes at the same time as you did the four vials?"

"Yes... why?"

"Well, did you throw out a separate syringe the next day?"

"No."

"Daniel, I know the maintenance people didn't touch your garbage because I already found one used syringe in the bin. The rest of the three syringes were gone and all four vials were no where in sight." Janet stared at Daniel with a strict gaze. She wanted an explanation.

"Janet, I'm telling you the truth. I threw them all out at the same time." Daniel said as he tried to get up. The sudden spinning of the room caused him to fall back into his chair.

"Easy, Daniel, take it slow." Sam reached out to steady the younger man.

"I don't understand... I put --"

"Don't worry about it now, Daniel. Just get some sleep okay?" Sam suggested as she gave Daniel a sympathetic look. He nodded in agreement. His eyes were beginning to droop and his tense back was in desperate need of a soft mattress.

"I'm going to stay with you this time for a couple of hours. Just to make sure there won't be a sequel to your last performance." Janet said as she made her way to the kitchen sink and washed her hands carefully.

"Sorry I can't stay, Daniel, I have to go back to the base." Sam leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Bye."

"Bye," Daniel said as he watched Sam leave. He was jealous of her. While she had her reports and her briefings, he would only have his toilet and bed to look forward to.

Sam tried to catch up to her CO who was presently walking awkwardly down the hall. His shoulders were considerably stiff as he trudged along, his legs losing their laid-back stride. When she finally came up next to him, she noticed that his face and eyes were austere. "Sir?" she asked softly, careful not to irritate his mood any further.

"What?" he snapped back. His eyes remained focused on the floor.

"Sir, is there a briefing today? I might have missed --" Jack stopped walking abruptly. He turned towards his second in command, his stare was cold and severe.

"Excuse me?"

"Well... I wanted to know the exact time for our next briefing..."

"Who knows, Carter... Maybe it already happened." She looked at him carefully, her eyebrows creased in confusion. "Maybe the briefing already happened and nobody bothered to inform me about it!" He swiftly turned away from her and continued down the hall. She stared at his back in bewilderment. What had caused the sudden outburst? She began to walk away when an abrupt realization dawned on her.

She had found Daniel's burglar.

Chapter 24

Samantha Carter glanced at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Do not worry yourself, Captain Carter, O'Neill will be here shortly." Teal'c's voice was calm as usual. She wished she could say the same for herself. Her nerves were all in a bundle. Although she was not thirsty, Sam took another big sip from her water. She needed to distract herself.

"Would you like to order?" The soft voice of the waitress caused Sam to jump slightly. She looked up at the woman and swiftly responded, "No thank you, not yet. We're still waiting for one more person." The waitress nodded and walked away.

Sam glanced at the entrance one more time. Was she doing the right thing? Was it right of her to betray Daniel like this? Sam sighed. She was so sick of doubting herself. She knew that she had to do this or else... or else she would never forgive herself. She also knew that Daniel would be mad, but she assured herself that what she was about to do was in his best interest. She couldn't let this get any more out of hand!

"Captain Carter!" Sam looked up at Teal'c's warning. Her heart nearly jumped when she saw her CO walk into the restaurant. She looked up at Jack as he made his way over to their booth. He was fifteen minutes late.

"What do you want, Carter?"

"Sir, please sit down. I... we..." She pointed at herself and Teal'c "... really need to talk."

Jack took a seat across from his two teammates. "So talk!" He had an icy gleam in his eyes. Sam knew that look. It was a look of anger. It was a look filled with hurt. It belonged to a man who had been insulted-a man who had been deceived by his closest friends. Sam looked down at her hands.

"Daniel's been... Daniel's been sick, Sir." She looked up at her commanding officer, examining him for some sort of reaction. His eyes didn't even flicker. She continued carefully, "It's cancer, Sir... to be more specific, it's Hodgkin's disease." The only reaction she perceived was a faint twitch of his jaw. "He's been sick for over two weeks. Janet put him on chemo... that's why he hasn't been to the base in a while." Jack continued to stare in front of him. She waited for him to speak. He didn't. The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by the sound of the young waitress approaching their booth.

"Hello, Sir." She looked at Jack, a large smile spread across her face. "Would you like to see --"

"No!" Jack snapped, his eyes still focused on his two co-workers seated across from him. The waitress nervously pulled back the menu she was holding out.

"Are you ready to order?" Her voice was a little less cheerful. Sam looked up and handed her the menu.

"I'll have the Club and a Diet Coke." The waitress jotted down a few words on her pad and then looked down at Teal'c.

"I will have the chicken platter." The waitress nodded and turned cautiously in Jack's direction. She was very aware that the man was clearly upset at something.

"And you, Sir?"

"Beer," he answered coldly.

"Well, Sir, we have a selection of them. We have Molson, Hei--"

"That's fine!" He looked up at her for the first time since she had approached their table. She nodded and quickly walked away. Jack turned his attention back to Sam.

"DanielJackson is unaware of this confrontation, O'Neill." Sam looked at Teal'c carefully and took over.

"Daniel... well, he doesn't know that we're telling you this. He's a little bit uncomfortable with people knowing --"

"But he can tell you and Teal'c, right?"

Sam winced at Jack's tone of voice. This was not going to get resolved tonight. Jack would need to speak to Daniel about this alone. In the meantime, she had to get one message across to him. She didn't care if Jack wasn't going to say a single word, as long as he heard what she was about to say. "Sir, I don't know what has been going on between you and Daniel but --" Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to get into specifics. Sam's voice became more urgent to his ears.

"Sir, Daniel may seem fine on the outside, but I know emotionally he's not doing well. It can't be easy! He's going through a lot, Sir --" The waitress interrupted Sam as she put down the mug of beer in front of Jack. She turned to Sam and Teal'c and attempted to smile.

"Your meals will be here shortly." When the waitress finally left, Sam continued, "Sir, Daniel needs your help." At that comment, Jack calmly got up, reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He threw a five-dollar bill onto the table and then grabbed his leather jacket. "Sir, wait!" Jack stopped and turned his head back in her direction. "Daniel needs you, Sir..."

"If Daniel needed me, he would have asked for my help a long time ago!" he muttered softly before he turned his back to her and left the restaurant.

Jack got into his car and slammed his fist down on the dashboard. He cursed silently. What was he supposed to do? Daniel didn't want to see him! He had tried to talk to the younger man before but their 'talks' would always end in heated arguments. What did Sam and Teal'c expect from him? He sighed and leaned his head back on the headrest. His eyes wandered around the car in frustration until they caught sight of something.

His cellular...

He reached for it and immediately began to dial. Jack raised the phone to his ear and waited. He looked at his watch. It was suppertime... she had to be home. After a few rings, she finally picked up.

"Janet...? You have to do me a favor!"

Chapter 25

Daniel zipped up his pants and grumbled. In the past few days, he had made more trips to the bathroom than he cared to admit. His bladder was working on overdrive and he was sick of it! He tried cutting back on the fluids but it was no use. His bladder was having a love affair with the toilet bowl and he couldn't do a damn thing about it!

Daniel flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He felt like crap! Unfortunately, he was feeling more and more like that lately. In addition to the sudden shrinkage of his bladder, his bones and joints were extremely sore.

The Neupogen...

Janet had warned him about that. She had also told him that a couple of Tylenols would do the trick... no such luck! Nausea was another issue that had become the source of worry. The Zofran was NOT doing its job. Janet herself had witnessed that the other day when she had decided to stay with him following his second treatment. It was so bad that it got to a point where he would gag at the mere sight of food. He couldn't even eat a simple piece of broccoli due to the fear that he would eventually see it an hour later, floating in his toilet. Daniel shuddered at the thought.

Daniel slowly began to make his way back to his bed when he suddenly stopped. He leaned heavily against one of the bedposts and closed his eyes. The world was spinning. It took a good two minutes before the laws of gravity began to work again.

Daniel undressed until only his boxers remained. He climbed into bed, not even bothering with the sheets. He would soon have to wrestle out of them again and make another trip to the bathroom, so what was the point?

Daniel glanced at the clock. 4:45 a.m. Janet had informed him last night that she was going to send him a nurse. She would arrive at seven in the morning. In a way, he was thankful. The emptiness of his apartment was starting to get to him. Daniel sighed. What had happened to him? Two weeks ago, his life was going just fine. Two weeks ago, he had a job. Two weeks ago, he had friends. Two weeks ago... he had a life. Now, he doubted he could even call it that. Life. He laughed at the thought. This wasn't life... He couldn't go to work. He couldn't eat. He could hardly get out of bed each day. He couldn't talk to his friends... no... He couldn't talk to his best friend. Daniel closed his eyes. Jack. Oh G-d! What had happened between them? He couldn't even remember. All he knew was that he wished he could just pick up the phone and call him. That's all he wanted. One lousy phone call. Daniel laid his head on the pillow under him in frustration. He needed to laugh. He needed to talk... He needed to forget.

It was too late already. He couldn't call Jack now. No, it was much too late. Daniel reached out and set the alarm for 6:50 a.m. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that perhaps the following day would be better than the last.

Daniel felt a tingling feeling down below. Although it was quite uncomfortable, he tried to ignore it. Ten minutes later, the tingling turned into a burning sensation. Dammit! He opened his eyes fully and sat up. 'Big mistake' he thought as bile gleefully tickled the back of his throat.

Daniel waited until the room stopped spinning before he got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. He had to pee again! This time, it felt like he wasn't going to make it. Oh G-d, he had waited too long! Just two more steps... He quickly lifted the toilet seat up and... Daniel sighed. He closed his eyes and leaned his hand against the wall above the toilet. 'Boy did that feel good' he thought with relief. He waited until the final drop fell before he flushed the toilet.

As Daniel washed his hands, he heard his alarm go off in the other room. He left the bathroom and approached the clock. He turned off the alarm and looked down at his attire. Boxers... He shook his head and reached for a sweater and a pair of pants. He would have to look presentable.

Just as he was about to fix his bed, the buzzer sounded in the living room. He made his way towards the radio device on the wall and pressed on a button. He was happy to note that the nurse was exactly on time.

Daniel waited a few minutes before he heard a knock. He walked towards the vestibule and opened the door. Daniel jumped back immediately. "Jack?" Oh G-d! What was going on? Without another thought, he immediately grabbed at the handkerchief that was conveniently hanging on the coat hanger. He couldn't let Jack see him like this! He desperately began to cover his bare head with the green material. Jack winced. "Daniel... you don't have to do that..." Jack's voice was soft and sympathetic. Daniel continued, his fingers shaking as he attempted to tie a knot. When his head was completely covered, Daniel looked back in Jack's direction. It wasn't long before his eyes looked down at the floor. Jack wasn't fooled. After two years of knowing Daniel, he appreciated the fact that he could see right through the younger man. Right now, all he could see was the pain. He could see the hurt... He could see the embarrassment.

A small voice interrupted his thoughts. "Look, Jack, I'm expecting someone..."

"I know, Daniel. You're expecting me..." Daniel's brow furrowed with confusion. Jack smiled softly. "I'm your new nurse..."

Chapter 26

"What?" Daniel's mouth fell open; electric blue eyes stared at the man in front of him.

"Can I at least come in?" Jack nodded his head towards the inside of the apartment. Daniel moved back and opened the door a little wider. "Daniel, we have got to talk." Jack slipped out of his coat and threw it on the couch before taking a seat there himself. Once the door was closed, Daniel turned around to face the older man, his back leaning heavily against the wall.

"Daniel, you know you can sit if you want." Jack pointed at the chair across from him. Daniel slowly approached it. He seemed to stand there a few moments before attempting to sit down and even that task took him a considerable amount of time. When Daniel finally got around to sitting, Jack could hear a soft exclamation as Daniel's back touched the soft surface. "What's wrong?" Jack asked almost hesitantly.

"It's nothing." Daniel managed to hiss as he tried to get into a more comfortable position. It was obvious to Jack that he was trying to mask his pain. Well... it wasn't working. Jack examined Daniel with a careful eye. The young man had changed a lot since he had last seen him. His face was gaunt, he had lost at least ten pounds. He was also extremely pale, a striking contrast to the dark green handkerchief covering his bare head. His movements were stiff, unlike the gracefulness that Jack had gotten used to over the past few years. Despite all of the aforementioned, there was still something that bothered Jack as he watched Daniel. His eyes. They were not the same... No... They were not the eyes that sparkled in the presence of a new discovery. They were not the eyes that shed tears whenever they witnessed hurt or suffering. They were not the eyes that glowed with trust. No. These eyes were different.

These eyes were scared, frightened.

"Jack... I... what are you doing here?" Daniel stuttered nervously.

"Daniel... I know about everything." His words were plain yet their impact on Daniel was significant.

"What...? Well how --"

"That's not important."

Daniel closed his eyes, his face turned into an expression of hurt. "Sam and Janet --"

"No, Daniel, they did nothing to betray you... I found out on my own." Daniel's eyes opened slowly as they focused on Jack. Jack looked away, ignoring the shiver that was beginning to run down his spine.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Jack turned his eyes back in Daniel's direction. What was Daniel talking about? "It was you in my office... you found the vials!" When there was no response, Daniel's voice rose in volume. "Well was it, Jack? Was it you or not?" Daniel's eyes were hard with accusation.

"Look, Daniel..."

"No, Jack! You had no right to do that!" Daniel struggled to stand up. "You have no right!" Daniel's feet were not sturdy and as a result, it looked as though he was going to fall. Jack got up and reached for his friend. "No! Let go of me!" He jerked back from Jack's touch.

Jack pursed his lips in frustration. "Daniel... will you relax and listen to me?" The younger man didn't answer. Instead, he glared at him with cold eyes. Jack continued, this time with a softer voice. "Yes, Daniel... Look, I know I was wrong to snoop around your office but you left me with no choice. You weren't showing up to work for days at a time and when you did show up, you didn't talk to anyone..." Jack paused. "... You didn't talk to me. Everyone seemed to know something that I didn't."

"Jack, you shouldn't have --"

"Why? Why Daniel? Why the hell not? From what I can tell, I was the only one who wasn't told! And don't tell me that it's because of the thing at the pub because that's bullshit and you and I both know that!" Jack lowered his voice in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Look, Daniel, I'm sorry. I was drunk. My friends made a little fun and I laughed. Hell, I laugh at everything when I'm drunk... you should know that by now. Look... I can't even remember what Sanders said or what I was laughing at. Doesn't that prove anything?"

Daniel simply looked down and mumbled, "That's not why I didn't tell you, Jack..." Jack felt a knife go right through him. It took him a moment to realize that the pain in his chest was a result of him feeling hurt, an emotion that he was not quite familiar with. It was hard enough to find out that his best friend had kept a big secret from him but it was even harder to hear it from his very own lips.

"Then why, Daniel?"

"Please, Jack... I'm not feeling so well --"

"No, Daniel... I want to know why!" Jack winced at his own words. He did not mean to sound so harsh. "I want to know why," he repeated, this time his voice was considerably lower.

Daniel stared at Jack, his face even paler. The silence in the room was deafening. Jack could easily hear the tremors in Daniel's breathing as he waited for a response.

"Because... I didn't think you'd want to know."

"What?" Out of all the answers Jack was expecting to hear, that surely wasn't one of them.

"Nothing, Jack... Please just go! I want to be left alone!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Daniel!" Jack was furious. Didn't think he'd want to know? He shook his head in disbelief.

"Fine." Daniel turned towards his room and slammed the door behind him.

"Fine!" Jack's voice echoed from the walls and ceiling. He, too, stomped towards the front door and opened it. He didn't have to take this! He didn't need Daniel's crap! He could just leave right now if he wanted to... If he wanted to... He repeated that last thought in his mind. No. He knew he couldn't leave. It would be just one vicious circle after another and he couldn't go through that again. His mind was made up. He was going to talk to Daniel eventually, even if it meant torturing him with his presence. Jack stepped back into the apartment and closed the door.

Daniel climbed onto his bed. He sighed in resignation. He could never win with Jack! He could never win period... The sudden sound of a door closing interrupted his thoughts. 'Jack left,' he noted to himself. Well... now he was alone again. 'Great' he mused. 'There's another one I managed to push away.' Daniel brought his hands up to his head and ripped off the handkerchief, throwing it roughly to the floor. His hands brushed over his forehead momentarily and came back wet.

He was sweating.

Daniel's stomach was beginning to churn. No! Not now! Not again! Daniel turned onto his side and tried to ignore the gurgling sounds. He could fight this. Yes... he would fight this. He held his stomach and closed his eyes. 'Think of something else,' he told himself desperately. Think of... think of... think of Sha're! He tried to picture her in his mind. Her caring eyes. Her sincere smile. Her full lips... He moaned out loud in pain and turned his body over once again. No! He would not give in! He concentrated harder. Abydos. The beautiful night sky. The smell of Sha're's cooking. The sound of... his stomach! He couldn't ignore it. He had to get out of bed or... he didn't want to think of an 'or'. He dashed towards the bathroom unaware of the lamp that took a plunge to the floor as a result of his sudden movement. He opened the door and bolted towards the toilet. The moment he lifted the seat, he released his stomach contents. His back arched violently as new waves of nausea assaulted him. Daniel lifted his head up for a few moments to catch his breath. He heard footsteps outside. Damn it! Jack hadn't left after all! Daniel quickly reached for the lock on the knob and pressed it. Almost immediately, another fit of coughing took him over. As he leaned forward once again, he knew it would be another long day.

Jack sat up immediately when he heard a loud crash. The sound seemed to originate from Daniel's bedroom. He quickly rushed over towards the darkened room. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. The bathroom door was closed and he could hear the muffled sounds of Daniel's gagging from within.

Jack approached the sound until he stood face to face with the bathroom door. Jack didn't wait another moment before trying the knob. Just as he had thought! It was locked. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Daniel, are you okay?" He neared his head closer. There was no answer. All he could hear was violent coughing and choking. He tried again. "Daniel! Open the door." Jack waited again. Nothing. His hands turned into fists as worry began to seep in. He quickly started to pound on the door. "Daniel... Let me in! Open the door now!" This time, the room was silent. "Daniel!" Another hard pound with his fist. "Daniel... Open the door!" Just as he was about to raise his fist once again, Jack could hear Daniel's groggy voice from inside.

"Go away Jack... I'm fine."

"No you're not, Daniel --"

"Jack... I'm fine!" Daniel pronounced every syllable carefully, making sure the older man knew just how annoyed he was. Suddenly, Daniel opened the door. He looked weak and tired. "Jack, please get out of my way." Daniel's voice was low, almost incoherent. Jack stepped back and watched Daniel walk past him towards the bed, his gait unsteady. Daniel got into bed slowly.

"Daniel, I'm not leaving." Jack felt the need to reinforce his presence. He wanted Daniel to know that he was not alone.

Expecting an outburst of some sort or a rude comment in return, he was surprised to hear the younger man's response. "Fine." It was a simple word, barely a whisper, but Jack knew that its meaning went far beyond a simple approval. It meant a lot more. He grinned to himself.

Daniel needed him.

Daniel didn't want to be alone anymore.

Chapter 27

The pain in his head would not leave him alone. Daniel brought his fingers up to his temples and began to rub. He frowned when he felt his pulse racing under his own fingertips. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find that an invisible mist masked his vision. Blur... everything was... blurred. He squinted his eyes and tried again. He could only make out vague images and shadows. 'Not good,' he thought.

Daniel threw the covers off in an attempt to cool down. Judging from the beads of sweat still trickling down his forehead, he knew that it was useless. He had to turn up the air conditioning or he was going to die a gruesome death. That meant he had to get out of his room... a task that would require energy, something that he didn't have at the moment.

Daniel attempted to get off of his bed. He stumbled the moment his feet touched the carpeted floor, nearly falling to the ground as a result. He carefully made his way out of his bedroom, a sigh escaping his pursed lips. Screw the air conditioning... he needed to go for a walk... outside. The door... he had to get to the door.

Daniel's feet were unsteady as he approached the destination, his vision still doubtful. He could faintly hear heavy breathing from somewhere nearby. He dismissed it as he wiped away at the wetness on his face. When he could slightly make out the lock on the door, he reached out and unlocked it. Satisfied, Daniel turned the knob and stepped out in to the hallway. He had only taken a few steps in the direction of the elevators before an intense wave of dizziness invaded him. He needed to... he needed the bathroom again! He turned in a panic. The world was closing in, making it hard for him to see clearly. He whipped his head from side to side, his eyes wide open in alarm. Where was his door? Why was everything so dark and obscure? He reached out his shaking arms and felt for any obstacles in front of him. He teetered towards the right, his hands coming in contact with a wall.

G-d he was so hot!

Daniel could feel himself losing consciousness. He fought against the darkness. He barely caught himself from falling over before all of his energy seemed to dissipate. He graciously leaned against something hard... he looked up... a door? He pounded on it frantically, he needed... he had to... He was getting more and more dizzy. Too hot! It was too damn hot! He tried to open his mouth but couldn't find the energy to do so. Daniel pounded again on the door, his breaths were coming in sharp gasps. He fought to keep his balance... Time seemed to stand still while he pitched forward. When he hit the hard floor, his mind screamed as he heard an ominous crack...

Chapter 28

John Ludwig's head popped up from its comfortable perch. What the...? Someone was banging on his door at... he looked at his clock... 3:30 in the morning? He glanced over at the sleeping form next to him. 'The woman can sleep through anything!' he mumbled to himself. He reached for his night robe, a dark blue material draped over one of his chairs. Just as he struggled with the last sleeve, he heard more pounding on the door. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." he muttered under his breath as he approached his front entrance. "Who is it?" he called out lowly so as not to wake up his sleeping wife. "Who's there?" He tried again when he received no answer. Moments later, he heard a loud thud from outside. Hesitantly, he opened the door. His curiosity piqued, John craned his neck as he instinctively took a step forward.

"Daniel?"

John quickly rushed to the stricken man's side. Daniel was sprawled on the floor, his cheeks red and clammy, his voice moaning in pain. "Daniel... what happened?" John tried to kneel down, a task he found increasingly difficult at his elderly age. "Daniel, where are you hurt?" His young neighbor was not responding. Instead, Daniel lolled his head from side to side, his face creased in pain. The old man firmly grabbed onto Daniel's chin, forcing blue eyes to look into brown. Daniel blinked a few times as if coming out of some horrid dream... or nightmare.

It hurt! It hurt like hell! Daniel curbed the urge to scream. Something... or...someone... was touching him... a shadow above him. A deep voice... what was it saying? He couldn't make it out. Hurt? Yes, he could definitely make that one out! The voice was talking to him again. It sounded muffled... Daniel closed his eyes and tried to remember... He had fallen... not two minutes ago. Where was he? On the floor? Daniel moved his head to the side. Doors... hallway. He suddenly felt a cold hand on his face... his chin. He surrendered to the touch, allowing his eyes to look above him. Big eyes... worried eyes... Brown eyes...

"Jack?" he asked softly.

"No, Daniel, it's John... from across the hall." John? What was he doing here? A stroke of pain traveled down his leg, nearly forcing him to give way to the darkness once again. There were sharp noises... above him... Daniel's eyes popped open at the sound... it was... snapping. John was snapping his fingers not two centimeters from his nose. "Stay with me, Daniel... Daniel... stay with me, you hear?" The brown eyes above him pleaded, begged for him to respond. Daniel nodded his head stiffly.

"I'm here... I'm here..." Daniel couldn't recognize the sound of his own voice. Although still in pain, he was happy to note that darkness no longer seemed to loom over him. His vision was improving along with his sense of hearing... Not seconds after this revelation, Daniel's thoughts were distracted by the sound of his own name. The voice was unmistakable... it was Jack.

"Jesus, Daniel! What the hell happened?"

"Well, Jack... I think I fell..." Daniel managed a shy grin. Jack didn't respond. Instead, he made his way over and knelt down beside the leg that Daniel was desperately clutching at, his knuckles already white from strain.

"The leg?" Jack asked mildly. Daniel nodded.

"Wait here," John said in a hurry as he got up from the floor, "My wife's a doctor. I'll be right back --" The old man was already on his way to his apartment.

"You took quite a spill there, Daniel." Jack eyed the younger man clearly unhappy with the current situation. "Daniel, you should've asked me to help you. That's why I'm here." Daniel didn't respond. He didn't want to talk. The two men stared at each other in utter silence.

"Daniel...? What happened?" The sweet voice from behind him interrupted the uncomfortable stillness between the two men. Daniel turned his head. Although still fighting against the pain, Daniel lips curled into a fine grin.

"Hi, Grace."

"Daniel..." she smiled back. The woman next to him had sharp cheekbones and brilliant green eyes. Although she only wore a simple night robe, she looked as graceful as ever. The few wrinkles she possessed defied her age, she looked youthful and vigorous, almost childlike behind her delicate smile. Her eyes shone with authority and strength. "Let's take a look at that leg shall we?" Daniel rested his head back on the floor and closed his eyes. He could feel her feminine fingers examining his leg; her touch was gentle. "Well, Daniel..." He opened his eyes as she addressed him. "... I've got some bad news..."

"What is it?" Daniel's voice and face were uneasy.

"You've broken your foot." Her voice retained a sense of confidence and conviction. Twenty years of being a physician had taught her never to doubt herself.

"What? How could that be? It was a simple fall!" Daniel lifted himself up on his elbows, frustration apparent in his movements.

"Now wait a minute young man... you lie back down!" She reached out and brushed her hand over his forehead slightly. "You have a temperature, Daniel. You're very hot... Now this is what we are going to do." She turned to her husband. "John, you go down and get the car ready, I'm going to go inside and find something to stabilize that swollen foot, and you..." She pointed at Jack. "... Are going to stay with Daniel." John was already heading towards the elevators as Grace got up and left the two men alone.

Jack looked down at his friend. "Nice neighbors you've got there." He tried to smile, but what came out was a poor attempt at a lopsided grin. His effort at lightening up Daniel's mood was failing miserably. Jack continued, "Listen, Daniel..." Daniel's face suddenly scrunched up in pain. "What's wrong?" The younger man simply gripped at his stomach and mumbled incoherent words. "What? Jesus, Daniel, tell me what's wrong!" Almost immediately, Jack received his answer... Daniel turned his head to the side and began to cough violently, throwing up what little food his stomach still contained. Jack backed away slightly and moved to Daniel's back. He reached out and began to rub it, much like Sarah used to do when Charlie had the flu. It was a soothing gesture. Jack tried to murmur comforting words to his sick friend but was immediately cut short when Daniel roughly jerked away from him.

"Daniel... will you stop pulling away like that. It's getting old already!"

Daniel glared up at Jack. "Look, Jack, I don't need your help!" His voice was forced.

"If you don't need my help, then why are you lying here on the floor with a broken foot!"

"Jack, just stop!"

"You know, Daniel, I'm getting really sick of this attitude of yours! Forget about your pride and let me help you!"

"Pride? Pride, Jack? Look at me! Look at me!" Daniel pointed at his bare head. "I have no pride left!" Jack winced at his words.

"Daniel, tell me the truth. Why don't you want me around, huh?" Jack remembered Daniel's earlier words... his explanation as to why he didn't want to tell Jack about the disease. "Don't you see, Daniel? I do care...! So why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Just forget about it, Jack! I don't want to talk. My leg hurts, " Daniel said dismissively, turning his head away from Jack.

"Hurts...? Hurts? Do you want to know what hurt is, Daniel? Hurt is when my friend refuses to talk to me, refuses to be in the same room as me. Hurt is when my friend doesn't want me around and acts as if my presence is insignificant to him and to everyone around him. Hurt, Daniel... is when my best friend refuses to tell me about something important like cancer because he thinks that 'I wouldn't want to know!'"

'Best friend'? Daniel replayed the words in his head. He slowly looked up, his breath caught in his throat. Tears were swimming in Jack's eyes, threatening to spill over. Guilt immediately overwhelmed him. He hadn't even realized the pain and hurt that he had caused Jack these past few weeks. He opened his mouth and whispered, "Jack... I lied to you before..."

"What?"

"I lied to you yesterday... I didn't... I didn't want you to know about the cancer for another reason..." Daniel's eyes were beginning to sting. "I didn't tell you about the cancer because..." He paused and brought his hand up to his scalp. "... Because I didn't want you to see me like this..." His voice quivered as he tried to control his emotions. He looked next to him, his own vomit not two feet away. Daniel closed his eyes in shame. "I didn't want you to see me like this..." he repeated, this time his voice no louder than a whisper.

Daniel looked back at his friend.

A single tear escaped Jack's eye, slowly making its way down his cheek.

It was the first time Daniel had ever seen Jack cry.

Chapter 29

Jack quickly wiped at his face when he heard Grace make her way back.

"Okay, Daniel..." she paused a moment as she aimed a look at the two men. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked eloquently. Both men appeared dazed and confused. Thankfully, one of them seemed to register her question.

"No..." Daniel shook his head.

"Okay, Daniel... I'm going to have to stabilize your foot before we lift you off of the floor." Daniel nodded as he glanced at the contents in her arms: a small blanket, a few pieces of cardboard, and three leather belts. He raised his eyebrows, questioning her motives while she lay the objects out on the floor. "Relax, it won't hurt anymore than it is hurting you now." Grace smiled at him while she began to put her hands at work.

Before she grabbed the white blanket, Grace decided to examine Daniel's foot a little more extensively. It was noticeably swollen; his skin was turning a dark greenish color. "You know..." she said in thought, "Come to think of it, you may have broken your ankle, not your foot. It's quite hard to tell without an X-ray. Where exactly does it hurt?" Daniel nearly laughed out loud at the question. Where does it hurt? It hurt everywhere! "From the middle of my leg all the way down to my toes!"

"Okay, well I'll stabilize that whole area just in case --" Grace stopped in mid-sentence. The noisy sound of the elevator doors interrupted her. Moments later, her husband's figure came into view at the end of the hall. It was quite obvious he was having trouble breathing as he jogged back to his apartment door.

"John? What is it? Why are you back so soon?" Grace's voice was clearly concerned at her husband's odd behavior. John tried to avoid his wife's inquiring eyes as a dull flush was already working up his neck.

"I forgot the keys," he managed to mumble as he disappeared into the apartment. Daniel tried to stifle a laugh. It was a funny image. A man in his late sixties, running down a hallway at four in the morning in his bathrobe and boxers. Grace rolled her eyes and looked back at Daniel.

"I'm telling you, as they get older, they lose more and more of their minds!" she exclaimed, her voice lacking any kind of humor. Daniel grinned at the comment.

"What's your name?" she turned to Jack.

"It's Jack."

"Jack, I want you to gently wrap Daniel's leg from here..." she pointed her finger to a spot right under his knee, "... all the way down to there." She handed him the white blanket while she reached out and grabbed a few pieces of cardboard.

A few minutes later, Daniel's leg was wrapped in its entirety. "Good. Now, Daniel, hold still..." Grace began to outline his leg with the long strips of cardboard. Upon finishing that task, she reached out for one of the belts. Her head jumped up as the door to her apartment swung open. "Watch out! What are you trying to do, kill us?" she yelled after her husband who was now dressed in gray pants and a button down shirt. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago!" John yelled back before he turned the corner. Grace snorted. She continued her ministrations while she muttered under her breath, "Jeez, with that voice, he's gonna wake up all the neighbors..." This time, Daniel laughed out loud.

Grace rubbed her hands together. "Okay, Daniel, all done. It's time to go to the hospital." Daniel shuddered at the word. He shot a cursory glance at his leg. The makeshift splint was quite impressive. The three leather belts held the blanket and cardboard pieces firmly against his leg. "Let's get you off of the floor first... shall we?" Both Grace and Jack took hold of his hands as they pulled him up from his horizontal position. Immediately, his stomach churned in protest. He ignored it. "Good. Daniel... you'll have to lean on Jack for the time being." She smiled as she rubbed at her lower back. "My back is not as strong as it used to be."

Jack took Daniel's arm and secured it around his own neck. "You okay leaning on me for a while?" Jack asked him, his eyes caring, sympathetic. Daniel reflected on Jack's choice of words. To anybody else, it was a simple question... but to him, those words meant so much more.

Daniel knew he was the one at fault. He had put their entire friendship at risk with his stupidity and selfishness and Jack had been the one to pay for it all. Daniel definitely had to talk to Jack... but until then, he needed to assure him that everything between them would be okay. Daniel could feel his own eyes begin to swell as he looked up at his friend... his best friend.

"Yeah" he finally answered. There was a world of expression in that single syllable.

Jack thanked Grace and John one last time before he closed the car door and guided Daniel into the Emergency area of the hospital. Daniel hopped over to the closest chair while Jack approached the nurses' desk. After a few moments of conversing with one of the nurses, he made his way back to Daniel and took a seat next to him.

Daniel looked up and grinned shyly. "Thanks," he said, unable to stop the tremors in his voice. Jack glanced at him and nodded in understanding.

"No, Jack... really... thank you." Daniel's eyes were earnest, filled with unspoken words.

"I know, Daniel... I know..." Jack patted Daniel gently on the cheek before he had to turn away.

A nurse approached them, smiling politely in her white uniform. "There is still going to be a bit of a wait so in the meantime, can I get you something for the pain?" Daniel sighed in relief and nodded tiredly. "I just have to know if you are currently taking any other medications?" The moment Daniel heard the question, he couldn't help but flick a glance up at Jack. Seconds later, they both began to laugh... It felt good to laugh again.

Daniel opened his eyes only to see a white ceiling above him. He was lying down on something hard... a bed? He scanned his surroundings, noting the different objects and colors... or lack there of. White sheets... white walls... beeping machinery... He swore inwardly. He was in a hospital! Suddenly, events from the previous day invaded his mind.

Daniel sighed and rubbed at his temples, a headache was setting up residence just under his skull. Although the room was still dark, he could easily make out Jack's sleeping form. The familiar pressure from down below was begging for his attention once again. Daniel sighed in resignation. He had to get out of bed or he would be forced to relieve himself right then and there.

He would have to take matters into his own hands!

A quick move to the left proved to be a mistake. A sharp pain had suddenly shot up from his ankle in protest. He looked down and caught a quick glimpse at his leg. It was enveloped in a large cast, resting on top of a large stack of pillows. "Damn it!" he cursed out loud. He'd have to wake up Jack.

"Jack!" he whispered loudly... His sleeping friend didn't reply. "Jack!" he repeated, his tone louder. No response. Daniel decided the best approach would be to yell when all alternative methods proved pointless.

"Jack!" Daniel grinned with success. Jack began to stir, moaning and mumbling as he lifted his head. "Jack, I need your help. Wake up!" Daniel's voice became urgent.

"Yeah... I'm up... I'm up!" Jack muttered as his heavy eyelids fluttered open. He slowly got out of his chair and trudged over to Daniel's bed.

"I need to get out of bed, Jack."

"Okay... okay... just give me a second." Weary, Jack kneaded at the muscles at the back of his neck. "Okay... what's wrong, Daniel?"

"Jack... I need to go to the washroom."

"Okay... fine. How do we do this?" Jack asked no one in particular. He stood a moment, staring at the contraption of a bed in front of him. It was quite high... it came up to his waist. Jack examined a side lever. He pushed it cautiously... the bed rail slid down in response. "Okay, Daniel, just grab onto my shoulders while I pull you closer to the edge of the bed." Daniel nodded and followed Jack's instructions.

"Teal'c... I think the colonel said it was this floor." Sam took out a small scrap of paper. "Room 345." She looked up at the room numbers in front of her. "He's further down."

"What did Colonel O'Neill reveal about DanielJackson's current condition?" Teal'c asked, his face and voice both neutral. He was dressed in a gray suit... a large cowboy hat covered his gold emblem.

"Well, he called this morning to say that Daniel had broken his ankle and that they were going to spend the night in the hospital... but that was all." Teal'c nodded and followed his co-worker down the hall, ignoring the stares and looks he received from the nurses who passed him by.

When Daniel was closer to the edge of the bed, Jack took his arm and placed it around his neck. "Okay, I'm going to ease you off..." While Daniel's good foot finally touched the floor, he slowly brought the injured one down too. "Good... okay, now try and get off," Jack urged him forward.

Daniel slid his body off of the bed, resting all of his weight on one foot while one hand leaned on Jack for support. Almost immediately, the world dipped sideways as nausea surged through him. If it weren't for Jack's tight grip, Daniel would have plunged to the floor. Jack assured Daniel as he looked into his terrified eyes. "It's okay... it's okay... I've got you..." Daniel nodded nervously, his foot still not stable on the ground. "Okay, one step at a time." Jack said softly as he moved forward. Daniel kept his casted leg bent in the air as the other one struggled to keep up with Jack. Daniel could feel the perspiration build up on his forehead; he was already exhausted from the effort.

"Come on, Daniel..." Jack said softly. The nausea grew in intensity as Daniel continued to hop forward. He closed his eyes and prayed for the room to stop spinning. Suddenly, without warning, his foot slipped out from under him. He tried desperately to grab onto Jack's shirt as he tumbled to the floor. Jack, unprepared, didn't have enough time to prevent the fall. Daniel hit the floor hard, his knee crashing into the nightstand on the way down. He cried out as the cast made contact with the hard ground. Jack quickly got down on his knees, his eyes filled with nothing but concern and worry.

Daniel tried to muster his feelings, but instead, his face twisted in pain as tears began to blur his vision.

"Jack... I can't do it..." he managed to say around the lump in his throat.

"Daniel... don't say that. You can just get back up and we'll continue --"

"No Jack... I can't do this anymore! The cancer... the foot... any of it!" He waved his hands wildly in the air. "I can't do it anymore... It's too hard..."

"No, Daniel... you can do this. You made it this far. Only two weeks to go..."

"I can't..." Daniel's voice hitched. Jack watched in dismay as Daniel lost control of himself. His muscles began to quiver violently. Daniel tried desperately to hide the tears from Jack. He couldn't hold out any longer...

Daniel was crying; fast, choking sobs racked his entire body. All the pain and suffering he had kept bottled up over the past few weeks were slowly making their way to the surface.

Jack grabbed Daniel's shoulders and pulled him into a warm embrace. He quickly began to rub Daniel's back in a soothing gesture... a gesture of caring, friendship. "Daniel, you can do this. You hear me? I know you can do this!" Jack could only faintly hear Daniel's muffled reply.

"I can't, Jack... I just want to stop the treatment... stop everything..." Jack paused. He grabbed Daniel and pushed him away slightly. He needed to look him straight in the eye.

"No, Daniel... I don't want to hear that talk... especially from you! You are going to make it through this till the end! You're not going to stop anything! I'm serious, Daniel! You are not going to do anything stupid. Two more weeks, Daniel... You can make it through two more weeks... I'll be there for you every step of the way."

Daniel nodded weakly, but it didn't last. Jack was still not convinced. He had to make Daniel understand..."Daniel, think about Sha're... she needs you." Daniel's head popped up at the mention of her name. "You need to get better so that you can find her, Daniel! You need to get healthy again." Daniel stared into Jack's face. Jack's eyes were filled with determination. He knew that Jack was right.

Daniel closed his eyes... he pictured Sha're in his mind, the Abydos sun behind her, her thin fingers caressing his face... He allowed another tear to slip down his cheek. "You're right, Jack..." Daniel nodded and smiled softly. "You're absolutely right..."

Sam stopped in front of room 345. The door was slightly ajar. "Janet gave me specific orders to bring Daniel back to the base where she can check on him herself... I'm just going to make sure that he's not sleeping." Teal'c nodded. Sam quietly approached the door. Before she entered the room, she had to stifle a gasp. Both Jack and Daniel were on the floor... Daniel was crying in Jack's arms.

Sam pulled back immediately... she didn't want to violate their privacy. She turned around and joined Teal'c at the nurses' station.

Sam leaned on the desk and smiled inwardly... Daniel was finally letting go...

"What is the matter, Captain Carter?"

"Nothing Teal'c... we'll have to wait a little longer... Daniel needs a bit more time to heal before we take him back..."

Chapter 30

Daniel woke up only to be greeted by a heavy darkness. The familiar sounds of the infirmary caused him to wince inwardly. 'Ah... Home, sweet home!' he mused.

Daniel surveyed his surroundings weary-eyed. The room he was currently in was a semi-private. To his relief, the bed next to him was not occupied. The door was wide open, giving him the 'fantastic' view of one of the base halls. He figured it was either late at night or early in the morning judging from the unusual silence.

Daniel lifted his arm to check the time but quickly paused. A sharp twinge of pain had caught him by surprise. An IV was securely taped to his vein. 'Great!' he sighed aloud. 'What now?' He dropped his head back in despair. The movement seemed to have caught the attention of a nurse who had been lurking in the back of the room. He hadn't even noticed her there.

The nurse cautiously approached his bed and put her hand to his forehead.

"How are you feeling, Dr. Jackson?" Daniel couldn't ignore the gleam in her eyes.

"Umm... I'm fine... I think." He lifted the arm that was unpleasantly attached to the IV. "What's this for?"

"Oh." She smiled sincerely. "That, I'm afraid, Dr. Fraiser will have to explain to you. In fact, I'll go and find her right now."

"Thank you," Daniel called out after her as he rubbed at the area around the tape. While he waited, he stole a quick glance at his cast. What the...? He quickly grabbed for his glasses that were conveniently placed on the nightstand next to him. He stared back down at the leg. Different colors ranging from red to green were scattered all along the length of the white plaster. They were... letters? He put on glasses... No. They were words... messages. He attempted to read the first one.

Hey, Danny-boy! Can't wait till this is all over! Three words: beer, TV and sports... or the Discovery Channel... or whatever it is you archaeologists watch. (I'll be nice and let you hold the remote for a change!). Okay... so this cast may be on for another four or five weeks but hey, think on the bright side, we can always use those crutches to our advantage, right? In case you're wondering what I mean... They're a great babe magnet! So... I might need to borrow them from time to time. Anyway, hope you get better soon! Jack

Daniel smiled. There was a little drawing beside his messy handwriting. Daniel squinted his eyes. It was Jack's poor attempt at art. He had drawn a happy face... or at least he had tried to...

Daniel's eyes moved on to the next message. The writing was neat, proper... It must have been from Sam.

Hey Daniel, work is just not the same without you! Hope you feel better! Get well soon. Love, Sam.

The author of the next message was unmistakable. It was a single signature, TEAL'C, clearly written in bold black letters. Daniel allowed his lips to curve into a grin. He had good friends... good, sneaky, friends...

His thoughts were interrupted by an approaching figure.

Janet.

"Well, good morning. You've been out for nearly thirteen hours. How are you feeling?"

"Fine... but, why is there an IV attached to me?"

"Well Daniel, when they brought you here the other day, you had a very high temperature. You were also extremely weak and tired... After observing you for a while, it was quite obvious that you were severely dehydrated. The IV in your arm is feeding you fluids, it should eventually restore your energy. Colonel O'Neill has also told me that you have been feeling very dizzy lately. He mentioned that you were vomiting a whole lot in the past few days. To me, that didn't make much sense. The Zofran I gave you is very strong and it should have helped you with the nausea. This got me thinking. Dehydration, vomiting, nausea, weakness... a broken ankle..."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, from what I was told, you broke it by falling down in the hallway of your apartment building. Normally, a person breaks a bone if they fall off of a bike or they were doing some sort of physical activity like running, or playing sports. Now, don't get me wrong, it is possible that a person can break a bone simply by falling, but I wanted to be certain that it wasn't due to a lack of calcium in your bones --"

"What? A lack of... how could that be?"

"Well... just listen. At that point, I still wasn't sure if there was anything abnormally wrong. The thing that definitely caught my eye was your weight. When I weighed you, you were 160 with the cast! You dropped nearly 15 pounds in two weeks. Usually, patients under cancer treatment gain an average of ten to fifteen pounds. This convinced me to take a blood test... you remember the one I gave you yesterday?"

"How could I forget? I was nearly going to throw up all over you." He forced a grin. Janet smiled back, delighted by the fact that he was dealing with the situation using a bit of humor for good measure. "Well, anyhow, the blood work up revealed the problem... you have a condition called hypercalcemia. "

"What is that?"

"Hypercalcemia is a disorder in which the level of calcium in the blood is much too high. It occurs in 10-20% of cancer patients... Some cancer cells actually secrete substances that cause calcium to be absorbed into the bloodstream from your bones. The diagnosis is quite difficult since most of the symptoms resemble those associated with chemotherapy. It's a good thing we caught it early... Now, I have to know, are you having problems with your bathroom habits? Are you urinating excessively?"

"Yes! Oh G-d yes!" He was relieved. Finally, he was going to get an explanation for his bladder's unpleasant behavior!

"Well, that's just another side effect. The vomiting, nausea, fever, lack of appetite... all side effects. I'm going to prescribe another drug... hey, don't give me that look! Either you take the meds or you'll be camping out in the bathroom for the next two weeks! " Janet looked down at the file in her hands. "Okay... It's called calcitonin."

"What is?"

"The drug I'm prescribing to you."

"Oh."

"Now... it's been quite a few hours that you've been hooked up to the IV. You should already be feeling better." Daniel reflected on her comment. He was almost surprised to find that she was right. He actually felt... normal. For the first time, he didn't feel the urge to urinate, vomit or faint. Although he was still a little tired, he felt relatively good.

Seeing the weariness in Daniel's eyes, Janet patted his arm sympathetically. "Daniel, you should get some rest... can I get you anything before you go back to sleep?"

"Actually... I could use something to eat. I think I'm hungry." Daniel was not used to the grumbling in his stomach. It was the first time in a while that he craved for some sort of nourishment.

"I'll arrange for food to arrive as soon as possible..." Janet began to walk away but then turned around, a large grin spread across her face. "See, Daniel, you're already feeling better!" Daniel simply closed his eyes and smiled to himself... he liked the sound of those last words.

Smells... voices... sounds... He could feel the presence of a crowd around him: the comfortable conversations, the sound of their shuffling hands and fingers...

"Pass the salt, will ya?" He heard Jack's familiar voice next to him.

"Wow, this pizza's really good! Where'd you get it, Janet?" That was definitely Sam, he silently noted to himself.

"Oh... from this cute little place down the street from me... it's called... um... Pizza Italia." Daniel's stomach grumbled at the wonderful smells that surrounded him. He forced his eyes to flutter open. He nearly gasped out loud when he caught a view of the scene in front of him.

Food.

There was so much food! Food on his bed, food on his night table, food displayed on the chairs next to him... However, the thing that had him the most confused was the crowd of people that surrounded him. Sam, Jack, Teal'c, Janet and even General Hammond were all seated around his bed... eating.

"Hey, Danny... finally up?" Jack's smiling face came into focus. "We decided that this anorexic... or bulimic... or whatever diet thing of yours wasn't working out too well so..." He waved his hand around the room. "... We wanted to have a picnic in your honor!"

"Here, Daniel, we brought you spaghetti... your favorite." Sam held up a delicious looking plate of Italian cuisine. "Dig in before it gets too cold." Daniel stared at his friends. He looked at their faces, their eager faces. Each of them was smiling... at him, waiting for a reaction. A lump suddenly stuck in his throat, Daniel forced the tears down. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. They didn't have to do it, but they did... Without noticing, a tear escaped him and slid down his face.

"Daniel..." Sam whispered with a smile. She moved closer to him and embraced him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, accepting her warmth, her friendship.

"Thank you," Daniel whispered, his voice shaking with emotion. By the time Sam backed away, Daniel's cheeks were wet.

"You're welcome, buddy... you're welcome." Jack's words were soft, compassionate. The silence in the room lingered on for a few moments...

"Umm... could someone pass me the garlic bread?" Daniel broke the uncomfortable silence. Jack reached for a piece of bread and handed it to him.

"No, Teal'c... when you eat a pizza, you don't start with the crust!" Jack yelled at the larger man who was seated across from him.

"Then how does one eat it, O'Neill?" Daniel laughed as Jack's voice turned into lecture mode. Janet and Sam were giggling at Jack's passionate instructions while the general sat quietly, a grin spread across his face. For the first time in his life, Daniel felt like he truly belonged. These were people who cared about him, they were there for him... he would never let them go... never. Warmth suddenly filled his heart...

He would survive...

Chapter 31

Daniel needed to get up. He needed to move around or he would eventually go insane! Staring at the telephone in front of him did nothing to calm his nerves. If he was going to make it through the night, he would have to distract his worried mind.

Daniel paced his living room floor as he tried to find a place to put his fidgeting hands. Frustrated, he stuffed them deep into his pockets. He could feel a bead of sweat already forming above his brow. He was nervous. He had the right to be! This night was extremely important to him, an underlying event in his life.

The clock above the television read 7:13 p.m. Unconsciously, he took his hand out of his pocket and brought it up to his neck. It was a movement that had become so common over the past seven weeks that he was almost surprised to find that there was nothing there to rub. The large lump had completely disappeared... Without further thought, Daniel passed his hand over the top of his head, allowing his fingers to run through the newly grown hair. It was still considerably short-quite a difference from the long floppy coif he had always kept ever since he was a child. He rather liked the short look. It was a new change... a new look... a new him.

Daniel's mind soon wandered back in time. Although still unpleasant, the last of the two treatments were not that bad. The drugs Janet had prescribed to him had helped him tremendously where nausea and vomiting were concerned. In fact, the last time he had actually thrown up was five weeks ago, in the hallway of his building where he had taken the tumble.

Although nausea-free, the cast on his leg had restricted him from doing most things. He shuddered at the memory of being unwillingly immobilized in his own apartment. In fact, Daniel was sure that once this whole ordeal would finally be over with, he would move out... get away from the memories...

Looking at his watch once more, Daniel recalled that it had been exactly three weeks ago to the day that he had received his last chemo treatment. It was surely a day he would never forget. Jack, Sam and Teal'c had decided to celebrate by taking him out for a night of karaoke, beer and food. He smiled at the memory. Jack had nearly cleared out the entire club when he had sung "Love Me Tender" by Elvis. The owner had warned him never to step foot in that place again.

His friends... he was very fortunate to have them... very fortunate. They had been there for him every day... always encouraging him, always urging him onwards. Never a night without a visit, never a day without a phone call...

They were all he had... all he needed.

Daniel glanced down at his leg. A plastic brace now covered his ankle. Thankfully, the cast had come off two days ago, the crutches returned to Janet. Things were starting to look better... much better... Now there was just this... His stubborn eyes gazed back at the telephone. He quickly tore them away again.

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. The past three days had been considerably tough on him. He had gone through numerous tests and examinations. From CAT scans to Gallium scans, he had been through them all. Now, he just needed to know...

The sound of the phone made him jump. It was time. The second ring echoed in the still air. The phone was not two feet away from him yet he stared at it like it was some foreign object. Man's simple invention to relay information back and forth. The third ring... Daniel's hand was frozen in place. Did he want to answer it? He wasn't sure anymore. The fourth ring... He'd have to answer it or he would never be able to sleep. Daniel reached for it and paused, he was uncertain... unprepared. The fifth ring. He closed his eyes and recited a quick prayer... he wasn't exactly sure to whom it was addressed but if there was a G-d, he needed his help. Daniel blinked as the answering machine picked up. The familiar beep sounded, yanking him out of his trance. He swiftly reached out and picked up the receiver.

"Hello? Yes, Janet... I understand... Uh huh... Uh huh..." His throat constricted, Daniel was having trouble breathing properly. "... Yeah... I'm still here... I just... I have to go... I know... but I have to... go... I'm sorry." His trembling hands closed the phone down in its rightful position, uncaring that he had just hung up on his friend.

Daniel reached out for the phone again and dialed Jack's number. He needed to talk to him. Annoyed after six rings, Daniel hung up and dialed Sam's apartment. Similarly, nobody was home. Teal'c was off world visiting his family, so he was out of the question. Daniel sighed.

Where was everybody?

He hesitantly rose from his chair and made his way over to his answering machine. He pressed on the flashing red button, his fingers fumbling for the fast forward at the same time. When he finally found the last message, he let it play out loud.

Daniel took a seat and listened to Janet's voice explain to him about the results of his tests. Daniel closed his eyes and leaned back. He was waiting to hear the last of the message... before he had hung up the phone... Janet's last words to him..."Daniel, you are officially in remission!"

Daniel woke up with the sun on his face. His cheek twitched in response, the light rays bringing him out of his comatose induced sleep. Unlike previous mornings, Daniel had to be somewhere... work. Any other day, he would have hobbled over to his window and pulled down the blinds... but not this morning. He was a healthy man now. The last thought brought a smile to his face. He was a healthy man, he repeated it to himself. He still couldn't quite get used to that fact, no matter how unrealistic the idea was.

Daniel suppressed a grin. Today, he was going to announce to his friends that the cancer was gone. The general had set it up so that Jack, Sam and Teal'c wouldn't know that he would be coming in.

It would be a surprise.

Daniel glanced at the clock and nearly cried out. He was going to be late! The first day back and he was going to be late! He cursed at himself as he tried to slide off of the mattress. Although the cast was off, his foot was still giving him a more than a few problems! Daniel pulled on his plastic brace. He limped towards his dresser and opened the doors. A gasp was caught in his throat, his mouth wide open in dismay.

It was empty!

The entire closet was empty! No sweaters, no pants, no T-shirts... It was all gone. He quickly hopped over to his underwear drawer. He nearly choked when he saw that it too was completely bare... He all but tumbled backwards. How the hell was this possible? Was he stuck in some sort of dream or was this merely a projection of his own imagination? He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he opened them, he was still standing in front of an empty drawer. He passed his fingers through the short hair. What the hell was going on? Who would steal his underwear?

Daniel picked up the wallet that lay next to his bed. He was immediately surprised to see that all twenty dollars were accounted for. 'That's odd... ' he thought to himself. Had someone broken into his apartment with the sole intention of stealing his clothes?

The journals! His journals!

Sh-t! Daniel ran as fast as his foot allowed him skidding to a halt in front of the bookshelf. Journal 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... Wait! Where was journal 11? That was his latest journal! There was an empty space in its place. This could not be happening to him now! Not after everything he had gone through. Oh Jeez! This was going to be bad... real bad.

Daniel slowly walked towards the kitchen phone as his heart drummed hard against his ribs. He picked it up and dialed the base. After going through the regular security spiel, he finally got through to one of the airmen. "This is Daniel Jackson, I have to speak to General Hammond."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Jackson, the general isn't here at the moment, he's..." Daniel's heart jumped in his throat. This just wasn't happening!

"No... I need to speak to him now. It's an emergency... it's concerning a... um... a breach. "The moment the last word left his mouth, Daniel could hear a sharp gasp from the airman on the other line.

"I'll page the general at once. Are you at home?"

"Yes."

"Then I will have him call you immediately." The airman hung up the phone. Daniel paced the room, a thousand thoughts flooding through his mind. How did he not wake up? What would the thief want with a journal and his clothes? Why didn't the perpetrator want the rest of the journals? Why only the last one? The general was going to kill him.

Seconds later, the phone rang. Daniel wasted no time. He quickly picked up the receiver and brought it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Jackson... I'm at the airport right now... why was I paged to call you? What happened?"

"Well Sir, there's been a... breach."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Um... Sir...?"

"The phone line is secure Dr. Jackson... now tell me what the hell you are talking about!" The general's tone was harsh.

"Sir, my 11th journal is missing... Sir."

"How could that be?" Daniel could hear the anger stirring in the general's voice.

"There was a break-in. My clothes are gone as well, Sir." Daniel's voice was already shaking.

"Doctor, I couldn't care less about your clothes right now. What I do care about is that journal! I am not happy, Doctor. I want you to meet me here at the airport immediately where I will discuss this with you further. And believe me, Doctor, we have got a lot to discuss! Your carelessness and negligence will be dealt with. I'll send a driver to pick you up immediately." The general hung up abruptly.

Daniel kicked his kitchen cabinet. He was frustrated and confused. Why the hell did these things only happen to him?

He was in big trouble.

Chapter 32

Daniel looked down at himself. This was all just too much. He was currently standing next to his kitchen sink, wearing nothing more than a white sock on his uninjured foot. This was definitely not good. He was getting picked up in less than fifteen minutes and he had nothing remotely acceptable to wear.

Daniel was on a hunt for clothes. His first destination? The hamper... Daniel approached the large container and lifted the top lid. To his dismay, it was completely empty. Daniel nearly laughed out loud. So, his dirty clothes were also taken... This was getting out of control! His situation reminded him too much of a dream he once had as a teenager... an embarrassing naked dream. He shuddered at the thought.

Daniel did a quick scan around his room. It was no use. There was nothing there that could be considered as a dignified piece of material. Daniel sighed and began to make his way towards the phone. In the worst-case scenario, which most definitely applied to his present situation, he could always call John down the hall and borrow a pair of pants and a top. Even though he was aware of the fact that they would be too large on him, he was desperate for anything.

Just as Daniel reached out for the telephone, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe he didn't need to call John after all. Daniel looked down at his bed. He grabbed onto the mattress and carefully eased himself on the ground. He grumbled in pain as the edge of the plastic brace pressed down on his leg. When he was finally on his stomach, Daniel lay his head down on the floor and peered under the bed. He nearly yelped in surprise when his eyes focused on the contents found. There, staring back at him, was an old magazine, a few pairs of socks and a tangle of clothes just out of his reach. Daniel leaned in until his shoulders would not allow him to go any further. He wiggled his fingers. Fortunately for him, he succeeded in dragging the pile of clothes closer to himself. When he finally found the leverage he needed, he took hold of the clothes and pulled his hand out. As he untangled the mess, Daniel let out a big sigh of relief. In his hands he held a pair of gray sweat pants and a plaid button-down shirt. If they were placed under his bed on purpose or simply overlooked by the 'robber' he was not completely sure. What he was sure of was the fact that he was happy as hell to have found them... no matter how ridiculous they were going to look!

His smile suddenly faded. Underwear... there was no underwear! He spared another glance under the bed but came up with nothing. Damn! Daniel glanced at his wristwatch in a panic. He didn't have much time left. That simply translated into the realization that he'd have to go with or without underwear. Unfortunately for him, it was the latter rather than the former.

With the time he had left, Daniel put on his newly discovered treasures. He didn't even bother looking at himself in the mirror before he grabbed a coat and wallet and left the apartment. What was the point? He already knew how foolish he looked in his 'new' attire. Hopefully, he thought, the general would understand considering his situation.

Daniel sat silently in the car, allowing his thoughts to disperse in his mind. Why was the general at the airport? He never left the base without a good reason. Daniel nearly slapped himself on the forehead. Jack had mentioned something about the general's excursion. His granddaughters, Kayla and Tessa, were visiting cousins elsewhere and were arriving that day at the airport. How could he have forgotten about that? Upon realizing the aforementioned, Daniel already knew he was going to be in big trouble. It was one thing having his journal and clothes taken from him, but it was quite another having interfered with the general's personal family time. This was not going to be a pleasant day for him... or for the general.

When the car pulled to a complete stop, the airman scrambled out of the driver's seat and rushed to Daniel's side. "Thank you but that's not necessary." Daniel smiled shyly at the driver who was trying desperately to help him out of the vehicle. Daniel hated feeling helpless and the fact that the airman was nearly lifting him out of his seat did not make things any better. When he was finally on his feet, Daniel thanked the younger man and watched the car drive away.

Daniel sighed. He looked down at the folded piece of paper in his hand. The driver had given him instructions to meet the general at gate 514. Gate 514? Daniel looked up at the signs. The arrow pointed left for gates 200-600 and so he followed its direction.

As he walked past the hundreds of people scattered throughout the airport, Daniel desperately pulled his coat closer to his body, hopefully covering the clothes beneath. 'I already looked like a bum off the streets so why advertise it to the rest of the world?' he mused as he turned the corner.

Daniel stopped in front of gate 514 and surveyed the area in search of the general. People were seated in chairs, their luggage at their feet, talking or sipping at their hot coffees. Daniel frowned. General Hammond was nowhere in sight. 'That's odd' Daniel thought. In a way, he was almost relieved. The general's absence meant he still had some time to spare before he would be lectured in private and eventually suspended.

Daniel took a seat on one of the plastic red chairs, stretching his foot out in front of him. On his right was an old woman speaking Spanish to her husband and to his left was an empty seat and a piece of abandoned luggage. Daniel yawned and laid his head back against the chair. He would just have to wait then. Maybe the general had to escort his grandchildren to the washroom or... Daniel didn't want to linger on it any longer. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes...

Daniel's head popped up, his heart in his mouth. The loud speaker had woken him up from his sleep. Daniel glanced around the area. There was still no sign of the general. He stole a glance at his watch. He had been asleep for ten minutes.

This was getting too weird.

Daniel pushed himself off of the seat in an attempt of attaining a vertical position. Instead, he stumbled and tripped backwards over the large piece of luggage next to his seat. Daniel cried out in pain as his back hit the floor hard -- his leg still tangled with the suitcase he had tripped over.

Daniel looked around with embarrassment. Fortunately, the Spanish woman next to him had disappeared and nobody else seemed to have witnessed his unceremonious fall. Daniel tried to push himself off of the ground, but it was to no avail. He'd have to take his foot off of the suitcase first before attempting to get up.

Daniel paused a moment as he stared at the stubborn piece of luggage that refused to release him. The large case looked very familiar... in fact, he could have sworn that he had something similar in his closet. Daniel dismissed it. There were many coincidences in the world and he didn't have time to dwell on them at the moment. All he wanted was to simply get off of the dirty floor.

Daniel tried to lift his foot off of the suitcase but hissed in pain as the strain on his leg was beginning to take its toll. Daniel grumbled in frustration and quickly pulled his foot down. Unfortunately, his jerky action had caused the gray suitcase to come down along with his leg. The suitcase toppled over on its side, the majority of it landing on Daniel's injured ankle. Daniel winced at the added pressure. Before he could push the large object off of his leg, his eyes caught sight of the nametag attached to the handle. Daniel pushed himself up on his elbows and squinted, trying to focus on the letters...

D. Jackson

Daniel nearly choked. It was his suitcase! He couldn't believe it! Had he found the thief who had robbed his house? Could this be a complete coincidence on his behalf? With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Daniel picked himself up from the floor ignoring the stinging pain in his ankle. He raised the suitcase so that it would stand upright and immediately began to unzip it. When he lifted the flap, he wasn't surprised to see all of his clothes neatly folded. Daniel stuck his hands into the case, moving his clothes around from side to side. He needed to find the missing journal... he was desperate! By the time Daniel had given up, all of his clothes were piled on top of each other in a mess.

The journal wasn't there.

Before Daniel moved his hand away, he felt a piece of paper brush by his fingers. Daniel furrowed his brows. A long envelope lay under the pile of clothes. He carefully looked around before he pulled it out and zipped the suitcase closed. Daniel fumbled nervously with the envelope, his unsteady fingers pulling out a piece of paper. Upon examining it, Daniel found it to resemble a plane ticket. Before he proceeded in reading it, his eyes focused on a row of payphones lined against the wall. He quickly hobbled his way over, keeping a careful eye on his luggage before lifting the receiver. Within seconds, Daniel dialed Jack's cell phone number. He doubted that Jack would pick up...

Daniel suddenly jumped when he heard his friend's familiar voice on the other end. "O'Neill."

"Jack?"

"Daniel? Where the hell are you? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Jack... just listen to me. There was a break-in."

"What?"

"Jack, someone broke into my apartment. They took my pants, my sweaters, my underwear... my journal."

"What!"

"Wait... that's not it. I spoke to the general about it and he told me to meet him at the airport. I'm at the airport right now and he's nowhere in sight! The weirdest part is that I found one of my suitcases here with all my clothes! The journal wasn't there! Jack, the thief must be here somewhere!" Daniel's voice was higher than usual. He was nervous and confused.

"Okay, Daniel, listen to me. I'll be right there. Where can I find you?"

"Gate 514."

"I'll be there as soon as possible." Jack's voice was reassuring and surprisingly calm.

Daniel hung up the phone and looked down at the envelope in his hands. He hadn't even checked where the thief was planning on flying. When he turned around, he suddenly bumped into someone.

"Sorry..." Daniel mumbled without even looking up from the white envelope.

"It's okay..." Daniel's head shot up at the familiar voice.

"Jack?" His voice was more of a gasp. Jack stood in front of him, smiling while waving his cellular phone. He was out of uniform wearing a pair of khaki pants and a black shirt. "Jack, what... what are you...?" Daniel was at a loss for words.

"Come with me, Daniel..." Jack motioned Daniel to walk. Daniel followed him in a daze, a look of total confusion etched on his face. Jack approached the gray suitcase and picked it up. He looked back at the archaeologist. "Why don't you look over there and wave..." Jack pointed somewhere in the distance.

Daniel's gaze followed Jack's finger. A sudden flash caused him to go blind for a few moments. When the bright light finally faded, Daniel tried to focus. There, fifteen feet away, Sam was pointing a camera at him. She was sitting at one of the tables in the airport coffee shop. Right next to her was General Hammond and Teal'c. They were all dressed like civilians, smiles planted across their faces.

Daniel was frozen -- his mouth open in shock. He didn't move even as Sam and the others got up from their seats and walked over to him. Sam's face was beaming with a smile as she embraced him. "Surprise!" she whispered in his ear. When she backed away, Daniel needed to blink a few times before his mouth finally began to cooperate with his brain.

"I don't... I don't understand..." Daniel stumbled over his own words.

"Open it, son." General Hammond nodded at the white envelope still firmly gripped in Daniel's hands. Daniel looked down and took out the ticket. He read it carefully. Soon afterwards, he looked up at his friends with eyes that sparkled with unshed tears.

"Egypt? I'm going to Egypt?" His voice was unsteady.

"No, Daniel... We're going to Egypt!" Jack said out loud, waving a similar envelope in the air. Teal'c and Sam were holding their tickets in their hands as well.

"I'm ordering you and the rest of SG-1 to take a three week vacation." The general's face was lightened with a sincere smile.

"How long were you...?"

"We've been planning this for the last four weeks, Daniel." Sam smiled at him warmly.

Just as Daniel was about to respond, the speaker above bellowed out. Jack patted Daniel on the back. "Come on, time to take off..." Overwhelmed with surprise, Daniel turned towards the general and offered his hand. "Thank you, Sir." Daniel smiled.

"My pleasure, son..." The general shook his hand firmly.

Soon his friends were pulling Daniel towards the line of people. His bottom lip trembled as he addressed his friends. "Thank you..." Nothing more needed to be said. The emotion behind those simple words was enough. As Sam looked into Daniel's appreciative eyes, she too was forced to push back her own tears.

Daniel broke the intense silence. "How did you guys know I...? I mean Egypt is exactly where..." He couldn't trust himself to speak.

"Well, Daniel... considering you're an Egyptologist, we figured there was no better place than Egypt." Jack's voice had a tinge of harmless sarcasm. "... And anyway, I figured your lectures would be a hell of a lot more interesting if I could actually see what the hell you are talking about..." Daniel and Sam laughed, even Teal'c's face creased into a grin. Daniel's smile suddenly disappeared as he turned to Jack, his eyes filled with worry.

"Jack... the journal --"

"Right here." Jack said as he patted his own bag.

"But how --"

"You're a heavy sleeper, Daniel. You didn't even so much as twitch while we emptied your hamper and underwear drawer. By the way, nice clothes." Jack pulled on Daniel's jacket, revealing the clothing beneath. "Did I ever mention that you have wonderful taste when it comes to fashion?" Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and Daniel... important question... what's it like going commando?" Jack's eyes were smiling. Daniel could feel a dull heat already working up his neck. Realization suddenly settled in.

"Jack... you did it on purpose! How could you do that? You should have at least left me one pair of boxers or something!" While Sam began to giggle, Daniel was already opening the zipper to his suitcase.

"Don't even bother, Daniel... you won't find any underwear there."

"Why not?" Daniel's voice was accusing.

"Because they're in your other suitcase which is already in the cargo area of the plane."

"What! You mean to tell me I have to sit on a stuffy, crowded and noisy airplane for over twelve hours without any underwear?"

"Shhh! Not so loud..." Jack turned his head away from his friend and grinned. He handed his ticket to the flight attendant standing in front of them with an over-exaggerated smile on her face.

"Don't forget hot, Daniel... we're on our way to a desert. It's definitely going to be hot on that plane," Jack said as the woman gave him back the ripped ticket.

"Jack!" Daniel's face was pleading, almost desperate. "How could you do that to me?"

"Because I had to get you back..." Jack smiled smugly as he began to walk down the jetway towards the entrance of the plane. Daniel shook his head in disbelief as he accepted his ripped ticket. He followed Jack down the hallway with an elusive grin of his own. He knew Egypt like the back of his hand... he would surely find a way to get back at Jack... it was all just a matter of time...

Daniel suddenly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to the side to find Sam walking in step with him. She stared ahead of her, motioning at the figure in front of them.

"Don't worry, Daniel, Teal'c and I already have a plan... we'll get him back for you..." She ruffled his short hair and put her arm through his. Daniel couldn't help but laugh. There would be a lot of that for the next three weeks... he knew that now. He had faced the ultimate test and now it was time to celebrate... time to enjoy friendship, happiness, health and most importantly... life!

© May 26, 2000 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my beta readers, Jmas, Spacemonkey and Maria, for their wonderful encouragement and advice. Thank you, guys, you really helped a lot! This fic was very hard to write and I'd like to express my appreciation for all those at the Stargate H/C list too -- without your constant encouragement and feedback, I probably would have never finished this baby.

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