From the Ruins
Disclaimer: SG-1 and its characters don't belong to me.
Prologue
Daniel walked down the corridor with a stack of books under one arm and an open box of artifacts under the other arm. He nodded to an SF as he passed then doubled back.
"Are you ok?" Daniel asked the SF.
"Tired, sir," the man said. "A little hot too."
"Maybe you should go to the infirmary," Daniel said noting the man's flushed cheeks. "The flu seems to be going around the base."
"I was planning to stop by on my way out, sir. I'll be off duty in fifteen minutes."
"Well, I hope you feel better," Daniel said resuming his course.
"Thanks, Dr. Jackson."
As Daniel rounded the corner, Dr. Fraiser stepped off the elevator.
"Hey, Daniel. I called the archeology lab, and someone said you were on your way to your office."
"They kicked me out! Me! The head archeologist! They said I look too tired to be there. That's mutiny. So, what's up? How's Jack?"
Janet smiled at Daniel's incredulity and attempt to shift her attention away from him.
"Bellowing for you. He has a temperature of 101.6. I've given him some medication, and he's insisting he can drive himself home even though he can barely hold his head up."
"Flu?" Daniel asked entering his office.
"Yep." She sighed and stopped just inside the door. "Fourth one this hour. Which is better than this afternoon. I think ten people walked in together at one point."
"Wow," Daniel remarked placing the box and books on a slightly cluttered table. "There's a possible fifth around the corner. Sergeant Coleman."
"Ok, I'll go take a look at him. What about you?"
"What?" Daniel asked distractedly as he rummaged around in the box.
"I didn't come looking for you just to ask you to help ease
my Colonel O'Neill sized headache. How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Really?" She strode over to the table.
"Yeah," he said rifling through a stack of papers. "Why?"
"Well, I'm not sure who was coughing more during that briefing earlier: you or Colonel O'Neill. And both of you drank at least three glasses of water. Not to mention the cause for your mutiny."
"So? We were thirsty. And maybe I am a little tired. But-"
"If you were thirsty, the water should have been refreshing. Yet, both of you grimaced every time you swallowed. And you look more than a little tired to me."
"Janet-"
"One of the first symptoms of the plague is a sore throat."
"The plague?"
"That's what the Colonel is calling it because of how fast it's spreading to everyone."
"Except me," Daniel said resuming his search.
"I'll be the judge of that," Janet said reaching to touch his forehead.
Daniel sighed, gave up his search and let her examine him.
"You don't have any fever." She moved her hand down to his neck and ran her thumb along the side of his throat. "Does this hurt?" she asked pressing lightly then a little harder when he shook his head.
"Maybe a little."
She did the same to the other side of his throat watching for any sign that it hurt more than a little. Satisfied that she was getting the truth, she dropped her hand. "Do you have any other aches?"
"Nothing besides the usual ever present headache. But, I took some Tylenol and it's already working."
"You mean the headache caused by working so much? When was
the last time you took a day off? Or even an hour?"
"I got behind some time ago, and I'm still trying to catch up."
"Daniel, I know you buried your wife only a few months ago, but don't bury yourself as well," Janet said softly. "I realize it's easier-" she said when he turned away.
"Actually, it's not."
"Then why do it?"
"I don't know really. I don't know what else to do."
"I'm sure Colonel O'Neill could think of something."
"He's compiled a book already."
"Then, why don't you take a page?" she asked continuing with his metaphor.
"I've been thinking about it actually."
"Running out of stuff to catch up on?"
"Yeah," Daniel answered with a small smile.
Janet nodded. "Well, you seem to be ok for the moment, but-"
"I know-"
"I'd like to you stop by tomorrow." She held up a hand. "Even if you're relatively fine now, chances are you won't stay that way for long. Not with 95% of the base already sick."
"Ok," Daniel said resignedly. "I'll come by tomorrow."
"Good. I've got to get back to the infirmary. Don't keep the Colonel waiting for long. I'm running out of room, and it would be better for everyone if he gets out of there soon."
"I'll be there as soon as I find something," Daniel promised with a knowing smile. He turned from the table and scanned his desk. "Where did I put it?" he muttered. "Oh." He stepped over to the table beside the computer and picked up a magazine with a tacky depiction of a pyramid on the cover. The headline read "Possible New Culture Discovered in Ancient Egyptian Ruins". He put the magazine in the box he had been carrying earlier, grabbed the box and his keys and left his office.
***
Eight days later, Jack walked over to a bed in the infirmary to find the blanket hanging halfway off and no Daniel. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see Dr. Fraiser approaching. "Good morning, Doc," he enthused trying to block her path.
"Morning, Colonel." She tried to side step past him, but he moved with her.
She gave him a tired look. "Colonel, I need to-"
"Is that another patient calling you?" Jack asked matching her step in the other direction.
Janet sighed and stopped. "Colonel, I know he's not here."
"I swear, I didn't-. What?"
"I released him about twenty minutes ago. He said he was going to shower then look for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need his chart."
"Oh." Jack let her pass. "Hey, Doc?"
"Hmm?" she asked while recording something in Daniel's chart.
"How'd you manage not to get sick?"
"I didn't exactly. I gave myself the same medication I gave everyone else and tried to rest as much as I could after Dr. Warner became too sick."
"Wow. You, uh, deserve a vacation."
"Yeah?" she said closing Daniel's chart and holding it with her hands folded in front of her waist. "I've got the next two weeks off."
"Good. Enjoy yourself," Jack said and left the infirmary. He found Daniel in the locker room slowly tying his shoelaces. "So, you're free again."
"Yeah," Daniel said standing and carefully pulling his shirt over his head. His muscles were still tired and achy.
He had never made it to the infirmary like he had said he would. When he had gone to get Jack, Janet was nowhere around to remind him, and Jack's grumpiness occupied his attention well into the middle of the night. With Jack finally in a deep sleep, Daniel tried to sleep too. He had been partially successful until midmorning when Jack woke up in an even worse mood. Deciding it would be safer and quieter at his apartment, Daniel left telling Jack he would return later with dinner. He spent the day lost in the box of artifacts. When he saw that it was almost eight, he took a quick shower and left for Jack's house, stopping to get food and the movie Jack had requested, demanded really, on the way. Jack's fever had gone up slightly but his mood hadn't.
"Need a ride home?"
Daniel stopped with his shirt halfway on. "Where is my car anyway? I don't remember."
"It's at my house. You fell asleep after the movie. In the middle of the movie actually. I must have too, cuz next thing I know Carter's shaking me and telling you Fraiser's pissed that you didn't report to the infirmary like you were supposed to. I vaguely remember Carter driving from my house here, then everything's a blur 'til a few days later."
"Yeah, I remember now. Actually, I drove. Sam followed in her car. After Janet got you settled and finished yelling at me, she had the few of us who hadn't gotten sick yet restricted to base. Since I already had a sore throat and had spent so much time around you, it only took a couple more days for me to get sick."
"Sorry about that." Jack leaned against a locker, took his keys out of his pocket and tossed them from hand to hand.
"I was pretty much guaranteed to get sick anyway." Daniel shrugged. " Janet was surprised it took so long though. Even Teal'c got sick before me."
"Wow."
"Of course because of his symbiote he was only sick for a day."
"Lucky him. Although, I'd rather have the flu than a snake."
"Yeah."
"Listen, thanks for…"
"Putting up with you?"
"Was I that bad?"
Daniel smirked then shook his head. "No, not really."
"Just out of curiosity, why did you take my car?"
"You insisted. Quite emphatically I might add."
"Oh." Jack continued to toss his keys.
After a long pause, Daniel reached for his jacket. "Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to go somewhere other than home."
"Ok." Jack shrugged. "Guest room is yours whenever you want it."
"Thanks. But that's not exactly what I meant."
"Ok. Where?"
Daniel paused again, still holding his jacket. "Egypt."
Jack's eyebrows shot up, and the keys stayed in the hand he caught them in. "Egypt? That's a little out of the way."
Daniel looked down and began carefully pulling on his jacket. "Yeah."
"Hey, I didn't say no."
Daniel looked up, apparently too fast as he reached out a hand to steady himself against the lockers.
Jack shrugged. "Everybody's on stand down because of the plague. How about we get an early lunch first? I don't know about you, but I've had more than enough base food for a long time."
Daniel agreed, and they decided to try out the new deli Sam had recommended.
"So," Jack said as their waitress left to fill their orders.
"I got this magazine in the mail the day the plague started," Daniel said. "It was from a man named Amon. He's someone my parents met on a dig in Egypt. I used to think he lived with us because he seemed to always be around. He knew so much. He had a story for everything, and he always answered my questions. I remember my parents kept in touch with him when we left. He used to send me trinkets and stuff all the time until…" Daniel took a sip from his drink. "I caught a glimpse of him at the funeral, but I never got a chance to talk to him. Although not for lack of trying," he added with a hint of bitterness.
"He came all the way from Egypt for the funeral? Wow."
"Yeah." Daniel took another sip. "Anyway, there's this article in the magazine. Apparently some journals have been discovered in an ancient temple in Egypt that was thought to be cursed."
"Cursed?"
"I know what you're thinking. And, sometimes curses do turn out to be nothing but superstition. I don't really care whether this curse is real or not."
"Oh?" Jack asked curious and vaguely apprehensive.
"What interests me are the journals. There's an excerpt from a page in one of them. Jack, there are Goa'uld words. And the journals belonged to my parents."
