Wayward Son Facing your Dragon

by JoaG

A Teen Daniel fic where, once more, the odds are never in Daniel Jackson O'Neill's favour

2. Chapter 2

Wayward Son – Facing your Dragon

by devra and JoaG

The pain in his side just wasn't going away. Maybe if he could stop coughing all the time, the cramp would eventually ease off.

Walking wasn't helping. Instead the urge to just stop and lie down was strong. But he'd gotten this far, he could make it a little further, especially if it meant shelter from the cold and coming rain.

It wasn't drizzling yet, but the air was very humid. He kept shivering, even with his dad's jacket on. His dad, on the other hand, looked comfortable with only a long-sleeved black sweater.

He'd sworn to himself he wouldn't be a pain, but he was reaching the end of his rope. "How much further?" he finally asked, hating himself for needing to say the words.

"Almost there."

Daniel could feel his dad's eyes on him and he tried to straighten and walk without a limp. Damned cramp was making it hard not to hunch over.

"We'll take a rest in a few minutes, okay?"

"No." Daniel ground his teeth together, trying to hold in a cough as he lied. "I don't need to stop."

"Well, you're going to have to anyways." His father's voice was cheerful and almost grating on Daniel's nerves. "See? There's Carter and Teal'c."

Daniel had to look around twice before he spotted his friends waiting for them, propped up against one of the giant boulders. He wanted to keep going because he was honestly afraid if he stopped, that's where he'd stay. But his dad maneuvered him right to them and Sam got up and Teal'c was there and suddenly he found himself sitting on the protruding piece of rock Sam had been sitting on.

He rested his head against the stone. The wind had picked up again and scent of rain was imminent. Shivering, he wrapped his arms around himself while his dad talked with Sam and Teal'c. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to relax. It felt good, not moving. He hadn't realized how tired he was. He let himself relax more against the rock, only to pull up, coughing.

With every cough, his brain felt like it was going to burst out of every orifice in his head.

"Water?"

Daniel frowned at the canteen Teal'c stuck in front of his face. He took it, put it to his mouth and had no desire to swallow. He forced down a few sips before handing it back.

"You should drink more."

"I'm not thirsty."

"Imbibing liquids will help your body rid itself of toxins." Teal'c held the water bottle out.

"You make it sound like I've got some kind of disease. It's just a cold." Daniel pushed the water bottle away irritably.

"I would offer you chicken soup; unfortunately I am not in possession of such a fowl."

"Don't sweat it, big guy." Daniel's dad clapped Teal'c on the shoulder. "I got some chicken bouillon we can heat up later. How's that sound, Daniel? Yummy?"

"Oh, just peachy," Daniel replied, trying not to gag at the thought of food.

"How are you feeling?" Sam put a hand to his face as she leaned close.

"I'd kill for a cough drop." He refrained from pulling back as Sam made what felt like a long production of checking for fever. Damn, when and where had he lost that earlier feeling of relaxation?

Sam smiled at him as she pulled her hand away. "We're only a half hour or so from the Stargate. You'll be able to rest soon."

"And Stargate Command is due to contact us in two hours. You will soon be resting beneath shelter." This time it was Teal'c who cupped his hand around Daniel's nape.

Again the action irritated Daniel, although the warmth of Teal'c's palm felt good.

"You are feverish."

"Dad gave me something for the fever, remember? I'm just sweaty from all the coughing." Moving slowly, feeling like an old man, Daniel slid off the rocky seat and stood. "Are we going?" Moving was the last thing he felt like doing but if that would get Sam and Teal'c's mother henning off his back, moving would be the least of two evils.

"There's no hurry. We can rest a little longer—"

"I'm fine, Dad."

He waited impatiently as everyone picked up their packs, then realized belatedly that he was the only one not carrying anything. His dad was even carrying the extra food his kidnappers had left him. Feeling guilty, he tamped down his impatience and waited until Sam took the lead.

The next leg of the journey was the worst. It had started to drizzle again, and the dampness seemed to make his cough worse, which pulled even more at the cramp in his side. Between gasping for air and the pain in side-induced limp, this last leg of the journey was interminable.

Head down, he plodded on. Often his dad's hand would be on his back, offering just enough support to encourage him onward.

"Daniel. Stop."

He stopped, finding himself between a large tree and one of the boulders.

"We're here."

Blinking, Daniel looked around and realized they were only a couple dozen yards from the Stargate.

"Why don't you sit down here?" His dad dropped the packs and Daniel didn't wait to be asked twice. There was no wind here; the boulder was large enough to offer protection. He leaned against the boulder, curling up on his side and bringing his legs up close to his chest to try and ease the worsening cramp.

________________________________________

It took Jack and Teal'c all of five minutes to string up one of the space blankets between the tree and rock, giving them a bit of protection from the rain until Hammond dialed in and could send through more supplies. It wouldn't last long; the wind was already worrying the edges where they'd attached it to the stone. But it should be good for at least an hour or two.

"There. Not bad if I say so myself." Jack wiped wet hands on equally damp pants as he ducked into the shelter. Daniel was lying on his side. His face was pale and sweaty, with shadows under his eyes. There was an almost constant wheeze to his breathing; at a guess Jack would presume he'd developed bronchitis. A damp, cold planet was the last place he wanted his son; he'd give anything to be able to tuck him into his bed at the moment.

He sat down, and the pebbles beneath him made a noise. He looked at Carter and Teal'c, then at Daniel. "Okay, I know that wasn't me. Teal'c's the one who had beans for breakfast and while they call them the musical fruit..."

"It's the rocks." Daniel snuck out a hand from beneath the space blanket he was huddled beneath and flicked a couple of shiny stones. They made a musical sound. "Remember I told you how I got the door to the statue open?" He picked up a handful of the stones.

"Yeah. The Hathor, goddess of music thing?"

"I dumped a bunch of these into a small bowl and it made the door open." Daniel dropped the stones and they made more music.

"Nice, but not exactly a snappy tune." Jack grabbed a bunch of the rocks and dropped them onto the ground, trying to play the tune of 'shave and hair cut - two bits'.

"Are you hungry, Daniel?" Carter had pulled out several MREs and was going through the choices. "I can heat one of these up for you."

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

"Hey," Jack said, dropping the last of the stones and grabbing a cheese ravioli MRE. "You need to eat. I know you're not feeling that great but you need to keep your strength up. How about a bit of this? It's not your grandma's pasta but it's probably the next best thing among the bunch." Jack opened the package and removed the heater pouch.

"Maybe later, Dad."

"C'mon, just a few bites." He added a bit of water and stuck the MRE pouch inside, put both into the box it had come in and put everything aside to heat. "You'll feel better once you eat something. Or would you rather have some chicken broth?"

Daniel seemed to be weighing his options. "Broth."

"Okay. Crackers?"

"No, just the broth."

"How about broth and a few bites of my ravioli?"

"Fine." Daniel rolled his eyes as he huddled beneath the blanket. As Jack waited for the food to heat, he tore open the packet of crackers and placed it within Daniel's reach, as well as a chocolate brownie, a packet of cookies and a bag of peanuts. He was pretty sure Daniel would feel better once he'd eaten something hot.

Once he'd added dried chicken broth to steaming water, Jack handed the small, plastic cup over to Daniel. "Here. Careful, it's hot."

Daniel came up out of his cocoon reluctantly and reached for the broth. He took a small sip as he wrapped his fingers around the cup.

"Good?"

"My nose is stuffed. I can't taste anything." He took another sip.

Jack opened his meal, speared a piece of pasta on his plastic fork and held it out to Daniel. "Go on," he added when Daniel hesitated. "Don't make me play airplane." Jack got another eye roll before Daniel handed him back his empty fork.

Jack managed to eat three large bites before Daniel swallowed his lone ravioli. Jack speared him two, handed them to him and waited while Daniel teased one piece of pasta off the fork with his teeth and handed the second one back. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not hungry." There was defiance in Daniel's tone.

Carter swooped down on him before Jack could. "You've still got a fever," she said, putting her fingers to his forehead. "But your dad's right. You need to eat. Would you rather have some chili?" Carter held up her partially eaten supper.

"Or chicken. I believe you are partial to chicken," Teal'c added. "I would be honored to share my meal with you."

"Thanks." Daniel gave them all an obviously forced smile. "But I'm really not hungry. Maybe I could eat some crackers later?"

"Drink your broth at least." Jack looked at the chocolate brownie that Daniel was ignoring and began to worry even more.

________________________________________

Jack was shoving his trash into the MRE bag when Daniel, who'd been dozing, suddenly sat up and scrambled for the edge of the shelter. Before Jack could drop what he was doing and go after him, Daniel stumbled around the edge of the boulder and heaved. He hurried after Daniel, crouched next to his son who was in the process of ridding himself of every hard-earned drop of broth and food Jack had coaxed into him just a few minutes earlier.

The vomiting triggered a coughing spell and for the next five minutes, Jack waited while Daniel hacked up a lung, unable to do much of anything except crouch there, offer a comforting touch and watch his son struggle for breath.

"Shit." Daniel wiped a shaky hand over his mouth when he was finally able to breathe well enough to speak.

"C'mon, let's get out of the rain." Jack helped Daniel up, frowning as Daniel rubbed his abdomen. Jack figured it could be worse, those cramps of Daniel's could have stuff coming out of both ends. Then Teal'c was there, enveloping Daniel in the blanket as he stepped back under their makeshift shelter.

Daniel was shaking, whether from cold, fever or reaction, Jack wasn't sure. What he did know was that his son was exhausted and sick and miserable. When Jack sat next to him, Daniel leaned against him and Jack pulled him close, allowing him to use his chest as a pillow.

Jack kissed Daniel's temple; the skin was sweat-damp and hot.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For giving you so much trouble."

"Trouble?" Jack wished Daniel would look at him instead of keeping his head down. "You going out and running with gangs and getting arrested would be giving me trouble. Sneaking out and coming home drunk at all hours of the night would be giving me trouble. Getting caught stealing would be giving me trouble. Being kidnapped and dropped on a planet with no way home by a bunch of assholes is not giving me trouble."

"But I..."

"But you, what?" Jack coaxed.

"If I wasn't who I was, this wouldn't have happened."

"Okay, usually I can figure out what you're talking about, but you've got me at a complete loss right about now."

"If I were a normal person, you know, born fourteen years ago instead of more than forty..."

"You are a normal person—"

"But I'm not. I lived a full life before I forgot it all. I went to school and got PhDs. I got married. I had a job. And then I forgot all of that for eight years and now I'm a teenager with the memories of the adult I used to be. How can you say I'm normal?"

"Because you're my son, and we're both living under extraordinary circumstances. I've seen you live with the secret of the SGC and never breathe a word of it to anyone. I've seen you grow up and become the incredible person you are now. I've seen you struggle with situations that most adults will never experience in their lifetimes. I've seen—"

"But it's because of who I am that all these bad things happened in the past year. Carolyn wouldn't have been forced to hurt me if I'd been nothing but your son. I wouldn't have gotten addicted to that drug, like the other Daniel, and—"

"And that Daniel would be dead if not for you."

"I wouldn't have had all those—" Daniel began coughing but he continued to talk through the spasms—"memories coming back to haunt me, making me look like a fool in front of my friends. I wouldn't have lost the last half of last year kicked off the soccer team—"

"And might not have met Dria. You were at the right place at the right time."

Daniel was crying, and Jack held him, waiting for the emotional need to come to an end.

"Are you ever sorry you have me?" Daniel asked, his words as shaky as his breaths.

"Never. Why the hell are you asking this?"

"Because you lost your friend when you got me. You could have done things with him, gone out with him, instead of being stuck with me."

"Hey." Jack gave Daniel a slight shake to make sure he had his attention. "I knew the other you for two years. Yeah, we hung out once in a while, did a few hockey games together. But then, I've had you for more than eight years. Eight years, Daniel. Do the math. Most of the time I don't even remember who you used to be. You are the person I love, and the person I'm honored to call my son. You are an amazing person, Daniel Jackson O'Neill, and you are the best thing that ever happened to me."

Jack held Daniel as he cried, and Jack realized the stress of the kidnapping combined with his illness had not only worn him down, but pretty much destroyed his emotional defenses. His kid was exhausted, and as the tears slowed, so did his breathing, until he was all but a heavy, limp weight in Jack's arms.

________________________________________

"Here we go." Jack stepped out into the rain, along with Carter and Teal'c, while Daniel slept on. The wormhole settled into a blue puddle and the M.A.L.P. came to life. The camera swiveled until it focused on them.

"Colonel O'Neill, have you had any luck locating Daniel?" Hammond's voice came through both his earpiece and the M.A.L.P.'s speakers.

Jack simply took a step to the side and pointed towards the shelter directly behind them. It took a few seconds, then the camera whirred and the lens turned, focusing on Daniel.

"He's sleeping. His cold's gotten worse," Jack added as the camera pulled back. "It's been drizzling almost constantly here. We could use some supplies to tide us over until tomorrow. Maybe a tent, a couple of sleeping bags, a heater—"

"Of course, Colonel." There was the sound of voices in the background, and Jack could picture Walter putting in a hurried call to Supplies.

"And if Fraiser could send through cough syrup and cough drops, I'm sure Daniel would be very appreciative."

"We'll give her a call. Unfortunately, I have bad news."

Jack's stomach clenched and went sour. "Cassie?"

"No, no, she's fine. I'm afraid you're stuck where you are for a few more days. The Tok'ra contacted us after you left and advised that they won't be able to get a ship to you right away."

"What? They were supposed to be here tomorrow."

"I know. Unfortunately the Tok'ra came across something they feel is more important so your ship was detoured to investigate. The good news is that they have an operative fairly close by whose mission should be ending in a day or two. By the time the Tok'ra can contact him and give directions, it may be another couple of days."

All Jack could think of was his son, out here, in the cold and damp. "Daniel..." He clamped his mouth shut. He could rant and rave all he wanted, but it wouldn't get him anywhere.

"I understand, Colonel. Doctor Fraiser is on her way here as we speak; hopefully she can send some medication through to make him more comfortable."

Jack nodded reluctantly, turning his attention back to his mission when Hammond asked him about the kidnapping situation. He quickly updated Hammond of the scant information he knew about Daniel's kidnappers.

"Doctor Fraiser is here, Jack."

"Colonel? I understand Daniel's not feeling well?"

"He's got one helluva nasty cough. Slight fever. Wheezing. No appetite. Threw up what little supper he ate."

"It's possible he's developed bronchitis. The weather doesn't look all too pleasant."

"The Caribbean it ain't."

"I'm told he's sleeping. Would it be possible to wake him up so I could have a look at him? I know it's not the best method of diagnosing but it might give me an idea whether he needs antibiotics."

"I'll get him." Carter was off in a flash, and a moment later, Jack heard Daniel coughing. The cough didn't abate as he shuffled over, nearly bent in two.

"Hey, Daniel."

Fraiser got a half-hearted wave in the direction of the camera.

"I need to ask you a few questions, okay? Can you tell me how you feel?"

"Crappy," Daniel croaked.

"Yeah, I can see that." There was some more behind the scenes chatter for a moment. "Can you be a little more specific?"

"I can't stop coughing. My head's killing me and I've got a cramp in my side that won't go away." There was an audible wheeze when Daniel spoke, until he coughed and cleared his throat. "Are we going home?" He turned to Jack with a hopeful look.

"I'm sorry, son," Hammond said. "There's been a delay in getting you home. You might be spending a few days longer on the planet before we can come and get you."

"Oh." The look of disappointment on Daniel's face was painful to see.

"It sounds like you've got bronchitis. I'll send some antibiotics and some cough suppressant. Try and drink as much liquids as possible; you needs fluids, and don't catch a chill."

As if in response, Daniel shivered and clutched at the edges of Jack's jacket.

"Go on, get out of the cold," Fraiser said gently.

When Daniel hesitated, Jack gave him a gentle push. "Go on," he urged.

"Colonel, we're sending through the supplies you asked for."

A moment later, the puddle warped and several objects rolled out of the Stargate.

"If Walter forgot anything, please let me know. We'll keep the wormhole active until Doctor Fraiser returns with the medication."

"Thank you, sir."

A quick examination of their supplies showed four sleeping bags, a tent large enough for all of them, a cooking stove as well as a small space heater, a box of food, two changes of clothes for everyone, several magazines, a deck of cards, and Daniel's iPod. Jack grinned as he pocketed it. He owed Walter a thank-you supper for thinking of this and getting it here this fast.

They made quick work of setting up the tent. Jack was spreading one of the sleeping bags inside when Fraiser's voice came through the wormhole.

"Colonel. I've got the medication, along with written instructions. Antibiotics, to be taken with meals, otherwise they'll upset his stomach. Compazine if he can't keep the food down. The cough syrup will ease his coughing but will also make him sleepy. And Advil, for his fever and cramps."

"Is there anything else you need, Colonel?"

Jack shook his head. "No, General, thanks. I think you covered everything."

"We'll be contacting you in five hours' so Doctor Fraiser can be updated on Daniel's condition."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."

"We'll talk then." There was a pause, a small box popped through, and the wormhole disengaged.

Jack was about to call Daniel and tell him to get into the tent, only to see him already inside, sitting on top of a sleeping bag. Carter grabbed the box with the medical logo on top of it and followed Jack to the tent, prying the box open as she stepped inside.

Daniel was fiddling with his bootlaces.

"Here, let me help."

"No," Daniel said before Jack could crouch down to help him. "I gotta go."

"Go..." Suddenly Jack understood. "Okay, Teal'c set up a latrine down by the tree line. Think you can walk that far?"

"I made it here, didn't I?" Daniel got up, moving like an old man, hunched over and half-limping, half-shuffling his feet. He accepted the toilet paper Teal'c pressed into his hand and shivered when he got outside. Jack pointed him towards the stand of trees. When he began walking alongside Daniel, his son stopped and glared at him. "Where are you going?"

"With you."

"I'm going to the can, Dad."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"A little privacy?"

"Okay." Jack deliberately turned his back on Daniel and waited until he heard him walking away. Then he turned and watched his son.

"He's going to have to eat something so he can take the antibiotics." Carter had two bottles of pills in her hand. "Maybe give him the Compazine first, so the food will stay down?"

"Yeah." Jack watched as Daniel stepped behind the trees. "Maybe that'll settle his stomach and the cough syrup will let him rest." Jack began pacing back and forth in front of the tent. "I can't believe the Tok'ra pulled the ship! You just can't trust these guys."

"They must have had a good reason—"

"Sure they did. As always. Something classified they won't even share with us and in the meantime, we're stuck on this god forsaken planet that won't stop spitting on us."

Jack fiddled with the iPod in his pocket, anxious to give it to Daniel and see his expression. At least he'd have a touch of home for a while, until the battery died. He glanced towards the trees, wondering what was taking so long. He heard Daniel cough, relaxed slightly, and paced some more.

"The Tok'ra, despite their faults, have rarely let us down." Teal'c stood, hands behind his back, also staring towards the trees. "The ship will arrive sooner or later. And even if they cannot retrieve us, the Daedalus will be available in several more days."

"I know, I know." Jack rubbed a hand over his hair, surprised to feel how much water had already accumulated on his head. "I just want to get Daniel home."

"We understand. But it is not as if we were completely cut off from the SGC."

"No." Jack knew Hammond would most likely send over anything he asked for, within reason. He just wished the wormhole was going in the opposite direction. "You're right."

"Is DanielJackson not taking an inordinate amount of time for a simple body function?"

"What?" Jack realized it had been several minutes since Daniel had gone to the latrine.

"Should we not go and see if he is ill?"

"Teal'c, he's taking a..." Teal'c was right. Daniel had been gone long. "Daniel? You okay?" Jack called out. When he didn't get an answer, he waved Teal'c and Carter back. Bad enough one of them was going to be intruding on his son's privacy.

"Daniel? Everything okay?" Jack asked again when he was just outside the trees.

"Dad, do you mind? I'm fine." Daniel's voice didn't sound fine; it sounded strained.

"Sorry. You've been gone a while. I was getting worried."

There was rustlings, and the sound of material. A moment later, Daniel came out from behind the tree. "I can't go." He looked embarrassed as he leaned a shoulder against the tree, rubbing his side.

"That's probably because you haven't eaten anything."

"Well, I'm not hungry. You saw what happened when I ate." Daniel's voice rose and his last words were garbled as he started coughing.

"Hey, calm down. Fraiser sent something to settle your stomach. Come on back to camp and we'll see if the pills help."

"I'm not hungry. I don't see how taking a pill is going to help." Daniel pushed off the tree, took a step, and suddenly gasped, falling to his knees, his arms around his abdomen.

"Daniel?"

"Oh god, Dad. It hurts. It hurts!" he screamed in between coughs.

"Where? Where does it hurt?"

"My belly," Daniel sobbed, openly crying now as Jack took him in his arms and held him upright.

"Teal'c!" Jack bellowed. "Carter!" He looked up to yell again when he saw Teal'c already running towards them, Carter just a few lengths behind.

"Did you pull something? Strain something?"

"No. It's been hurting on and off but not like this."

"What has occurred?" Teal'c was down on his knees next to Jack, trying to assess Daniel, who was sobbing against Jack's neck.

"His belly's hurting."

"He appears to be in considerable pain."

"H-Hurts."

"What is it?" Carter slid on the stony ground as she tried to stop, nearly falling in the process. A moment later she was kneeling next to them. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Carter, all these symptoms..." Jack knew Daniel's pain could be from a variety of problems, many of them serious or life threatening. He glanced down to where Daniel's hand was pressed against the lower right side of his abdomen. "Do you think it could be his appendix?"

"I don't know. The symptoms seem to match." She put a hand to the back of Daniel's bent neck. "His fever's worse."

"Icky? We gotta get you back to the tent. Think you can walk?"

Daniel nodded, but made no move to stand. Jack shifted, widening the distance between him and Daniel, and Teal'c took hold of Daniel and raised him to his feet. Jack stood, and he and Teal'c each maneuvered one of Daniel's arms around their shoulders.

Daniel may have gained height in the past year, but he was far from gaining the bulk of his adult self. Jack supported his slight weight; they walked slowly, Daniel in very obvious pain, limping and favoring his right side.

Together, the three of them got Daniel stripped out of his damp clothes. His undershirt and shorts were relatively dry as were his socks, so they put him into the sleeping bag, where he curled onto his side, shivering. The screams and sobs had stopped; he'd gone quiet on the way back and hadn't said a word since. His lips were clamped tight; a sign of pain Jack had grown to know when Daniel had been an adult. He hated seeing it on his son.

When Jack moved away to zip the bag up, Daniel grabbed Jack's hand. "Dad!"

"I'm right here."

"Don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere." He moved back, grabbed a second sleeping bag with his free hand and tossed it to Carter. "Put that over him." Probably better not to zip up the bag in case Daniel got sick and had to get out in a hurry.

"Carter, we got any morphine in that kit?" The Advil probably wouldn't even make a dent in the pain Daniel was suffering.

"Yes, sir, but I wouldn't recommend giving him any. With that cough, I'm afraid it might affect his breathing and... Well, we haven't got any recourse to a medical facility."

"Right." He looked around helplessly. "Maybe the cough syrup... it might at least ease his cough, make him a little more comfortable?"

"He shouldn't eat or drink anything, sir."

Daniel settled, still on his side, body tense in pain and shivering, clasping Jack's hand like a lifeline.

________________________________________

Daniel coughed then moaned in pain, his leg straightening then coming back up to his chest. The last two hours had been difficult, watching Daniel suffering. Time had slowed to a crawl, and if it was this bad for him, he couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Daniel. He couldn't even distract him from... wait, his iPod.

"Hey, look what Fraiser sent through." Jack reached into his pocket and took out the iPod. Daniel opened one eye and stared at it expressionlessly. Jack handed it to Daniel, who reached for it, then lowered his hand, allowing it to thunk to the ground, iPod still clutched between his fingers but with no obvious intention of using it.

"Anything on there you want to listen? I can... Carter can try and find the songs for you."

"No... Maybe later." Daniel pushed the iPod away listlessly.

Jack glanced at his watch, then looked over at Carter and Teal'c. Both of them were watching Daniel. They, Jack included, were all waiting for a miracle; that somehow the Asgard got wind of their predicament and would beam them up any minute and Thor would fix Daniel's appendix. That the Tok'ra ship would arrive unexpectedly, pick them up, drop them on the nearest planet with a working Stargate and Daniel would be in surgery in the next little while. Or that the SGC would dial up the planet ahead of schedule and they'd send Fraiser through to help Daniel.

Instead, they had to sit here and wait, helpless, and watch Daniel suffer.

Daniel coughed again, his face scrunching up in pain as his inhalations became moans of agony. Jack couldn't take it anymore. "Where's the cough syrup?"

"Sir, he shouldn't—"

"He needs to stop coughing. This is killing him."

As if to punctuate Jack's words, Daniel coughed long and hard, barely having time to take air in. Jack leaned over Daniel, rubbing his back, wishing there was more he could do. When the coughing finally stopped, Daniel was dripping with sweat.

Carter stuck the opened bottle of cough syrup in front of Jack's face. Without a word, he put a hand under Daniel's head, raised it and put the bottle to his lips. He poured what he figured was double the dosage, waiting as Daniel swallowed and grimaced.

"What..." Daniel licked his lips.

"Just something for the cough." Jack traded the cough syrup for a bottle of water. He gave Daniel just enough water to rinse his mouth, then lowered his head back down.

"With luck it'll make him drowsy enough to ease some of the pain." Jack knew he was making excuses to Carter; what Daniel needed was a good, generous shot of morphine to kill the pain. But like Carter said, if his breathing was affected, he could end up choking on his own phlegm.

The cough syrup seemed to work; Daniel was cough-free for nearly twenty minutes. It didn't do anything for his pain but at least it didn't exacerbate it. Jack was pretty proud of himself, until Daniel suddenly scrabbled up and tried to crawl away from the bed. "Gonna be sick," he cried before dry heaving, expelling strings of saliva and a bit of bile onto the tent floor.

Arms shaking, Daniel was on the verge of collapsing. Teal'c grabbed him and hauled him back onto the sleeping bags, lowering him down gently.

Daniel was crying, and Jack felt beyond helpless. Help would be here in under two hours. He just needed to get his son through this.

Grabbing another sleeping bag, Jack spread it out next to Daniel and lay on his side, facing his son. Daniel's glassy gaze turned to him, silently begging him to help while he continued to cry silently. Jack didn't know what to say. Instead, he picked up the discarded iPod and examined it. "Anything good on this thing?" He surprised himself by locating what was presumably the on button on the first try.

Pressing a few buttons haphazardly, Jack brought up the playlist. He didn't recognize half the albums listed, and he scrolled through until he found something he knew. "Hey, I didn't know you had this in here." He untangled the wires, stuck one of the ear buds in his ear and reached over and fitted the second one in Daniel's. Daniel didn't take his eyes off Jack, even when the song began to play. Jack put the iPod down between them and caressed Daniel's cheek, wiping the tears away.

"It's going to be okay." Jack reached for Daniel's hand and squeezed it. "You just have to hang on for another hour or so. Hammond's gonna send help as soon as he hears about you. So you just hang in there. Can you do that?"

Daniel nodded, tears still streaming down his face. He clutched at Jack's fingers as a spasm of pain struck him, his face distorting as he gasped through it. Jack readjusted the ear bud, held on to Daniel's hand, and prayed.

________________________________________

It was a restless sleep, but at least it was sleep. Whenever Daniel's eyes fluttered open, Jack shushed him with a touch of his hand to his cheek, and waited while the spasm of pain eased and allowed Daniel to slip back into sleep. At least if he was sleeping, he wasn't hurting.

Or at least Jack tried telling himself that whenever Daniel moaned and squirmed.

"Dad?" Daniel's fingers clasped spasmodically against Jack's.

"I'm right here." Jack gave Daniel what he hoped was a comforting smile. "Go back to sleep."

"Uh... Hurts."

"I know, Icky. Just close your eyes. Fraiser'll be here soon." Jack ran the back of his fingers across Daniel's face, feeling the dry heat of fever. Exhaustion took over Daniel and his eyelids slid shut. Because of the pressure he kept on Jack's hand, he knew Daniel wasn't sleeping. His breathing was shallow and rapid, punctuated occasionally with a rasping cough.

The sound of the Stargate was the sweetest thing Jack had ever heard. He turned his head and motioned Carter and Teal'c, who were already getting to their feet, to go.

"I'm going outside for a moment," Jack told Daniel. "I'll be right outside the tent."

He replaced the ear bud with his earpiece, listening to the conversation between Carter and Hammond. He held his breath until Hammond informed her he'd called Fraiser to the Control Room. Jack stayed out of the conversation until Fraiser announced she was coming through with a medical team.

"General," Jack said quickly, taking a few steps away from the tent, and speaking softly so Daniel wouldn't hear. "While the situation is quiet at the moment, we don't know what things may be like in two or three days from now."

"Do you have reason to believe you'll be in danger, Colonel?"

Jack saw Carter turn back to look at him. He made a face, cursing at himself for not having discussed this with her and Teal'c first. "Look, Daniel's kidnappers left him here with a few days' worth of food. If they don't get Kinsey back, do you think they planned to just forget about Daniel and leave him here to die of starvation?"

"I'd like to think not."

"Me, too. While I'd like to think these people have a heart and wouldn't allow a child to die needlessly, these people are most likely ruthless. Strategically speaking, if they did so, they'll have abandoned the only bit of leverage they had. It would make more sense if they came back here to get him and try to force our hand somehow."

There was silence at the other end of the radio for nearly two minutes. Jack could picture Hammond and Fraiser going head to head on this. Jack would feel better having a medical team come through for Daniel, but logistically speaking, if they had to fight, these people could become a burden.

"Doctor Fraiser will be coming through shortly. We'll contact you then. Stargate Command out."

A moment later, the Stargate winked out.

Jack pulled his earpiece off and hurried back into the tent.

"Fraiser'll be here soon," Jack whispered to Daniel as he lay back down next to his son. Pain-filled eyes looked at him.

"Soon?"

"Real soon. Fraiser's getting her gear together. Next time you hear the 'gate dialing, that'll be her coming over."

"Janet's coming here? She'll be stuck... What about Cassie?"

"Cassie'll be fine. You know Janet, she's probably already got everything in hand and is ordering Cassie to go stay with Grandma."

"Gramm..." Daniel cleared his throat. "Grandma?" he amended. "She doesn't know... She's gonna be worried. Who's gonna tell her we'll be late?"

"Shhh. I'm sure General Hammond's already talked to Grandma."

"Grandma's gonna be ang—Ngah!" Daniel yelled out in pain, grasping at Jack's hands. Thirty minutes, that was about the time it would take for Fraiser to kit up and gather her supplies. Thirty minutes, Jack kept reminding himself as he watched his son shudder and writhe in agony.

________________________________________

"Hey, Daniel." Fraiser spoke softly as she kneeled beside Daniel. "Can you turn onto your back for me so I can take a look at you?"

Daniel whimpered as he obeyed, his eyes tightly closed as Fraiser pulled the sleeping bag aside. Jack sat up, still holding Daniel's hand.

"I'm going to press on your abdomen. Tell me if this hurts anywhere." Fraiser began palpating the left side of his abdomen.

"Ow." Immediately Daniel pressed a hand against his right side. "It hurts."

"Okay." She moved Daniel's hand aside and put her fingers against the area he'd just indicated. "This might hurt." She pressed down on Daniel's side and let go.

Daniel screamed as he tried to curl up onto his side again.

"Damn it, Doc—"

"I'm sorry, Daniel." Fraiser put a hand to Daniel's bowed head. "I had to be sure." She looked at Jack. "That's called rebound tenderness. It's his appendix."

"That means..."

"Surgery. And the sooner, the better." She turned back to Daniel. "Honey, I'm going to finish taking your vitals and then I'll give you something to help with the pain, okay? Can you hang on for a couple more minutes?"

Daniel nodded as a coughing spell prevented him from speaking. Fraiser took his BP, pulse and temperature, then listened to his chest when the coughing stopped.

She hung her stethoscope around her neck and wiped the sweat from his face with her fingers.

"I'm going to set up an IV so I can give you some antibiotics for the bronchitis and something for the pain." She pointed at one of the boxes that she'd brought with her and Teal'c handed it to her.

She pulled out a box of latex gloves, snapped on a pair, removed the bags of solution she needed and quickly swabbed Daniel's forearm. Within a minute, she had the IV in place and taped securely. She removed a syringe and a bottle of medication, filled the syringe and slowly injected it into the IV. "There you go. You should start feeling better very soon."

Fraiser turned to Carter and Teal'c. "I need your help setting the area up for surgery."

"Doc, can I—"

"Stay with him," she said quietly. "This place is so small we'll be in each other's way if we try to pitch in together." She pointed to another box. "Teal'c, I'll need that box. Just let me give Daniel some glucose and the antibiotics."

Jack leaned over Daniel while Fraiser hung the medication. Already the tenseness in Daniel's body was lessening, and his death grip on Jack's hand was easing.

"Dad?" Daniel turned to face Jack.

"Yeah, Icky."

"It doesn't hurt so much."

"I know. Fraiser just gave you the good stuff."

Daniel did a slow blink. "Is Janet going to take out my appendix?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Here?" Daniel looked around slowly. His attention was on Teal'c and Carter, both of them wearing sterile gowns and gloves, hanging sheets around the tent. "Now?"

"Soon."

"What about Grandma?" Daniel turned to Jack, his eyes still glassy and slightly unfocused. "She's gonna be pissed if we don't call her."

"Yeah." Jack pressed his lips together, already hearing his mother's wrath for allowing this to happen to Daniel. Bad enough he got kidnapped, but he got bronchitis and appendicitis on Jack's watch. "She is."

"I can talk to her." Daniel licked his lips slowly. "I can... Tell her it... Wasn't your... Fault." His eyelids drooped with each pause of his words.

"Shhh, it's okay. Grandma will understand. Close your eyes and go to sleep."

"No." Daniel seemed to rally suddenly. "I can talk to her. Call her. Now. Gimme your cell."

Jack couldn't help but smile at Daniel's confusion. "It's sorta long distance, kiddo." Jack heard Carter snort and he glanced up to see her grinning. "You can call her when we get back home."

"Wanna talk to her now." The drowsiness was back, and Daniel was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "And I wan... na call Alex... an... dree... ya." His eyes closed, and his hold on Jack's hand lost its grip, his fingers going lax.

"Colonel, I need you to move, please."

When Jack backed up out of the way, Fraiser had Teal'c pull the sleeping bags from Daniel's body and she log-rolled him onto his side to place a sterile sheet underneath him. Daniel moaned softly as he was moved, but didn't wake up.

"Okay. I told General Hammond I could do this without a nurse, so I'm going to need one of you to assist me." Fraiser turned to Carter, who went pale when Fraiser pinned her with her gaze.

"Um, yeah, okay." Carter swallowed as she looked down at Daniel.

"Colonel. Teal'c. You'll have to step outside while we do this."

"Doc, I can't—"

"You can, and you will. This will be difficult enough; I can't allow you in here while I operate."

"I can help." No, he couldn't, and he wasn't sure how he'd react to seeing Daniel's stomach cut open but his kid had needed him and he felt like he was abandoning him by not being there.

"You'll help by waiting outside, with Teal'c." She turned to her medical supplies, not waiting to see if Jack was going to obey. "Sam, could you connect the portable ventilator to the naquadah generator? Teal'c, there's a lamp over in that box. Set it up so over on this side. Sam, I'll need you to connect the lamp also."

Jack didn't move; he remained crouched near the tent's opening, watching, mesmerized and sick to his stomach as Fraiser moved Daniel's arms to a ninety degree angle, making it look like he was lying on a cross, and swabbed a sterile solution over Daniel's abdomen and ribs, almost all the way to his back, and down to his pubic area before placing a sheet over him.

"Colonel?" Fraiser said, giving first Jack and then the tent's opening a pointed look.

"I'm going," Jack said reluctantly. Teal'c duck walked until he was next to Jack, and both crouched there, unmoving.

"Sam, I'm going to need to intubate Daniel." Fraiser measured out some more medication in syringes and put them aside on a tray nearby. "I need you to come next to me, and hold this." She handed Carter something. Carter took it and nearly dropped it, her hand shaking so badly she could hardly hold onto it. Fraiser looked at Carter's hand, then looked at Teal'c. She plucked the instrument from Carter, and crooked her finger at Teal'c.

"Teal'c, I need you to change places with Sam. Sam, I want you to escort the Colonel out, and don't let him back in until I say so. And seal the tent behind you as you leave."

________________________________________

The only sound coming from the tent had been the ventilator. Jack had sat there in the rain next to the tent for close to an hour but had heard nothing but the hiss of the machine and an occasional soft murmur. So when Fraiser called to him, he tensed.

"Doc?" His instincts were to rush into the tent, but he held back. Carter's hand on his arm made him realize he'd gotten to his knees and had one hand on the entrance.

"Everything's fine, Colonel. Daniel's fine. Just give us a few more minutes."

There were rustling sounds inside and Fraiser's soft voice, and then the sheets covering the door were pulled back, and Teal'c was there. "DanielJackson still sleeps." He moved aside, pulling the sheets he and Carter had put up earlier.

Jack stood, and on shaky legs, crouched down to enter the tent.

Daniel was lying on the sleeping bags. What Jack hadn't expected, was to see his son still hooked up to the ventilator. He gave Fraiser a startled look.

"I was right; his appendix was inflamed and was ready to burst. Another hour or so and we'd be dealing with peritonitis. He's very lucky."

"But the..." Jack waved a finger towards his mouth.

"Normally I'd extubate, but I think in this case, he deserves a little downtime to allow his body to recover from both the surgery and the bronchitis. I'll keep him sedated so he's comfortable and not feeling any discomfort."

"How long?"

"A few hours. Maybe until morning."

"But he'll be fine, Janet?" Carter had moved around to the far side of the tent and had sat down, cross-legged, next to Daniel. She picked up Daniel's hand and stroked the limp fingers.

"He'll be fine. Like I said, it's more about giving his body a chance to recover from the shock of the surgery as much as it is to keep an eye on his oxygen levels."

"So he's sleeping now?" Jack eased himself down onto the edge of the sleeping bag. He placed a hand on Daniel's cheek, watching his chest go up and down in a regular rhythm. His face was warm to the touch, and if it weren't for the plastic tubing affixed to the small machine, he'd have thought Daniel was sleeping peacefully and naturally. The signs of pain and illness were mostly gone, though, except for the pallor of his skin. "He's not in pain?"

"He's sleeping and isn't feeling anything, and I'll keep him sedated until I take him off the vent."

Jack passed his hand over his mouth, hating to see his son looking so vulnerable.

________________________________________

"It's okay, it looks worse than it really is," Fraiser said over her shoulder as she reconnected the vent after suctioning Daniel's trachea. The coughing spell had been harsh but from the sounds of what she'd pulled out of there, it was most likely a sign that Daniel was starting to recover from the bronchitis.

The tent was crowded with everyone sitting inside. It was pouring outside, the rain muting the sound of the vent as it cascaded against the roof. Portable lights and a heater made the tent comfortable, however, chasing away the humidity.

Fraiser moved back to sit next to Carter, where they'd been discussing some fashion things in a magazine. Jack had been ignoring them, his attention half on his son, half on the quandary they were in.

Jack turned to Teal'c and spoke softly. "I want you to backtrack Daniel's steps in the morning. Go towards that ravine we saw on the U.A.V. footage."

"You wish me to search for refuge?"

"Yeah. This tent is going to stick out like a sore thumb. But it's gotta be close enough that we can bring Daniel and defend it."

"That may not be possible. While there certainly must be cave systems within the cliff walls, it may be too difficult for DanielJackson to reach them."

"Let's worry about that once we know what we've got to work with."

Despite his words, Jack sat there and worried. He worked through several scenarios, all of them not meeting his satisfaction. Best case scenario – Carter discovered a way to fix the DHD and they would go home; worst case scenario – he didn't even want to contemplate.

He wanted nothing except to bring his son home safely. He turned to look at Daniel, and was surprised to see that his eyes were half-open.

"Doc!"

Daniel's gaze shifted and he looked at Jack.

"Daniel's awake."

Awake, and aware, from the look of burgeoning panic on his son's face.

"Icky, it's okay," Jack said quickly as he lunged for Daniel's arm as Daniel raised his hand towards his mouth. Jack caught his hand and tugged it down while Daniel shifted restlessly. Fraiser caught Daniel's other hand as it started coming up.

"Talk to him, sir. Let him know everything's all right."

Keeping hold of Daniel's hand, he leaned over Daniel and smiled. With his other hand, Jack threaded his fingers through Daniel's hair.

"Hey. It's Daddy."

Daniel calmed down, although his eyes were still wide in fear. The hand Jack held stopped struggling and Daniel's fingers clutched Jack's wrist as two matching tears slid down Daniel's cheeks. Fraiser let go of Daniel's hand and out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Fraiser measuring out a dose of medication into a syringe.

"You had surgery, remember? Fraiser's got you on a ventilator..." Jack patted his own throat. "There's a tube in your throat to help you breathe."

Fraiser injected the medication into Daniel's IV.

"Everything's okay." Jack eased his fingers across Daniel's cheeks as Daniel's eyes fluttered shut, wiping the twin lines of dampness with his thumb. The fingers holding onto his arm relaxed and Daniel's hand dropped to the ground.

"Doc—"

"He came out of the sedation a little earlier than I expected, that's all." She patted Jack's hand. "He probably won't remember any of this."

Jack wished he could erase the memory of his son waking up terrified and helpless. Along with all the other memories of this trip from hell.

________________________________________

Daylight was beginning to lighten the tent walls when Jack gave up all pretense of trying to sleep. The vision of Daniel's pain-filled face while waiting for Fraiser to come through the Stargate kept haunting him every time he closed his eyes. He needed to see Daniel awake and talking, not in a drugged sleep, before those images could be pushed aside.

Fraiser was catnapping, Carter was snoring and Teal'c was sitting next to Daniel.

"Going to stretch my legs," Jack told Teal'c. He made his way to the latrine, then took the time to work the kinks out of his back and legs as he made his way back. He didn't rush; the rain had stopped although the sky was still overcast. He paused to look around their camp, mentally planning what needed to be done if his hunch was right.

Teal'c came out of the tent just as Jack decided he was going back in. His stomach immediately clenched and his heart began to race. "Everything okay?"

"DoctorFraiser is attending to DanielJackson. All is well."

Then Jack realized Teal'c was carrying his staff weapon.

"You heading out now? Before breakfast?"

"If your theory is correct, then time may be of the essence. The sooner we find more adequate shelter, the sooner we will be able to plan our defense."

"Just remember that Daniel's not going to be mobile any time in the near future. If we have to climb down into that ravine—"

"Carrying him will not be a problem."

"Maybe not for you." Jack winced at the thought of Teal'c carrying Daniel down a sheer rock. "It'll be murder on him, though."

"We may have no choice."

Jack was about to reply when the sound of Daniel coughing came from the tent. The severity of it had both Jack and Teal'c rushing inside, only to find that Fraiser had pulled the vent out and was placing an oxygen mask over his face. Daniel's face was red as he continued to cough for a while longer.

"He'll wake up soon," Fraiser said with a smile, patting the edge of the sleeping bag in invitation. She pushed aside a strand of hair that had caught on the edge of the oxygen mask.

"So he's..."

"Going to be in pain at first when he wakes up. Don't worry. I'll give him something to make him comfortable."

"How soon is soon?" Jack sat, leaning forward and staring at Daniel's face, willing him to wake up. Jack so wanted that vision erased by the sight of his son's smile.

"Soon," Fraiser said with an amused smile.

"Before I forget. I need you to pack up whatever you think you'll need for the next couple of days. Be ready to move out at a moment's notice. We'll need to get a stretcher from the SGC next time they call—"

"Colonel, you can't be serious—"

"Very serious. We may have to move fast—"

"Daniel's just had surgery. He can't be moved—"

Jack leaned over Daniel, keeping his voice low while making sure he had her attention. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think that taking Daniel away from here is the last thing I want to do? But we need to get him out of sight and in some sort of shelter before the bastards who took him show up."

Fraiser bit her lip, staring at Jack, almost making him uncomfortable as he leaned back.

"How long do we have?"

"I don't know. Carter said it takes around twelve hours to fly here, and the President won't give them an answer until tomorrow. Twenty-four hours, maybe, if Teal'c finds us some shelter fairly close by."

"And what if there's nowhere to hide?"

Jack shook his head. "We hunker down behind one of those big rocks if we have to. But we can't stay here. If they manage to overpower us and capture us, then they can use SG-1 plus Daniel plus the SGC's chief medical officer as a bargaining tool to get Kinsey."

"Can't you bring in backup?"

"I could. But that could mean endangering more people without any recourse for rescue. Do you really think that Tok'ra ship is going to show up here tomorrow? I don't trust them, and I'm thinking we may have to wait until the Daedalus comes around for us."

Fraiser rubbed her forehead and she frowned. "I'll need to pack more than I can probably carry by myself."

"Not a problem. Carter and I can split the load." Jack glanced at the medical machines packed into the corner of the tent. "You're not taking any of that stuff with you, are you?"

"No, sir," Fraiser said with a faint smile.

"Good." He glanced at the equipment she'd brought with her, hating what he was going to have to do.

"Now," Fraiser said, motioning towards Daniel. "Call his name; see if you can get him to wake up."

Jack leaned over and said Daniel's name. He was rewarded with the rise of Daniel's eyebrows, but nothing more. "Icky, can you open your eyes for me?"

________________________________________

The voice was insistent, and Daniel struggled to obey. Opening eyelids that felt stuck together, Daniel squinted at a too-bright panorama before him. "Daddy?" He shut his eyes against the glare. His voice sounded weird, hoarse, and muffled somehow.

"Right here, kiddo."

"Ahh... Am I late for school?" He felt himself drifting off again.

"No, you're not late. Do you remember where you are?"

There was pressure on his right hand and he made an effort to squeeze back. "Um..." His head felt fuzzy and he had a feeling he wasn't in his own bed. There was a deep throbbing in his belly, and as he moved his hand towards the pain, his memory came back with the realization.

He was on another planet, and he'd been sick and in pain, and they were going to be stuck here for another couple of days. And his side still hurt. Janet was supposed to have made it better.

"I wanna go home." With the words came the overwhelming emotions. He felt himself take a deep, shaky breath, his throat tightening and his face scrunching up as tears slid down his cheeks. There was something on his face, irritating, and he tried to shove it away. "I wanna go home," he started to repeat. But his mouth was so parched, his throat so dry, that the words came out as a sharp cough.

Agony speared his side, fueling the tears and the coughing as pain stole his breath away. Then there was pressure against the pain, and the agony shifted to a more manageable level as he strained to breathe. He suddenly choked on phlegm and dry heaved several times. The something on his face was pulled away as he spat. For a few scary seconds he couldn't get any air in and then with a wheezy whoop, he could breathe.

Throughout the spell, his dad's voice whispered in his ear. When it was over and he lay there sobbing, he couldn't remember his dad's words, just the sound of his voice.

Daniel clutched at his dad and felt his arms around him. He raised him off the bed just a smidgeon and pulled him close. He was aware of Janet and Sam surrounding him but all he wanted was his father.

"It's okay. It's over. You're going to be fine," his dad repeated over and over, until the words finally made sense to Daniel. He nodded his understanding and felt his dad's fingers stroke his scalp. "Shhhhh."

"I'm sorry," Daniel hiccupped. He was still crying and couldn't seem to stop. At least the pain in his side had slithered away until it was just a dull cramping.

"It's just a side effect of the sedation. You have nothing to be sorry for." Janet touched his face and adjusted something. Daniel raised his hand to shove whatever was on his face and Janet caught his hand. "It's an oxygen mask. Leave it on for a while, okay?"

He nodded, his breaths shuddering and tight.

"Is the pain better? I gave you something to take the edge off."

He nodded again as the coughing started up once more. Janet took his hand and placed it over the area that hurt. "Here, press down, just like this when you cough."

The pressure eased some of the pull on his side. It still hurt, but it was bearable. Almost.

"Better?" his dad asked when he the coughing stopped again.

"I can't... stop crying," Daniel sobbed. He was mortified. Bad enough he was so emotional, but to have Janet and Sam see this...

"It's okay." With his dad rubbing his back and his cheek nestled in his dad's shoulder, Daniel began to relax.

"You're doing great, Icky. The worst is over now. You know, you got the lucky end of the draw. You get to laze around in bed until our ride shows up while the rest of us are at your beck and call."

Daniel chuckled weakly at the visual his dad's words evoked, and that was enough to break the crying jag. Limp and exhausted, he closed his eyes and let his dad wipe his face with something cool and wet. He felt himself sliding... drifting... and he fell, teetering on the edge of sleep.

"He's doing fine, sir." Janet's voice seemed to come from far. "You can put him down. He'll probably sleep for a while."

"No, I'm fine." His dad shifted slightly, getting a more secure hold. Daniel felt it in his side for a moment, then the discomfort eased. He sighed and shifted a little, getting more comfortable. He rubbed his face against his dad's shirt, moving the piece of plastic that was in his way. "But if you could..."

Someone adjusted the oxygen mask and Daniel just didn't have the energy to try to move it again. His dad was talking to Sam or Janet, but Daniel wasn't listening. He felt safe, just like when he was a kid and had crawled into his dad's lap. "Love you, Daddy."

Daniel hadn't realized he'd said the words aloud until his dad whispered in his ear, "I love you, too, Icky."

________________________________________

"O'Neill."

Jack started from a half doze, and keyed his mic. "Just a second." He stood, moving awkwardly from fatigue and stiff joints. Carter, sitting next to Fraiser amongst a pile of supplies they were methodically attempting to pack into two bags, nodded to indicate she was listening in on Teal'c's conversation.

Stepping outside, Jack made a quick dash under the shelter they'd erected yesterday. "Okay, sorry, I didn't want to wake Daniel. Go ahead. Didja find anything?"

"I have come across some ancient ruins next to the ravine but I am unable to go further. There is a chasm and the way across is blocked. Are you certain this is the route DanielJackson took?"

"He said he had to figure out some puzzles before he could get across that ravine. Is there anything written on the ruins?"

"There are hieroglyphs; while I recognize the symbols, they do not signify anything which could be meaningfully construed. There is also a depression within the stone. I can derive no meaning from it either."

While Jack had the utmost confidence in his son, knowing the man he once was and who he would be, he couldn't help wonder if Daniel had hallucinated the way here instead of actually crossing the ravine via the Indiana Jones method.

"What about the ravine itself? Is there any way down?"

"I have seen nothing as yet. I will continue my reconnaissance and inform you if I do."

"Gotcha. In the meantime, the SGC is due to dial in soon. We'll start cleaning up the place."

Jack decided he'd been lazy enough. While Daniel slept, he could start moving all the extraneous stuff next to the Stargate.

________________________________________

"I gotta pee."

"Hey." Jack looked away from the MREs he was sorting and grinned at Daniel. "Look who's up." The late-evening sun cast long shadows into the tent, masking the paleness of Daniel's face.

"I gotta pee now." Daniel pushed at the edge of the sleeping bag and Fraiser quickly left the card game she'd been playing with Carter and crawled over to him.

"Don't move. I've got it." She rummaged in a box and a moment later, came out with a plastic urinal. "Here." She handed it to Daniel who looked at it in uneasily.

"Can't I just..." He glanced towards Carter, who was still sitting in one corner of the tent, their interrupted poker game spread out before her, and then at the tent's exit. Jack felt sorry for him.

"Tomorrow, maybe. But it's barely been a day. I want you up and on your feet soon, but let's not push it until we have to, okay?"

"How about you guys give us a few minutes of privacy?" Jack suggested as he took the urinal from Daniel.

"Sure." Carter stood and stretched. "I could use a bit of fresh air." She grabbed one of the boxes Fraiser had deemed unnecessary and carried it outside.

Jack popped the top of the urinal and reached for the sleeping bag, then arched an eyebrow at Daniel when he pushed the sleeping bag back down. "I can do this by myself." Daniel looked pointedly at Fraiser then at Jack.

"Doc?" Jack motioned towards the exit with his head. Fraiser stood and left without a word, hiding the slight smile from Daniel. Jack, however, didn't move.

"I got it, Dad."

"I know." Jack ignored his son's whine and stayed where he was.

With a roll of his eyes, Daniel shoved the urinal under the sleeping bag. There was a bit of fumbling as Daniel maneuvered it into place. Then his eyes closed in relief as the sound of liquid pouring into a plastic container filled the tent.

Jack took it from Daniel when he was done and handed it to Fraiser, who was waiting right outside the tent's opening. A minute later she came back in and stowed the now empty urinal back into the box.

"How do you feel?" She bent over and listened to his chest with her stethoscope.

Daniel yawned. "Tired."

"How's the side? Does it hurt?"

Daniel shook his head from side to side on the pillow. "No. Just a dull throb if I move."

"Good." She hung the stethoscope around her neck and took Daniel's pulse.

"I'm thirsty."

Fraiser glanced at Jack and nodded. He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to Daniel. When Daniel tried to raise his head and shoulders off the floor, he winced in pain and fell back. Jack eased his hands under Daniel's shoulders, giving him the support so he could drink.

"Just a few sips," Fraiser cautioned.

Daniel drank a little and handed the bottle to Fraiser when she let go of his wrist. Daniel's loud yawn migrated into a cough. As Jack held onto him, Fraiser reminded Daniel to press against his incision to ease the pain. By the time it ended, the setting sun had shifted and was shining right onto Daniel's face.

The change in brightness showed the spots of fever high on Daniel's cheeks as well as the shadows beneath his eyes. Jack let Fraiser tuck Daniel in when the coughing spree ended. It left him tired and sleepy, answering Fraiser's questions in monosyllables. He fell asleep as she was taking his blood pressure.

"Are we gonna be able to move him tomorrow if..."

"In any other circumstances, I'd advise against it."

"But..."

"The alternatives don't give us a choice."

"I might be wrong about this." He hated second-guessing himself, but his instincts were screaming loud enough he was surprised nobody else heard them.

"And you might be wrong."

"I'm hoping I am wrong."

"So am I."

The sound of the Stargate had Jack out of the tent and doing a short jog to catch up with Carter, who was waiting next to the M.A.L.P.

"SG-1, this is Stargate Command."

"Stargate Command? We need a few supplies, and a favor."

________________________________________

The sound was repetitive, slowly seeping into Daniel's sleep-addled brain. Finally the cause of the noise clicked, and the realization drew Daniel from drowsiness to full awareness.

"Dad?" Confused and disoriented, he tried to sit up; his memories told him a Stargate being dialed wasn't always a good thing. He didn't manage more than getting his head and shoulders off the ground when the pain in his side told him that this wasn't such a good idea.

"Ow. Dad?"

"Daniel, it's okay." Janet popped her head into the tent and smiled at him before pulling back out. "Colonel, Daniel's awake."

"Tell him we'll be there in a minute." His dad's voice barely registered over the sound of the Stargate kawooshing into life.

Stepping into the tent, Janet crouched next to him. "They're almost done. Your dad will be here in a minute."

"Janet? Where..." Daniel looked around, seeing the inside of a tent. He blinked, totally at a loss as to why he was lying in a tent, and then the continued throbbing brought it all back. He gently touched his abdomen and felt the bulk of bandages beneath his fingers.

"You've been sleeping for most of the day. How do you feel?"

Daniel cleared his throat, feeling the tickle of a cough starting and hoped he could tamp it down. "Still a little tired."

"How's the pain?"

"It's not bad." He remembered worse. Much worse. "It's like a dull throbbing."

"I'll give you something for it in about a half hour. Do you think you could eat?"

"I'm not really hungry." Food was the last thing he wanted right now.

"I know. But you need to start eating." Janet picked something up and held out a small jar in one hand. "Apple sauce for starters." She picked up a plastic spoon and put both the jar and spoon aside. "Wanna try sitting up a little?"

"Um..." He winced in pain as Janet eased two sleeping bags under his back. But once he was settled, he was more or less comfortable.

The Stargate began dialing again, the chevrons locking into place more quickly than normal. He craned his head, trying to look out the closed tent flap but saw nothing. "What's going on?"

When Janet looked away awkwardly, Daniel got scared. "Janet?"

"We may have to leave this area tomorrow and go find some place that's not quite so open."

"Why?"

"The people who took you—"

"Are coming back?" Terrified, Daniel tried to sit up straight, but again the pain in his side prevented him from even doing more than a tensing of muscles and a drop back onto the sleeping bags.

"We're not sure whether they're coming back or not, but we're not going to take a chance. If we hide, then we have a chance of defending ourselves and surprising them."

The Stargate shut down, and started dialing again.

"What's Dad doing? Did Sam fix the Stargate?" He was confused; if the Stargate was working, then why would they have to hide.

"No. General Hammond has asked one of the teams offworld to dial the Stargate repeatedly so that the Colonel and Sam can use it to get rid of any excess belongings."

Daniel frowned, trying to remember and understand. They couldn't use the Stargate, so how could they get rid of anything? He pictured the Stargate, the rings dialing, the backwash flowing out like a waterfall before settling into the blue puddle. The few times he'd been allowed in the Gateroom when the Stargate became active, he'd have to stand a certain distance away because the backwash...

"Oh, I get it."

The Stargate shut down again.

"Here. Try and eat, okay?" Janet twisted the cap off the jar and handed it to him. Daniel reached for it and froze when he saw the label.

"Baby food?"

"It's the best we could do at short notice. Come on, eat up." She held the jar directly in front of his face.

Affronted, Daniel wanted to push the applesauce away. "Couldn't you have gotten me something a little less..."

"Nutritious?"

"Embarrassing?" Daniel took the jar and the spoon reluctantly. As he tentatively dipped the edge of the spoon into the jar and put it into his mouth, he realized that the Stargate hadn't started up again.

He listened intently, waiting for it to dial again. Instead, all he heard was silence, and then the distinctive chime of the strange rocks mixed with two sets of footsteps. His dad came into the tent, grinning. "Hey, you."

"Hi, Dad."

His dad sat down next to him and glanced at the jar Daniel was holding in his hand. "Hey, looks like Fraiser's going hog wild with your supper."

Daniel fought the urge to hide the jar under the blankets when Sam entered the tent.

"Hi, Daniel." Sam's grin was as cheerful as her voice. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He looked towards the opening, but didn't hear anything else. "Where's Teal'c?"

"He'll be here in a minute." His dad reached for an MRE packet and tore it open.

"Janet says we're going to hide?" He dipped the spoon into the jar.

Intent on measuring water into his MRE heater, his dad nodded distractedly. "Just a precaution. Teal'c's out looking for a place that's more defendable than here."

Daniel couldn't help feeling responsible for their situation. He ate the spoonful of applesauce because he didn't know what to answer, and was surprised that it actually tasted good.

He was scraping the last of the applesauce off the edges of the jar when Teal'c entered the tent. He gave Daniel a wide smile when he saw him.

"You look well."

"Soup's on," his dad said, pointing to the pile of warming MREs. Teal'c put his staff weapon in the corner and sat down opposite Daniel.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine," Daniel said, beginning to feel a little embarrassed at the attention. "I feel better." He gave Teal'c a quick smile as he ate the last of the applesauce.

"So, did you find anything?" his dad asked.

"The ravine is too steep to attempt a descent. Even with the proper equipment, it would be hazardous."

"What about the bridge Daniel crossed to get to the other side? Maybe there's something there we could use?"

"I was unable to unlock the mechanism. The bridge is unattainable. It is blocked by a large slab of stone."

Daniel bit his lip, debating whether to say something or not. He fiddled with the empty jar, running a finger around the edge over and over.

"Is there any way over the rock?" Sam asked.

"Climbing over it would be difficult."

Daniel didn't miss Teal'c's glance in his direction. Again, embarrassment for their situation made his cheeks hot.

"But still possible?"

"For you and I, MajorCarter, possibly. For DanielJackson, it would most likely entail severe discomfort."

"I can get the door open to the bridge," Daniel blurted out. When all eyes were on him, he stopped fiddling and put the jar down. "I got through both sides to get here." He raised his chin. He'd done it on his own, even if he'd had the help of his old memories.

"That you did." His dad reached out and squeezed his toes, and Daniel wiggled them under his dad's touch. "We can go there tomorrow, see what choices we have if Daniel can't figure out the puzzle."

"There are few choices, O'Neill. I walked several kilometers in both directions and the terrain is open. There is no place to hide from aerial surveillance."

"We'll dig ourselves a trench if we have to and cover it with camouflage." His dad picked up his meal and began eating. The matter of fact manner in which his dad spoke quickly eased Daniel's anxiety. While he watched everyone tuck into their supper, Daniel began to have trouble keeping his eyes open.

A touch to his cheek woke him up. He jumped, startled, and came awake to a shot of agony in his abdomen. He gasped, choked, and began coughing. The agony became unbearable, until he remembered Janet's instructions and pressed down on the actual point where the pain was worst. It still hurt, but he was able to cough without screaming in pain.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Janet leaned over him, supporting his head and shoulders as he coughed up wads of gunk, holding tissues so he could spit.

He retched, felt his stomach tighten sickeningly, and then, almost as if in apology, his chest relaxed, saving him from embarrassing himself even more by throwing up the meager supper he'd eaten. He lay there panting, his lungs on fire as well as his abdomen. Slowly, his breathing slowed, his ribs loosened and he eased the pressure on the bandages. He turned his head just in time to see Janet replacing a cap on a syringe and he knew his comfort had been chemically induced.

"Here." Janet held a cup to his mouth. He drank eagerly, gulping a few mouthfuls before he recognized the taste of apple juice. Just as he began to enjoy it, the cup was empty.

"Thanks." He licked his lips, wishing he could have more as he eyed the cup as she set it down, out of reach.

"Do you want more?" Janet asked, reading his mind.

Daniel nodded, watching as she poured more juice out of a carton. "Where'd you get that?" This time he took the cup from her, sipping more slowly, taking the time to enjoy the drink.

"From the SGC. Figured we might as well stock up on the good stuff while we had the chance. Better than that powdered stuff in the MREs, isn't it?"

Normally Daniel enjoyed the MREs because they were a treat, used whenever he and his dad went on camping trips. But Janet was right. Right now, the apple juice slaked his thirst better than just plain water.

When he was done, Janet wrapped a blood pressure cuff on his arm and he watched his dad, who was talking with Teal'c and Sam. While Janet continued to check him out, Daniel tried to listen to the conversation, but was having trouble concentrating. He knew he was drifting, but he didn't want to go to sleep.

Despite his efforts, he only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. He started dreaming of the enormous stone base at the end of the bridge where he'd spent the night trying to puzzle out how to open. He walked through underground tunnels for a while, finding his way through a maze, until he came to the bridge. One of the carvings high up on the base was prominent in his mind: a crouching figure with an enormous horn held in upraised arms, with an elongated snake inside. He could still hear snippets of the conversation going round and round, no decision made, nowhere to hide. But he knew, somehow, that there was a place...

And then he knew, saw the image in his mind – first from textbooks studied out of curiosity, then examined more carefully with the pain and anguish of the goddess's near-victory still reverberating within him, searching for clues that might explain why Hathor had remained on Earth all these centuries.

"The Dendara Light."

Daniel didn't realize he'd spoken the words out loud until his dad said, "What?"

Sleepiness driven from him by the rush of adrenaline, Daniel half-raised himself on an elbow, ignoring the painful pull dulled by the medication Janet had given him. "Teal'c, does the Dendara Light mean anything to you?"

"It does not."

"It's a carving found in Hathor's temple in Dendara... on Earth," Daniel explained quickly. "It's been thought to have been a symbol of electric lights," Daniel continued, surprised at how hoarse his voice was, "although some scholars think it's a lotus flower with a snake inside—"

"Snake?" His dad said tightly.

"Um, yeah." For a moment Daniel was confused, until he realized that his dad's anger was aimed towards the fact that the Goa'uld looked like snakes. He waved his hand, trying to hurry past the flux of information coursing through his mind. "Some think it's a great serpent of light living in the heavens, inspired by the Milky Way. But that's not what's relevant. I was just wondering if Teal'c might recognize it."

"It does not sound familiar."

Unwilling to drop the subject, Daniel looked around for something to write on. "Let me draw it for you." He waved his fingers at the clipboard Janet had been using to keep track of his vitals. With a tolerant smile, Janet unclipped the top sheet of paper and turned it upside down.

With fingers that felt clumsy, Daniel took the pen and held the clipboard up in the air. He quickly drew the picture that was well ingrained in his mind's eye - a snake filling the length of an oval shape floating above a crouching man's head.

Before he managed to do more than draw the oval and snake, Teal'c grabbed the clipboard and pen from him. "I know this," Teal'c said, roughly finishing the sketch.

"No duh," his dad said, leaning close to Teal'c to examine the picture. Daniel couldn't help smiling as he met Sam's gaze as she tried to look over his dad's shoulder. Sam grinned back at him before looking down at the drawing.

"It is indeed a symbol of Hathor. It is also an indicator that there is a temple nearby. A marker of sorts, if you will."

"Daniel, is there a symbol like this somewhere nearby?" Sam's grin was gone, her face suddenly serious and military.

"Yeah. By the statues. Near the bridge."

"I did not see this symbol when I attempted to access the bridge."

"It was on the other side of the stone." The surge of energy was gone, leaving him limp and exhausted. And sleepy.

"T, how far would the temple be from the marker?"

"It would not be far."

"Walking distance?"

"A stone's throw, as you would say."

"Then that's where we're heading tomorrow."

Keeping his eyes open was just too hard. Daniel let them close, and the sound of everyone's voices started to fade...

________________________________________

"This stays between us," Daniel pouted as his dad held a jar out in each hand.

"Promise." Marking a small imaginary cross on his chest with his index finger, his dad was obviously trying not to smile but his eyes were crinkling. "So, what's your pleasure? Oatmeal with apples, or cereal—"

"That one." Daniel pointed to the jar in his dad's right hand, not caring what it was.

"You sure?" His dad jiggled the jar in his left hand. "This kinda looks yummy—"

"Whatever." Bad enough he wasn't hungry and Janet insisted he eat, but did he have to eat baby food?

Damn it, if his friends ever caught wind of this... And his dad thought it was amusing, because now he was openly smiling as he twisted the cap open.

"It's not funny." Daniel reluctantly accepted the jar and spoon, studying the label. Oatmeal with bananas. Great.

Not hiding his annoyance, Daniel stuck the spoon into the mixture. He studied the oatmeal a moment before eating it. He smacked his lips. He hated to admit it, but it tasted good.

He finished the oatmeal and dropped the empty jar on the edge of his sleeping bag. As tiny as the portion was, he was full and a tad on the side of being nauseated. Janet picked up the empty jar and spoon and without a word, tossed it in a bag they'd been using for garbage.

Teal'c entered the tent, carrying a long, metallic object. He also brought in a whiff of cool, damp air before he shut the flap behind him. Daniel shivered and pulled the sleeping bag up to his neck as Teal'c placed the long object at the far end of the tent.

"Bring it over here. Hammond'll be calling in about..." His dad checked his watch. "... Fifteen minutes. Might as well get ready to go, take the tent down—"

"Go? Now?" Daniel eyed the object warily as Teal'c set it next to him. He realized it was a stretcher. "Um, Dad? I can walk—"

"No way."

"I'm sorry, Daniel, but you've just had surgery. If you were in the infirmary right now, you'd be going no further than the bathroom."

"But we're not in the infirmary." Daniel tried to roll onto his side, set on showing everyone that he was fine and could pull his own weight. He'd done so when he'd been an adult; here he was in a situation pretty similar to the ones he'd experienced as a member of SG-1 and everyone was treating him like a baby.

Teal'c kneeled next to Daniel and placed a hand on his shoulder before he could do more than move his legs in his attempt to sit up. "Reflect on this. Were you to insist on walking, you would be in pain, and would thus slow us down. Speed may be of the essence, and so this solution will benefit us all, as well as ease your father's peace of mind. Carrying you will not be a burden."

"I..." He looked around, seeing everyone's set expressions. "I don't have a choice in this, do I?"

His father shook his head.

"I'm going to zip you up in one of the sleeping bags. Are you okay with that?"

Daniel nodded reluctantly, and Janet placed the sleeping bag that had covered him into the bottom of the stretcher. With a bit of maneuvering on her part and a lot of pain-felt hissing on his part, he was zipped up tight as a mummy. He hated the restrictive feeling and immediately unzipped part of the zipper so he'd be able to stick his arms out.

"Now, the Colonel and Teal'c are going to lift you into the stretcher. Don't tense up. Just let them carry your weight."

It hurt when the sleeping bag pulled his body awkwardly. But they lifted him quickly and moved him the few inches before lowering him into the stretcher. He felt embarrassed about being carried, but didn't say a word as she put his IVs into some sort of a bag and hung them on a short pole attached to the stretcher. But as Janet began tying him into it, he realized he was well and truly trapped inside.

"No!" He tried to kick aside the straps she had laid over his legs, but between the sleeping bag and the pain in his belly, his range of motion was severely limited.

"Daniel." She dropped the straps and placed her hands on his legs, forcing him to hold still as he panted through the pain. "It's just to make sure you're secure."

"Don't. Please, don't tie me up in here." He struggled to get his arms out again, trying to lever himself up against the metal edges.

"Icky, it's just to make sure you don't fall out." His dad put a hand on his arm and Daniel tugged it away.

"Okay. Okay. I won't strap you in." She pointedly raised one hand and slowly picked up one of the straps and tucked it in under his feet. "Okay?"

He was shaking, not relaxing until the last of the straps were hidden from sight. Janet placed a backpack at the foot of the stretcher and nodded at his dad.

"I'm almost good to go." She moved to the head of the stretcher and kneeled next to Daniel. "I'm just going to tug the edge of the sleeping bag over your head." She winked at him. "Trust me?"

Feeling slightly ashamed at his outburst, Daniel nodded. Janet pulled on the edge of the sleeping bag he was lying on, tugging it up over his head, adjusting it so it made a hood. "This will help protect you from the rain and the cold."

His dad and Teal'c picked up the sides of the stretcher and he pushed against the edges with his arms, afraid to fall out. For a moment he was sorry he'd insisted on Janet not securing him but then they moved him out of the tent and he was back on the ground, his limited view of the Stargate before him.

When everyone started taking down the tent and the lopsided shelter, he couldn't help but feel abandoned. He watched them work quickly and efficiently, feeling like that proverbial third wheel.

The chevrons started to light up just as his dad was dragging the tent over to the Stargate. Teal'c picked up the other end of the tent and with perfect timing, they tossed it into the backsplash. Sam and Janet had some things in their hands that they threw in also. When the wormhole stabilized, everything was obliterated.

His feelings of isolation increased as everyone hung around the wormhole, talking into their radios. His dad paced, his gait stiff, his shoulders tense. The sound of his dad's footsteps, magnified by the tinkling of the odd rocks underfoot, helped to cover their one-sided conversation.

His dad's to and fro made him dizzy so he closed his eyes. The footsteps were almost musical, lulling him... back... and forth... back... and forth...

"Daniel?"

He opened his eyes, almost reluctant to wake up. His dad was kneeling next to him, his fingers cool against his cheek.

"Dad?" He licked his lips. The music was gone.

"We're heading out."

"Where?" Daniel asked sleepily.

"We're going to look for that temple Teal'c thinks is next to the ravine." His dad took his fingers away and fiddled with the edge of the sleeping bag.

"Okay." He wanted to close his eyes, but remembered his dad's restlessness. He glanced over at the Stargate. It was idle, and he could see Sam and Janet standing next to it, looking his way. "What happened?"

"Hammond says they think the ship that brought you here is on its way back."

Those words made Daniel want to jump and run away and hide. Instead, all he could do was try and grip the edges of the stretcher, fingers not quite catching the rim through the heavy material of the sleeping bag. He glanced up into the sky worriedly, half expecting the ship to make an appearance overhead.

"We've got a little while. McKay says maybe six, eight hours. Plenty of time to find a place to hunker down. Okay?"

Daniel felt the prickle of tears. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He wanted to rage and scream and cry in his dad's arms, and as good as that would feel, he knew giving in to his fears and frustration would just hold everyone back. He put on a brave face and gave his dad a forced smile.

"Good. We'll be there before you know it."

A moment later, everyone surrounded him and each gripped an end of the stretcher. It tilted slightly then evened out. His dad was behind him on his right, Janet on his left, with Teal'c in front of Janet and Sam in front of his dad. The motion of the stretcher was odd, not quite nauseating but not quite comfortable, either. Watching people's heads bob up and down was definitely nauseating, however, forcing him to close his eyes.

Footsteps tinkled with their passing, and Daniel began listening to the sounds they made. He drifted, hearing a few favorite songs in his mind.

________________________________________

tbc