From the moment Daniel was wheeled out of surgery, Vala was at his side. Dr. Lam warned her that it would be some time before he awoke. Apparently, they were forced to induce a coma, whatever that meant, and the recovery wouldn't be easy or fast. Even so, Vala couldn't bring herself to leave him, even for a few moments. She found listening to the little beeps and whirs of the machines that he was attached to comforting, even if she didn't know what they all did. She was fairly certain that their constant noise meant that Daniel's vitals were steady, that he was alive. The nurses had elevated the bed so that Daniel's head and torso were propped up. It almost gave the illusion that he was sitting on his own, but the way his head slumped to one side destroyed the illusion.
Teal'c would come by every now and then. He usually said very little, but his presence was a comfort. Sam spent a large portion of the first day with Vala in the infirmary. She seemed restless – in and out so often that Vala was tempted to compare her with a cat. Still, she was grateful for the company, and she knew that Sam was probably just as eager as she was to see Daniel back to his old self.
When Sam came in for what had to be the tenth time that day, she was carrying a tray of what was probably supposed to be food from the Mess. "I thought you must be hungry," she said as she placed the tray on the small table next to Vala. "I know you haven't left the infirmary all day."
"Thanks," Vala said quietly. She actually didn't feel hungry, but she picked up a piece of fruit from the tray and took a bite anyway.
"How is he?" Sam asked, sitting in the chair on the opposite side of Daniel's infirmary bed.
"I'm not sure, really," Vala admitted. "Dr. Lam hasn't said much to me since he came out of surgery. She or one of the nurses comes in every now and then to check on him."
Sam nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments, and then Sam's restless feet carried her away again. After two days, she was feeling quite restless herself, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the infirmary. Instead, she placated her restless legs by pacing the infirmary, careful not to get in the way of any of the medical staff. Several of them seemed annoyed with her, but none of them said so. Vala guessed she looked miserable enough that they felt compelled to leave her be.
At first she thought she was imagining it. Sam was right, she had gone most of two days without eating or sleeping, so it was quite possible that she was having delusions. So when she first saw Daniel's eyes flicker open, she wasn't certain if it was imagining it or not. She leaned over his bed and stared down at his face. His eyes were closed now, but he was making very small movements, as though trying to wake himself up.
"Daniel?" she asked, trying not to get her hopes up. His eyelids fluttered again; this time she was sure of it. He didn't keep his eyes open, but his scrunched up face told her that he was at least on his way to consciousness. "Daniel, open your eyes," she pleaded softly.
And finally, slowly, he did. "Vala?" His voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper, but she thought it was the sweetest sound she had heard in a long time.
She desperately wanted to throw her arms around him, but decided that was likely not the best idea and settled for squeezing his hand. Her heart fluttered when she felt him squeeze hers back. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Not . . . great." He shifted slightly and then winced. "What happened?"
Vala explained the story of how they had returned to Earth and Daniel's surgery. Daniel lay quietly as he took it all in. As she finished, she focused her attention back on him. She realized he wore a faraway expression and his eyes were glazed over. "Daniel?" she asked hesitantly.
But Daniel's eyes were closing. Vala stood and looked around the infirmary for help. Any help. Dr. Lam was nearby treating another patient. Vala grabbed her arm and pulled her over to Daniel's side. "Something's wrong!" she insisted. "He was awake for a few minutes, but-"
Her voice trailed off as the doctor checked each of the machines that were working to keep Daniel alive. Then she examined Daniel himself. With a sigh, the doctor straightened and addressed Vala. "He's okay," she assured her. "His body is exhausted from trying to recover, and it'll probably be awhile before he can stay awake for an extended period of time."
"Oh." The doctor left her to continue her business as Vala sat back in her chair heavily. She fidgeted with the arm of her chair as she watched Daniel's chest rise and fall with his breathing. This was going to be a long recovery indeed.
Over the next several hours, Daniel woke up a few more times. Each time, he seemed groggy and confused. He only managed to stay conscious for a few minutes at a time before he passed out again.
Vala waited impatiently as Daniel slowly came around for what had to be the fifth time. She was hesitant to hope that he might actually stay conscious this time, but his eyes were sharp and he seemed much less foggy than he had before. "Hey," he said when he realized she was looking at him.
"Hey yourself," she replied with a small smile. "Feeling any better?"
"Actually, I kind of do feel better," he said slowly. "Not as foggy. Still hurts, though."
"I think it probably will for a while."
They sat in awkward silence for a minute. Vala looked around the room like something there might give her an idea of what to say. Daniel finally broke the silence. "So, how long has it been since . . . I mean, everything's kind of hazy."
"We got back three days ago," Vala answered. "It's been a little over forty eight hours since you came out of surgery."
"Wow." Daniel wrinkled his nose as he tried to wrap his head around the idea. "Wait, have you been here the whole time?"
"Well," she said, trying to shrug it off. "I figured you'd want a friendly face around when you woke up, so-"
"So you've sat here in the infirmary for three days?" He stared at her, his disbelief clear in his wide eyes. "Vala, have you even eaten anything? Or slept?"
"I'm fine," she said, brushing his hand away when he reached for her cheek.
He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth. "Well, I'm okay now," he said, apparently deciding to dismiss her lie. "So go ahead and get some rest."
She felt a familiar lump rising in the back of her throat, the one she had been fighting back for the last several days. She swallowed it back down, but it refused to go away. "I'd rather stay here." She tried to make it sound nonchalant, but it came out as a rather pitiful croak.
Daniel seemed to understand what was happening, but instead of ignoring her emotional weakness, he tried to comfort her. He reached out and grasped her hand and squeezed it. "It's okay, Vala," he assured her. "I'll be fine for a few hours. You don't have to stay with me."
She didn't know why, but for some reason, his words and his hand on hers broke the dam that was holding back all of her emotions, and they boiled over. She couldn't fight it any longer. "Yes I do, Daniel," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I have to stay here. I have to make sure that you're alright. I have to-" But she couldn't finish. That lump in her throat stopped her voice, and she found that she was crying, and not a very lady-like cry at that.
Daniel somehow managed to pull her close to him. She sobbed into his shoulder as he rubbed her heaving back. There was some part of her that was aware that he was speaking, though she couldn't focus on his words. For the first time in her recent memory, she let herself be completely vulnerable, pouring every feeling she had had during this entire ordeal out onto Daniel's chest.
She had no idea how much time had passed when her sobs had finally quieted, but she could finally hear Daniel's words now. "It's okay, Vala," he said, softly shushing her. "It's over. We're home. It's all over."
She managed to lift her head from his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said shakily. "Just look at me. You're lying in a hospital bed, and I'm the one crying like a child while you comfort me!"
He offered her a smile. "You're allowed to be emotional every now and then, you know."
"It's not usually my style." She wiped at her tear-stained cheeks.
"I know," he said gently. He didn't say anything more, but he didn't have to. Vala didn't usually open up very easily, and she knew that sometimes that annoyed Daniel. He was probably glad that she had allowed him to see this side of her. She laid her head back down on Daniel's shoulder and quietly enjoyed the feel of Daniel's hand rubbing her back.
"Daniel?" she said after a minute. Daniel gave a soft hum in response. "I've been thinking. Back when all of this started, after we were captured by Merrick and the others, you said something to me." She had been avoiding bringing up this subject, but she figured this was as good a time as any, especially considering her emotional outpouring. She tried to make her voice as casual as possible. She didn't want Daniel to realize how much this had been on her mind over the past several days, in between worrying for his safety. "I am well aware that people have a tendency to say certain things when they are faced with their own demise, and well, it's not that I think you didn't mean it. It's just that you might not have meant to say it, and now that it's all over, I don't-"
"Vala!" She looked up at him and realized she had been rambling and pursed her lips together. "Yes, I meant it."
Vala could feel her whole face light up for a second, and then realized that she had never actually spoken the exact words. "When you say that you meant it, you're talking about-"
"I love you," Daniel said simply. "That may not have been the way I wanted to tell you for the first time, but I meant it then and I mean it now. I love you, Vala."
"I love you too, Daniel." It had been so long since she said those words to anyone and truly meant them. To say them with such sincerity was, in itself, a strange but wonderful occurrence. But to hear someone say them to her, and to know how much he meant it, was worth more than any amount of gold could ever be. And that was saying something.
"You know, when I was in that little cell back on the planet, I had a lot of time to think," Daniel told her. "And I, uh, I made a decision."
"Oh?" Vala looked at him in confusion.
"I decided that you were right."
"Well, of course I was. I always am," she said haughtily. "What was I right about in this particular instance?"
"I think that you should move in with me." Vala felt her eyes grow wide. She studied Daniel's face, wondering if this was some kind of sick joke. She still didn't always understand his sense of humor.
"Really?" she asked cautiously.
"Really. You were right; it does make a lot of sense."
"Yes, but you said you didn't want to make a commitment like that just because it was convenient."
"I know," Daniel admitted. "I guess I didn't want to rush into things since you and I have such a . . . history. But after everything that happened, I realized that . . . I don't care. If I've gotten anything out of this mission, it's the realization that I don't want to live a life without you in it. I don't want to take things slowly anymore. I don't want to be cautious. I want to jump headfirst into this with you. If you'll go with me, that is."
He looked up at her expectantly. "Of course, Daniel!" She laughed and threw her arms around him. He grunted at the sudden pressure and she immediately jumped up. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"
He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled as he opened his arms. "Come here." And in Vala's opinion, that hug was better than any hug she had ever had.