Chapter Eight

Vala heard voices, they were muddled, but she heard them as she slowly began to wake. She also heard beeping and recognized the scent that was the infirmary. Was she in the infirmary? She didn't remember getting hurt off world or anything so why was she here and how did she get here? As she regained consciousness even more, she noted that she didn't feel good; she felt sick. Had she gotten sick? Picked up a virus off world. The she felt a familiar presence and it was holding one of her hands. Why would Daniel be holding her hand willingly? And just like that, it all came back to her and she snapped her eyes open, her body jerking slightly.

Daniel sensed her movements and turned his focus on her. "Hey sleepyhead," he greeted softly.

"Daniel?" she peeked at him and saw his soft smile. "I don't feel good," she confessed in a whisper.

"Not surprising," Mitchel commented, coming to her other side, "You had me worried when an SF told me Jackson had carried you, unconscious, to the infirmary, but he explained everything, so," he shrugged, smiling at her.

"Daniel?" Vala questioned, anxiety seeping into her voice. He didn't, surely he didn't and wouldn't, not after she explicitly told him she didn't want the others to know yet.

"The stomach bug can be vicious, especially if you haven't experience it before," Daniel quickly added to Mitchel's statement and answering Vala's unspoken question and was pleased when she relaxed a bit.

"Princess, next time try staying hydrated; maybe drink a Gatorade or something and save yourself a trip to the infirmary," Mitchel advised.

"What?" Vala mumbled, confused and still not fully awake.

"What Cam is saying that you can get dehydrated easily when you have a stomach bug you so need to make sure to drink plenty of water or something with electrolytes in it or else you can pass out like you did – from dehydration and low blood sugar from not eating much," Daniel continued to tell Vala the cover story.

"I don't blame you on the not eating part," Mitchel shuddered dramatically, "I never feel like eating afterwards, but you gotta if you want to avoid the infirmary and getting' a needle shoved in ya."

It was then when she noticed she IV in her arm and she looked at Daniel questioningly.

"It's to help you with the dehydration and low blood sugar," he explained, "but Dr. Lam said you're fine – everything is fine," he subtly told her that the baby was fine and he knew she understood him. "You need to eat something though," he said, almost inaudible to Cam and Teal'c.

"I will," she promised just as quietly.

"Well," Cameron smacked his hands together and rubbed them slightly, "glad to see you're awake and okay. Jackson volunteered to stay with you and when you're ready, Rosie from the commissary will have chicken soup waiting for ya."

"Thank you," Vala smiled and appreciate his kindness, though she wasn't sure if she could stomach eating anything right now.

Cam gave a wave before leaving.

Teal'c gave a small bow and a gentle smile. "I am glad to see you are alright, Vala Mal Doran, and if you should require anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, Muscles."

Teal'c bowed again and followed Cameron out.

"Sam was here but had to leave a bit ago for something," Daniel informed.

Vala ignored his attempt at small talk. "Is it really okay, Daniel?" the worry was back in her voice.

Daniel sat on the bed and tightened his grip on the hand he held. "You two are fine," he reassured her.

She sighed in relief. "How long was I out?"

"Three hours."

"Three hours!" she repeated incredulously.

"You needed it," he brushed away a piece of hair from her face, "You said you didn't get much last night and growing a baby can take a lot out of you and requires rest…and food."

Vala sighed and rubbed her forehead with the hand not in Daniel's grip and without the IV. "I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear, Daniel. I would never put the –"

"Vala, I know you didn't," he interrupted, "and I don't blame you. I know it can't be easy when you feel like constantly puking."

"I should've tried harder."

"Maybe, but there's no guarantee that you would've been able to keep it down," his thumb rubbed the back of her hand, "You said when you woke up that you didn't feel well, that still the case?"

"A little," she admitted, "Can you get me some water?"

Daniel let go of her hand to do as asked and handed her a cup with a straw moments later. After she took a few sips, he grabbed it from her, setting it on the stand next to the bed. "Feel better?"

"Not really."

"I have some saltines in my office if you wanna give that a try," he offered.

"You don't like saltines," she contradicted, "you always say they're too bland."

"Well, they are," he agreed, "but I got the - for you; they're supposed to help with the nausea."

"Like the toast was supposed to?" she wrinkled her nose at the memory; the baby didn't like toast.

"Toast doesn't work for everyone," Daniel conceded, "but most people say saltines can help with the morning sickness, along with ginger ale or sprite, which I also have in my office."

Vala raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You bought me stuff to help with the morning sickness?"

Daniel shrugged sheepishly and tried to play it off as no big deal. "Sam mentioned she noticed that you were getting sick a lot and I wanted to help. I know it can't erase what I did…what I said, but I had to do something, had to start somewhere."

"Thank you, Daniel," she whispered, still slightly stunned.

"It's the least I could do," he brushed off, "I should let Dr. Lam know you're awake; she'll probably want you to rest some more, so I'll check on you later…unless you want me to stay?"

Vala gave him a tentative smile. "I'll be fine, promise," she assured him, "I'm sure you're right and she'll want to keep me for a bit longer."

"Alright, if you're sure then I'll go get her," Daniel stood and paused and carefully said, "Please eat something, or at least try, and make you drink plenty of water."

"I'll do my best."

He gave her one last smile before fetching the doctor and headed to his office to hopefully work.

o0o

Daniel didn't seen her much throughout the rest of the day, though he constantly checked in with Sam to see how she was doing. Dr. Lam had kept her for a little longer and Vala had fallen asleep again, eventually waking up at lunch time and was released. Sam had assured him several times when he called that Vala had been drinking plenty of fluid and had munched on the saltines he'd gotten her; hell, she had even eaten a full meal once she woke up at lunch time and managed to keep it down. Many of Sam's responses he knew came straight from Vala's mouth but was delivered by Sam since Vala was still working with Sam in her lab, something he was a little envious of.

He hadn't noticed how much he missed her presence in his office, working alongside him. He missed her constantly bugging him, her incessant chatter, and the small things that just made her Vala. Working in silence had seemed wrong; when had he gotten so used to her in his space? During the weeks he refused to talk to her, he did everything in his power not to think of her and didn't allow himself to dwell on the fact that the new norm for him was having her there. He could admit this to himself now – he missed working with Vala. With those thoughts in mind, he checked the time and found that it was about the time they all usually had dinner. Vala had always been the one to remind him to eat in general and since her absence, he realized that he skipped lunch and was now starving.

Daniel picked up his phone and called Sam's lab; he didn't wait long for her to pick up.

"Daniel, if you're checking on her again, I will not be responsible for my actions!" was Sam's greeting.

He winced. He had called an awful lot today. It hadn't been his intention to bug the crap out of her but he was also trying to respect Vala's wishes and give her time; she promised when she was ready she'd talk to him, but until then, he had to be patient – he owed her that much at least. "I was actually calling to see if you guys were gonna head down soon for dinner?" he asked carefully.

"Oh," was Sam's response and he realized that she hadn't been expecting that. He heard Sam cover the phone and mumbling that he couldn't make out before she answered, "Yeah, we're game. Meet you down there?"

"Yeah, I'll tell Cam and Teal'c too," he volunteered, "See you guys in a few."

Neither Cam or Teal'c answered and Daniel figured they had already headed down there and went to go join. Vala and Sam had beaten him to the commissary but Cameron and Teal'c weren't there yet. Daniel grabbed himself some food and took a seat across from Vala, sending her a look to make sure if it was okay with her if he stayed. She merely gave him a small smile as acceptance but didn't stop her conversation with Sam and he didn't mind; she was okay with him being around and that's what counted.

"Glad to see you got your appetite back," Mitchell noted as he and Teal'c came up from behind, taking a seat at the table.

Daniel had to admit that he was as well but didn't comment.

"I seem to only be able to stomach the soup," Vala corrected.

"I'll say; this is your third bowl and we haven't been here that long," Sam quipped

Vala shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say other than I'm hungry and this has been the first thing I've been able to eat for a while. Who knew chicken soup was the key?"

"A lotta people do chicken soup when they're sick," Cam informed her.

"Well, thank you for having Rosie prepare it for me."

"Pretty sure she just bought some can from the store. I don't think she had all the correct ingredients to make it from scratch," Mitchell contradicted.

"Just the same, thank you," she said sincerely, "it's been the only thing I seem to keep down, not to mention it's quite delicious."

Daniel made a mental note to buy some for her. He could get her the ones you could toss in the microwave (both Sam and his office had one) or he could have the commissary keep a small stock on hand for her. He wasn't sure if it was a craving (did those happen this early on?) or if it was simply just something that her stomach could handle but either way, he wanted to make sure she had something to eat on a consistent basis.

"How can anyone find soup from a can delicious?" Cameron asked in mocked outrage.

Dinner flowed normally from then on. Vala had ate five bowls total which pleased both Sam and Daniel greatly, and every time either of them got up, they'd return with a fresh cup of water for Vala. Once Sam gave her a fourth refill, Vala rolled her eyes and subtly pushed it away, shooting both Sam and Daniel a look. She had been a good girl and drank plenty of fluids throughout the day and if she had another glass… well she wasn't sure if it and all the soup she just consumed would stay down. If Mitchell or Teal'c noticed anything, neither of them reacted or commented on it. If they did, Vala was just hoping that they'd take as Sam and Daniel helping her recover from the stomach bug, as they called it. She was pleased when they seemed to get the message.

Cameron was the first to leave, stating that he was heading home, and after his departure, the rest of them dispersed. Daniel noticed how cautiously Vala was when she rose from her chair and was slightly concerned once again. As she followed Sam out, Daniel gently caught her arm, stopping her in her track. She sent him a questioning look.

"Are you okay?"

Vala rolled his eyes at his concern. "Yes Daniel, I'm fine," she pacified, sarcasm sneaking into her voice. "You just witnessed me eating a good amount of food and drinking plenty of water."

"No, I meant…are you still feeling sick or anything?" he kept his voice low and tried to draw as little attention as possible, "Are you still getting lightheaded?"

Vala realized he must've seen her get up more slowly than usual and gave him a reassuring smile. "No…well, I was sick a few times, can't avoid that, but no more dizziness; I just don't want to take any chances in case you're not around to catch me, so I've been standing slower than usual. I'm fine, Daniel – everything's fine."

"Okay," he accepted and let go of her arm, "but you can tell if you're not, you know that, right?"

"I do," she started walking backwards, "Thanks for the concern. I'll see you around," and with a slight wave, she exited the commissary.

Daniel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He might as well go try to get some work done; the night was still young.

o0o

It was approaching midnight and Daniel felt like he reached his limits for the night. He shut down his office for the night…or morning, and headed for his quarters. He didn't feel like going home tonight. It was late and he was tired so probably best to crash on base. Besides, he had an unexplainable urge to be near Vala, whether or not they were separate by several feet and concrete, he still wanted to be close to her. When he got to his room, he paused outside the door and glanced at Vala's across the hall. That inexplicable urge to be near her came back again and he found himself in front of her door. He'd just check on her, to make sure she was okay; gods, did that make him a creep? He shrugged mentally and used his master keycard to open her door and entered quietly, shutting the door behind him – he didn't want the lights from the hallway to wake her up, he reasoned with himself.

He should've left when he saw that she was safe in her bed, sleeping, but he didn't. Instead, he got closer and sat on the side of the bed; her back was to him and he just watched her as she slept. Oh my gods, he was a creeper! He groaned internally as he realized just how creepy he was being, but the damn urge to be near her was back; it reminded him of what he felt when he was on that planet, only this time he wasn't loopy from whatever affected him and Vala there and he fully gave into it this time fully aware and in control of his faculties.

Daniel removed his boots, BDU jacket, and set his glasses on the nightstand by the bed. He was crazy, this was stupid – she was going to kill him but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He spooned her from behind and one of his arms went above her head, resting on the pillows, while his other wrapped around her waist, his hand resting on her stomach, and he pulled them closer together as he spooned her from behind.

The small movements woke her up but instead of stiffening and pulling away, she snuggled closer and moaned at being woken up. "Daniel?" she mumbled sleepily.

"I couldn't help it," he blurted on quietly, "I can't explain why but I had this need to be near you and it wouldn't go away so I didn't fight it, but if this is too much too soon, I'll go, but I just…I just really needed to be near you for some reason," he defended, speaking rapidly.

She moaned again and pulled the arm from above her head down to rest her head on it, even though she knew she would eventually cause it to fall asleep, but it was comfortable. "I'm too tired to care right now," she slurred slightly, "besides, your warm and I'm rather comfortable like this so you stay."

"Thank you."

"Mmhmm," was her answer, "You can take off your pants if you want, they can't be comfortable."

He nuzzled her neck and pressed a kiss there. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he whispered teasingly and got a small snort from her. "I don't wanna move right now and I've slept in them before; one more night won't kill me." He rested his head next to hers, both sharing the same pillow.

Sleep didn't come to him right away as he expected it to. Instead, he just relished holding her, the mother of his child. Thinking about the baby, the hand on Vala's stomach began to gently stroke it as he wondered what the baby would be like, whether it was a boy or girl, would it take after Vala or him, what the future entailed as parents, what their future would look like, not just as parents but as a couple. Could they be a couple? Would Vala be opened to that? Normally these kinds of thoughts Daniel stayed far away from, using whatever he would to make sure he maintained an emotional distance from any woman since he hadn't been ready to risk getting close to anyone, well until recently. Vala changed everything when it came to that and it wasn't just because of the baby. She'd had this effect on him almost since their first meeting. He never imagined that he would ever find himself here with Vala Mal Doran, contemplating a relationship with her, hell wanting a relationship with her!

"Daniel?" Vala's voice broke through his thoughts.

Damn it, he hadn't meant to wake her up. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep you up," he apologized, "go back to sleep."

"Daniel, I have something to tell you," she declared seriously.

Apprehension filled him at her serious tone. "What is it?" he asked, cautious.

She paused for a moment. "I'm pregnant," she said gently.

At first he was confused and his face showed it, though she couldn't see him, but then it hit him; she was calling a truce, offering a chance at a fresh start – she was essentially forgiving him. A smile spread across his face. He didn't deserve it or her but he was gonna take it and make sure something like that never happened again. "Yeah?" elation filled his voice and he pulled her even closer, if that was possible, and kissed the back of her head.

"You're going to be a father," she told him, "and I thought you should be the first person I told."

That's right, she had never told him outright that she was pregnant – she actually never said the words 'I'm pregnant' to anyone; Sam had guessed, Dr. Lam found out through Daniel, and Daniel found out during their fight when she referred to him as her child's father, but she never actually told anyone. After everything he said to her, he didn't deserve it, but he swore he fell for her even more for her consideration and kindness.

"That's amazing and I can't wait to be a father," he said, still in awe at the thought of being a father, at having a child, a family.

"Really?" she hated how insecure her voice sounded.

"Really," he assured firmly but softly, "Vala, I'm all in and I want nothing more than this baby and to do this with you." He moved his arm that was under her head and wrapped her in a hug from behind.

Vala clung to his arms and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. "Me too," she confessed, "Can we talk tomorrow? About everything?"

Daniel understood what she meant; she was willing to talk about what happened yesterday and what happened on that planet. "Sure, whatever you want."

She didn't respond and they both fell into a peaceful slumber.

o0o

Author's Note: So...did she forgive him too soon? Should I have dragged it on longer? Honest feedback is appreciate it; just say it nicely if you will...