Jack leaned in the doorway to Daniel's lab, his shoulder propped against the doorframe. He watched his friend for a few seconds taking note of the listless slump of his shoulders and the way he kept rubbing at his left ear. He quietly cleared his throat when Daniel didn't seem to notice him after a few more seconds. "Didn't mean to startle you," he apologized when Daniel jumped at the quiet noise.
"Jack? How long have you been standing there," Daniel asked. There was a slight note of irritation in his voice.
"Long enough to know it's time for you to take a break." Jack pushed off from the doorway and came all the way into the office stopping on the other side of the lab table. "C'mon. Let's go down to the mess and get some lunch." He waved his hand over the table taking in everything spread across it. "This will be waiting for you when you get back."
Daniel shook his head and pointed at the video he'd been watching. "I need to finish going through this video SG-8 brought back. The writings on these walls could have some clues about the Lost City of the Ancients." He coughed softly, wincing as he did so, then rubbed his ear again. "Besides, I'm not really hungry."
"I really don't think the time it's going to take you to eat is going to make much difference in finding that place. Now, c'mon."
Daniel paused the video and leaned back in his chair, his hand coming up again to his ear. "I'm not really hungry, Jack. You go ahead."
Jack studied the other man for a few seconds. He took in the pale features and the dark smudges under the tired blue eyes, the way Daniel kept rubbing at his ear, the roughness of his voice and the coughing and concluded, "Not feeling too great are you?" He fully expected Daniel to deny how he was feeling.
There was a pause of a couple of seconds as Daniel seemed to weigh what answer he wanted to give before he finally nodded slightly. "I must have picked something up. I just want to get this done and go home. Maybe I won't feel so bad tomorrow."
Having expected the question to be answered evasively, or with a flat out lie of good health, Jack was taken off guard for second before quickly recovering. "You know, for you, that's as good as saying you're ready to pass out."
A small, tired smile briefly came to Daniel's face. "That actually doesn't seem like a bad idea right now." He reached to turn off the video and leaned back in the chair. "Guess I feel kind of crummy."
Jack tried to hide his worry as he leaned on the table, and looked down at Daniel. "Crummy enough that a trip to Frasier might be a good idea?" He was resisting the urge to reach over and check for fever. When Daniel answered his question with a small nod he stopped resisting, rested his hand on his friend's forehead, and winced himself when he felt the heat. "Geez, you're burning up. How long's this been going on? No forget it." He pushed off the desk and grasped Daniel's arm, urging him to get up from the chair. "You'll probably just spin some story. Let's go. I'm personally delivering you to Frasier."
By the time they reached the infirmary, Jack was willing to admit he was downright worried about Daniel. In all the time he'd known him, this was one of the rare times he'd voluntarily gone to the infirmary. For just a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if Oma had made some mistake when she'd made Daniel human again. "Got a customer for you, Doc," he called out as they entered. "Seems Daniel got a bit of an early Christmas present."
To her credit, Janet showed little surprise to see Daniel come into the infirmary somewhat voluntarily. Instead, she gestured to one of the beds. Once Daniel had seated himself, she asked, "So, what seems to be the trouble?"
"He's running a fever," Jack offered. "He keeps coughing and I think he's got an earache."
"That's very impressive, Daniel. I wasn't aware that you'd learned to throw your voice," Janet said mockingly while shooting a dirty look in Jack's direction.
Jack shrugged slightly in apology. "Thought you were asking me?"
"Mmmhmm. Don't you have some paperwork you should be working on, Colonel, or maybe some gifts you haven't wrapped yet?" Janet asked pointedly in a not so veiled invitation for Jack to leave.
"Yeah, Jack," Daniel added. "You don't have to hang around. I'll let you know what's up."
"Ok, ok," Jack said holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I know when I'm not wanted. But you," he said pointing at Daniel, "Don't start with the 'I'm fine, nothing's wrong' routine." He ignored the rolled eyes he got in response and left the infirmary with a promise that he'd be back later.
"So, what seems to be the problem?" Janet asked again once Jack had left.
"Just what he said," Daniel answered with a sigh that turned into a cough. "I keep coughing and it feels like someone's sticking a hot poker in my ear…and I just want to curl up somewhere and sleep for a year."
"Sounds like you might have an ear infection and maybe something else."
By the time Janet was done with her very thorough examination, Daniel was adding a pounding headache and nausea to his list of miseries. He'd almost embarrassed himself by throwing up on her when she'd done a throat culture to check for strep when he also said his throat was bothering him. It was only by sheer willpower that he'd avoided that.
He was lying on his side on the exam bed trying not to fall asleep when she came back in with the results from the throat culture. He pushed himself up and tried to look alert as she spoke to him.
"Looks like you've hit yourself a grand slam with bronchitis, an ear infection and tonsillitis from a strep infection." As she said the last, she rapidly flipped back and forth between pages of the file she was holding."
"I think you're wrong, Janet. I can't have tonsillitis. I had them out when I was twelve."
"So your medical history says," Janet agreed with a puzzled look knitting her brows. She closed the file and placed it on the bed beside Daniel. "However, that doesn't negate what I saw."
"So? What? Did they grow back or something," Daniel asked with a chuckle. "Or maybe they made a mistake when I was twelve?"
"Well, it's not unheard of that they can grow back and you do have a way of defying the odds," she said with a smile. "I'm going to put you on a five day course of antibiotics." When Daniel opened his mouth to say something, she held up her hand cutting him off. "I want you to rest this weekend, take the antibiotics and, if you've been fever-free for 24 hours, you should be ready to come back on Tuesday. You and the rest of SG1 have been going nearly non-stop for the last two months. I know you, Daniel. You've been living on candy bars, coffee, and little to no sleep. You're exhausted. That made you the perfect candidate for this and the time you spent on P3L-997 wasn't any help either. You're going to leave here and go directly home where you are going to rest…not do work…rest. If you can't do that, I'd be perfectly happy to get you a bed here although I'm guessing this is the last place you want to spend Christmas." She paused, looking intently at him and daring him to contradict her. "Am I clear?"
Daniel nodded guessing that this meant that while everyone got together at Jack's for his annual Christmas Eve party, he'd be home in bed by himself. He was feeling too sick right now to argue. "I have to wait 'til Jack's ready to go. He drove me in this morning." He'd recently signed a lease on a small house but hadn't had the time to get a new car. While he was living on base, he hadn't thought much about it. Luckily, his new house was on Jack's way to the mountain so he'd been giving him rides. "I'll go to my office and lay down on the couch there," he offered hoping to placate her.
"Oh no. Your office is the last place I want you to be right now. I can get an airman to drive you home."
"I don't need an airman to drive me," Daniel argued. "I can rest on the couch until Jack's ready." He left it unspoken that he could use those couple of hours to work more on the translation.
"No, you won't." Janet crossed her arms over her chest ready to do battle. "You'll rest for fifteen minutes if that. Afterwards, there's going to be something on your desk you need to look at or a phone call or someone's going to come in and you'll be right back working and not resting. This isn't serious now but if you don't take care of yourself, it could end up as something a lot worse. As you can see, I have plenty of empty beds here so pick out one 'til Colonel O'Neill is ready.
Daniel pulled in a deep breath, wincing slightly when it aggravated his inflamed throat. "Ok," he mumbled knowing when he was beat.
"I knew you'd see it my way," Janet said with a smile.
An hour and a half later, Jack was back in the infirmary. He saw the curtain pulled around one of the beds that had been empty before and assumed that Daniel was now a guest in the infirmary. He walked over to Janet's office and knocked on the doorframe. "Did you tie him down or just knock him out" he joked when she looked up in his direction. When she waved him in the smiled dropped from his face. "What's up? I'm assuming Daniel's in the bed the curtain's around"
Janet leaned back in her chair and pushed the papers she'd been working on away from her slightly. "He is. I wanted him to rest until you were ready to drive him home."
"So, it can't be too bad, right?" Jack reasoned since Daniel's stay was only going to be temporary
"Not great but it could be worse. He's got bronchitis, strep throat, an ear infection and..." She paused for a bit before finishing, "He's also got tonsillitis."
"Tonsillitis?" Jack asked with a chuckle.
"It's no laughing matter, Colonel," Janet sternly reprimanded.
"Of course it isn't" Jack agreed as he tried to bring his mirth under control. He picked up the glass paperweight from the desk and started tossing it from hand to hand. "It's just…kids get that and Daniel is so not a kid."
"At least someone's not," Janet mumbled as she leaned over and deftly plucked the paperweight from mid-air and put it back on her desk. The look she gave Jack challenged him to pick it up again.
"Ok…so…what…he needs his tonsils out?"
"I wish it were that simple." Janet picked up the top file from the stack on her desk, opened it, flipped through the pages, and then handed it over to Jack. "He had them out when he was 12 according to his medical history and I confirmed it with him verbally."
Jack looked down at the papers in the folder that confirmed what Janet had just said. "Mistake?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"I highly doubt it."
Jack handed back the folder then leaned back in the chair. "So what are you trying to say? They grew back or something."
"It's not unheard of although it is rare." She took the folder and put it back on the stack.
Jack shrugged, confused as to what seemed to be troubling the doctor. "So, he's doing the one in a million thing again. We should be used to that with Daniel by now. Unless…there something you're leaving out?" he prompted as he straightened up and leaned toward the desk.
"I don't know," Janet said with a resigned sigh.
"C'mon, Doc, spit it out. What aren't you saying?"
Janet closed her eyes for a moment to compose her thoughts so they came out as clearly as possible. "Ok…what if, when Daniel de-ascended…I'm just thinking he might not be quite the same as when he ascended."
"Wait a minute, hang on. You did tests on him when he came back. You said that was Daniel. Are you trying to tell me that for that last couple of months there's been a Daniel Jackson imposter running around here?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying." Again, Janet paused to order her thoughts. "What I'm saying is that we don't know how the ascended beings...this Oma Desala person...work. Maybe she thought she was doing Daniel a favor by returning 'missing parts' to him. I just don't know."
"And I say again...you tested him when he came back...and none of this turned up?"
"A DNA test, Colonel, does not tell us if someone still has their tonsils. The tests I did on Daniel were to confirm who he was and make sure there were no Goa'uld presents inside of him."
"Yeesh," Jack grouched as he sank back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. "Anything else extra we might want to know about? What about his appendix? Tell me he's not going to have to go through that again."
"I don't know. The scar is there but I'd have to do a CT scan or ultrasound to check. I'm also a little concerned that he has both bronchitis and strep throat at the same time. His immunities may be compromised."
Jack got up from the chair and started pacing the office. "So let me see if I've got this straight. Oma sends him back from glowy-land with a new set of tonsils and maybe his appendix but she doesn't see fit to take care of his allergies or his vision…and…he might not have the immunities he used to have. That about sum it up?"
Janet shrugged helplessly not having any other answer she could give.
"Does Daniel know about this...the Oma thing?"
"No. I didn't say anything to him and he seemed to accept it could be one of those rare cases and his tonsils grew back...which it might be," she stressed. "I wanted him to get rest and I knew that wouldn't happen if he had this hanging over his head."
"Which is your oh so subtle way of telling me not to spill the beans." Jack pulled in a deep breath then stopped behind the chair, resting his hands on the back of it. "Ok, so what's our next step?"
"For now, take him home. I've given him an antibiotic he needs to take for five days. In addition to that, he needs to get adequate rest and keep up his fluid intake. I wouldn't force the issue of eating too much. He was complaining of some nausea and swallowing's not going to be pleasant but if you can get some soft foods into him, that'll help...and make sure he rests his voice."
"Oh, like that's gonna be easy," Jack mocked at the last piece of advice. He didn't comment on the fact that Janet had automatically assumed he'd be playing nursemaid.
"Usually," Janet agreed with a smile. "But I don't think it'll be a problem this time. You could say the spirit might be willing but the flesh is weak."
"So, he's going to be grouchy then," Jack griped. "Sweet. So what about this tonsil thing and anything else Oma might have screwed up? What about that?"
"I'd rather not worry him about that right now and it really may be that this is just one of the rare instances where his tonsils grew back. I would, however, like to do a complete physical on him just to make sure nothing else is different. I think we can hold off on that until after the New Year, though. Right now, let's just get him through this and make sure he gets enough rest."
"Ok. I won't say anything to him. I'll just go wake sleeping beauty and get home."
Before waking Daniel up, Jack first stopped by his friend's office, making sure any documents opened on his computer were saved and that the computer was closed down and then locked up the office. From there, he made a stop in the locker room where he changed into his civilian clothes, grabbed his coat as well as Daniel's and the clothes Daniel had worn to the mountain that morning and then went back to the infirmary to collect his friend.
He pulled the curtain back from around the bed and paused a moment looking at him. He'd always noticed in the past how Daniel seemed to look younger when he was sleeping and this time was no exception. His right cheek was pillowed by his open hand and his left hand was fisted under his chin. However, Jack wouldn't describe his friend's rest as completely peaceful. Even sleeping, he kept coughing and his cheeks were flushed from fever.
He eased himself down on the side of the bed, rested his hand on Daniel's shoulder, and gently shook while calling Daniel's name softly. It took three tries before he was finally rewarded by sleepy blue eyes opening a fraction.
"Jack," Daniel croaked out once he'd focused on who'd been calling him. "Wha'ssa matter?"
"Nothing," Jack reassured him. "I just thought you might like to get out of here." He moved back on the bed to give Daniel room to sit up.
"Um...yeah. Janet said I could go home," Daniel replied as he knuckled sleep out of his eyes. He looked around the infirmary with its uninviting gray cinderblock walls and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Not very merry here."
"No, guess it isn't. Janet give you your meds to take home yet?" When Daniel shook his head, Jack stood up and handed him the clothes from the foot of the bed. "Why don't you get changed and I'll get those for you. Then we can get out of here so you can sleep in a real bed."
"That sounds good," Daniel said with the barest of smiles. "Don't know how they expect people to get well when the bed and pillow feel like rocks."
"Yeah," Jack agreed with a gentle pat on Daniel's shoulder. "I'll be right back." He made sure the curtain was pulled around the bed then went in search of Janet. He found her coming out of her office. "Daniel said you had his meds?"
"I was just coming to bring these to him." She held out a small cardboard blister packet of tables. Two had already been pushed out. "I gave him the first dose already. He just needs to take one a day for the next four days starting tomorrow."
Jack took the meds and tucked them in a pocket. "How about Tylenol or anything like that or something for the cough?"
"Tylenol for the fever's fine and I've called in a prescription for cough suppressant with codeine. I know it doesn't sound good and it's probably not very comfortable but the cough is actually beneficial for him since it's clearing his lungs so I only want him to take it if the cough is interrupting his sleep or it's so forceful it's painful for him." She paused for moment considering if she should go on before asking, "I assume you're going to take him home with you until he's over this?" Receiving a nod, she continued, "If you have it, a humidifier in the room should help as well. And make sure he's drinking plenty of fluids and resting."
Jack nodded; making a mental note of the instructions he was given. "Look, Doc, what about tomorrow night? You think he'll be up for that? You know how Daniel is about Christmas and...well...it's the first one since he's been back and..."
"I know, Colonel," she said with a smile. "You don't want to disappoint him...none of us do. How about if we see how he's doing tomorrow morning. If he follows my instructions and let's himself rest, I don't see why you can't go ahead with your plans...provided his butt is on the couch the whole time."
"His butt will be on the couch if I have to have Teal'c sit on him."
"Well, I don't think you need to go that far, Colonel," Janet smiled. "Then he'd just end up with broken ribs." The sound of a barking cough came from the curtained off area where Daniel was and they both winced. "Get him home and get him resting."
"Yes, ma'am," Jack agreed with a mock salute then went back to Daniel. When he pulled the curtain back and slipped in, he saw his friend had finished getting dressed all except for his sneakers that were still on the bed next to him. "It works better if you put them on, you know," he joked.
"I know. Every time I bend over, I just start coughing and then it makes my head and throat hurt." Daniel turned a wan smile on Jack. "I guess I'm a real mess."
"Nah...just in need of a little TLC." He reached for the sneakers and squatted down on the floor. "I think I can help with this." As he slipped the sneakers on and tied them, he tried to squelch down images of doing the same for Charlie. Unconsciously, he tied double knots in the laces as he used to when he tied Charlie's shoes. "Ok," he said as he got up and patted Daniel on the knee. "Let's get you out of here now."
Shortly after Jack pulled out of the parking lot, Daniel was asleep with his head leaning against the window and he stayed that way until Jack turned the car off in the driveway. The cessation of noise and movement woke him from his nap and he looked around blearily trying to get his bearings.
"Uh…I thought you were taking me home. This is your house."
"I know." Jack pulled the key from the ignition and opened the door. "You were going to stay here tomorrow night anyways so it's just a day early.
"Janet said you had to babysit me?" Daniel asked as he tried to muffle a cough.
"Not so much." Jack got out of the Avalanche, closed the door and ran around to Daniel's side picking up the thread of the conversation as he opened that door. "More like she insinuated that she'd feel better about letting you out of the infirmary if you weren't going to be home alone." He reached in to release the seatbelt, ignoring the annoyed look and eye roll from Daniel. "Let's get you inside then I'm going to go and pick up a few things. He helped Daniel from the truck then guided him to the house with a hand on the small of his back.
Once the door was opened and Daniel had walked in, he stopped short taking in the bare Christmas tree and the boxes of Christmas decorations littering the living room. He pulled in as deep a breath as he could without triggering a coughing fit and let it out. "I was supposed to help you with this. If I'm here, you're probably going to have to call everyone and tell them not to come tomorrow." It was hard to miss the disappointment in his voice.
"I talked to Janet and she said it should be fine to go ahead with tomorrow night. You just need to make sure you rest up 'til then." He nudged Daniel deeper into the house then gestured at the boxes and tree. "Don't worry about this. I can take care of it. I just want you to concentrate on getting better. Now, couch or bed?"
"Um...bed I guess," Daniel replied with a sigh.
Jack walked Daniel into the spare bedroom. While his friend sat on the side of the bed, he pulled some sweats from the dresser and handed them to him. "Get comfortable and I'll be right back."
When he came back to the room a few minutes later with a bottle of water, a box of tissues and an extra pillow, Daniel was just lying down. He put the bottle of water and tissues down on the bedside table then sat on the side of the bed, slipping the extra pillow under Daniel's head. "It should help the cough if you're propped up a little," he explained then tucked the comforter around his friend. "I need to run out and pick up a few things. You want me to get you anything?"
Daniel shook his head as he reached for one of the tissues. "Don't think there's anything." He blew his nose then deposited the tissue in the small trashcan Jack held up for him. "Thanks, Jack."
"What? It's just a trashcan," Jack replied knowing exactly what his friend meant. He tucked the comforter in again. "You know, when Charlie was six he came down with some kind of flu right around Christmas. Sarah and I spent Christmas Eve sitting in this old rocking chair with him just trying to get him comfortable enough to sleep for a little while."
Daniel lay quietly listening. It wasn't often that Jack talked about his son and he didn't want to do or say anything that would stop him. Try as he might, though, he couldn't hold back a cough.
"He did a lot of that," Jack said with a sad smile as he reached for the bottle of water and handed it to Daniel. "I don't think I've thought about that in a while." He took the bottle of water back when Daniel was done. "Hey, you need to get some sleep," he said when he saw how heavy Daniel's eyes were. "I won't be gone long."
"Ok," Daniel agreed then rolled over to his side, burrowing his head into the pillows to get comfortable.
Jack was never so happy to see his house as he was when he got back three hours later. What he'd hoped would be a quick trip was made longer by the throngs of Christmas shoppers. He grabbed all of the bags at once not wanting to make a second trip out to the Avalanche in the light snow that had started falling.
As he neared the door, he noticed a light on in the living room that he didn't remember turning on before he left. He hoped that Daniel had his butt on the couch watching Discovery channel or something on TV and that he hadn't found some kind of work to do.
His hope was dashed as soon as he walked in the house and looked toward the living room and saw Daniel standing by the Christmas tree trying to put the lights on while coughing nearly non-stop. He dropped the bags by the door and hurried over to him. "What part of 'rest' do you not understand," he growled. He hid a smirk of satisfaction when Daniel jumped a little at his voice.
"I'm just putting on the lights. I told you I'd help with this."
"No," Jack said very clearly as he took the lights out of Daniel's hands and put them on the floor. He grasped his shoulders, feeling the heat from fever though the heavy cotton of the sweatshirt Daniel had on. He took note of his flushed cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. "You're supposed to be resting. Janet said this could get worse if you don't take care of yourself." He gently pushed Daniel toward one of the couches, forcing him to sit down. "Look at you. I bet your fever's gone up. If you really wanted to stay in the infirmary, I could have left you there."
"But," Daniel started to say only to be interrupted by Jack's upraised finger. "It's Christmas," he sighed in defeat.
Jack squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as, unbidden, came another voice saying those same words. "It's Christmas, Daddy." Charlie hadn't liked being sick at the holiday any more than it seemed Daniel did.
He sat next to his friend and grasped the nape of his neck squeezing lightly. "I know it is, Daniel. And I'd like to keep you around for a whole lot more of them." He looked down and away to hide his feelings. "I don't ever want a repeat of last year."
"Oh, Jack," Daniel sighed. "I…"
Jack cut him off. "Carter, Teal'c and me…we just tried to pretend it wasn't Christmas, you know. If it weren't for Cassie and Hammond's granddaughters, I think I think Frasier and Hammond might have done the same thing."
"I'm sorry," Daniel whispered. "I thought…I thought I could do more good. I never wanted to hurt you. I knew Jacob couldn't heal me. I thought it was the only way."
"I know," Jack agreed with a tight nod. "That's why I let you go…why I told Jacob to stop when you asked me. But…damn it, Daniel, do you know how hard that was?" he nearly shouted. "Do you know how hard it was to let my best friend go like that?" Jack got up abruptly and started pacing in front of the couch. "What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to make sure you're resting so you can get better, not laying some guilt trip on you."
"Jack, you're…" Daniel tried to say only to be cut off by Jack again.
"Ok," here's what we're going to do," Jack said as he sat on coffee table facing Daniel. "First, we're gonna put the past in the past 'cause I'm pretty sure Oma didn't leave you with the secrets of going back and changing it." He waited a beat for Daniel to give him a negative shake. "Ok. So, here's the deal. You're going sit there and drink the glass of juice I'm going to bring you and I'm going to finish putting the lights on the tree. After that, provided you eat some of the soup I'm going to heat up for you, and your fever's not too high, you can put some of the decorations on the tree. That shouldn't take too much out of you. Is that a deal?"
"Should I call you Monty," Daniel asked with a grin.
"Don't get cute," Jack warned, "Or you might find yourself confined to quarters.
Daniel thought about mentioning to Jack that, since he wasn't military, he couldn't be confined to quarters but thought the better of it. He had a feeling Jack would do it anyway.
An hour and half later, they were sitting at the kitchen table and Jack was watching Daniel stir his soup until it made small whirlpools. "You know, that'll do you more good if you actually eat it."
"Not really hungry," Daniel said then started coughing. He dropped the spoon and buried his face in his elbow.
When the coughing kept going, Jack got up from his chair and came around to Daniel's side of the table. "Easy, easy," he murmured as he rubbed his back. Once the coughing finally stopped, he pushed the glass of water closer to Daniel's hand. "Drink."
Daniel wiped the cough-induced tears from his face and picked up the glass of water. "Hate this," he grumped.
"I know. You just have to give those meds time to work." Jack stood up, still resting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Why don't you go rest on the couch for a little while? I'll clean this up and then we'll see about that tree."
"Yeah. Ok," Daniel answered with a small nod. He slowly got up and made his way back to the living room. Jack watched him and shook his head slightly. He knew he had his work cut out for him. A sick Daniel would soon become frustrated and, after that, bored. That would all end up with a Jack whose temper was frayed. Not the way for either of them to have a very happy holiday.
Fifteen minutes later, the dinner dishes were washed and put away and the kitchen had been cleaned up. Jack walked into the living room and announced, "Ok, let's get this tree..." His voice trailed off when he saw that Daniel had fallen asleep. He was partially sitting up, leaning against the arm of the couch. His glasses were pushed askew on his face in danger of being twisted out of shape.
Smiling affectionately, Jack carefully removed the glasses and put them on the coffee table for safekeeping. He maneuvered Daniel until he was lying on the couch with a throw pillow under his head and the blanket from the back of the couch tucked over him. He gently brushed the back of his hand over Daniel's cheek, frowning when he felt how warm it was. "Get some rest, Danny," he whispered.
He looked at the tree with only the lights and garland on it and thought about adding the decorations. Daniel seemed to have his heart set on decorating it, though, and he didn't want to take that away from him. Instead, he got to work emptying the rest of the boxes with Christmas decorations, putting lights in the windows, and making the house look Christmassy. Daniel was just starting to stir as he finished plugging in the last set of window lights in the living room.
"I fell asleep?" a groggy voice asked.
"You need it," Jack said as he came over sat on the coffee table. He leaned over and pressed his hand against Daniel's forehead. "Must have done some good. You don't feel quite as hot as you did earlier." He watched as Daniel rubbed at his ear wincing. "Ear's bothering you, huh?"
"Yeah," Daniel answered with a sigh then sat up letting the blanket pool in his lap. "My ear, my throat, my head, my chest." He put his hand in the middle of his chest. "Take your pick. Pretty much everything from here up doesn't feel so great." He punctuated his words with a cough.
"I'll get you something to drink." Jack was out of the room before Daniel had a chance to say anything.
"You know," Daniel said as he accepted the glass of apple juice Jack brought in to him, "The rate you keep forcing me to drink, I'm going to end up floating away."
"Frasier said to keep your fluids up. Now, c'mon. Drink up and then, if you're feeling up to it, there's a tree that needs to be decorated."
While Daniel started on the tree, Jack got a fire going and turned on some Christmas music. "Looks like it might be a white Christmas," he said looking out the window.
Daniel looked toward the window where the flakes could be seen coming down harder than they had been. "The first time I saw snow was when I was four," he commented.
"Where were you," Jack prompted. Daniel spoke so little of his early childhood it always intrigued him.
"The Netherlands. It was the first time I met Nick. His sister…I guess she'd be my great-aunt…still lived in Amsterdam. He was back from some expedition or other and was spending Christmas with her. Mom and Dad took me there…to surprise him, I guess."
"Oh yeah? How'd that go?"
Daniel stopped in the process of hanging an ornament on the tree. His hands dropped to his sides and as he looked down, Jack caught the sadness in his eyes. "I thought I'd get a grandpa but Nick didn't want to be a grandpa. I remember hearing him tell Mom she shouldn't keep indulging me with stories of mythological beings and should tell me the truth."
"Mythological beings?" Jack echoed back puzzled.
"Yeah, you know," Daniel started to answer only to be cut off by Jack.
"Please tell me you don't mean Santa Claus." He knew from the way Daniel looked that's exactly what he meant. "He made you call him Nick and he ruined Santa Claus for you and you were only four?" he asked surprised by the thought. He knew that Daniel had made peace with Nick when he'd chosen to stay behind on the planet with the giant aliens but right about then he was wishing he could give the old coot a piece of his mind for taking away yet another part of Daniel's childhood. "So did she…tell you the truth, I mean?"
"Didn't have to. I asked her what Nick meant. She tried to distract me from it but…I knew." He shrugged then started to hang more decorations on the tree. "S'ok. It made it easier later, you know. If I didn't expect anything, I couldn't be disappointed."
"Aw, Daniel," Jack sighed hurting for his friend and his lost childhood but knowing there was nothing to do that could change the past. He knew it was what made Daniel as resilient as he was but there were still times he marveled at the fact that, despite the knocks he'd had as a child, Daniel had turned out to be such a caring and compassionate man.
"Please don't," Daniel said when he saw the sympathy in his friend's eyes. "Don't feel sorry for me. I'm ok."
"I just wish it could have been different for you, that's all." Jack took a step back from the tree and watched as Daniel hung the last few ornaments on the tree. "You did a fine job, Dr. Jackson," he joked then steered Daniel back to the couch. "Now sit. I'll go make some hot chocolate, we'll find something to watch on TV for a while, and then to bed with you. You need to rest up so you're ready for tomorrow night."
A couple of hours later, the mugs of hot chocolate had been drained, the hockey game was nearing its end, and Daniel was drowsing on the couch. When Jack shook his shoulder to get his attention, he startled. "Easy," Jack soothed. "Time for you to go to bed."
Daniel sleepily looked around the room, trying to get his bearings. "Um...'k," he agreed although he didn't make any move to get up. If anything, he sank deeper into the couch cushions.
Jack chuckled when he saw his friend getting more comfortable. "Not here, Daniel. In bed." He grasped his arm and gave a little tug. "C'mon...up go you go."
Once Daniel was on his feet, Jack guided him to the bedroom to make sure he made it there safely then sat him on the edge of the bed. He pulled a pair of pajamas from the bag he'd packed for Daniel and tossed it down beside him. "Get changed and I'll be right back."
"Ok," Daniel agreed as he looked at the bedside table instead of Jack. "What's this for?"
"That," Jack replied resting his hand on the humidifier he'd put on the bedside table, "Is to hopefully make it easier for you to breathe. Janet said a humidifier would help make you more comfortable."
"And you just happened to have one?" Daniel asked, his brow wrinkling in confusion. A humidifier just didn't seem like something Jack would own...unless it had been used for Charlie and Jack had kept it
"Nope," Jack replied then reiterated that he'd be right back.
When he came back to the bedroom a few minutes later with a bottle of water and small jar, Daniel had finished changing. He was sitting on the side of the bed staring at the humidifier once again. "It's not gonna bite you, you know," Jack joked as he put the bottle and jar down on the table beside the humidifier. He grasped Daniel's shoulders and guided him to lie back on the bed, making sure the extra pillow was there to keep him propped up.
"Where'd it come from?" Daniel eyed Jack warily when he sat on the side of the bed, picked up the jar and uncapped it. "And what's that."
"I bought it when I was out and this," he held up the jar so Daniel could see it better, "Is that stinky Vick's stuff. Sarah used to use it on Charlie when he was sick. I thought it couldn't hurt for you to try it. He put the jar back down then started to unbutton Daniel's pajama top.
"Hey," Daniel said as he batted Jack's hands away. "What the heck are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Jack asked as he again started to unbutton Daniel's pajamas. "I can't put it on you through your clothes."
"Stop," Daniel nearly shouted. "I'm not a kid."
"I know you're not a," Jack began before Daniel started coughing. It was a deep, choking cough and he quickly helped the younger man to sit up. "Easy," he said as he rubbed Daniel's heaving back and wished there was more he could do. He considered giving Daniel a dose of the cough suppressant Janet has prescribed but, eventually, the coughing tapered off. "You ok?" he asked.
"Uh huh. Can I have some water?" Daniel's voice was unnaturally hoarse and deep from the coughing.
"Yeah. Sure." Keeping one hand on Daniel's shoulder to offer his support, Jack reached for the bottle of water he'd put on the bedside table. He released Daniel long enough to uncap it. "Sips," he advised as he handed the bottle to his friend. "Don't guzzle it."
Daniel nodded and slowly sipped at the water. When he was done, he handed the bottle back to Jack and lay back down.
"Ok," Jack said once he'd put the bottle down and picked up the jar of Vick's instead. "Now that we've established that you're not a kid, you think we can try this again."
"Ok," Daniel agreed and this time when Jack reached to unbutton the pajama top, he let him. As his friend started to smear the ointment on his chest, his nose wrinkled at the pungent scent of it and childhood memories came back to him unbidden.
On that fateful trip to visit Nick, he'd come down with bronchitis. He remembered feeling sick and miserable but also being cared for and loved. He could remember his mother rubbing the same menthol scented ointment on his chest with a soft hand and then his father holding him close and reading to him until he fell asleep. He could even remember Nick handing the jar to his mother and gruffly telling her it would help. He was so caught up in his memories, he almost missed Jack asking him a question. "Huh? What?"
"I said you need to sit up so I can get your back," Jack patiently repeated.
Daniel levered himself up and then, without thinking much about it, leaned forward until he was leaning against Jack with his chin hooked over his shoulder. He wrapped his arms loosely around the other man's waist.
"Uh, Daniel? What are you doing?" Jack asked in confusion as Daniel made himself comfortable.
Hearing his friend's voice, Daniel quickly jerked back. "Um...sorry. That's how mom...when I was sick...sorry." He started to pull further way from Jack but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.
"Hey, it's ok. If that's how you're comfortable." Jack gave a gentle tug until Daniel was leaning against him again. "Sara did the same thing to Charlie," he said conversationally hoping to ease Daniel's embarrassment. Once Daniel was comfortable, he picked up the jar, scooped some out, and start rubbing the Vick's onto Daniel's back. As he did, he felt the tension melt out of his friend and he started leaning more heavily against him. Eventually, he heard the even, deep, slightly wheezy breaths that indicated that Daniel had fallen asleep.
He put the jar back on the bedside table then, cupping a hand behind Daniel's head and neck to support him, gently laid him back. He made sure to put an extra pillow behind him to keep him elevated and, hopefully, ease his breathing. He wiped his hands off on the towel he'd brought in with him then rebuttoned Daniel's pajama top and tucked the blankets in around him. He brushed the hair back from his forehead and frowned when he felt that his friend was still warm from fever. "Night, Danny," he whispered then quietly left the room. He made sure to keep the door partially ajar so he could hear if his friend needed anything during the night.
Whichever one of his neighbors had bought a dog who thought o'dark thirty was the best time to be barking was going to owe him an explanation Jack thought as he was rudely pulled awake by the sound. He rolled over and squinted at the clock on the table. "For cryin' out loud," he muttered at the glowing, red 2:48. The sound repeated again. Since he was slightly more awake this time his tired brain was able to supply that the sound was coming from his house – the spare room to be exact – and that it wasn't a dog barking but Daniel coughing.
He rubbed his hands over his face trying to banish lingering sleepiness and looked at the clock again mentally calculating how long it had been since he'd given Daniel his last dose of Tylenol. That had been at 10:30 when he'd decided to turn in so just over four hours. Chances were, the fever had gone up again another dose of Tylenol wouldn't hurt.
He threw his legs over the bed and scrubbed at his face again. He'd hoped Daniel would make it through the night. As the cough repeated he realized that had been wishful thinking and that a dose of the codeine was probably a good idea if either of them were going to get any sleep.
He pushed up from the bed and made his way sleepily out of his room and down the hall to the spare room. He felt himself wake up a little more when he pushed open the door and saw Daniel on his knees beside the bed. He rushed over to him, dropping down to kneel beside him. "Daniel? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked in concern.
Daniel turned to face Jack, enabling the older man to see the towel he was using to blot something off the floor. "Jack," he forced out. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"It's ok," Jack assured him then grasped his arms and urged him up and on the bed. "What are you doing?"
"I knocked over the bottle of water," Daniel explained around wheezing breaths and coughs. "I was trying to blot it up so the carpet wasn't soaked."
"It's just water," Jack chastised. He pressed his palm against his friend's forehead. "Geez! You're burning up."
Daniel tried to duck away from Jack's hand and get back down on the floor. "It's gonna get all wet. I need to clean it."
"No," Jack said firmly as he restrained Daniel from getting up. "I'll clean it up. It's just water. You just sit there."
After a second or two struggling to get up, Daniel finally nodded and stayed sitting on the side of bed. "Sorry," he said after a few moments.
"It's just water," Jack said again as he finished blotting up the worst of the spill. He got up and grabbed the now empty bottle from the table. "I'll get you another one and something for the cough," he added when Daniel started coughing again.
When he returned to the guestroom, Daniel hadn't moved from where he'd been sitting on the side of the bed. "I really am sorry," he said looking up at Jack. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Jack measured out the thick cough syrup into the small cup that came with it and handed it to Daniel. "Stop worrying about it. You can't help it that you're sick and if you were home alone, I'd just be worrying about you."
Daniel accepted the cup of medicine and swallowed it with a small grimace for the taste. He handed the cup back and gratefully accepted the bottle of water Jack handed him and took a long swallow from that. "You shouldn't have to worry about me. I should be able to take care of myself."
"And you can." Jack sat on the bed by his friend and lightly rubbed his back. "No one doubts that, Daniel. Sometimes, though, everyone just needs a little help. This is just one of those times. Besides, given the alternative, I'd rather hear you bark like a dog all night than to not have you around." He bent down a little so he could catch Daniel's eyes. "Understand?"
A hint of a smile came to Daniel's face. "I understand…and thanks."
"No problem." Jack quickly tousled Daniel's hair then stood up. "Now, you need to get back under the covers and get some sleep or Janet's going to have my head on a platter tomorrow and next time I have a physical, she'll pull out the big honkin' needles."
"Wouldn't want that to happen," Daniel said with a chuckle as he turned to lay on the bed. He reached to pull the covers up but Jack beat him to it, tucking them in close around him. "'Night," he said around a yawn as he snuggled into the pillow.
"'Night," Jack replied. He checked the humidifier to make sure there was enough water to last the night. Before turning off the light and leaving the room, he again made sure that Daniel was warmly covered with the blankets tucked in.
By the time he reached the doorway of the guestroom, he could already hear the deep, slightly raspy breaths that meant the codeine was at work and Daniel was well on his way to sleep. "Sleep well, Danny," he whispered before seeking out his own bed.
By the time Jack woke up the next morning, the sun was already peeking around the window shades. He looked over at the alarm clock, groaning when it he saw that it was already after 8:00.
Although the codeine had done its job well and Daniel had slept soundly through the rest of the night, Jack hadn't been so lucky. His sleep had been disturbed by dreams he'd rather not think about – either images of the incident on Kelowna or Oma Desala coming back to say she'd made a mistake and that Daniel was still supposed to be ascended. Each time he'd woken up shaken and hadn't been able to think about trying to get back to sleep until he'd gotten up to check on Daniel.
He tossed back the covers and reluctantly got out of bed. After stopping in the bathroom, he went to guestroom to see how Daniel was doing this morning.
Stopping outside the partially closed door, he listened to hear if his friend was awake. The raspy, congested snoring he heard told him Daniel was still sleeping.
Slipping in as quietly as possible, he moved to the side of bed and lightly rested his hand on Daniel's forehead gauging how high his fever was. He was warm, but didn't feel too hot to Jack and he decided to let him sleep instead of waking him just to give him Tylenol and tell him to go back to sleep.
While he checked the humidifier to see if it needed to be filled again, Daniel sighed and rolled over onto his side. His eyes cracked open and he looked at Jack sleepily. "Jack," he rasped.
"Thought you were still sleeping," Jack said as he turned to the bed.
"Mmm." Daniel murmured. "Tired."
Jack sat on the side of the bed and again brushed his hand over Daniel's forehead and. "You had a busy night. Why don't you see if you can get some more sleep? Frasier said you needed it."
"Ok," Daniel said as his eyes drifted closed.
Jack chuckled softly as he was so quickly obeyed. Daniel was sound asleep before he even left the room.
Once Jack had a pot of coffee brewing, he started going over a list of what he had to do before everyone came over that night. He'd ordered food from a caterer. It would be delivered that afternoon. He'd finished getting up the Christmas decorations last night after Daniel had gone to bed. That left some cleanup, putting out snacks before anyone arrived and heating up the food once it was delivered. Of course, there was also the hardest thing of all...keeping Daniel occupied so that he wouldn't try and help and would get the rest that Dr. Frasier said he needed.
The ringing of the phone pulled him from his thoughts and he hurried to answer it before it could ring again and wake his sleeping friend. He wasn't surprised that it was Carter on the other end checking to see how Daniel was doing. After a brief conversation, she offered to come over, along with Teal'c, and help him get the house ready for the night. At first, he was going to say 'no' until Carter reminded him that with three of them it would be easier to make sure Daniel didn't get it in his head to help.
After hanging up the phone, he pulled open the refrigerator and took out some bacon and eggs to make for breakfast. As he swung the door shut, he saw Daniel leaning in the kitchen doorway looking sleep rumpled. "Hey. Thought you were still sleeping?"
"I was," Daniel answered and moved to sit at the kitchen table. "I woke up," he mumbled around a yawn.
"Sure about that," Jack asked. He shrugged at the scowl that came to Daniel's face. "Did you take your antibiotic?"
"Yes, Mom," Daniel replied while rolling his eyes. "I even took some aspirin, too." He pointed at Jack's coffee mug. "There anymore?"
"Don't you think juice or something might be better than starting with coffee already?"
"I just have the flu and want coffee," Daniel whined. "I don't want juice."
"Ok. Ok," Jack said holding up his hands to ward off his friend's less than stellar attitude. "I'll get you coffee...and it's not the flu. Janet said you had strep, an ear infection, and something else," he said as he poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Daniel.
"Bronchitis," Daniel supplied with a wave his hand. "Same thing."
For a moment, Jack though about contradicting Daniel but decided it wasn't worth it. "Whatever," he said instead. "Sick is sick." He held up the carton of eggs. "How do you want them?"
"In the shell," Daniel answered then took a sip from the coffee. "This is enough."
"No. That's not enough," Jack said and took a few steps closer to where Daniel was sitting at the table. He waved the carton of eggs nearly under his nose. "How do you want them?" he asked again in a tone of voice that clearly said he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.
"Fine," Daniel said with a sigh. "Scrambled but I don't want any bacon."
"You're cranky when you're sick," Jack informed Daniel as the moved back to the stove and started cracking eggs.
"Anyone ever tell you you're kind of bossy," Daniel quickly retorted.
Jack was just gearing up for verbal sparring match with Daniel. He tried to hold back a grin as he thought about how much he'd missed being able to do that while Daniel was ascended...but now he was back. Before he got a chance to really get going, though, Daniel started coughing.
When it didn't seem like the coughing was going to end any time soon, he filled a glass with water and brought it over. "Easy," he soothed rubbing Daniel's back. "Try some water."
Eventually, the coughing tapered off and Daniel slumped back in the chair. "That wasn't fun," he moaned.
"Didn't sound like it," Jack agreed. He nudged the water closer and sat by Daniel until he started sipping from it. Only then did he get up to finish breakfast preparations. "Maybe you should lie down again once you've eaten something," he suggested.
"I'm fine," Daniel insisted. "I don't need to lie down. Besides, I said I'd help you get things ready for tonight." A thought occurred to him and he looked at Jack in alarm. "You're not going to cancel things are you? I can just stay in the guest room so no one gets sick."
"You're not going to hide in there and I'm not cancelling." Jack put scrambled eggs on his plate and Daniel's, returned the pan to the stove and sat down. "I talked to Frasier yesterday and she said as long as you rested and didn't overdo things, you'd be fine tonight...and she put a lot of emphasis on the resting part."
"Who's going to help you get ready?"
"Carter called earlier. She and Teal'c are going to come by and give me a hand. All you have to do is sit on the couch and supervise 'cause if you try to do more than that...weelll...I'm not sure what Frasier might say."
"Ok, I get it," Daniel capitulated. "I'm won't do anything but be a slug. Happy?" he asked.
"You being a slug on my couch for Christmas Eve," Jack said thoughtfully then broke out into a grin. "It's about the best thing I've heard." He used his fork to point to Daniel's plate. "Now, eat up so you can get back to resting."
Jack was amazed by the fact that Daniel actually did what he was told and rested without trying to help with any of the preparations for the evening. He was in a sound sleep on the couch when Sam and Teal'c arrived and didn't stir through most of their preparations.
"You think this is a good idea, sir?" Sam asked as she looked at their sleeping team member. "You don't think it's going to be too much for him?"
Jack stopped by the couch and gently rested his hand on Daniel's forehead, pleased to find it somewhat cooler than it had been most of the day. "Janet said he should be ok. Even worse, do you want to be the one to tell him Christmas Eve is cancelled this year?"
"Good point, sir." Sam said as she made a hasty retreat to the kitchen. "I'll just make sure that dip is ready."
"Coward," Jack mumbled as he watched her disappear.
"I believe this poinsettia should be moved to the kitchen so it doesn't bother Daniel Jackson's allergies," Teal'c said when Jack snuck a look in his direction. He grabbed the plant in question and quickly followed Sam.
Jack had to restrain the urge to laugh at Teal'c's apparent fear of breaking bad news to Daniel before letting his gaze settle on their youngest team member again. Even before Daniel ascended, none of them would have had the heart to tell him Christmas Eve was cancelled. Now, it was just as much about the rest of them being able to celebrate the holiday with Daniel.
He settled on the coffee table and watched as his friend slept. He still looked a little too pale and there were dark smudges under his eyes and his cheeks were still flushed from fever but he looked much more relaxed and peaceful than he had last night.
In the last several months since Daniel had returned, Jack had found that watching Daniel sleep provided the simple reassurance that he was back where he belonged...in corporeal form and back with SG-1. He'd found himself doing it shortly after Daniel had returned when he'd been staying in the guest room and that had carried through to missions where they were off-world overnight. He was always careful not to let Daniel or any of the others catch him.
Checking his watch, he saw that guest should be arriving in a little over an hour and decided he should wake Daniel so he could change out of the pajamas he still wore. He gently shook his shoulder and called his name softly. "Hey," he said when Daniel's eyes cracked open. "Good nap?"
"Mmmhmmm," Daniel responded as he knuckled sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Almost six. I thought you might want to take a shower and get changed before everyone got here."
Hearing the time, Daniel pushed himself upright on the couch. "You should have woken me earlier." He looked around the room lit by Christmas lights with bowls of chips, pretzels, and other snack food strategically placed around. "Wow, you guys got a lot done."
"We got it done because you were sleeping," Jack said pointedly. "Now, unless you want to greet people in your pajamas," he continued before Daniel could say anything, "You should probably get a move on."
"I'm going," Daniel said as he got up from the couch.
"And don't forget to take some Tylenol to keep that fever down," Jack reminded to his retreating back. He pretended not to hear Daniel's mutterings about mother hens.
The night had been success with people from the SGC streaming in out. It was nearly 10:00 and the crowd had dwindled down to the members of SG-1, Janet, Cassie, and General Hammond. Jack was at the door seeing Lou Ferretti out and wishing him a Merry Christmas. "Sure was good to have Dr. Jackson back," Lou commented. "Things weren't the same last year without him."
"No, they weren't, Lou." Jack looked back to the man in question where he was sitting on the couch with Carter and Frasier on either side of him and Cassie sitting at his feet. It had been like that nearly the entire night with the members of the SGC surrounding Daniel and expressing their joy at his return. You'd think they hadn't had the opportunity to do that the last few months.
"Well, have a Merry Christmas, sir. I'll see you on Monday."
"You too, Lou."
Once Ferretti had left, Jack rejoined the others in the living room. Sam and Teal'c had started to clean up while General Hammond helped Janet and Cassie on with their coats. "Heading out?"
"It's getting late and someone needs to get to bed if Santa's going to come," Janet teased as she looked at Cassie.
"Mo-om," the teenager complained eliciting laughter from all of the adults.
Although Daniel laughed along with everyone else, Jack caught a passing shadow of sadness in his eyes and couldn't help wondering if he was thinking about that Christmas when he was four. As goodbyes were said, Jack kept watching Daniel wondering just what was going on in his head. "I'll walk you to the door," he offered.
At the door, he shook Hammond's hand, thanking him for coming. "My pleasure," Hammond responded then pointed in Daniel's direction with his chin. "Take care of him."
"Yes, sir. I will," Jack reassured. "You're sure he's doing ok," he asked Janet in a low voice.
"His fever's down and he didn't sound as congested as he did yesterday. I think the antibiotics working. Just keep up what you've been doing and he should be good as new."
"Thanks, Doc," Jack said as he gave her a quick hug then hugged Cassie as well.
Returning to the living room after seeing them out, Jack gestured for Sam and Teal'c to sit down. "Leave it," he told them. "There's not much and I can get it tomorrow."
"Are you sure, sir," Sam asked looking around at the paper cups still scattered here and there in the living room.
"Yes. I'm sure," Jack said as he again urged the other two to sit. "I'll get us some coffee. Yes, you too," he said to Daniel when he saw the expectant look on his face.
When he returned with mugs of coffee for him, Daniel, and Sam and a glass of juice for Teal'c, most of the lights had been turned down in the living room leaving the Christmas tree and the fire in the fireplace to provide most of the light in the room. Christmas music was softly playing from the radio. The room had a calm and peaceful feel.
Jack passed the beverages around then sat on the couch next to Daniel. "Here's to another year," he said as he raised his mug slightly. The others followed suit as Daniel, with a mischievous smile on his face, chimed in with, "And God bless us every one," then started to giggle.
Jack took a good look at Daniel when he started to giggle and wondered how he'd missed the glazed eyes before and wondered just what Daniel had been into. "Ok, who gave Tiny Tim here the codeine?"
"I believe you are mistaken," Teal'c pointed out. "Daniel Jackson is not this Tim you speak of nor is he...tiny."
The other three exchanged looks all trying to hold back laughter until it finally burst free. As they laughed, Teal'c looked between the three of them wondering what it was that brought them such mirth but not asking. For as long as he'd been with the Taur'ri, there were still things he didn't understand. Tiny Tim must be one of them.
"Didn't take codeine," Daniel said when the laughter finally quieted down.
"Oh, suuuurreee," Jack said disbelieving him. "Your eyes always look like that and you always have that little slur to words."
"He didn't, sir," Sam piped up. "But I did see him drinking the egg nog."
Jack looked at Daniel, his eyebrows going up in surprise. "The egg nog that Ferretti spiked? You were drinking that?"
"Mmmhmmm," Daniel agreed then sipped at his coffee. "It was good."
"I bet." Jack looked accusingly at Sam. "And you let him?"
Sam shrugged. "I didn't realize it until it was too late. Besides, he hasn't taken any medication for a while so it shouldn't be a problem."
Jack looked at the cup of coffee Daniel was hugging to his chest. "Yeah, right. Not a problem. He'll just be loopy and wired all night."
For no apparent reason, Daniel started giggling again.
"What are we gonna do with you?" Jack asked with fond exasperation.
A pensive look came to Daniel's face as he thought about the question. "I think you should keep me," he suggested after some deep thought.
Once again, laughter broke out and even Teal'c joined in this time. This was what they'd missed for a year. This closeness and camaraderie. Their family was whole again and they were going to revel in it. "Yeah, Danny," Jack agreed softly. "We're gonna keep you and no one better try to take you from us again."
The four spent the next hour sipping at their drinks and talking. Eventually, Jack felt an added weight against his arm and looked to see that Daniel had fallen asleep and had leaned over against him. He rescued the almost empty coffee cup from his lax hands and put it down on the table beside him.
"He looks kinda cute like that," Sam whispered.
Jack looked from Daniel then back to Sam again. "He's drooling, Carter...all over my shoulder." Despite his words, he put his arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him in closer to his side.
"Yes, sir," Sam quickly agreed although the smile didn't leave her face. "We should probably leave so he can get to bed."
"It is growing late," Teal'c agreed. "Do you require assistance moving Daniel Jackson to bed?"
As Daniel shifted slightly, Jack patted his arm quieting him down. "Nah. I'll get him to bed in a little while." He held his coffee mug out. "Would you mind getting me a refill before you go? I've kind of got my arms full."
"No problem, sir." Sam went out to the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with the refilled coffee mug as well as a bottle of water. "Just in case," she said then bent down and lightly kissed Daniel on the forehead. "It's good to have him back." She straightened up and took the blanket that was folded on the back of the couch and draped it over Daniel's sleeping form. "Merry Christmas, sir."
"You too Carter…and you, Teal'c."
The front door snicked quietly shut behind Sam and Teal'c. Jack looked down at Daniel sleeping peacefully. "It's just you and me now, Danny." Of its own volition, his hand came up and started stroking through Daniel's hair. "I missed this last year. Just hanging out together. Of course, you usually weren't sleeping on my shoulder and drooling." He lapsed into silence and the only sound was the snapping of the logs in the fire. "Nick was wrong," he said after a few moments. "There is a Santa Claus and he doesn't wait for Christmas day to come. He left us one hell of a present on Vis Uban and it wasn't even close to Christmas. Merry Christmas, Daniel and here's to a whole lot more of them."