Daniel looked down at the certificate and drew in a sharp breath.
Name of Child: Daniel Robert Jackson
Date of Birth: May 14th 1996
Mother: Rachel White, Dr. - Egyptologist.
Father: Daniel Jackson, Dr. - Deceased.
"I...I have a son..." Daniel felt his heart constrict as the news sank in. "I have a son...who has never met his father. He doesn't even know I'm alive." He looked up from the piece of paper in his hands.
Jack just looked at his friend. He didn't know what to say. This was the type of situation that Carter was good at handling - not him. Daniel looked lost. He looked like he was struggling to grasp this new information, this new role that he'd been given.
"What do I do Jack? What the hell do I do now?"
Jack sat down opposite him. "I don't have the answers Daniel. I don't think anyone does...apart from you."
Daniel gave a snort of indignation. "Seven years Jack. Seven years of his life have been lost to me. How the hell can I even begin to make up for something like that? What do I do? Do I just walk in there and say 'Hi Rachel, remember me...well guess what? I'm not dead!'...tell me Jack...tell me...what am I going to do?"
"What do you want to do Daniel?" Jack's voice was low and soft. He hated to be the one to do this. He was no good at this sort of thing. "Do you want to become part of this child's life? Be a father to him? Or do you just want to walk away and pretend this information is still buried?"
Daniel frowned sharply. "You know I could never do that Jack."
"So? The question really is...how do you tell his mother that you're still alive...without alienating her? How do you ask her...to let you in?"
"To be honest with you..." Daniel sighed deeply and sat down. "...I don't think that will be possible. I was with Rachel for 2 years. She supported me through all my work on the Pyramids and my Giza Theory. She encouraged me to give that lecture. I left her Jack. I took Catherine's job offer, went through the gate and married Sha're...without even calling to say goodbye, without even thinking about the woman I left behind." He looked up at Jack with tears in his eyes. "I dismissed her in the blink of an eye. How can I even contemplate asking her, to let me back into her life."
"You have a son Daniel." Jack placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I'd say jump in the deep end...and sink or swim!"
"That's easy for you to say."
"Yes it is. But this isn't about you...and it's not about her. It's about your son. And what ever you decide...it has to be a permanent choice. Your son has a father. You deserve the chance to BE that father. And your son deserves the chance to know that father."
Daniel nodded slowly. "I'm not walking away from this Jack." He looked down at the address on his desk. "I need some time off."
Name of Child: Daniel Robert Jackson
Date of Birth: May 14th 1996
Mother: Rachel White, Dr. - Egyptologist.
Father: Daniel Jackson, Dr. - Deceased.
"I...I have a son..." Daniel felt his heart constrict as the news sank in. "I have a son...who has never met his father. He doesn't even know I'm alive." He looked up from the piece of paper in his hands.
Jack just looked at his friend. He didn't know what to say. This was the type of situation that Carter was good at handling - not him. Daniel looked lost. He looked like he was struggling to grasp this new information, this new role that he'd been given.
"What do I do Jack? What the hell do I do now?"
Jack sat down opposite him. "I don't have the answers Daniel. I don't think anyone does...apart from you."
Daniel gave a snort of indignation. "Seven years Jack. Seven years of his life have been lost to me. How the hell can I even begin to make up for something like that? What do I do? Do I just walk in there and say 'Hi Rachel, remember me...well guess what? I'm not dead!'...tell me Jack...tell me...what am I going to do?"
"What do you want to do Daniel?" Jack's voice was low and soft. He hated to be the one to do this. He was no good at this sort of thing. "Do you want to become part of this child's life? Be a father to him? Or do you just want to walk away and pretend this information is still buried?"
Daniel frowned sharply. "You know I could never do that Jack."
"So? The question really is...how do you tell his mother that you're still alive...without alienating her? How do you ask her...to let you in?"
"To be honest with you..." Daniel sighed deeply and sat down. "...I don't think that will be possible. I was with Rachel for 2 years. She supported me through all my work on the Pyramids and my Giza Theory. She encouraged me to give that lecture. I left her Jack. I took Catherine's job offer, went through the gate and married Sha're...without even calling to say goodbye, without even thinking about the woman I left behind." He looked up at Jack with tears in his eyes. "I dismissed her in the blink of an eye. How can I even contemplate asking her, to let me back into her life."
"You have a son Daniel." Jack placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I'd say jump in the deep end...and sink or swim!"
"That's easy for you to say."
"Yes it is. But this isn't about you...and it's not about her. It's about your son. And what ever you decide...it has to be a permanent choice. Your son has a father. You deserve the chance to BE that father. And your son deserves the chance to know that father."
Daniel nodded slowly. "I'm not walking away from this Jack." He looked down at the address on his desk. "I need some time off."