Unspoken

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Day Five Part One

Daniel sat on the floor with his back against the bed and a book open atop his outstretched legs.  He slammed it shut and tossed it onto the pile beside him.  Sighing, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  He rested his head against the bed.

I'd give almost anything for Jack to interrupt me with an invitation to do something trivial.  I might even accept it at this point. 

Jack.  With renewed determination, he replaced his glasses and reached for another book.  He had been right.  Practically his entire bookshelf was in here; most of it sitting in the pile beside him.  He ran his finger down the table of contents.  

"How's it going?"

Daniel jerked his head up.
"Sorry," Janet said.  "I didn't mean to startle you again."  She knelt down and took a look at him.  "Why are you on the floor?"  She asked touching his forehead.

"I ran out of room on the desk.  And, I kept falling asleep on the bed."

"Well, no wonder.  You're dehydrated, exhausted, and you have a fever."

"And I'm no closer to a solution," he said irritably.  "None of the customs of any of the cultures in these books or my notes even remotely resembles these people. Or whatever they are."

"Should they?"

Daniel thought for a moment while Janet checked his other vital signs.  "You're right.  We've encountered a lot of cultures with earth origins.  But, we've also encountered cultures that are nothing like anything from earth.  I thought if I looked for some reference that might help me understand their customs, I could figure out a way to rescue Jack and Teal'c, but I've been going about it all wrong.  I need to get back to the planet," he said starting to get up. "The only way I'm going to be able to understand these people is to study them first hand." 

"Not so fast," Janet said catching him as he swayed.  She pushed him onto the bed.  "If you go anywhere, it'll be back to the infirmary."

"But-"

"Daniel, you need rest.  You also need food, water and antibiotics.  Now, it's been twelve hours since we administered the antidote. I think it's time we try getting some food into you."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But, there's only one way to be sure.  Do you think you're up for it?"

"Well, considering I haven't eaten in four days, I guess I am kinda hungry."

"Good," Sam said entering the room.  "You can join me for breakfast."

"And afterward, I want you to rest," Janet said.

Daniel nodded and followed Sam out of the room.  On the way to the commissary, he had to stop several times to lean against the wall and wait for dizziness to pass.  Sam stood beside him protectively with an arm hovering in front of him in case he fell.  When they arrived, she led him to a table. "Just sit here. I'll get your food."

"Thanks, Sam."  He put his arms on the table and rested his forehead on them.  Two seconds later, Sam was back with two trays. "Wow, that was fast."

"You must have dozed off."

"Well, here goes."

Sam watched Daniel as he dipped his spoon into the oatmeal and brought it to his mouth. She grinned when he blew on it then slurped it. "Well?"

"Tastes good," he said dipping his spoon again.

"So, how's the research going?"

Between bites, Daniel filled her in.  "Of course none of that matters since there's no way Janet's going to let me go anywhere.  Maybe you can talk to her. Tell her how important this is."

"I don't think so, Daniel.  I happen to agree with her.  You're in no condition to be going anywhere, especially back to the place where you got sick to begin with."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Daniel said looking at his half eaten meal.  He put his head in his hand and sucked in a breath.

"What's the matter?"

"Nausea," he answered without looking up.

"Do you need to leave?"

"No.  I don't know.  Just give me a minute."

"Ok." 

Daniel pushed his tray away.  Sam put it on top of hers and moved them to the other end of the table.

"I'll take those, ma'am," a passing airman said.

"Thank you.  Daniel?"
"I-I think I'm ok."  He lifted his head and tried to smile at her.

"You don't have to be on the planet to study these people," Sam said gesturing to someone.  "I'm sure Dr. Porter would be glad to let you watch his tapes."

"Sure," Porter said sitting down beside Sam. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Dr. Jackson. Although you don't look like you feel much better. Sorry," he added with a nervous laugh.

"It's ok.  I don't really feel that well."  Another wave of nausea came over him. "I think I do need to go, Sam. Now."

"The tapes are in my lab.  I can bring them to you if you like Dr. Jackson."

"That'd be great," Daniel said. Just outside the commissary doors, Daniel lunged for the trashcan.  Sam dashed off and came back with a napkin.

"Well, so much for that," Daniel said as he leaned against the wall and wiped his mouth..  "God, how embarrassing."

"And attractive," Sam joked.  "I guess it's back to the infirmary."

"I'd rather go back to the guest quarters."

"If you promise to go there to rest, I'll go get Janet."

Daniel nodded.

"I'm sure everyone at the SGC is doing everything they can, O'Neill."

"Yeah.  But, what's takin' 'em so long?"

Suddenly, a commotion arose from outside. 

"Someone is coming this way," Teal'c said.

The curtain in the doorway to their room was thrust aside and two members of Colonel Mitchell's team were dragged in.

"Captain Cooley?  Captain Hardy?"

"Colonel O'Neill," Captain Cooley said struggling to get free of the man holding him.

One of the men who had captured Jack the night before came in with more shackles.

"We had a surveillance team and a team covering them," Captain Hardy explained when the men had finished shackling their new prisoners and left.  "General Hammond recalled the surveillance team yesterday.  We're supposed to be reporting back to the SGC for a strategy meeting right about now with the results of our recon mission to determine the best way to rescue you."

"It was supposed to be covert," Captain Cooley said.  "Which was kind of hard considering these people have known we were here all along."

"How so?" Teal'c asked.

"We don't know," Hardy said.  "They didn't seem to notice us, but I guess they did."

"I guess that's what Daniel meant," Jack muttered. "How's Dr. Jackson?"

"He's awake but sick," Hardy said.  "I don't know all the exact details.  A couple of days ago, Major Carter led a team to try to find an antidote to whatever these people poisoned him with."

"Now, that was covert," Cooley interjected. "We were watching from the hills, and those guards didn't have a clue."

"Yeah," Hardy agreed.  "But, that night they had some meeting where the guards and the medical personnel Major Carter's team zatted told what they had seen.  Yesterday afternoon, base camp gets a visit from the leader. That's how we know they knew we were here.  The guy came straight to us.  Anyway, Dr. Porter said he thinks the man was looking for Dr. Jackson, and was very unhappy when he didn't find him."

"Perhaps that along with our own reconnaissance is why we are now chained."

Jack gave him a look and said.  "I saw that meeting.  Didn't know what ii was about 'til now though. Major Carter's mission?"

"Successful," Hardy said.  "Dr. Fraiser was able to develop an antidote.  The last I heard Dr. Jackson was working on trying to find a way to rescue you."

"Well, then why were you ordered to try?" Jack asked frustrated.

"Well, sir," Cooley said.  "We were doing recon for plan B. Just in case."

"I'm sorry, Sam," Janet said taking her rubber gloves off.  "I haven't had a chance to check on Daniel yet. Two members of SG-8 were wounded and needed emergency surgery."

Sam grimaced.  "Will they be ok?"

"They'll be fine.  How'd the strategy meeting go?" She and Sam left the infirmary and headed for the guest quarters.

"Well, Captains Cooley and Hardy didn't show, so they must have gotten captured during recon."

"So, now what?"

"We've got another meeting in a couple of hours.  Hammond wants every option we can think of laid on the table."

They found Daniel asleep sideways on the bed.  He was holding a TV remote, and one of Porter's tapes was playing.

"I guess he was hot," Sam said gesturing to his jacket and shirt draped over the back of the desk chair.

"Almost too hot to touch."

Janet took out her thermometer as Sam took the remote and stopped the tape.  "103.7."

"Whoa," Sam said.  "Is there anything you can do?"
"I don't know.  How many times did he throw up? Were there any red globs?"

"Only once that I know of," she said glancing into the trashcan by the bed. "Ok, twice.  But no red."

"Well, if there's no red I should be able to start him off with the smallest dose of antibiotics possible.  We need to get him back to the infirmary."  She picked up the phone and called for a gurney. 

Daniel coughed and started to sit up.  Sam sat down beside him and pushed him back down.  "Thirsty," he whispered.

"We'll get you some water as soon as we get you settled in the infirmary," Janet said.

"Hot."

"Yes. You have a 103 fever."

"Jack?  Teal'c?"

"We're working on it," Sam assured him.