Part 3
"Did he sleep all right?" Fraiser asks quietly, eyes on the vague lump buried under blankets on the bed.
"Still at it," I reply. Danny had a nightmare or two... or five, but who's counting, and Daniel eventually climbed in the bed with him and stayed there. Carter, after bringing us dinner and lingering for a while, started to get antsy and made some noises about experiments in her lab and all that. She's great on the tech side, don't get me wrong, and a top-notch soldier, but the dealing-with-people's-problems stuff kind of makes her nervous.
So I shooed her off and she went, looking guilty and promising to bring some real clothes for Danny in the morning. Teal'c, as far as I know, stayed by the door for most of the night. We certainly weren't disturbed, and I chalk that up to the Jaffa intimidation factor. Once he was snug in the bed with the kid, Daniel did some catching up on his sleep, and I managed to grab some good rest myself in one of the other bunks.
Fraiser frowns at the quietly breathing Daniel-lump. "That child needs to eat," she says. "He's been without any food for at least a day, and more importantly, without water."
"Stubborn kid, is he?"
She smiles wryly. "You know Daniel."
There is a knock on the door, soft and rapid, and then Carter pokes her head in. "Colonel, I have some clothes, and..." She was holding out a candy bar, but she whips it behind her back when the doc gives her a steely look.
"I brought a nutritious breakfast for him," Fraiser says pointedly.
Carter grins. "Of course you did. And hey, did you know that Teal'c is still standing out in the hall?"
That guy is pure patience. "Well, bring him in with you," I say. "The more the merrier. We can all stand around and whisper so sleeping beauty over there isn't disturbed."
"Sleeping beauty?" That came from the bed, in Daniel's 'I can't believe you just said that' tone.
"Good morning to you, too," I drawl. "Sleep well?"
"Not bad." He shifts and drags himself out from beneath the covers, leaving a smaller lump firmly clinging to sleep in the center of the bed. He's wearing rumpled BDU pants, which he wears a size too big so he has tons of room in the pockets for all his crap, and a tee-shirt, but his feet are bare and he took the BDU belt off for sleeping. He's reminded of this when he stands and the pants start to slide down his hips.
"Um," he says, quickly grabbing for the waistline. "Jack?"
"Here." I toss him the belt, and he threads it, quick and businesslike. Daniel of the floppy hair and naïve belief that anyone could be reasoned with would have been embarrassed to do this in front of an audience, but that was a long time ago, and when it comes to Daniel, it's not the years, it's the mileage.
Carter puts a bag on the table, a blue sleeve poking out of the top. Good call on the blue, Major. Teal'c glides in behind her and stands with his hands clasped behind his back, observing Daniel's bed-head and sleepy face with what can only be called fondness.
"Hi Sam, Teal'c, Janet," Daniel says, still engaged in a huge stretch. The hem of his tee rises, exposing a band of taut skin. I put my hands in my pockets.
"I trust your rest was undisturbed, Daniel Jackson."
He nods. "Yeah, thanks, Teal'c." Then he pauses and gives Teal'c a piercing look. "Did you stand out there guarding the door all night?"
"Indeed."
Daniel shakes his head. "You didn't have to... oh, never mind. Thank you, Teal'c."
The big guy inclines his head and allows a tiny smile to sneak out. Meanwhile, Fraiser hovers over the kid on the bed. "We should wake him up," she says. "If nothing else, he really needs some fluids."
"I got him to drink some water last night," Daniel tells her.
He did? "When?"
He smiles at me. "You were asleep. And snoring like a bear, I might add."
I refuse to dignify that comment with a response.
Fraiser relaxes a little. "Well, that's good. He still needs to eat, though."
"He's a growing boy," I add. Daniel gives me an odd look. What did I say?
That's when Danny suddenly sits up in bed, his long hair flat on one side and frizzy on the other. The scrub shirt has slipped down during the night, exposing one small, thin shoulder. His skin is perfect and unmarked, as the doc said, but it's also startlingly pale.
"Kayel?" he asks, casting about the room with unfocused eyes. It must be unsettling to wake up in a strange place with a handful of people you don't know standing around.
"Praebeo," Daniel says quickly. He sinks down onto the bed and the boy leaps at him, climbing into Daniel's lap and getting comfortable. I get the feeling he plans on spending a lot of time there, which strikes me as odd. I remember Charlie at that age, and he considered himself to be much too old and grown-up to sit in my lap. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying to get him there anyway, not that it did me much good. The only times he allowed cuddling were when he was sick or extremely upset about something.
"Hello," Fraiser says gamely. "Do you feel like eating something this morning?"
Danny eyes her warily and says nothing. Daniel murmurs something in that language that they share and the boy looks up at him, frowning. They have a quick exchange of strange, fluid words, and then seem to come to an agreement.
"He'll eat," Daniel says. "If he doesn't have to move."
So we scramble to make that happen, Fraiser bringing the tray forward and Carter tugging a chair over to set it on and Daniel shifting on the bed so they're closer to the edge. Already this kid has us all wrapped around his little finger. He's Daniel, all right.
The boy wrinkles his nose at the infirmary food but eats obediently, watching us all between bites.
"Have you been able to find out where your shared memories stop?" Carter asks. "And does he remember being on P2R-447?"
Daniel shrugs. "We haven't really discussed that."
"Perhaps with your encouragement, the boy would be willing to speak with us," Teal'c says. Which is a good point, because unless Daniel plans on protecting the kid from the whole world, he's going to have to start speaking English again sometime.
"There's also the concern of where he's going to live and who will take care of him," Fraiser adds.
Danny says something short and nervous, and pushes away the remainder of his food. He's starting to speak more rapidly now, his face turned up toward Daniel and his hands gesturing wildly. Daniel catches the hands and talks back, low and soothing, his eyes steady on the child's.
"What was that?" I ask when the kid calms down.
"You may not understand what he says right now, but he can understand all of you perfectly well," Daniel says coolly. "And he doesn't like the idea of a bunch of strangers deciding what happens to him."
I get the feeling this hits a bit close to home for Daniel. "What did you tell him?"
He gives me a level look. "I told him that I'd take care of him and he doesn't need to worry."
Oh, really? "Daniel?"
"Jack?"
The kid's eyes go back and forth between us, and I can see his hands clenching on Daniel's shirt again. We're upsetting him, and that's the last thing I want, but Daniel shouldn't be making promises that he can't keep.
"We can talk about this later," I concede, and Daniel nods.
Teal'c glides forward and puts his face on a level with Danny's, and he makes his eyes go soft. "Hello," he says solemnly. "I am Teal'c. There is no reason to be afraid, as I will ensure that no harm comes to you."
The kid stares at him and swallows, but then he nods and manages a slight smile. Teal'c beams, sort of, and pulls back, looking satisfied.
"Anyone else want to say hi?" I ask dryly.
Carter has that walleyed nervous look again but she steps up, holding out the bag of clothes as a kind of peace offering. "Hey, uh, Danny," she says. "I brought you some clothes to wear. Oh, and I'm Major Carter, but you always... I mean, you could call me Sam."
Danny nods and takes the clothes, peeking curiously into the bag. He pulls out a shirt that is a perfect miniature version of Daniel's favorite blue- checked plaid, and grins broadly. Daniel laughs and shakes his head. "Go get dressed," he says briskly, and we're all surprised when the kid obeys without question.
Once Danny is in the bathroom getting dressed, and cleaned up, judging by the sound of running water, we all look pointedly at Daniel. He frowns and rises to his feet, beginning to pace.
"I know," he says. "Before any of you say it, I know. What I do is dangerous and unpredictable and I'm in no position to care for a child. I know."
"You could ask Hammond for some leave," I offer.
Daniel smiles ruefully. "I promised him permanence. Stability. I know I shouldn't have, but it's what he needs to hear right now. He needs to live in a place where he knows that he'll wake up in the same bed, the same room every day. Where he knows the rules and that they won't change tomorrow. Where doing something wrong is met with discipline, but not with being sent away as 'too much trouble.' He needs to know that I won't abandon him, and so I told him I wouldn't."
"Maybe, with time..." Carter says vaguely.
"You're suggesting I take care of him temporarily, until he's a little more... stable, and then send him somewhere else?"
Daniel's tone leaves no question as to what he thinks of that idea.
"We could find a good place for him," I say. "I'm not suggesting foster care. A real home, adoption, something like that. He could have that security you talked about."
"Maybe," Daniel sighs. "I don't know. If I make promises that I don't keep, that takes away the one thing he has. The Kayel. If he can't trust that..."
"But you're not the Kayel," I point out. "There's no such thing, and eventually, the kid is going to realize that."
Carter nods. "Playing into his fantasy may not have been the best choice anyway, Daniel. Telling him that you're somebody you're not is hardly the basis for future trust."
"It was what he needed to hear," Daniel insists, lowering his head and setting his shoulders in a stubborn line.
"Daniel," Fraiser warns, cutting her eyes sideways. We've been speaking in hushed tones, and the boy now emerging from the bathroom looks relatively calm, so it's unlikely that he heard us.
Danny evidently took a shower, because his hair is still damp, hanging in uncombed clumps around his face. He's put on a pair of jeans and the blue checked shirt, and in the normal clothes, the resemblance to adult Daniel is undeniable. It occurs to me that if Daniel did somehow adopt him, no one would ever question that he's Daniel's son.
He eyes Daniel on the other side of the room and then frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. Daniel smiles and turns to him, opening his arms, and the boy runs forward. His head almost reaches Daniel's chest.
Daniel holds him for a long moment, neatening his hair with idle strokes of his fingers, and then he pulls back and crouches to meet the boy's eyes.
"Listen," he says seriously. "My friends here don't speak our language. They would like to be able to talk with you. Do you think you can speak English for them?"
The kid frowns again, his lips pooching out slightly, and the little line that appears between his eyebrows is so very Daniel. He speaks more of that language, what sounds like a question.
Daniel nods. "Yes," he says. "I trust them. They're very safe." Then he looks over his shoulder at me and says something rapidly in Daniel-speak. I hear my name and 'Kayel' but I'm not sure what he said. Whatever it was, it makes a hell of an impression on Danny, who looks up at me with huge, wondering eyes.
"Hi," I say, resisting the urge to reach out and pat him on the head. Charlie used to be that height, where I could let my hand rest on his head as he walked beside me. Sometimes, if I did it enough, my palm would carry the scent of the Johnson's baby shampoo that Sara liked to use on him, even when he was older.
Danny swallows and steps forward, his little chin lifted and his jaw set. It's so easy to see Daniel in that face, so easy to see the stubbornness and the bright flash of intelligence in the eyes.
"Hi," he says softly. "Hi, Jack."
Behind him, Daniel grins proudly and pats his shoulder. "Very good," he says. The kid soaks it up, standing a little straighter.
"Hi, Sam," he says, turning to Carter. "Hi... Teal'c?" He draws the name out uncertainly, stumbling a bit on the pronunciation. Carter and Teal'c both nod at him, and Carter adds one of her wide smiles. Danny smiles back, ducking his head a little. Then he turns to the doc, who is the only one he doesn't know yet.
"Hello, Danny," she says. "I'm Doctor Fraiser, but you can call me Janet."
He shrinks back, leaning into Daniel's side and looking up at him worriedly. Fraiser's smile falters.
"It's okay," Daniel says quickly. "She's a real doctor."
"As opposed to a fake doctor?" I ask. Daniel shoots me a 'shut up' look.
"Never mind, Jack."
"Real?" Danny murmurs. "Not like Doctor Herbig?"
Daniel shakes his head firmly. "Not like that at all."
I'm trying very hard to avoid jumping to some nasty conclusions here, but it looks like I'm the only one. Carter's eyes grow very big, and Teal'c gets his disemboweling face again. Fraiser's lips are pressed tightly together, her hands on her hips.
The kid considers this for a long moment, and then says, "Okay." He turns toward Fraiser and takes a moment to steel himself. Speaking to her is obviously hard for him, but I've always known that Daniel is brave. Apparently it goes way back.
Fraiser forces herself to smile warmly at him, making the worry leave her eyes. "Hello," she tries again.
"Hello," he echoes. "Doctor... Janet."
Well all right. Now we're getting somewhere.
~~~
"Did he sleep all right?" Fraiser asks quietly, eyes on the vague lump buried under blankets on the bed.
"Still at it," I reply. Danny had a nightmare or two... or five, but who's counting, and Daniel eventually climbed in the bed with him and stayed there. Carter, after bringing us dinner and lingering for a while, started to get antsy and made some noises about experiments in her lab and all that. She's great on the tech side, don't get me wrong, and a top-notch soldier, but the dealing-with-people's-problems stuff kind of makes her nervous.
So I shooed her off and she went, looking guilty and promising to bring some real clothes for Danny in the morning. Teal'c, as far as I know, stayed by the door for most of the night. We certainly weren't disturbed, and I chalk that up to the Jaffa intimidation factor. Once he was snug in the bed with the kid, Daniel did some catching up on his sleep, and I managed to grab some good rest myself in one of the other bunks.
Fraiser frowns at the quietly breathing Daniel-lump. "That child needs to eat," she says. "He's been without any food for at least a day, and more importantly, without water."
"Stubborn kid, is he?"
She smiles wryly. "You know Daniel."
There is a knock on the door, soft and rapid, and then Carter pokes her head in. "Colonel, I have some clothes, and..." She was holding out a candy bar, but she whips it behind her back when the doc gives her a steely look.
"I brought a nutritious breakfast for him," Fraiser says pointedly.
Carter grins. "Of course you did. And hey, did you know that Teal'c is still standing out in the hall?"
That guy is pure patience. "Well, bring him in with you," I say. "The more the merrier. We can all stand around and whisper so sleeping beauty over there isn't disturbed."
"Sleeping beauty?" That came from the bed, in Daniel's 'I can't believe you just said that' tone.
"Good morning to you, too," I drawl. "Sleep well?"
"Not bad." He shifts and drags himself out from beneath the covers, leaving a smaller lump firmly clinging to sleep in the center of the bed. He's wearing rumpled BDU pants, which he wears a size too big so he has tons of room in the pockets for all his crap, and a tee-shirt, but his feet are bare and he took the BDU belt off for sleeping. He's reminded of this when he stands and the pants start to slide down his hips.
"Um," he says, quickly grabbing for the waistline. "Jack?"
"Here." I toss him the belt, and he threads it, quick and businesslike. Daniel of the floppy hair and naïve belief that anyone could be reasoned with would have been embarrassed to do this in front of an audience, but that was a long time ago, and when it comes to Daniel, it's not the years, it's the mileage.
Carter puts a bag on the table, a blue sleeve poking out of the top. Good call on the blue, Major. Teal'c glides in behind her and stands with his hands clasped behind his back, observing Daniel's bed-head and sleepy face with what can only be called fondness.
"Hi Sam, Teal'c, Janet," Daniel says, still engaged in a huge stretch. The hem of his tee rises, exposing a band of taut skin. I put my hands in my pockets.
"I trust your rest was undisturbed, Daniel Jackson."
He nods. "Yeah, thanks, Teal'c." Then he pauses and gives Teal'c a piercing look. "Did you stand out there guarding the door all night?"
"Indeed."
Daniel shakes his head. "You didn't have to... oh, never mind. Thank you, Teal'c."
The big guy inclines his head and allows a tiny smile to sneak out. Meanwhile, Fraiser hovers over the kid on the bed. "We should wake him up," she says. "If nothing else, he really needs some fluids."
"I got him to drink some water last night," Daniel tells her.
He did? "When?"
He smiles at me. "You were asleep. And snoring like a bear, I might add."
I refuse to dignify that comment with a response.
Fraiser relaxes a little. "Well, that's good. He still needs to eat, though."
"He's a growing boy," I add. Daniel gives me an odd look. What did I say?
That's when Danny suddenly sits up in bed, his long hair flat on one side and frizzy on the other. The scrub shirt has slipped down during the night, exposing one small, thin shoulder. His skin is perfect and unmarked, as the doc said, but it's also startlingly pale.
"Kayel?" he asks, casting about the room with unfocused eyes. It must be unsettling to wake up in a strange place with a handful of people you don't know standing around.
"Praebeo," Daniel says quickly. He sinks down onto the bed and the boy leaps at him, climbing into Daniel's lap and getting comfortable. I get the feeling he plans on spending a lot of time there, which strikes me as odd. I remember Charlie at that age, and he considered himself to be much too old and grown-up to sit in my lap. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying to get him there anyway, not that it did me much good. The only times he allowed cuddling were when he was sick or extremely upset about something.
"Hello," Fraiser says gamely. "Do you feel like eating something this morning?"
Danny eyes her warily and says nothing. Daniel murmurs something in that language that they share and the boy looks up at him, frowning. They have a quick exchange of strange, fluid words, and then seem to come to an agreement.
"He'll eat," Daniel says. "If he doesn't have to move."
So we scramble to make that happen, Fraiser bringing the tray forward and Carter tugging a chair over to set it on and Daniel shifting on the bed so they're closer to the edge. Already this kid has us all wrapped around his little finger. He's Daniel, all right.
The boy wrinkles his nose at the infirmary food but eats obediently, watching us all between bites.
"Have you been able to find out where your shared memories stop?" Carter asks. "And does he remember being on P2R-447?"
Daniel shrugs. "We haven't really discussed that."
"Perhaps with your encouragement, the boy would be willing to speak with us," Teal'c says. Which is a good point, because unless Daniel plans on protecting the kid from the whole world, he's going to have to start speaking English again sometime.
"There's also the concern of where he's going to live and who will take care of him," Fraiser adds.
Danny says something short and nervous, and pushes away the remainder of his food. He's starting to speak more rapidly now, his face turned up toward Daniel and his hands gesturing wildly. Daniel catches the hands and talks back, low and soothing, his eyes steady on the child's.
"What was that?" I ask when the kid calms down.
"You may not understand what he says right now, but he can understand all of you perfectly well," Daniel says coolly. "And he doesn't like the idea of a bunch of strangers deciding what happens to him."
I get the feeling this hits a bit close to home for Daniel. "What did you tell him?"
He gives me a level look. "I told him that I'd take care of him and he doesn't need to worry."
Oh, really? "Daniel?"
"Jack?"
The kid's eyes go back and forth between us, and I can see his hands clenching on Daniel's shirt again. We're upsetting him, and that's the last thing I want, but Daniel shouldn't be making promises that he can't keep.
"We can talk about this later," I concede, and Daniel nods.
Teal'c glides forward and puts his face on a level with Danny's, and he makes his eyes go soft. "Hello," he says solemnly. "I am Teal'c. There is no reason to be afraid, as I will ensure that no harm comes to you."
The kid stares at him and swallows, but then he nods and manages a slight smile. Teal'c beams, sort of, and pulls back, looking satisfied.
"Anyone else want to say hi?" I ask dryly.
Carter has that walleyed nervous look again but she steps up, holding out the bag of clothes as a kind of peace offering. "Hey, uh, Danny," she says. "I brought you some clothes to wear. Oh, and I'm Major Carter, but you always... I mean, you could call me Sam."
Danny nods and takes the clothes, peeking curiously into the bag. He pulls out a shirt that is a perfect miniature version of Daniel's favorite blue- checked plaid, and grins broadly. Daniel laughs and shakes his head. "Go get dressed," he says briskly, and we're all surprised when the kid obeys without question.
Once Danny is in the bathroom getting dressed, and cleaned up, judging by the sound of running water, we all look pointedly at Daniel. He frowns and rises to his feet, beginning to pace.
"I know," he says. "Before any of you say it, I know. What I do is dangerous and unpredictable and I'm in no position to care for a child. I know."
"You could ask Hammond for some leave," I offer.
Daniel smiles ruefully. "I promised him permanence. Stability. I know I shouldn't have, but it's what he needs to hear right now. He needs to live in a place where he knows that he'll wake up in the same bed, the same room every day. Where he knows the rules and that they won't change tomorrow. Where doing something wrong is met with discipline, but not with being sent away as 'too much trouble.' He needs to know that I won't abandon him, and so I told him I wouldn't."
"Maybe, with time..." Carter says vaguely.
"You're suggesting I take care of him temporarily, until he's a little more... stable, and then send him somewhere else?"
Daniel's tone leaves no question as to what he thinks of that idea.
"We could find a good place for him," I say. "I'm not suggesting foster care. A real home, adoption, something like that. He could have that security you talked about."
"Maybe," Daniel sighs. "I don't know. If I make promises that I don't keep, that takes away the one thing he has. The Kayel. If he can't trust that..."
"But you're not the Kayel," I point out. "There's no such thing, and eventually, the kid is going to realize that."
Carter nods. "Playing into his fantasy may not have been the best choice anyway, Daniel. Telling him that you're somebody you're not is hardly the basis for future trust."
"It was what he needed to hear," Daniel insists, lowering his head and setting his shoulders in a stubborn line.
"Daniel," Fraiser warns, cutting her eyes sideways. We've been speaking in hushed tones, and the boy now emerging from the bathroom looks relatively calm, so it's unlikely that he heard us.
Danny evidently took a shower, because his hair is still damp, hanging in uncombed clumps around his face. He's put on a pair of jeans and the blue checked shirt, and in the normal clothes, the resemblance to adult Daniel is undeniable. It occurs to me that if Daniel did somehow adopt him, no one would ever question that he's Daniel's son.
He eyes Daniel on the other side of the room and then frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. Daniel smiles and turns to him, opening his arms, and the boy runs forward. His head almost reaches Daniel's chest.
Daniel holds him for a long moment, neatening his hair with idle strokes of his fingers, and then he pulls back and crouches to meet the boy's eyes.
"Listen," he says seriously. "My friends here don't speak our language. They would like to be able to talk with you. Do you think you can speak English for them?"
The kid frowns again, his lips pooching out slightly, and the little line that appears between his eyebrows is so very Daniel. He speaks more of that language, what sounds like a question.
Daniel nods. "Yes," he says. "I trust them. They're very safe." Then he looks over his shoulder at me and says something rapidly in Daniel-speak. I hear my name and 'Kayel' but I'm not sure what he said. Whatever it was, it makes a hell of an impression on Danny, who looks up at me with huge, wondering eyes.
"Hi," I say, resisting the urge to reach out and pat him on the head. Charlie used to be that height, where I could let my hand rest on his head as he walked beside me. Sometimes, if I did it enough, my palm would carry the scent of the Johnson's baby shampoo that Sara liked to use on him, even when he was older.
Danny swallows and steps forward, his little chin lifted and his jaw set. It's so easy to see Daniel in that face, so easy to see the stubbornness and the bright flash of intelligence in the eyes.
"Hi," he says softly. "Hi, Jack."
Behind him, Daniel grins proudly and pats his shoulder. "Very good," he says. The kid soaks it up, standing a little straighter.
"Hi, Sam," he says, turning to Carter. "Hi... Teal'c?" He draws the name out uncertainly, stumbling a bit on the pronunciation. Carter and Teal'c both nod at him, and Carter adds one of her wide smiles. Danny smiles back, ducking his head a little. Then he turns to the doc, who is the only one he doesn't know yet.
"Hello, Danny," she says. "I'm Doctor Fraiser, but you can call me Janet."
He shrinks back, leaning into Daniel's side and looking up at him worriedly. Fraiser's smile falters.
"It's okay," Daniel says quickly. "She's a real doctor."
"As opposed to a fake doctor?" I ask. Daniel shoots me a 'shut up' look.
"Never mind, Jack."
"Real?" Danny murmurs. "Not like Doctor Herbig?"
Daniel shakes his head firmly. "Not like that at all."
I'm trying very hard to avoid jumping to some nasty conclusions here, but it looks like I'm the only one. Carter's eyes grow very big, and Teal'c gets his disemboweling face again. Fraiser's lips are pressed tightly together, her hands on her hips.
The kid considers this for a long moment, and then says, "Okay." He turns toward Fraiser and takes a moment to steel himself. Speaking to her is obviously hard for him, but I've always known that Daniel is brave. Apparently it goes way back.
Fraiser forces herself to smile warmly at him, making the worry leave her eyes. "Hello," she tries again.
"Hello," he echoes. "Doctor... Janet."
Well all right. Now we're getting somewhere.
~~~