Chapter 4: Support
Meanwhile, General Hammond was in his office, replaying in his mind the hastened conversation that he'd had with Jack in the hall earlier. It concerned him that Jack had seemed visibly upset about something and he sensed it was related to something more than his haste to locate Teal'c.
"I wonder what in the world was up with Jack this morning. It's not like him to seem so upset. Actually, all of SG-1 have been acting strange these past couple of days. Maybe all of the high stress is affecting them. They do have some downtime coming, so maybe I should give them a few days."
With this thought, Hammond began rummaging through his desk, looking for the paperwork that he needed to fill out before he sent the team on downtime. As he found what he was seeking, he fervently hoped that some time away from the SGC would be just what the weary members of SG-1 needed.
Jack was sitting in his office going through some of the clutter on his desk when he heard a knock on the door. Wondering who it was, he looked up just as the door cracked open a slit.
"Come in." Jack called.
"O'Neill. I must speak to you regarding the matter we discussed earlier."
"What've you got, Teal'c?"
"I have narrowed it down to something from Daniel Jackson's childhood. In all of the images that I have received, I have seen a young child and have been able to confirm that the child is indeed Daniel Jackson. I also see a man and a woman and pick up on much violence and fear. That is all I know so far." Teal'c reported solemnly.
"Well, it's more than we had to go on a little while ago. Thanks a lot, Teal'c. Maybe I can give this some more thought and finally pin down an idea of what's going on and figure out some way to help Daniel."
"It is my hope that you are able to succeed in this task, O'Neill. Please inform me if I may be of any assistance." Teal'c said as another knock came on the door.
"Am I interrupting?" Daniel asked quietly.
"No, of course not. Come on in, Daniel." Jack smiled as Daniel walked into the office and sat down.
"Good morning, Daniel Jackson."
"Hey, Teal'c. Jack, if you don't mind I need to talk to you in private for a minute."
"Sure. Teal'c, do you mind giving us a minute?"
"I do not. I shall return to my quarters." Teal'c nodded to his friends and retreated from the room.
"What's on your mind, Danny?" Jack asked.
"I wanted to apologize to you for the way I behaved earlier. You were just being a concerned friend looking out for me and I really had no right. I hope you can forgive me for that." Daniel said quietly.
"Daniel, there's nothing to forgive. It was obvious that you didn't want to talk about it so I shouldn't have pushed the issue. If anyone needs to be apologizing, it's me."
"Well, let's forget the whole thing ever happened. So, what have you been up to?"
"Not much. Trying to find the top of my desk. Actually that's what I was doing when Teal'c walked in." Jack admitted with slight embarrassment as the phone on the desk rang. "O'Neill. Yes, sir. I understand. You're right, I think that's exactly what my team needs. Thank you, sir."
"What was that about?" Daniel asked, curious.
"That was Hammond. He thought the four of us were feeling the pressure lately and that we could use some time off so he placed our unit on stand down for the next three days so we can get some rest. He wants us off the base ASAP."
"Good. I was planning on going for a drive this evening anyway. I just need to clear my head."
"Well, scrub that idea, Danny. I have an idea that'll work better for you. Come home with me for a few hours. We can get some pizza and I can stop by the store and get a few six packs of beer. That should help you clear your thoughts from your mind. I always say that beer is the best medicine." Jack insisted.
"Normally, I would tell you that sounded ridiculous but actually tonight, that sounds like a pretty nice idea. I just need to call Sarah and tell her what's going on so she doesn't wait on me to eat dinner. Besides, I have a feeling that this is another one of those situations that I don't have a choice." Daniel grinned.
"Now you're getting the hang of it."
"Can I use your phone to call Sarah?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Sarah was watching the news in the living room when the telephone rang. She was getting a little concerned that she hadn't heard from Daniel.
"Hello."
"Hey, Sarah. It's me." Daniel said.
"Oh, Daniel. I was getting concerned when I didn't hear from you. What's going on?" Sarah asked.
"Well, we got three days off and this evening Jack wants me to come to his house for beer and pizza. Kind of a male bonding, stress relief kind of thing. I just didn't want you to wait supper on me."
"Okay. I understand. Have a good time. Tell Jack I said hello." Sarah laughed brightly at Daniel's enthusiasm.
"I'll be home later this evening. Love you."
"I love you too."
"So, is everything on?" Jack asked as Daniel hung up the receiver.
"Yeah. I just had to let Sarah know what I was going to be up to so she wouldn't get worried. She said to tell you hi by the way. Before we head out, I think we need to let Sam and Teal'c know that we've got some downtime." Daniel suggested.
"Good idea. Let's split up. You tell Teal'c what's going on and I'll go tell Carter. We'll meet at the elevator in 15 minutes."
"Right."
Daniel went to Teal'c's quarters and knocked quietly on the door. He waited for a moment before entering the room to find Teal'c just beginning to light his meditation candles.
"Teal'c."
"How may I assist you, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, looking up at his friend.
"I just wanted to let you know that we're on stand down for the next three days so you're free to do whatever you want." Daniel informed him.
"I believe I shall travel to Chulak and surprise Ry'ac. It has been a long time since I was able to do so. Thank you, Daniel Jackson."
"No problem. Have a good time. Tell Bra'tac and Ry'ac that I said hello."
"Indeed." Teal'c acknowledged as Daniel left him to his business and went to wait for Jack by the elevator.
At the same time, Jack walked into Sam's lab and, as expected, found her fooling with her instruments and scientific doohickeys. He knocked on the wall lightly as he entered as to avoid startling her.
"Carter. Whatcha doing?"
"Oh, sir. I was just working on an experiment I've been trying to finish for a couple of days now. Is there something I can help you with?" Sam asked quickly.
"I just wanted to let you know that Hammond has given us some downtime. We're on stand down for the next three days effective immediately. Daniel and I are on our way out." Jack smiled.
"Good. That'll give me some time to get these calibrations right without having to rush through it. Thanks for letting me know sir."
"You're welcome. I'm going to go meet up with Daniel and he and I are going to have pizza and beer at my place. I'll leave you to your experiment or whatever. See you in a few days."
"Okay. Have fun, sir." Sam smiled as Jack left her to her work.
Jack arrived at the elevator to the surface to find Daniel already waiting there. He smiled as he walked over to his friend and clapped him on the back.
"Hey. Did you let Teal'c know what's up?"
"Yeah, I did. He said that he's going to go to Chulak for a few days and surprise Ry'ac since he hasn't had a chance to get back there in a while. What's Sam going to do?" Daniel asked.
"She's going to stay here and finish some experiment and play with her doohickeys, what else." Jack's comment caused both of them to laugh as the elevator doors closed and they slowly rose toward the surface.
Once they were topside and in the parking lot, Jack and Daniel were trying to work out their means of transportation. This was an issue since they were going to the same place.
"So you wanna ride with me, Danny, or do you want to follow in your own car?"
"Actually, I think I need to drive my own car since I really don't want to leave it here. Besides, Sarah's expecting me to come home later and it'll take less time for me to drive straight from your place rather than you having to drive me back over here to pick up my car."
"Sounds good to me. I'll go pick up some beer and meet you and my place in about thirty minutes." Jack said as he got in his car, Daniel not far behind in his own, as the two men headed to Jack's house for an evening of relaxing.
A short time later, Jack and Daniel were sitting in Jack's living room, the beer chilling in the refrigerator, and they were waiting for their pizza to arrive. Jack realized that this was probably just what Daniel needed because he seemed at ease and more relaxed than he had earlier.
"It looks like this is just what the doctor ordered for you, Daniel. Seems like you feel better than you did earlier."
"Yeah. I do feel a little better. I guess I just needed to get a break from the SGC for a little while. I really appreciate you inviting me over this evening, Jack." Daniel said as they heard the doorbell ring, signaling the arrival of their dinner.
"Hold that thought for a minute. Let's eat!" Jack said as he went to answer the door, returning a few moments later with a steaming hot pizza and placing it on the table in the living room.
As Jack and Daniel sat eating the pizza and drinking beer, the thing that was on Jack's mind was how he could try to work out what had Daniel so distracted and jumpy. It was then that he noticed that his friend was on his third beer in thirty minutes.
"Hey, Danny. Why don't you take it easy there? Save some for me." Jack cautioned with a touch of humor as he grabbed another bottle of beer for himself.
"Why? You sure were right about one thing, Jack. This is a better way to clear my mind than what I had in mind. I feel so much better. Hey, watch me go!" Daniel announced, his voice slurring, as he grabbed a slice of pizza and stuffed half of it in his mouth at once time. "Wahoo!!! I did it!!! Yeah!!!"
"All right, Daniel. That's enough. No more beer for you tonight. You're drunk." Jack insisted as he took the beer out of Daniel's hand.
"Jack. I'm not drunk. I just need to finish my beer and I'll be fine. I need to stop thinking about my nightmares of shuffling through foster care when I was young." Daniel slurred as he slumped over on the couch, unconscious.
"So that's what's been bothering him. I guess he's been having nightmares about something that happened to him when he was in foster care." Jack thought. "Come on. I need to get you home. You're in no shape to drive."
With considerable effort, Jack finally managed to wrangle Daniel into his truck and headed for his house. As he drove through town, with Daniel passed out in the passenger seat, his head sagging against the window, Jack was very concerned for his friend. It was very rare for Daniel to get drunk and he knew that something serious had to be going on for him to get himself into this condition. Just as Jack pulled the truck into the Daniel's house, Daniel finally began to come around.
"Jack? Where are we?" Daniel mumbled groggily.
"We're at your house, Danny. You had too many beers and you passed out. I knew that you weren't in any shape to drive home so I brought you." Jack explained.
"My car?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring it by tomorrow. Either that or you can come pick your car up in the morning when you're feeling better."
Then Jack helped Daniel out of the truck and led him to the front door, holding his arm to keep him upright and walking in a straight line. He rang the doorbell and waited for Sarah to answer it.
"Hey, Sarah." Jack said casually as soon as she came to the door.
"Hi, Jack. What brings you by this late?" Sarah asked just as she noticed Daniel's dazed form. "Daniel?!? What happened?"
"He's okay. He just needs a good night's sleep. He had a few too many beers tonight."
"Oh dear. Bring him inside, Jack."
"Jack. I don't feel so good." Daniel whispered as he passed out once more and collapsed.
"Daniel? Oh, great." Jack sighed as he caught his friend as he fell into his arms.
"Let's get him into bed." Sarah giggled as Jack hoisted Daniel over his shoulder and carried him to the bedroom and laid him on his bed, helping her get him comfortable.
"There we go. He'll probably be out for days." Jack teased lightly as he followed Sarah out of the room, closing the door quietly.
"Thanks for helping me, Jack. It looks like you and Daniel had quite a time tonight. He'll probably have a killer headache in the morning though."
"Of course he will. Well, it's really late so I'm going to head home and get out of your hair. Tell Daniel I'll bring his car back tomorrow afternoon."
"All right. I will. I appreciate you bringing him home, Jack." Sarah smiled as she walked him to the door and watched the truck pull into the dark.
After Jack was gone, Sarah turned and walked back into the house and made her way to the bedroom where Daniel rested. She changed into her pajamas and sat on the bed beside him, stroking his hair gently.
"You just need to sleep this off, Daniel. I'll be here to take care of you in the morning." Sarah whispered.
Sarah lay beside Daniel for a long time, keeping watch over him and whispering to him softly. Finally, she rested her head on the pillow beside his, placed her arm around him and closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, General Hammond was in his office, replaying in his mind the hastened conversation that he'd had with Jack in the hall earlier. It concerned him that Jack had seemed visibly upset about something and he sensed it was related to something more than his haste to locate Teal'c.
"I wonder what in the world was up with Jack this morning. It's not like him to seem so upset. Actually, all of SG-1 have been acting strange these past couple of days. Maybe all of the high stress is affecting them. They do have some downtime coming, so maybe I should give them a few days."
With this thought, Hammond began rummaging through his desk, looking for the paperwork that he needed to fill out before he sent the team on downtime. As he found what he was seeking, he fervently hoped that some time away from the SGC would be just what the weary members of SG-1 needed.
Jack was sitting in his office going through some of the clutter on his desk when he heard a knock on the door. Wondering who it was, he looked up just as the door cracked open a slit.
"Come in." Jack called.
"O'Neill. I must speak to you regarding the matter we discussed earlier."
"What've you got, Teal'c?"
"I have narrowed it down to something from Daniel Jackson's childhood. In all of the images that I have received, I have seen a young child and have been able to confirm that the child is indeed Daniel Jackson. I also see a man and a woman and pick up on much violence and fear. That is all I know so far." Teal'c reported solemnly.
"Well, it's more than we had to go on a little while ago. Thanks a lot, Teal'c. Maybe I can give this some more thought and finally pin down an idea of what's going on and figure out some way to help Daniel."
"It is my hope that you are able to succeed in this task, O'Neill. Please inform me if I may be of any assistance." Teal'c said as another knock came on the door.
"Am I interrupting?" Daniel asked quietly.
"No, of course not. Come on in, Daniel." Jack smiled as Daniel walked into the office and sat down.
"Good morning, Daniel Jackson."
"Hey, Teal'c. Jack, if you don't mind I need to talk to you in private for a minute."
"Sure. Teal'c, do you mind giving us a minute?"
"I do not. I shall return to my quarters." Teal'c nodded to his friends and retreated from the room.
"What's on your mind, Danny?" Jack asked.
"I wanted to apologize to you for the way I behaved earlier. You were just being a concerned friend looking out for me and I really had no right. I hope you can forgive me for that." Daniel said quietly.
"Daniel, there's nothing to forgive. It was obvious that you didn't want to talk about it so I shouldn't have pushed the issue. If anyone needs to be apologizing, it's me."
"Well, let's forget the whole thing ever happened. So, what have you been up to?"
"Not much. Trying to find the top of my desk. Actually that's what I was doing when Teal'c walked in." Jack admitted with slight embarrassment as the phone on the desk rang. "O'Neill. Yes, sir. I understand. You're right, I think that's exactly what my team needs. Thank you, sir."
"What was that about?" Daniel asked, curious.
"That was Hammond. He thought the four of us were feeling the pressure lately and that we could use some time off so he placed our unit on stand down for the next three days so we can get some rest. He wants us off the base ASAP."
"Good. I was planning on going for a drive this evening anyway. I just need to clear my head."
"Well, scrub that idea, Danny. I have an idea that'll work better for you. Come home with me for a few hours. We can get some pizza and I can stop by the store and get a few six packs of beer. That should help you clear your thoughts from your mind. I always say that beer is the best medicine." Jack insisted.
"Normally, I would tell you that sounded ridiculous but actually tonight, that sounds like a pretty nice idea. I just need to call Sarah and tell her what's going on so she doesn't wait on me to eat dinner. Besides, I have a feeling that this is another one of those situations that I don't have a choice." Daniel grinned.
"Now you're getting the hang of it."
"Can I use your phone to call Sarah?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Sarah was watching the news in the living room when the telephone rang. She was getting a little concerned that she hadn't heard from Daniel.
"Hello."
"Hey, Sarah. It's me." Daniel said.
"Oh, Daniel. I was getting concerned when I didn't hear from you. What's going on?" Sarah asked.
"Well, we got three days off and this evening Jack wants me to come to his house for beer and pizza. Kind of a male bonding, stress relief kind of thing. I just didn't want you to wait supper on me."
"Okay. I understand. Have a good time. Tell Jack I said hello." Sarah laughed brightly at Daniel's enthusiasm.
"I'll be home later this evening. Love you."
"I love you too."
"So, is everything on?" Jack asked as Daniel hung up the receiver.
"Yeah. I just had to let Sarah know what I was going to be up to so she wouldn't get worried. She said to tell you hi by the way. Before we head out, I think we need to let Sam and Teal'c know that we've got some downtime." Daniel suggested.
"Good idea. Let's split up. You tell Teal'c what's going on and I'll go tell Carter. We'll meet at the elevator in 15 minutes."
"Right."
Daniel went to Teal'c's quarters and knocked quietly on the door. He waited for a moment before entering the room to find Teal'c just beginning to light his meditation candles.
"Teal'c."
"How may I assist you, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, looking up at his friend.
"I just wanted to let you know that we're on stand down for the next three days so you're free to do whatever you want." Daniel informed him.
"I believe I shall travel to Chulak and surprise Ry'ac. It has been a long time since I was able to do so. Thank you, Daniel Jackson."
"No problem. Have a good time. Tell Bra'tac and Ry'ac that I said hello."
"Indeed." Teal'c acknowledged as Daniel left him to his business and went to wait for Jack by the elevator.
At the same time, Jack walked into Sam's lab and, as expected, found her fooling with her instruments and scientific doohickeys. He knocked on the wall lightly as he entered as to avoid startling her.
"Carter. Whatcha doing?"
"Oh, sir. I was just working on an experiment I've been trying to finish for a couple of days now. Is there something I can help you with?" Sam asked quickly.
"I just wanted to let you know that Hammond has given us some downtime. We're on stand down for the next three days effective immediately. Daniel and I are on our way out." Jack smiled.
"Good. That'll give me some time to get these calibrations right without having to rush through it. Thanks for letting me know sir."
"You're welcome. I'm going to go meet up with Daniel and he and I are going to have pizza and beer at my place. I'll leave you to your experiment or whatever. See you in a few days."
"Okay. Have fun, sir." Sam smiled as Jack left her to her work.
Jack arrived at the elevator to the surface to find Daniel already waiting there. He smiled as he walked over to his friend and clapped him on the back.
"Hey. Did you let Teal'c know what's up?"
"Yeah, I did. He said that he's going to go to Chulak for a few days and surprise Ry'ac since he hasn't had a chance to get back there in a while. What's Sam going to do?" Daniel asked.
"She's going to stay here and finish some experiment and play with her doohickeys, what else." Jack's comment caused both of them to laugh as the elevator doors closed and they slowly rose toward the surface.
Once they were topside and in the parking lot, Jack and Daniel were trying to work out their means of transportation. This was an issue since they were going to the same place.
"So you wanna ride with me, Danny, or do you want to follow in your own car?"
"Actually, I think I need to drive my own car since I really don't want to leave it here. Besides, Sarah's expecting me to come home later and it'll take less time for me to drive straight from your place rather than you having to drive me back over here to pick up my car."
"Sounds good to me. I'll go pick up some beer and meet you and my place in about thirty minutes." Jack said as he got in his car, Daniel not far behind in his own, as the two men headed to Jack's house for an evening of relaxing.
A short time later, Jack and Daniel were sitting in Jack's living room, the beer chilling in the refrigerator, and they were waiting for their pizza to arrive. Jack realized that this was probably just what Daniel needed because he seemed at ease and more relaxed than he had earlier.
"It looks like this is just what the doctor ordered for you, Daniel. Seems like you feel better than you did earlier."
"Yeah. I do feel a little better. I guess I just needed to get a break from the SGC for a little while. I really appreciate you inviting me over this evening, Jack." Daniel said as they heard the doorbell ring, signaling the arrival of their dinner.
"Hold that thought for a minute. Let's eat!" Jack said as he went to answer the door, returning a few moments later with a steaming hot pizza and placing it on the table in the living room.
As Jack and Daniel sat eating the pizza and drinking beer, the thing that was on Jack's mind was how he could try to work out what had Daniel so distracted and jumpy. It was then that he noticed that his friend was on his third beer in thirty minutes.
"Hey, Danny. Why don't you take it easy there? Save some for me." Jack cautioned with a touch of humor as he grabbed another bottle of beer for himself.
"Why? You sure were right about one thing, Jack. This is a better way to clear my mind than what I had in mind. I feel so much better. Hey, watch me go!" Daniel announced, his voice slurring, as he grabbed a slice of pizza and stuffed half of it in his mouth at once time. "Wahoo!!! I did it!!! Yeah!!!"
"All right, Daniel. That's enough. No more beer for you tonight. You're drunk." Jack insisted as he took the beer out of Daniel's hand.
"Jack. I'm not drunk. I just need to finish my beer and I'll be fine. I need to stop thinking about my nightmares of shuffling through foster care when I was young." Daniel slurred as he slumped over on the couch, unconscious.
"So that's what's been bothering him. I guess he's been having nightmares about something that happened to him when he was in foster care." Jack thought. "Come on. I need to get you home. You're in no shape to drive."
With considerable effort, Jack finally managed to wrangle Daniel into his truck and headed for his house. As he drove through town, with Daniel passed out in the passenger seat, his head sagging against the window, Jack was very concerned for his friend. It was very rare for Daniel to get drunk and he knew that something serious had to be going on for him to get himself into this condition. Just as Jack pulled the truck into the Daniel's house, Daniel finally began to come around.
"Jack? Where are we?" Daniel mumbled groggily.
"We're at your house, Danny. You had too many beers and you passed out. I knew that you weren't in any shape to drive home so I brought you." Jack explained.
"My car?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring it by tomorrow. Either that or you can come pick your car up in the morning when you're feeling better."
Then Jack helped Daniel out of the truck and led him to the front door, holding his arm to keep him upright and walking in a straight line. He rang the doorbell and waited for Sarah to answer it.
"Hey, Sarah." Jack said casually as soon as she came to the door.
"Hi, Jack. What brings you by this late?" Sarah asked just as she noticed Daniel's dazed form. "Daniel?!? What happened?"
"He's okay. He just needs a good night's sleep. He had a few too many beers tonight."
"Oh dear. Bring him inside, Jack."
"Jack. I don't feel so good." Daniel whispered as he passed out once more and collapsed.
"Daniel? Oh, great." Jack sighed as he caught his friend as he fell into his arms.
"Let's get him into bed." Sarah giggled as Jack hoisted Daniel over his shoulder and carried him to the bedroom and laid him on his bed, helping her get him comfortable.
"There we go. He'll probably be out for days." Jack teased lightly as he followed Sarah out of the room, closing the door quietly.
"Thanks for helping me, Jack. It looks like you and Daniel had quite a time tonight. He'll probably have a killer headache in the morning though."
"Of course he will. Well, it's really late so I'm going to head home and get out of your hair. Tell Daniel I'll bring his car back tomorrow afternoon."
"All right. I will. I appreciate you bringing him home, Jack." Sarah smiled as she walked him to the door and watched the truck pull into the dark.
After Jack was gone, Sarah turned and walked back into the house and made her way to the bedroom where Daniel rested. She changed into her pajamas and sat on the bed beside him, stroking his hair gently.
"You just need to sleep this off, Daniel. I'll be here to take care of you in the morning." Sarah whispered.
Sarah lay beside Daniel for a long time, keeping watch over him and whispering to him softly. Finally, she rested her head on the pillow beside his, placed her arm around him and closed her eyes and fell asleep.