Pain was the first thing he was aware of.
The pain started somewhere near his forehead and worked its way along his shoulders and back and down the back of his legs. Even his toes hurt, he thought. He wondered if he hurt because he was working too hard. Sometimes he got tension headaches from staring at translations for too long, and then his head would start pounding like it was then. But usually his back didn't hurt from the tension headaches – and his legs never hurt like they were. He felt like they were on fire.
Fire.
A memory of a flash of light – like fire? No. An explosion? A bunch of explosions…? Daniel couldn't remember what it was about fire that was so important, but there was something nagging him. Something that he was supposed to be worried about. He wondered what it was. Then he wondered why he was worried about what he was supposed to be worried about. That made him smile – even around the pain. Only Daniel could worry about worrying. He should tell Melony that. It'd make her smile. She didn't smile enough, as far as he was concerned.
Melony?
Maybe that was what he was supposed to be worrying about? Something about Melony? He was having trouble concentrating with the pounding in his head, but the more he tried to focus on the thought, the more certain he was that there was something about Melony that he was concerned about.
Were they out of coffee? That would be bad. The two of them put back a lot of coffee each day. It didn't sound right, though. Coffee was serious stuff, but not in the same caliber of concerns as whatever it was that was nagging at him. Daniel frowned, and it hurt. Everything hurt. It was probably the stupid cot he was sleeping on. He hated the cot. It hurt his back, and no matter how he slept, he always ended up with a crick in his neck. Time to get up, he decided. He could worry about whatever it was when he got up and worked out the aches that were plaguing his back.
He moved, then, without being completely awake, and the aches in his back flared into serious pain. Enough that he gasped. The gasp turned into a groan that he couldn't bite back, and Janet was there immediately.
They had Daniel on his stomach. His broken ribs were tightly taped and could handle his weight on them far better than the nasty burns that were on his lower back and the back of his legs, so it was better to have him on his stomach – although it made talking to him difficult.
"Easy, Daniel…"
She crouched down next to his bed so she could look him in the eye, and she saw that he was awake, but that his eyes were glazed with pain and shock.
"Janet?"
"Hold on."
She reached for a painkiller and injected it into the IV that was dripping into his arm. If he was hurting that badly, she needed to give him something.
"Lay still, Daniel," she told him, crouching down once more.
"What happened?"
"You hit the ground pretty hard."
"What?"
"Relax for a minute, Daniel. Give the painkiller a chance to take affect."
"What painkiller? What are you doing in my room? Where did you come from?"
"Daniel… you're in the infirmary. I'm not in your room."
Janet was used to dealing with patients just waking up from a traumatic injury, so she was pretty sure Daniel still thought he was wherever he'd been before he ended up back at the base. Someplace where he had his own room, obviously. She spoke slowly, and made sure to enunciate her words clearly for him.
"You're in the infirmary, Daniel. You've been hurt, but we're working on that, and now that you're awake, it'll probably just be a matter of days before you're well."
"The infirmary?"
The pain was starting to fade, which made it a little easier to focus on what she was saying.
"Yes."
"I'm at the SGC?"
"Yes."
He suddenly remembered everything. Including what had been nagging him.
"Melony!" He started to get up, struggling against the sudden pain that had returned with a vengeance as soon as he moved.
Janet put her hand on his shoulder to hold him down.
"Daniel! You have to hold still!"
"I have to find her!" He gasped, his eyes watering with the pain that was lancing through him. God, he couldn't remember ever hurting this badly.
"She's here, Daniel."
"She is?" He turned to look at Janet. "She made it? Where is she? Can I see her?"
Janet shook her head.
"She's hurt."
"She has Talon."
"I know."
Daniel was quiet, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him.
"He's not helping?"
"It hasn't been long. We're still hoping he can heal her."
"How… how bad is it?"
He remembered thinking that there was no way she was going to make it across the ship before it exploded. Obviously he'd been wrong.
"It's bad. She's seriously injured."
"I need to see her." Daniel said.
"You can't. I want you to rest. General Hammond wants to talk to you, but it'll wait until you're in less pain."
"I need to see her, Janet. I have to make sure she's okay…"
He wasn't listening to her, Janet knew. She frowned, and made a quick decision. Hammond wanted to talk to him, yes, but he was going to injure himself if he tried to get out of bed again, and she didn't put it past Daniel to try and get out of bed if he was determined enough to go find Mitchell. She stood up and reached for another syringe and injected it into his IV.
"Daniel, I want you to sleep. When you wake up, we'll talk about you going to see Colonel Mitchell."
"No! I have to see her now! She has to know that we made it!" He was struggling to rise, even though she was holding him down with a gentle hand on his left shoulder.
"Daniel, relax… you'll see her soon. I promise…"
"No… she… I…" the potent drug was already kicking in, and Daniel's eyes started to grow heavy. "She… she… Janet…" There was something he was supposed to tell Janet… Something Melony had told him to tell her. He tried to focus on the thought, but his mind – which was usually so sharp and competent – was failing him once more.
"Go to sleep, Daniel…"
Her hand was caressing his shoulder, gently, soothing him to sleep, but he was fighting it.
"Janet…"
"Go to sleep, Daniel…"
He couldn't resist. The medication was too much for him to resist, and he drifted off, her hand still softly rubbing his shoulder. Whatever it was, it'd wait…
The pain started somewhere near his forehead and worked its way along his shoulders and back and down the back of his legs. Even his toes hurt, he thought. He wondered if he hurt because he was working too hard. Sometimes he got tension headaches from staring at translations for too long, and then his head would start pounding like it was then. But usually his back didn't hurt from the tension headaches – and his legs never hurt like they were. He felt like they were on fire.
Fire.
A memory of a flash of light – like fire? No. An explosion? A bunch of explosions…? Daniel couldn't remember what it was about fire that was so important, but there was something nagging him. Something that he was supposed to be worried about. He wondered what it was. Then he wondered why he was worried about what he was supposed to be worried about. That made him smile – even around the pain. Only Daniel could worry about worrying. He should tell Melony that. It'd make her smile. She didn't smile enough, as far as he was concerned.
Melony?
Maybe that was what he was supposed to be worrying about? Something about Melony? He was having trouble concentrating with the pounding in his head, but the more he tried to focus on the thought, the more certain he was that there was something about Melony that he was concerned about.
Were they out of coffee? That would be bad. The two of them put back a lot of coffee each day. It didn't sound right, though. Coffee was serious stuff, but not in the same caliber of concerns as whatever it was that was nagging at him. Daniel frowned, and it hurt. Everything hurt. It was probably the stupid cot he was sleeping on. He hated the cot. It hurt his back, and no matter how he slept, he always ended up with a crick in his neck. Time to get up, he decided. He could worry about whatever it was when he got up and worked out the aches that were plaguing his back.
He moved, then, without being completely awake, and the aches in his back flared into serious pain. Enough that he gasped. The gasp turned into a groan that he couldn't bite back, and Janet was there immediately.
They had Daniel on his stomach. His broken ribs were tightly taped and could handle his weight on them far better than the nasty burns that were on his lower back and the back of his legs, so it was better to have him on his stomach – although it made talking to him difficult.
"Easy, Daniel…"
She crouched down next to his bed so she could look him in the eye, and she saw that he was awake, but that his eyes were glazed with pain and shock.
"Janet?"
"Hold on."
She reached for a painkiller and injected it into the IV that was dripping into his arm. If he was hurting that badly, she needed to give him something.
"Lay still, Daniel," she told him, crouching down once more.
"What happened?"
"You hit the ground pretty hard."
"What?"
"Relax for a minute, Daniel. Give the painkiller a chance to take affect."
"What painkiller? What are you doing in my room? Where did you come from?"
"Daniel… you're in the infirmary. I'm not in your room."
Janet was used to dealing with patients just waking up from a traumatic injury, so she was pretty sure Daniel still thought he was wherever he'd been before he ended up back at the base. Someplace where he had his own room, obviously. She spoke slowly, and made sure to enunciate her words clearly for him.
"You're in the infirmary, Daniel. You've been hurt, but we're working on that, and now that you're awake, it'll probably just be a matter of days before you're well."
"The infirmary?"
The pain was starting to fade, which made it a little easier to focus on what she was saying.
"Yes."
"I'm at the SGC?"
"Yes."
He suddenly remembered everything. Including what had been nagging him.
"Melony!" He started to get up, struggling against the sudden pain that had returned with a vengeance as soon as he moved.
Janet put her hand on his shoulder to hold him down.
"Daniel! You have to hold still!"
"I have to find her!" He gasped, his eyes watering with the pain that was lancing through him. God, he couldn't remember ever hurting this badly.
"She's here, Daniel."
"She is?" He turned to look at Janet. "She made it? Where is she? Can I see her?"
Janet shook her head.
"She's hurt."
"She has Talon."
"I know."
Daniel was quiet, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him.
"He's not helping?"
"It hasn't been long. We're still hoping he can heal her."
"How… how bad is it?"
He remembered thinking that there was no way she was going to make it across the ship before it exploded. Obviously he'd been wrong.
"It's bad. She's seriously injured."
"I need to see her." Daniel said.
"You can't. I want you to rest. General Hammond wants to talk to you, but it'll wait until you're in less pain."
"I need to see her, Janet. I have to make sure she's okay…"
He wasn't listening to her, Janet knew. She frowned, and made a quick decision. Hammond wanted to talk to him, yes, but he was going to injure himself if he tried to get out of bed again, and she didn't put it past Daniel to try and get out of bed if he was determined enough to go find Mitchell. She stood up and reached for another syringe and injected it into his IV.
"Daniel, I want you to sleep. When you wake up, we'll talk about you going to see Colonel Mitchell."
"No! I have to see her now! She has to know that we made it!" He was struggling to rise, even though she was holding him down with a gentle hand on his left shoulder.
"Daniel, relax… you'll see her soon. I promise…"
"No… she… I…" the potent drug was already kicking in, and Daniel's eyes started to grow heavy. "She… she… Janet…" There was something he was supposed to tell Janet… Something Melony had told him to tell her. He tried to focus on the thought, but his mind – which was usually so sharp and competent – was failing him once more.
"Go to sleep, Daniel…"
Her hand was caressing his shoulder, gently, soothing him to sleep, but he was fighting it.
"Janet…"
"Go to sleep, Daniel…"
He couldn't resist. The medication was too much for him to resist, and he drifted off, her hand still softly rubbing his shoulder. Whatever it was, it'd wait…