|peace be still|season seven|heroes|missing scene|
"Hey, airman," Jack snapped as he exited the infirmary. "Have you seen Dr. Jackson?"
The young airman stood straighter, and nervously licked his lips. Colonel O'Neill was legendary, and he was intimidating on a good day. With one of their own lost forever, it was about as far from a good day as they could get.
"He told General Hammond he was going to the infirmary, sir," the airman said quickly. "He wasn't visiting you?"
Jack frowned and shook his head, before distractedly waving the young man away. Carter had been in to see him a few minutes earlier, and she had just left to go sit with Cassie. But he hadn't seen Daniel since he had awoken, though he'd been assured by the nurses Daniel had sat beside him for hours before then.
He turned around and wandered back into the infirmary, a few of the beds were occupied with the other injured people brought back, but most were thankfully empty--and Daniel was no where in sight. He caught the attention of a passing nurse.
"Was Dr. Jackson in here?"
The nurse nodded and sadly motioned towards the observation room. Jack turned to look at the dark doorway in disbelief. He nodded his thanks and headed into the room, some light was filtering in from the observation booth a few feet above, but the corners and most of the room was cloaked in shadow.
He swallowed and placed a hand to his side as his injury gave a painful twinge. "Daniel?" he called, stepping a few feet inside.
He didn't know why he didn't simply turn on the light--though he suspected it was somewhat due to the fact he was afraid what he would see.
"You in here?" he tried again.
"Jack?"
Jack sighed. This wasn't good. He'd been hoping that the nurse was wrong and Daniel was sitting somewhere with Teal'c, somewhere in the light and with the comfort of friends. Finding him sitting in the corner of a room he had died in not a year before, alone, in the dark--no doubt reliving the last minutes of Janet's life was definitely not reassuring.
The small amount of light in the room reflected off Daniel's glasses as he looked up, and Jack could make out the outline of his figure now he knew where to look. He was in the farthest corner, with his knees brought up to his chest.
"Yeah," Jack said evenly, stepping further into the room. "It's me."
He saw Daniel move again. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. I've been released, I have some pain meds for a couple days but nothing major."
"That's good," Daniel told him, his voice stumbling over the words.
"Hey, Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing in here?" Jack asked him casually.
"I don't know," Daniel answered, sounding honestly confused.
Jack ran a hand through his hair, then determinedly walked to the corner that sheltered his friend. Dropping to the ground beside him, he mirrored Daniel's position and ignored the pain flaring up in his chest at the movements. "Mind if I join you?" he asked after he gotten comfortable.
Even in the dark, Jack could imagine the incredulous look Daniel was giving him.
"Well seeing as you're already sitting down, and with your injuries, probably unable to get up . . ." Daniel trailed off.
Jack winced. Daniel never missed anything. "Have you eaten?" Jack asked. "I'm starving."
"I'm not hungry," Daniel said dispassionately. "You should go eat something."
"I would," Jack said, leaning his head back against the wall and grabbing his sides. "But you were right. I don't think I'm getting up anytime soon."
"Have you heard anything about Sam and Cassie?" Daniel asked quietly. "I've been meaning to find out how they are. I've just been--" Daniel trailed off again, and Jack glanced over at him worriedly.
"I saw Carter a few minutes ago, she's doing as well as can be expected. She says Cassie's coping."
"That's good," Daniel whispered.
"Which," Jack continued, "Leaves you."
"I'm fine, Jack," Daniel said without hesitation.
"That would be a lot more convincing if I hadn't found you in this room alone, Daniel," Jack responded quietly.
"I wanted to be alone," Daniel said. "There's nothing wrong with that. You do it all the time."
"Usually with the lights on," Jack said wryly.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" Daniel asked him softly.
"I'm afraid I found you sitting here alone in the dark, Daniel. This isn't healthy."
"That reporter was by a little while ago," Daniel said, changing the subject smoothly. "I gave him the tape."
"What tape?"
"The one that recorded Janet's death."
Jack gasped and ran a hand across his face. "Jesus, Daniel--" he whispered.
"I dropped it when she was shot," he continued. "I didn't mean to film it-- but, strangely," Daniel paused. "Strangely, I'm glad that I did. I don't want her to be forgotten, Jack."
Jack reached over and placed his hand on the back of Daniel's neck. He squeezed it gently and said, "She won't be. Not by any of us."
Jack's hand fell away, and Daniel buried his head in his arms. They sat there together in the dark, silent and still, and neither were sure how long they remained like that. They lost track of time, and didn't move again until one of the nurses wandered in and turned on the light.
|The End|
"Hey, airman," Jack snapped as he exited the infirmary. "Have you seen Dr. Jackson?"
The young airman stood straighter, and nervously licked his lips. Colonel O'Neill was legendary, and he was intimidating on a good day. With one of their own lost forever, it was about as far from a good day as they could get.
"He told General Hammond he was going to the infirmary, sir," the airman said quickly. "He wasn't visiting you?"
Jack frowned and shook his head, before distractedly waving the young man away. Carter had been in to see him a few minutes earlier, and she had just left to go sit with Cassie. But he hadn't seen Daniel since he had awoken, though he'd been assured by the nurses Daniel had sat beside him for hours before then.
He turned around and wandered back into the infirmary, a few of the beds were occupied with the other injured people brought back, but most were thankfully empty--and Daniel was no where in sight. He caught the attention of a passing nurse.
"Was Dr. Jackson in here?"
The nurse nodded and sadly motioned towards the observation room. Jack turned to look at the dark doorway in disbelief. He nodded his thanks and headed into the room, some light was filtering in from the observation booth a few feet above, but the corners and most of the room was cloaked in shadow.
He swallowed and placed a hand to his side as his injury gave a painful twinge. "Daniel?" he called, stepping a few feet inside.
He didn't know why he didn't simply turn on the light--though he suspected it was somewhat due to the fact he was afraid what he would see.
"You in here?" he tried again.
"Jack?"
Jack sighed. This wasn't good. He'd been hoping that the nurse was wrong and Daniel was sitting somewhere with Teal'c, somewhere in the light and with the comfort of friends. Finding him sitting in the corner of a room he had died in not a year before, alone, in the dark--no doubt reliving the last minutes of Janet's life was definitely not reassuring.
The small amount of light in the room reflected off Daniel's glasses as he looked up, and Jack could make out the outline of his figure now he knew where to look. He was in the farthest corner, with his knees brought up to his chest.
"Yeah," Jack said evenly, stepping further into the room. "It's me."
He saw Daniel move again. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. I've been released, I have some pain meds for a couple days but nothing major."
"That's good," Daniel told him, his voice stumbling over the words.
"Hey, Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing in here?" Jack asked him casually.
"I don't know," Daniel answered, sounding honestly confused.
Jack ran a hand through his hair, then determinedly walked to the corner that sheltered his friend. Dropping to the ground beside him, he mirrored Daniel's position and ignored the pain flaring up in his chest at the movements. "Mind if I join you?" he asked after he gotten comfortable.
Even in the dark, Jack could imagine the incredulous look Daniel was giving him.
"Well seeing as you're already sitting down, and with your injuries, probably unable to get up . . ." Daniel trailed off.
Jack winced. Daniel never missed anything. "Have you eaten?" Jack asked. "I'm starving."
"I'm not hungry," Daniel said dispassionately. "You should go eat something."
"I would," Jack said, leaning his head back against the wall and grabbing his sides. "But you were right. I don't think I'm getting up anytime soon."
"Have you heard anything about Sam and Cassie?" Daniel asked quietly. "I've been meaning to find out how they are. I've just been--" Daniel trailed off again, and Jack glanced over at him worriedly.
"I saw Carter a few minutes ago, she's doing as well as can be expected. She says Cassie's coping."
"That's good," Daniel whispered.
"Which," Jack continued, "Leaves you."
"I'm fine, Jack," Daniel said without hesitation.
"That would be a lot more convincing if I hadn't found you in this room alone, Daniel," Jack responded quietly.
"I wanted to be alone," Daniel said. "There's nothing wrong with that. You do it all the time."
"Usually with the lights on," Jack said wryly.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" Daniel asked him softly.
"I'm afraid I found you sitting here alone in the dark, Daniel. This isn't healthy."
"That reporter was by a little while ago," Daniel said, changing the subject smoothly. "I gave him the tape."
"What tape?"
"The one that recorded Janet's death."
Jack gasped and ran a hand across his face. "Jesus, Daniel--" he whispered.
"I dropped it when she was shot," he continued. "I didn't mean to film it-- but, strangely," Daniel paused. "Strangely, I'm glad that I did. I don't want her to be forgotten, Jack."
Jack reached over and placed his hand on the back of Daniel's neck. He squeezed it gently and said, "She won't be. Not by any of us."
Jack's hand fell away, and Daniel buried his head in his arms. They sat there together in the dark, silent and still, and neither were sure how long they remained like that. They lost track of time, and didn't move again until one of the nurses wandered in and turned on the light.
|The End|