The mountains, Sam decided, were far less picturesque up close than they were when viewed
from the village. There was a particularly vicious plant, with thorns almost an inch long, that seemed to enjoy jumping out unexpectedly and sticking itself into passersby. After the first few brushes, most of SG-1 had learned how to avoid them, but the strangled curses Daniel issued every few minutes indicated that he hadn't as yet.
They walked in single file through the underbrush. Esser was in the lead, though the expression on Teal'c face indicated that he was not happy with the arrangement. He said nothing, of course, but he walked as close to her as her pack would allow. After Teal'c came Daniel, who was so quiet, except for his occasional outbursts to the plants, that Sam wondered what was wrong but didn't ask. Behind Sam came Janet and then Jack brought up the rear. Aeronn had not been certain how the Sanoctem dealt with shade, and since the forest was almost completely shaded, Jack was on high alert. The last thing he wanted was a surprise.
Afterwards, Sam always wondered what would have happened if Janet hadn't chosen that particular moment to reach for her water bottle. In the few seconds her attention was divided between the path in front of her and the location of the bottle behind, she tripped on a rock, over corrected and fell. Both Sam and Jack were right beside her almost before she hit the ground, and managed to get her sitting up.
"I have to check the pack," Janet said, a little short of breath. "I have to know if anything was broken."
"What about you, Doc?" Jack asked.
"The fall didn't hurt me, Colonel." Janet struggled with her pack until Sam unclipped it for her. "Thank you."
"Dr. Fraiser," Teal'c said, "You have injured yourself."
"No I haven't, Teal'c. I'm fine."
"Your shirt is ripped and the skin beneath it is abraded."
Esser turned white as a sheet and gasped. Everyone looked at her.
"That's not a cut," Esser choked out. "That's a lesion."
"A what?!" Jack demanded.
"A l-lesion. The second symptom."
"Janet!" Jack was livid. "How long have you known?"
"Two days," Janet said quietly.
"You lied," Daniel said, speaking directly to her for the first time since the attic that morning. "It wasn't a nosebleed or allergies. It was the tears."
"I'm sorry. I – Colonel, they needed me." Janet was apologizing to Jack, but her eyes never left Daniel.
Jack was so angry, he was practically spluttering, unable to channel his fury into words. Sam said nothing, but her eyes were full of concern, and even Teal'c showed signs of worry on his face.
"Dr. Fraiser," Jack said finally in his coldest, most formal tone once he had gotten a hold of himself. "You are hereby ordered to return to the SGC and place yourself under quarantine until Dr. Warner releases you. Esser, you've just been promoted. Take whatever you need from Dr. Fraiser's pack. If you can't carry it, give it to Teal'c. Daniel, you're going home too. I need Carter with me when we find the Sanoctem."
Esser remained stock still until Sam began to look through the pack and as what she would need. Then, she too got to work. Jack pulled Janet to her feet and after a few minutes helped her into her now much lighter pack.
"You remember where you're going?" Sam asked Daniel, who nodded. "Keep in touch with base camp. The Colonel will go crazy if he doesn't know what's happening to her."
"She'll be fine once we get back to Earth, remember." Daniel's words were hopeful, but his voice was that of a man who had been kicked while he was down a few too many times. "All we have to do is go home."
Sam gave him a quick hug and then said good-bye Janet. Jack would not talk to anyone yet, but Sam knew he would cool down eventually. Teal'c and Esser paused in their repacking to luck and farewell, and then Daniel and Janet set off back down the trail.
It was a quiet walk. Daniel was beside himself with worry, having the best understanding of what Janet was going through and Janet wanted to apologize properly, so neither of them said anything. The thorn bushes still made pests of themselves, but Daniel didn't notice them anymore. He was worried and confused and more than a little bit angry. She had looked him in the face and lied, and that upset him more than he was currently prepared to cope with.
He dialed the DHD on autopilot, mechanically pressing each of the chevrons they had all committed to memory in turn until the wormhole opened. For a moment, he stared blankly into the event horizon, and then reached into his pocket for the GDO. Janet started up the ramp, the sunlight dancing around her as it reflected of the watery aperture of the 'Gate. Daniel swallowed around the large lump that was suddenly in his throat, and then passed into the cold that always waited on the other side of the universe.
------------
to be continued…