Part Six-
Jack tugged harder on Danny's hand as they walked quickly across the parking lot.
"Come on, big guy." Jack urged. "I know you're not fully awake yet, but pick up your feet. I certainly can't carry you."
"I'm not a baby." Danny grumbled. "I can walk just fine, thank you."
"Sorry." Jack apologized while giving the man-sized hand another tug.
Once inside the SGC they made their way toward the infirmary.
"Where are we going?" Danny stopped short pulling on Jack's hand.
"This way." Jack cocked his head.
"The infirmary?" Danny asked uneasy.
"Yeah." Jack pulled gently on his friend's arm. "Come on."
"Why?" Danny stood firm in his place.
" Because that's where everyone's waiting for us." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Danny, just trust me."
"I do, Jack." Danny said. "But I don't like hospitals."
"They scare you do they?" Jack asked sympathetically.
"I'm not a baby." Danny raised his voice.
The halls were empty due to the late or early enough hours but Jack looked around all the same.
"Sorry."
"S'okay." Danny said. "Does this have to do with those blackouts I had?"
"Blackouts?" Jack frowned back at Danny.
"You know." Danny replied. "When I fell down the stairs at the Scotts' that's what they told me I had. And then when I woke up here and didn't remember anything."
"Oh," Jack realized. He sighed wondering just how many lies he would have to tell the kid before this was over. But it was for Danny's own good and benefit, after all. Besides, part of it was true. "Yeah, that's it. That's exactly it, kiddo."
"So is it going to hurt?" Danny's eyes were now wide-awake.
"I don't think so." Jack was telling the truth. He didn't know. "But I'll be right there with you the whole time."
Danny curled his fingers around Jack's hand tighter and gave a broad smile. It was closed mouthed, no teeth, but Jack knew now he never should have questioned Danny's trust.
"Come on." Jack started off down the corridor. "And after this is all over, I'll get you some hot chocolate."
"With marshmallows?" Danny replied, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet.
"Yeah-sure-ya betcha."
As Jack led him into the room, Danny looked around curiously. This was not the infirmary he had been in before. This room had a bed and hospital equipment, but there were no other beds. There was a window up a ways on a far wall and he could see General Hammond and Teal'c standing behind the glass. He waved at them and the general smiled down at him waving back while Teal'c just nodded his head.
Major Carter was standing next to the bed with Doctor Fraiser and some man in a robe with a hood over his head. The man stood there with his head bowed and his hands tucked into the large sleeves of his robe.
"Hi, Danny." Carter greeted.
"Hi." Danny shyly answered back.
"Dr. Fraiser and I would like you to lie down on the bed." Carter told him.
Janet fluffed up the pillow and smiled at Danny. Jack tugged on his hand and then offered it to the major who took it gently. She guided Danny over to the bed and he eyed the monk.
"Who's he?" Danny asked.
"He's the one that's going to help us with these tests." The doctor answered.
"For my blackouts." Danny replied.
Janet looked to the colonel who just pursed his lips and cocked his head to the side. She nodded and looked back at Danny.
"Actually, yes. Well, shall we get started?" Janet patted the bed.
Danny hopped up on the bed looking over at Jack who smiled and winked at him. The monk moved to the side of the bed as Danny slid his head onto the pillow. Janet held out some contacts and explained to Danny that they would help them see how he was doing.
"But you have to do something, too." Sam told Danny as she moved to remove his glasses. "You have to close your eyes and keep them closed no matter what you may feel you want to do. Think of something else, something pleasant. Can you do that?"
"Yes." Danny nodded. "I'll think of the marshmallows, Jack."
Trying to suppress a laugh Jack nodded. "You do that, Danny-boy."
"Now, Major Carter?" Danny asked.
"Yes, Danny." Carter answered as she watched Janet fiddle with the knobs on the machine.
Jack felt finality when he saw Danny close his eyes. It was actually an odd sense of loss. He wanted Daniel back, but he had to admit he would miss Danny even only having known him for this short time.
The monk slowly revealed his hands as he reached up to remove his hood. He placed his hands on Danny's cheeks to hold him still as he bent down and lightly pressed their foreheads together. Danny jerked, but did not open his eyes.
"Jack?" Danny called out in an oh-so-small voice.
"Shh," Jack soothed. "It's okay, Danny. Just relax. Marshmallows, remember?"
"The little, tiny ones." Danny whispered as he swallowed hard trying to be brave even though he was a little scared.
The monk smelled like the inside of his parents' old suitcase. The one that held all of their pictures he had been given before he was sent to the group home. His grandpa, Nick, had taken the suitcase when he came to the home to sign papers that he didn't want Danny. But he must not think of that now. Marshmallows. Tiny pillows floating on a sea of chocolate surrounded by rainbow bubbles.
Suddenly Danny's hands flew up and grabbed the monk's arms. But just as quickly they dropped down onto the bed as his body went rigid and still. Janet fiddled with knobs and watched monitors while the monk let go of Jackson and straightened.
"What?" Jack asked impatiently.
The monk simply released Danny, replaced his hood, slid his hands into his sleeves and turned to walk out of the room. Carter quickly followed the monk as Fraiser whipped out her penlight and began to examine Danny.
Unnoticed, Teal'c had left the observation room to accompany Carter to the gateroom to see the monk on his way. Hammond remained watching the room below.
Jack watched as Danny's body twitched and his eyes began to flutter open. Janet straightened up and began to pull off the contacts from Danny's forehead.
"Jack."
Immediately Jack was at the side of the bed. "I'm here."
"How do you feel?" Dr. Fraiser asked.
"Headache."
"Do you know who we are?" Fraiser asked.
"Dr. Janet Fraiser and Colonel Jack O'Neill."
"And you are?" Jack asked expectantly.
"Dr. Daniel Jackson." He replied.
"And do you remember what happened?" Janet questioned.
"I was going to exchange the knowledge of self with a monk on P4X558." Daniel remembered. "He grabbed my face and pulled me down so our foreheads were touching. Then I woke up here."
"All right, then." Janet moved off to the side. "Let me get out of your way and you sit up when you're ready. I'll be back shortly."
General Hammond heaved a sigh of relief. "Good to have you back, Dr. Jackson."
Daniel looked up and waved at the general, who smiled broadly in return. Jack watched him disappear from the observation room and then they were alone. He looked back at Daniel, who was staring at him intently.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Just thinking." Daniel answered.
"About?" Jack prompted.
"Strange stuff." Daniel rubbed his forehead. "Must've been dreaming while I was out cold. Jumbled memories."
"Really." Jack replied.
"Yeah." Daniel nodded. "Oma Desala was in it, only I was a kid. But I was at your house, I think."
"Look, Daniel." Jack interrupted, as he was becoming uncomfortable at this revelation. "Maybe you shouldn't be straining your brain right now. Just relax."
"Well," Janet said as she entered the room. "I want to run some tests on you, but they can wait until tomorrow. You don't have to stay here, Daniel. But I'd prefer you weren't alone."
"He can crash at my place." Jack offered.
Daniel began to push up and Jack helped him into a sitting position. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. A shiver throughout his body had Fraiser rubbing his arm.
"You cold?" The doctor asked.
"Kinda." Daniel admitted. "Can I get something hot to drink?"
"No coffee, Daniel." Fraiser ordered. "You need rest and that will only keep you up."
Jack was staring at Daniel as the latter watched the doctor leave the room again.
"What?" Now it was Daniel's turn to ask.
"No coffee, the Doc said." Jack shrugged.
"Yeah, I know." Daniel racked his teeth over his bottom lip. "That's really weird."
"Not really." Jack answered. "Caffeine would only keep you up…"
"I wasn't thinking of coffee." Daniel looked up at Jack now with searching eyes.
---
The ride home had been disturbingly silent. The proverbial other shoe was dangling in the air threatening to drop not in finality, but resurgence.
Daniel sat at the kitchen table expecting to be waited on. Jack leaned against the counter watching his friend. Come on, Daniel. Just say it.
"Hot chocolate." Daniel blurted out as he watched his clasped hands before him.
Finally. "With marshmallows." Jack added knowingly.
"The tiny ones." Daniel finished as he looked up at Jack with watery eyes.
"How much?" Jack now asked gently.
"Oh," Daniel sighed shakily. "Fragments really. Bits and pieces."
Jack smiled now, realizing that Oma Desala had known all along that Daniel would remember. Maybe not all at once, but he would.
"So you were underneath there." Jack sighed. "Somewhere down deep."
"Yeah." Daniel returned his gaze to his hands and began tracing the lines on the palms. "Well, this is weird."
"I'll say." Jack turned around and got out two mugs from the cupboard.
Daniel jumped up and went to the refrigerator. He got out the carton of milk giving the expiration date a careful glance. Not exactly well past the due date, so he opened up the carton and sniffed the contents. Considering it non-lethal, Daniel handed the milk to Jack who was awaiting his decision.
Jack poured the milk into the small pot on the stove. Once he had adjusted the burner he looked over at Daniel who stared down at the blue flames.
"Penny." Jack said.
Daniel let out nervous laugh. "No," he shook his head. "No you don't."
Jack frowned as he watched Daniel return to sit at the table. Jittery hands removed glasses that gave a rat-a-tat noise as they were put down. Rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands and then resting his elbows on the table Daniel withdrew.
Checking the milk temperature with his pinkie Jack found it unacceptable. Licking his finger he took the two mugs to the table. Pulling out a chair he sat across from Daniel.
"Yes, Daniel." Jack replied. "I do."
Without looking up Daniel conversed. "Come on, Jack. This is screwed and you know it."
"Not eloquently put for a linguist." Jack admonished.
"What the hell was that?" Daniel asked. "I mean, what the hell was Oma Desala trying to do?"
"Remember all of that, do you?" Jack felt a lump in the pit of his stomach.
"Now, yeah." Daniel shook his head. "Why can't people just leave me alone?"
"I don't know that Oma constitutes as people." Jack theorized.
Daniel dropped his head into the crook of his arm resting on the table. "Jack, please? Just stick to the issue at hand."
"Sorry." Jack suddenly remembered the milk and bolted up. He turned off the burner and then picked up the pot. Taking a spoon out of the drawer, he skimmed off the skin that had formed atop the milk and plopped the spoon in the sink. Grabbing two cocoa packets and a clean spoon he returned to the table.
Daniel heard Jack ripping open the packets and then pouring the milk into the mugs. When the clinking of the spoon in the mugs came to an end, he knew he couldn't hide any longer.
Jack watched Daniel raise his head and reach for one of the mugs. It did not go unnoticed that Daniel did not replace his glasses on his face.
"Where are the marshmallows?" Daniel asked peering into the mug.
"Sorry." Jack repeated.
"You'd have lied to a kid?" Daniel asked in disbelief as he now fixed an accusatory look at Jack.
"No." Jack answered. "If the kid had still been here I would've stopped at the market."
"Oh." Daniel nodded. "Okay."
They blew and sipped for a few minutes. Neither one knew exactly what the other was thinking, but they knew they had to talk about it.
"She's a pompous ass…"
"Jack." Daniel warned.
"As-cended being." Jack recovered. "She knew what she was doing."
"Always does." Daniel agreed. "I know you're probably really ticked off at me for not trusting you."
"On which count?" Jack wondered.
"My past." Daniel answered. "The foster parents' stuff."
"No." Jack shook his head. "Well, maybe a little. I mean after you got to know me and all."
"I really pushed a lot of that in the back of my mind, Jack." Daniel explained. "Not stuff I wanted to remember. I wasn't trying to keep it from you. Well, any longer, that is."
"I can understand that." Jack agreed. "So, do you think she was right about all of it?"
Daniel shrugged and took another sip. "I don't know, maybe. It makes sense, but I swear I was never looking for a surrogate parent."
"I know." Jack reassured. "I was never looking for a surrogate kid, either."
No, neither one had been looking for the surrogate. But that's exactly what they got. And both of them had fallen into the roles fairly easily.
"Damn." Jack finally said.
"Yeah." Daniel nodded, looking away quickly. "This is so creepy."
"No." Jack shook his head. "I don't think so. A little warped maybe, but not creepy."
"Think we need therapy?" Daniel asked solemnly.
"Oh, without a doubt for a number of reasons." Jack admitted. "But you know how I feel about that. But for this? Naw."
"So, is it bad?" Daniel asked. "I mean, you're my best friend. Jack, I never had a best friend until you. Don't best friends take care of each other? Look out for each other?"
"Of course." Jack agreed. "That's what we do. I think we both needed someone to fill the gaps. Me without Sara or Charlie and you without Sha're or your parents. It's not weird, Daniel. It's cool."
"Oma thought it was okay." Daniel stated. "She's always right. So, we're okay aren't we?"
"Yeah," Jack nodded. "We're okay. We always have been, even when we tick each other off. And I guess we always will be."
Daniel smiled at him now. "Any kid would've been lucky to have you for a parent, Jack. I always thought that. But now, you know. I really know it."
Jack smiled back thoughtfully. "And any parent should've known they were lucky to have you to be responsible for. I guess some of them were just too dense to realize it and take care of you the way you should've been. The way you needed to be."
Daniel lowered his head. "I didn't make it easy for them."
"Ah!" Jack scolded. "You had every right to be difficult, Daniel. It was the adults who needed to be open and willing. Don't make excuses. They don't deserve to be let off the hook."
Daniel let out a ragged sigh. "Since I lost my parents, it's been hard to say it. Those three little words never came very easy after they died. I know I lost Sarah because of that. And Sha're used to say it was all right that I didn't say it all that much." He let out a tired laugh. "Rarely, actually. It was almost like if I said it out loud they'd go away. But they did anyway, huh?"
"Live and learn, Danny-boy." Jack offered. "That's what it's all about. Take the good times and the crappy times and make something of a life because of or in spite of."
"I really wish I would've met someone like you back then." Daniel mused.
"I missed out on a lot. I know that. Kid stuff, birthday parties, holidays and just feeling safe and protected. Would've been nice."
"Isn't it?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"Yeah," Daniel smiled. He had never known all of those things until he met Jack. And his SGC family made holiday and birthday memories for him now that he held dear. So he can make up for lost time. "It is."
"Drink up." Jack held up his mug. "Then you head to your room and get that rest Fraiser ordered."
"My room." Daniel repeated.
"As long as I have a roof over my head, Daniel." Jack informed him. "Know what I mean?"
"Yes." Daniel held up his mug and they clanked them together. "To friendship."
"Yeahsureyabetcha!"
THE END