Even after mentally preparing herself for the worst, Janet wasn't expecting what she now saw this evening.
Curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, was Daniel. Shivering and frightened, he seemed so small, so distant, trapped in a world all his own. His appearance was a shock to Janet, who was so used to the animate and talkative man, someone that would not hesitate to speak his mind, or to push aside what was wrong from what was right. He was the kind of man that did not back down, unless absolutely necessary.
Yet, here he was, cornered and terrified, his hands curled to his chest in a protective manner.
"What the hell?" Colonel O'Neill asked, standing in the doorway.
Janet turned to one of her aides, her face alone demanding to know what happened.
"He woke up just a few minutes ago," the aide stated. "We were preparing to call you when he…" Her sympathetic and nervous gaze drifted to the corner of the room. "He had an incident."
"An incident?" Sam asked. She blinked, dumbfounded, before turning to Janet.
Janet understood that questioning look. Sam hated not having the answers, just about as much as she did.
Breathing out, Janet mentally prepared herself for the task at hand, stealing only a quick worried glance at Daniel. He was still there, nearly motionless, with wide eyes absorbing everything.
"Okay," Janet said at last. "I'm going to need some room." She turned to Sam, Colonel O'Neill, and Teal'c. The three were fully prepared, wearing smocks, masks, and gloves. She sighed, knowing how deeply they wanted to remain and help. But she was a doctor, and her first priority was to her patients. "I'm sorry, Colonel," she began, "I know how much—"
"We can help, Janet," Sam interrupted. "I mean, God, look how frightened he looks."
"Well, wouldn't you be if you had a bunch of stiffs wearing lab coats hovering around you?" O'Neill froze. "No offense there, Doc."
"None taken, Colonel." But he was right, she realized. Whatever was happening to Daniel, physically, mentally, he was obviously scared out of his mind. "Okay," she began. "We'll need to get him back onto the gurney."
Janet took a tentative step forward, pressing her lips together under the heat of the mask. Inwardly, she flinched, watching as Daniel reared back, almost desperate to push away from her, as if he was trying to meld into the wall behind him. His eyes never left her, however, and continued to bear down on her with fear and trepidation.
"Doc, I thought you said he was okay," she heard Colonel O'Neill say from somewhere close behind her.
"His initial tests didn't show anything to cause me significant concern," she answered, still creeping closer. She was aware that Sam and Teal'c were near her as well, prepared in case something, anything, happened that might be construed as dangerous. She knew she was placing herself in a vulnerable position, but she had handled situations that were far worse than this, and more violent. Despite her experience, she was grateful for the support. "With Daniel being unconscious, I haven't been able to monitor any behavioral problems."
"I'd say this is a problem."
Which was obvious, she thought, though she didn't have the time to deal with the colonel right now.
"Daniel," she said softly, her voice muffled slightly by her surgical mask.
He didn't answer her, instead taking the opportunity to huddle closer to the concrete wall.
"Daniel," she began again. "Do you know who I am?"
Again, Daniel didn't reply to her, and she started to consider the possibility that his behavior could be far worse than just shock. She was confident that his hearing was in tact, based on the way his eyes were following whoever was speaking, and obviously his vision wasn't further impaired. But his behavior…she sighed. She didn't want to have to keep putting this man through test after test.
"Daniel?" she asked again, taking another step closer. She winced inwardly at his startled reaction, as he brought his hands to partially cover his face.
He looked as if he'd been crying.
"What happened after he woke up?" Janet asked.
Terrance, one of her most faithful nurses, spoke. "We initially thought he was in shock. He wasn't responding to any of us. When we moved to contact you to come down to examine him, he managed to get off the gurney and crawl into the corner."
"Crawl?" Sam's eyes widened and, she stared at Janet incredulously. "Are you sure?"
Terrance looked more than annoyed. "Saw it with my own two eyes, Major."
"Okay, well we'll deal with that later, then," O'Neill stated, his voice firm. "This is pointless. Teal'c, come with me. We'll get him off the floor."
"As you wish, O'Neill."
"No, that wouldn't be such a great idea." Janet turned to face Colonel O'Neill while holding Teal'c back gently.
"She's right, Sir," Sam agreed, standing beside the smaller woman. "I think he's traumatized enough."
Colonel O'Neill narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you suggest, Major? Because right now, I have Hammond waiting outside for some kind of answer while we all discuss why a scholar is sitting on the floor blubbering like a baby."
The four of them stood there, silent for a moment, considering their options. Honestly, the decision shouldn't be difficult. The most logical course of action would to be to move in quickly, snatch Daniel, and strap him down. But none of them wanted to take that route; they all wished for some alternative. Even months later, the incident with Ma'chello's bugs was still fresh in their minds.
"Doctor Fraiser?"
Janet turned quietly, noting the hesitance in her aide's voice. Following his gestures, her gaze settled back on Daniel. To her surprise, he had inched a little closer, his face pressed against the cold wall, but his hands had moved back to his chest. What tore her heart had to be his open expression, one that bordered on sheer helplessness.
"Hi," she said brightly, this time remaining where she was.
Daniel blinked back at her, bringing one of his curled hands to his mouth. He rested his chin on his knuckles, his tongue protruding slightly as he moistened his lips.
Janet smiled at him, then felt silly, realizing he couldn't see anything behind her mask. She at least hoped he could pick up on her positive presence.
"Hi," she said again, beckoning gently with her hand. "Why don't you come over here?"
Daniel's gaze followed her hand before settling on her face. Just when she thought he was considering moving towards her, he froze, scooting a little closer to the wall, and focused his gaze off to her left.
"Hi," Sam said, kneeling down by Janet's side. "I'm Sam. You remember me?"
No response.
"Janet," Sam started, never taking her gaze off Daniel. "I don't think he understands us."
"He seems to be following the tone of our voice," Janet admitted, more than a little distressed by the revelation.
"Yeah, that's all fascinating, but what does it mean?" O'Neill asked.
"I don't want to jump to any conclusions, Colonel, until I've had the opportunity to examine him." Janet paused, watching as Sam held out her hands, tracing patterns in the air, an act that apparently captivated Daniel. "His behavior…" She sighed again, watching Daniel attempt to mimic Sam's movements.
"This is nuts," the colonel finally stated. "Teal'c, let's go."
"Colonel!"
Before Sam could finish her protest, both Teal'c and O'Neill were upon the frightened man. Daniel, for whatever reason, whether it was the tone of their voice, or their sheer size, reared again, sliding himself against the floor back towards the far corner in an effort to escape his pursuers. But Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill wasted little time, coming in fast, each grabbing Daniel by the arm and tugging him upward.
"Come on, Daniel, cooperate a little here," the colonel muttered.
Sam and Janet quickly moved to the side, allowing room for Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c to drag Daniel back towards the gurney. Surprisingly, Daniel made no cries or protests, but the terror in his face told Janet enough. Plus, she was far more troubled over the fact Daniel's legs did not appear to be functioning.
When Daniel was secure, Janet ran to the side of the gurney, gently tapping her friends to move away. She did a quick evaluation, checking everything from his hearing, to his vision, to his breathing to locomotion. Again, just with a short check, he appeared normal.
Except for everything that was obviously abnormal.
Calmly, she brought her hand to his forehead, and smoothed back his hair. Daniel only watched her soundlessly.
"Doc?"
"I'll have to run some more tests," she said dimly, answering Colonel O'Neill's unspoken question. "Hopefully then I'll have a better idea how to proceed."
The colonel nodded, coming to stand beside her. He reached out and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, glancing up across to Sam and Teal'c, before returning his gaze to Daniel. Even under the obstruction of his mask, Janet could see the distress in his features.
"Alright. Give us a call when you're finished." With a jerk of his head, he motioned to Sam and Teal'c. "Let's go report to Hammond."
Sam nodded, stealing an anxious glance at Janet before she moved to the door. Teal'c remained stoic and quiet, bowing gracefully before joining her. Colonel O'Neill did not move.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Colonel O'Neill turned to Janet. "See what you can do, alright?"
She knew that his words were made to comfort more than command, and for his continued support, she was grateful. Moments like these made Janet confident that one day Colonel Jack O'Neill would move on to greater promotions and responsibilities.
She didn't even need to answer his question. She knew he wasn't waiting for an answer. Finally, he squeezed her shoulder and moved toward the door, closing it softly behind him.
Sighing, she summoned her inner strength and returned her attention to Daniel. She stroked his arm reassuringly, smiling at him through her mask.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "We'll find a way."
"Mooo!"
Jack froze.
He stood in the doorway of Daniel's room, staring with disbelieving eyes. Frowning, he turned his attention from the assistants and aides that were huddled around Daniel's bed over to Carter who happened to be watching from the baseboard.
"Carter? A Speak' n Say?"
Major Carter unfolded her arms and walked to him. "One of the nurses has a child in the daycare on one of the upper levels. She thought this would be a good way to try and motivate Daniel to start speaking again."
Jack glared at her before shifting his focus to Daniel. He was mooing again, playing with cord that was attached to the toy. Then, he giggled, tugging at the cord again.
There were no words that could begin to capture what Jack was feeling.
"Carter, this is Daniel. He shouldn't be…" He waved his hand, listening as Daniel began to grunt and snort. "Acting like a pig."
She nodded, stealing a quick glance at Daniel. "I know that, Sir."
"What kind of alien chemical would make a man stupid, anyway?"
"Well, it is possible," she said. "When we came into contact with the Touched, our minds basically shut down. From one perspective, we could say that caused a decline in intelligence."
He didn't respond. This was nuts, really. Daniel was a grown man with enough brains to compensate for the idiots in the accounting department on levels three and four. He shouldn't be learning to talk, learning to make associations, learning to function. This was basic stuff. This wasn't Daniel.
"He's made a lot of progress so far," Carter chimed in, sounding hopeful. "Just in the small amount of time I've been in here observing, Daniel has started recognizing things again. I believe he recognized my face even if just for a moment. He even started to get temperamental when he realized he was strapped onto the gurney."
"Sounds like Daniel."
"That's when they brought in the toy for him to interact with." Carter motioned over to the bed. "He's been doing great so far."
"Yeah, but, Carter, the point is he shouldn't have to be doing this at all," Jack muttered irritably. He shook his head. "What does Fraiser say?"
"His test results just came in. She's reviewing them as we speak." Carter smiled weakly. "Other than that…"
"He's got brain damage," Jack said simply, finally saying what he'd been afraid to acknowledge since this all began. "He shouldn't—"
"No! No, Doctor Jackson!"
Jack scowled, stepping around Carter to see what was happening. Daniel had managed to push aside some of the assistants that were instructing him, and had currently found a way to get his pant leg caught in the bars on the side of the gurney. Grunting with frustration, Daniel kicked at the metal bars, howling when his skin struck the surface.
"For cryin' out loud," Jack mumbled, walking over to the bed. "Daniel."
Jack fumbled with the fabric of Daniel's pants, noticing he wasn't doing the best job with these gloves of his. He wished he could take off the damned mask, and the restrictive clothing, but he wasn't an idiot either. Cursing, Jack pulled back, finally freeing Daniel from the gurney.
"There. Now sit back down."
Daniel blinked at him dumbly, just staring at Jack's face. In a way, it was a little unnerving.
"So much for progress," he muttered to Carter.
Instead of some annoying glare, her eyes smiled back.
"What?" he asked.
"I think you just made a friend, Colonel."
Frowning, Jack spun around to face Daniel again. This time he was beaming, his face aglow with cheer. Suddenly, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Jack, pulling him into the tightest, most uncomfortable hug Jack had ever experienced.
Unless you counted that time with Ernest.
"He's walking again, Sir," Carter said, stifling a chuckle. "That's progress. And I think he's got a little bit of hero worship there, too."
"Sweet. I'll just go around saving men from evil gurneys now."
Jack knew Daniel didn't have a clue what he was saying. He could tell just by the way Daniel cocked his head, or the way he searched his face that he just kept following the sound of his voice. The thought itself made Jack choke.
He cleared his throat, smiling under his mask, before giving Daniel a light tap on his shoulder. "What are you smiling at?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.
Daniel continued to smile. Then, as if some nasty little thought entered that mind of his, he giggled, bringing his hands to his mouth.
"What?" he asked again, glancing at Carter for help. She just shrugged.
Daniel laughed and reached forward, trying to grab at Jack's mask. Without hesitation, Jack jerked back, waving a stern finger at Daniel. Startled, and appearing a little hurt, Daniel shrunk back, blinking back tears.
Damn, Jack thought. This is ridiculous.
"Fraiser has got to do something," Jack said abruptly, feeling his anger come to the fore. He rubbed Daniel's back in a soothing manner, trying to ease the other man's tension. "This," he said pointing to Daniel and his pouty lips, "can't stay permanent."
"She's working as hard as she can, Sir," Carter reminded him.
Hell, she didn't have to remind him. He didn't have to remind her. Jack could see that he wasn't the one having a problem with this mess.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know." He scratched at his mask. "I got Teal'c briefing Hammond right now."
Carter's forehead depressed into a frown. "For what?"
"To see if we can get back to that planet and find some answers." He glanced over at Daniel who happened to be looking all over the place. "He's got some photographic mind, when it comes down to it, and before Hammond approves anything, he wanted a thorough layout of the land." Jack paused. "What about that chemical? Come up with anything?"
Regretfully, she shook her head. "Nothing so far, Sir. We've had biochemists examining the samples from our gear and from Daniel and we haven't made any headway. Whatever the substance is, it doesn't have living cells."
"And?"
"It's dead, Sir. No retrovirus, no bacteria, nothing. It's dead matter."
Jack snorted. "Well, that's not very helpful. So, what, the stuff is just mud?"
Carter bit her lip, grimacing, and shook her head. "No, it may have been alive at—Uh, Sir!"
Jack jerked, spinning around just in time to grab Daniel's arm. He was dancing in his spot, grinning like an idiot, while his gaze remained fixated on some medical instruments on the nearby cart.
"No, I don't think so," Jack warned him.
Daniel grimaced, moaned, and muttered something incoherent. He pointed more urgently at the tray.
"Daniel, you can't touch those," Carter said. "They'll hurt."
He pointed again, grunting.
"No." Jack pulled him closer. "Stay right here." Seeing Daniel's lip begin to tremble again, he could only roll his eyes in disgust. "If Fraiser doesn't—"
"Colonel."
Jack straightened, watching as Doc Fraiser entered the room. Just the person he wanted to see. He couldn't be happier.
Only, she had the look. THE look.
Dammit.
"What?" he asked.
"I think you and Major Carter should step out for a moment, Sir."
And she used "Major Carter." Definitely not good.
"Janet?" Carter did not sound happy. In fact, Jack thought he heard a little bit of unease in her voice. "What's going on?"
"I'll explain in a moment," she said firmly. "But for now, I think it would be best for you to remain outside."
Jack's gaze fell down to the charts she held in hand, and suddenly he had that sinking feeling again. Not good at all.
"What's the matter with him?" Jack asked, all levity dropped from his tone. "It can't be that bad. You can fix him, right? Look." Jack motioned behind him. "He's getting better."
Daniel giggled with delight as he grabbed the instruments and threw them on the floor.
Okay, so bad example.
"Dammit, Daniel." Jack marched over to Daniel, and pulled him away from the medical tray. Daniel moaned, struggling against him, but even for an older man, Jack proved the stronger. "See, now, ow!"
Daniel laughed, clicking the penlight on and off in Jack's face, before making patterns on the ceiling. Grinning, he flashed it at Jack again before peering at it himself. Suddenly, he yelped, throwing the penlight away as he rubbed his eyes.
"See? That's what you get," Jack grumbled. He forced a grin as he turned his focus back on Fraiser. "Well, he can't seem to keep his hands to himself again. That's got to be a good sign."
Fraiser did not seem impressed. "Colonel, I have some additional tests I need to run on Daniel. We're moving him into another room for now, until we can figure out what is going on."
Jack exchanged a quick look with Carter. Yeah, she knew.
"What's going on, Janet?" Carter asked apprehensively. "Are you taking him to a room with higher security?"
"I'm afraid so," she answered. "I-I can't really go into it now. I need for you to step outside."
Jack just stood there. Gone was Fraiser's usual personable quality. She was all business, and that worried Jack more than he wanted to admit.
"I'll meet and explain everything as soon as I can, Colonel." Her features softened slightly, relieving some of Jack's concern. "But right now, it's important and I need you to step outside."
"Alright." He motioned to Carter, walking steadily, refusing to show any sign of weakness. "We'll get cleaned up and—"
"And you'll report to the room down the hall," she finished for him. "I need to run a few tests on you as well."
"God, Janet." Now Carter sounded scared. "What?"
"Carter, you heard the Doc." He licked his lips, his tongue brushing against the mask. He made a face. "We'll do what has to be done."
Carter nodded, moving to join Jack by the door. They hadn't even made it halfway when all hell broke loose.
"Nah!" Daniel yelled, struggling against the aides. "Nah, nah, nah!"
Jack translated that to mean no, cringing as he was forced to watch his friend fight Janet's medical staff. Daniel was putting up quite the fight, screaming and kicking. Maybe whatever happened to him hadn't made him stupid at all. He seemed to know exactly what was going to happen.
"Nah!" he screamed again. Daniel growled, showing his teeth as he tried to bite one of the aides. He got a swift slap for the action.
"Hey!" Fraiser yelled, stepping forward. "Easy with him. I won't have that in my infirmary." She glared at the aide that had hit Daniel. Quickly, she thrust a hand in one of her pockets.
Carter looked absolutely dazed. Shocked, she turned to Jack, looking for some sign that she could proceed.
He felt her anguish. He wanted nothing more than to pop one to these aides. Daniel hadn't a clue what was happening. How was he supposed to act appropriately?
Daniel was crying now, the tears streaming down his face as he continued to struggle against the medical assistants while they lifted him onto the gurney. Sniffling, he pleaded with his sobs to Jack, Fraiser, and Carter.
"N-n," Daniel mumbled, sniffling as he wept. "N-no, Ja, no."
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Fraiser said, and in a way where Jack knew she meant it. "I'm going to give you a little something to go to sleep."
"N-n-no." He kicked out, lifting his head. "Sah…Jac…Jaaan."
"Doc, you sure?"
She nodded quickly, not even turned back. "I'm fine. Just please, we have to do this."
"Yeah." Jack motioned to Carter to follow him, ignoring the emptiness that he felt in the pit of his stomach. Daniel cried out to them again, sobbing over Fraiser's soothing voice. Before she even finished, he was out cold.
Just the way Jack currently felt.
