"It... feels good to be wearing real clothes again."
Jack smiled and patted Daniel on the back. He could tell that his friend was nervous about leaving the base, yet relieved at the same time. He was holding himself together remarkably well under the circumstances. "Don't worry, you'll grow into them again," Jack said when he noticed that Daniel was wrapping his jacket tightly around himself. He seemed lost in the baggy clothes that a few weeks ago had fit him perfectly.
"Yeah," Daniel said quietly.
"Here you go, Daniel," Fraiser said as she entered the room pushing a wheelchair. "Hop in."
Daniel got into the wheelchair without a word, which earned a raised eyebrow from Jack. Any other time Daniel had been escorted out of the infirmary in a wheelchair, he had at the very least politely told them that he didn't need it, and at the very worst argued for half an hour over whether or not it was necessary. He really must be feeling rough if he just climbed into it without hesitation.
"Hey, Sam," Daniel said when he noticed Carter standing in the doorway of the infirmary. "Are you coming, too?"
Carter smiled and shrugged. "If you have no objections."
"Sure. We can have a party," Daniel said. His voice was weary yet dripping with sarcasm, so nobody really knew how to take it. They all exchanged puzzled looks as Daniel closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
Fraiser made a gesture of helplessness with her hands. "He's tired," she mouthed. "Are you ready to go?" she said out loud.
"Yeah," Daniel replied.
Jack took hold of the wheelchair's handles and started wheeling him out of the infirmary. He had to fight against the urge to race down the hall towards the elevator, as part of him was afraid there would be another unscheduled gate activation or something before they could get Daniel out of there.
Just as they reached the elevator, though, General Hammond came out of it. "Dr. Jackson," he said. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."
Jack could see Fraiser stiffen, and a look of anxiety passed over her features, like she was afraid Hammond was going to tell them Daniel couldn't leave after all. He had to admit, the thought crossed his own mind for a second, until Hammond held his hand out for Daniel to shake.
Daniel seemed hesitant to take it, but at a quick flick to his shoulder from Jack, he did anyway.
"I hope you're feeling better soon, Son," Hammond said. "If you need anything, anything at all, you just have to ask."
"Thank you, General," Daniel said as he withdrew his hand. "And thank you for letting me go home."
Hammond smiled. "Take care of yourself, Dr. Jackson," he said. Then he nodded to the rest of them and stepped over to the side of the hall so they could enter the elevator.
"So, here's the plan," Jack said once they were moving. "Carter's going to drive Daniel's car back, I'll drive my truck so I can give her a ride back to the base afterwards, and Fraiser and Daniel, you'll be going in Fraiser's car."
"Does this really have to be such a production?" Daniel said. "I don't care about my car. It's not like I'll be allowed to drive it anyway."
Jack knew what he was really trying to say - he didn't want Jack and Carter to tag along. Well, tough bananas. "Fine," Jack said casually. "Then Carter can ride with me."
Carter thwacked his arm to get his attention and then shot him an exasperated look.
Jack just shrugged in return.
"Well, I care about your car, Daniel," Fraiser said. "It's been sitting there for a month. I'd like to have it back in our garage where it belongs."
Jack smirked at Carter. Why did everyone always think he didn't know what he was doing?
Daniel sighed as the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened, and Jack started pushing him out again. "Fine," he said. "Just don't change the radio station."
Carter grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it," she said.
Jack gave Daniel's shoulder a pat and a gentle squeeze to show that he was proud of him for going along with it. He'd been in Daniel's place before, when he'd returned home after spending what seemed like a lifetime in an Iraqi prison, so he knew that all Daniel wanted right now was to be left alone. It was going to be hard as hell for the guy over the next while, so he wanted to make it clear up front that his friends were behind him all the way, whether he wanted them to be or not.
Once they were out of the building, Jack winked at Fraiser and said in a loud voice, "Race you ladies to the car."
"Jack! No!" Daniel shouted. He sounded half-panicked, but more angry than afraid.
"Relax, Daniel. I'm kidding."
"You'd better be," Daniel said, folding his arms and slumping a little in what appeared to be a sulk.
Jack chuckled. Now that was the Daniel he knew.
"We'll meet you guys there," Colonel O'Neill said. Then he closed the car door and jogged off to his truck.
Janet looked over at Daniel and smiled, but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring at his seatbelt. "Do you need some help with that?" Janet asked.
Daniel shifted his eyes to look over at her, but then he blinked and shook his head. "No," he said. He tugged on the belt and pulled it across himself, but he hesitated when he came to buckling it in.
Janet grew concerned when she saw that his hands were shaking. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Daniel seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating, his chest heaving with every rapid breath. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the seatbelt so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Janet leaned over and gently rested her hand on his. "Daniel..."
"No," he grunted, opening his eyes and glaring at the buckle with a look of anger and determination. "It's just a damn seatbelt." He quickly clicked it into place and yanked on the shoulder strap to make it as loose as possible. Then he let out a deep breath and looked over at Janet.
Janet smiled softly and touched his arm. "Good job," she said.
He returned the smile, at least to some degree, and leaned his head back as she started the car and began to drive.
Somehow, his half-hearted smile just broke Janet's heart that little bit more. She wished she knew what was going through his head every time something triggered a flashback. Had he been tied down? She could only assume that he had, judging by the few things they already knew had been done to him. What about the unscheduled activation alarm? What memories did that bring back for him? He seemed to be reacting to much more than just the sudden noise.
God, she wished he would talk to her about what he'd been through. She could only hope that his visit with Mackenzie the next day would result in a few of their questions being answered.
Not that she'd told Daniel about the appointment, of course. She felt it would be easier on him if he wasn't given time beforehand to worry about it. At least, she hoped it would.
Daniel seemed to fall asleep during the drive, but he opened his eyes once the car came to a stop outside their house, and he unfastened his seatbelt right away.
"Hold on," Janet said as she quickly unfastened her own and opened her door. "I'll help you out." She climbed out of the car and waved to Sam as she pulled Daniel's car into their driveway and up to the garage. Then she nodded to Colonel O'Neill, who was parking his truck in front of Janet's car. As much as she wanted to have some time alone with Daniel, she was immensely thankful for their help in bringing him home. Daniel may not have felt that he needed them there, but she sure did.
Daniel had already opened his door and planted his feet on the ground by the time Janet reached him. She held her arm out as he stood up, just in case he was a little unsteady on his feet, but he didn't seem to need any help. Still, she closed his door and linked her arm with his as they walked towards the house. The doctor in her was never satisfied unless she felt she could help in some way.
Cassie and Teal'c were standing on the porch as they approached, and Janet glanced up at Daniel to see that he was smiling in return to Cassie's joyful wave. The girl couldn't contain herself then - she galloped down from the porch and ran towards them.
Janet felt Daniel stiffen at her sudden movements, but visibly he didn't waver. "Hi, Cassie," he said as she bounded up to them.
"Oh God, I'm so glad you're okay!" she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Janet was the one who came close to panicking then. "Be gentle with him, Cass," she said, trying to make her tone sound light.
Daniel made a sound that was very close to a laugh as he hugged the girl back. "She's okay," he said.
"Aww, now this is a Kodak moment," Colonel O'Neill said from just behind Janet.
Janet turned to look at him and had to laugh at the goofy grin on his face. Cassie peeled herself off Daniel, and they joined in the laughter, too.
It went way beyond a Kodak moment for Janet.
She felt almost as though she were walking in a dream as she ushered Daniel into the house and everyone sat down together in the living room. Aside from the fact that Daniel still looked gaunt and exhausted and stayed uncharacteristically quiet, it was almost like old times.
After a few minutes of friendly chatter, however, Janet noticed that Daniel was starting to droop a little. Everyone was subtly watching him for signs that he'd had enough, so it wasn't long before Colonel O'Neill stood up and announced that he had to get back to the base.
Sam and Teal'c followed his lead, quickly saying goodbye to Daniel and heading for the door. Janet saw them out, careful to thank each of them for their help not only today, but over the last few weeks as well. She felt so much better knowing she could call on them for anything at any time.
"What time is Warner coming?" Colonel O'Neill asked in a low voice as they stepped out onto the porch.
"He said he'd stop in on his way home from work," Janet said, "so it could be any time after five."
Colonel O'Neill nodded. "And Mackenzie?"
"Tomorrow morning."
He grimaced and gave her a casual salute. "Good luck," he said, and then trotted down the steps and headed for his truck.
Janet stayed out on the porch long enough to wave at the three of them as they drove away before she went back inside. She smiled at the scene that met her eyes when she entered the living room. Cassie was helping Daniel stretch out on the couch, providing him with a pillow and covering him with an afghan.
"How's it going in here?" she asked. "Do you need anything, Daniel?"
Daniel smiled weakly and turned onto his side so he could cuddle the afghan up to his chin. "Cassie's taking good care of me," he said.
"Yeah, soak it up while you can," Cassie said. "I'm a teenager. The novelty of having you home will soon wear off for me."
"Gee, thanks," Daniel said. He was obviously trying to keep up the teasing banter, but Janet was concerned about how tired he looked.
"Cassie, why don't you go put the kettle on," she said. "Make Daniel come chamomile tea."
"What, no coffee?" Cassie said in mock astonishment. "Daniel, are you okay with this?"
Daniel chuckled softly. "It's fine," he said.
"Okay, if you say so." Cassie threw up her hands in surrender and went through to the kitchen.
Once they were alone, Janet sat down on the edge of the couch and touched the back of her hand to Daniel's forehead. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Headache," Daniel said in almost a whisper as his eyes drifted closed. "Tired."
"You're a little bit warm," Janet said, moving her hand to cup the side of his face. "It was probably too soon for you to leave the infirmary, but..."
"No," Daniel said, reaching his hand up to take hold of hers. "I'm glad I'm home. It's quieter here."
"We'll try to make you as comfortable as we can," Janet said, "so just try to relax and recoup, okay?"
Daniel nodded and took a deep breath. "I just... keep getting this feeling that this is a dream, and any second now I'll wake up back there again."
Janet felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. "That won't happen, Daniel," she said, bending down to kiss his forehead. "I promise. Now get some rest."
"Okay."
Before Janet could stand up and remove her hand from his light grasp, Daniel had already fallen fast asleep.