It was almost instinctual for Janet to hold Daniel's hand and stroke his hair whenever he was sick, but this time she was afraid to touch him. His skin was beginning to dry up and flake, and the last time she'd run her fingers through his hair, she'd pulled a clump of it away in her hand.
At least he was sleeping now. It was harder to handle when he was awake, and not just because he was in pain. She couldn't handle looking into his eyes - blood red and full of such intense fear that it made her want to run for the door.
Sleep didn't stop his breathing problems, however. The oxygen mask he was wearing didn't seem to be making a difference, but at least it made her feel as though they were trying to help him. There was really nothing else they could do.
Of course, that didn't stop them from trying. Sam was still hard at work trying to find something helpful from the device they'd taken from Daniel's arm, the entire linguistics department were poring over the inscription on the device from the planet, the majority of the medical personnel on the base and even a few at the academy hospital were working on solving the puzzle of what was happening to him... somebody was bound to make a breakthrough sooner or later.
They just had to keep Daniel alive in the meantime.
As she sat there watching and waiting, she thought back to the day that had changed their lives forever. She wished now that she'd given in to him that morning and lengthened their honeymoon by just one more day. Then maybe SG-1 would have gone to that planet without him, and none of this would have happened.
Then again, it was more likely that they would have waited for him, and the same thing would have happened no matter when they went on the mission. "Get a grip, Janet," she mumbled to herself. It was pointless to dwell on what if's. It was only serving to make her feel worse.
She sighed heavily and settled back in her chair to close her eyes for a minute or two, but Daniel chose that moment to start thrashing his head back and forth on his pillow. He seemed to be having yet another nightmare.
Janet got to her feet right away. While it didn't seem that he was in any shape to hurt anybody, Janet figured she was better safe than sorry, so she rushed to the door and called for Colonel O'Neill.
He soon ran into the room, with Dr. Warner close behind. "What happened?" Colonel O'Neill asked.
"I think he's having another nightmare," Janet whispered.
Sure enough, Daniel was still tossing his head from side to side and mumbling incoherently into his mask. His gasping had turned into groaning, and his hands clutched and scratched at his sheets like he was dreaming of digging or clawing at something.
Janet folded her hands together and raised them to her mouth so she wouldn't be tempted to touch him or cry out. She'd learned from experience to leave him alone while he dreamed. Unless he stopped breathing, that is.
Thankfully, this time it didn't go that far. Daniel soon opened his red eyes and his gaze darted frantically around the room.
"Daniel?" she said, finally feeling it was okay to put her hand on his arm. "Calm down, sweetheart. You're safe."
He looked up at her and weakly raised one of his hands from the bed. Janet took it and gave it a sympathetic squeeze, but Daniel shook his head and said something she couldn't understand.
"What's wrong, Daniel?" she asked. "I can't understand what you're saying."
Daniel pulled his hand away from hers and clumsily lifted it towards his face. He seemed very weak, as it kept falling back down and slapping against his chest, but he finally managed to grab onto his oxygen mask and start tugging at it.
"No, Daniel," Janet said, pulling his hand back down again. "You need that."
Daniel shook his head again and groaned.
"I think he wants to say something, Doc," Colonel O'Neill said.
"But..."
"I'm sure he'll be alright, Janet," Dr. Warner said gently. He leaned over and pulled the mask from Daniel's face.
Janet wanted to protest, but there really didn't seem much point. Daniel's breathing sounded no worse or better either way. Besides, Daniel was now demanding her undivided attention.
"I... remember," he said between breaths. "I remember... escape."
"You remember how you escaped?" Janet said. "How?"
He closed his eyes for a second as he tried to catch his breath. When he realized that wasn't going to happen, he continued anyway. "One of them... it talked to me. The others... didn't understand me. One did. It... spoke English."
Janet's jaw dropped in surprise, and when she glanced over at Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Warner, she saw that theirs had, too.
"It... studied me," Daniel continued. "Learned to speak... from me." He paused for a moment or two to breathe again before carrying on. "Told me... the thing in my head... it kept me from thinking... kept me from moving. Said it could be... controlled. Turned down... long enough for me to... get out."
"This alien helped you escape?" Janet said.
Daniel nodded. "Taught me... 'cape'... means out. Injected me with... something that... turned it down so I could... think and... talk and... move."
"Couldn't it have just turned it off?" Colonel O'Neill asked.
Daniel shook his head and laughed. "They didn't... know how," he said, his voice becoming weaker and his breathing louder and more strained. "Guess they couldn't... cause I would end up... like this." His head lolled to the side then, as talking seemed to have drained him of all his energy. "Chak. Da. Minal kara," he whispered.
"What did he just say?" Colonel O'Neill asked, glancing back and forth between Janet and Dr. Warner.
"I think that's some of the aliens' language," Janet said. "Daniel?" She touched his shoulder, but he didn't react. He just stared off into space, completely out of it.
"So..." Colonel O'Neill said with a sigh as Warner replaced Daniel's mask. "What the hell was that all about?"
"I think he's remembering more of what happened to him," Janet said absently. Her mind was far removed from the conversation, though, mulling over what Daniel had just told them.
If he'd spent his precious energy telling them about this, he must have felt it was important. But what bearing did it have on what was happening to him now? The fact that one of these aliens had taken pity on him was surprising, but not exactly helpful, and they already knew that turning off the device in his brain had been a fatal mistake.
She sighed. It didn't mean anything at all. Daniel was slowly losing his battle with whatever was happening to him, and vivid flashbacks and dreams were just part of the process.
"How's he doing?" she heard Sam's voice say.
Janet finally tore her gaze away from Daniel then, wondering when Sam had come in and Dr. Warner had left. "He's..."
"He's hanging in there," Colonel O'Neill spoke up for her. "Found anything yet?"
"I'm afraid not, Sir," Sam said regretfully. "I checked in on the linguistics team, and they're making some headway on their translation, but it's slow going. So far all the inscription seems to be is a warning."
"I told you," he said. "It's a 'don't walk on the grass' sign."
Sam forced a smile. "Actually, Sir, I think it's far more likely that it's a warning not to touch the device. Since Daniel's the only one who actually touched it, and was also the only one to be taken, I think it's safe to assume that touching it is a bad idea. At least when it's in place on the planet."
"Kind of like that crystal skull thing."
"More or less, Sir, yes."
Janet was only half listening to their conversation, as the majority of her attention was focused on Daniel again. She touched the back of her hand to his face, and it was so hot that it almost burned her skin. She couldn't believe that he was deteriorating so quickly.
"Guess they couldn't... cause I would end up... like this."
Janet pondered that thought for a moment. Daniel had said the aliens could control the device in his brain, but couldn't turn it off. Why? If it had different settings that could temporarily allow him to talk and think clearly, yet they couldn't completely shut it off without having this happen to him, then what else was it doing?
Her brain started working at full speed, covering all the possibilities. Since the device had been deactivated, Daniel had begun showing symptoms that matched the description he'd given of the aliens. She didn't buy the idea that he was turning into one of them, so the only option that was left...
"Sam," Janet said as she was hit with a sudden idea. "What if what's happening to Daniel has nothing to do with genetic tampering? What if these aliens have been inflicted with a debilitating disease, and were using Daniel as a means to a cure?"
"What are you talking about, Janet?" Sam asked.
Janet quickly filled her in on what Daniel had just told them, careful to stress the fact that the aliens could control the device in his brain.
"So, you're saying you think they gave him this disease, but the device in his brain was allowing them to conduct whatever tests they wanted without having him succumb to it completely?" Sam concluded.
"Yes," Janet said eagerly.
"It... would make sense," Sam said, looking thoughtful.
Colonel O'Neill squinted at the two of them as he tried to follow along. "So, what," he said. "You're suggesting they sent Daniel back here to infect us, too?"
"No, Sir," Janet said. "If it is a disease, it's completely genetic, which means it isn't contagious. It sounded like the alien that helped Daniel escape truly took pity on him for what they were putting him through, but was limited in how much he could help. Think about it - if they were hoping that Daniel would cure whatever this illness is, whoever helped him escape would have to suffer some pretty steep consequences."
"Just cut to the chase, Doc," Colonel O'Neill interrupted impatiently. "What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying, Sir, is I don't think these aliens are the sadistic monsters Daniel believed them to be. If they could get the device to hamper his brain processes, they probably felt that he wasn't aware of what was going on. Who knows, maybe it would have that effect if implanted in one of their own species. They probably believed they were doing the right thing all along... that Daniel's suffering was necessary in order to save other lives."
"Spoken like a true scientist," Colonel O'Neill said with a sour look on his face. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's a nice theory, Doc, but it still doesn't help Daniel. We have no idea what this 'disease' is, let alone how to cure it."
"No, Sir," Sam said. "But these aliens might have some idea."
He stared at her blankly for a moment as if not sure he'd heard her correctly. "Please don't be suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Carter," he said.
"I'm suggesting, Sir, that if these aliens had the ability to prevent this disease from affecting Daniel while the device in his brain was active, and if they have somehow managed to survive while exhibiting the same symptoms that Daniel is experiencing now, they might have some way of treating him. I think we should contact them and offer them whatever help we can give in exchange for helping Daniel."
"And I agree, Sir," Janet said.
Colonel O'Neill gaped at them for a second, and then laughed out loud and rubbed his hands through his hair. "Do you have any idea what you're saying here? For one thing, we don't know who these aliens are, let alone the address of their planet. Secondly, we don't even know if you're right about the whole disease thing. They might be more inclined to invade Earth, take all of us into this torture chamber of theirs, and start poking us full of holes."
"I'm sure that wouldn't happen, Sir," Sam said. "They seem to only be able to take those who touch the device we found, and they were careful to cover it with warnings."
"You think," he said. "And in case you've forgotten, Daniel came back covered in blood. Do you honestly think they'd care to help him if he'd killed some of them trying to escape?"
"If they don't help him willingly, I'm sure we can persuade them somehow," Janet said.
That comment earned her stunned looks from both Colonel O'Neill and Sam.
Janet sighed. "Isn't it at least an idea worth pursuing, Sir?" she said, trying to keep her rising temper in check. "We don't have any other options. Either we look to these aliens to see if they can reverse what they've done, or we stand back and watch Daniel die."
Her voice broke on the last word, and she could see that it went straight to O'Neill's heart. He shook his head and looked down at Daniel for a long moment. Janet held her breath as he seemed to think the whole thing through.
"Doc," he finally said, his voice low and heavy with emotion, "I hope to God you're right about this." He gave the two of them a firm look, and then marched out of the room.
Janet took a deep breath and nodded to Sam when she caught her eye. She knew without being told that Colonel O'Neill had gone to discuss the matter with General Hammond. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or scared to death.
Either way, at least she hadn't just sat on her hands and done nothing. She could feel in her gut that this was the right thing to do. She may have come up with the idea that they were searching for a cure because she's a doctor, but it really did make everything make sense.
She just hoped she was right.