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Way # 72 – Guide Me

It was white and clean. Daniel slept a long time here. It smelled of antiseptic, and the lights were too bright and unnatural. Fluorescent, instead of sunlight. It was safe here, though. His body could heal and his mind could clear. Sometimes, he would dream. It was a dance in and out of dreaming and a deeper sort of sleep. The dreams were garbled and had snippets of memory wound into them, but without context they were merely gibberish. The steady beeping of medical equipment, and the hazy sound of voices in the distance, held low in muted conversation. And then the darkness of sleep.

He didn't leave that darkness again until a long time had passed. A warm, familiar hand had slipped into his, gripped it. Daniel returned the grip and opened his eyes. A broad smile and lively eyes were there to greet him.

"Hey."

The voice was low and friendly. Daniel smiled up at him.

"Hi."

"How you feeling?"

Daniel considered that. He pulled in a breath and felt his lungs easily expand and contract. He could feel his body and his limbs again. Very tired, but much better than before.

"Good. How long . . .?"

"You've been sleeping? Dunno, I think it's only been a day or two. I only just recently got up myself."

Daniel examined the man's face, the status of the room he was in. It was quiet here, there was one of Janet's nurses in the background, working on something.

"Do you remember anything?" Daniel asked. Jack was sitting in a chair near his bed, his own crumpled, used bed just a little ways over. He had one of Daniel's hands in his own, and sat looking worn out, but definitely recuperating. He had on powder blue hospital gown that matched Daniel's. The man nodded and replied,

"Yeah, a little. Planet P06-7F551. Standard recon. Split up . . . ran into some trouble in some seemingly innocent field."

Daniel blinked up at the hospital ceiling, dull grey concrete and pipes leading along. He recalled,

"There was interference. Our radios weren't working."

Jack agreed.

"Carter had said something about the electro-magnetic-whatzzit-atmosphere-thing. I dunno. Next thing you know, wham, bam . . . goddamn natives. You'd think they'd be more thoughtful about where they left those traps laying around."

"Mmm."

Jack turned a little, to some tray on a rolling stand near the foot of his bed, and turned back, holding a bright red object near Daniel's face.

"Want some Jell-O? Couldn't eat mine. Don't have much of an appetite back yet."

"Um, maybe a little later. Thanks."

"'Kay." He set it down on the equipment table near Daniel's bed. They sat there for a little while, uncertain what to say next. Daniel fought for something to talk about. He began,

"Are you . . . ahem."

"What?"

Daniel paused, not remembering what he was even going to ask. He searched until he found something to say.

"Are you supposed to be up like this now? Out of bed, I mean. . ."

Jack gave a wayward glance to his bed.

"Probably not. I waited until Frasier left the room. She said you were okay but needed your sleep. I just wanted to see."

A warmth filled Daniel and he smiled at Jack, squeezing his hand.

"Thanks, Jack."

The Colonel looked at him warily.

"For what? Leading you to some alien psycho plant that nearly got us killed?"

Daniel chuckled lightly. Jack didn't seem to find anything funny in it.

"No. Not for that part. For keeping us alive after the psycho plant tried to kill us."

"Oh . . . that."

"Yes. That."

"Well. I didn't really do much, truthfully. Frasier said . . . uh. I have no idea what she said but it had to do with some toxin and the levels we received in our bloodstream and . . . how quickly Carter got us back here. . ."

"Jack?"

"Yes."

"Thank you anyway."

Jack paused, and looked transfixed a moment in Daniel's gaze. He leaned in and sighed, simply savoring Daniel's nearness and warmth, touching his forehead lightly against his cheek, listening to him breathe.

"You're welcome," he murmured. Daniel sucked in a breath, a small whimper in his throat, sounding so happy for Jack. It was too endearing to resist, and Jack drew his face along his, finding the man's lips and meeting them with his own.

After a slow, sweet kiss, he parted gently, only to sit and gaze at him with grateful eyes.

"Thanks for not dying," Jack said, smiling lightly.

"You too," Daniel returned.

Jack smooshed his face further into the hands he was leaning on, smiling down at Daniel like he was the damn king of Egypt.

"I'll try not to be such a guilt-trippin' sorry ass all the time, ok?"

Daniel laughed.

"Ok."

They sat like that, enjoying each other's presence, without any sense of urgency. Simply lavishing in the moment, the sheer dumb luck at having come across each other, of having known each other in this way.

"A-hem-hem."

Lazily, Jack leaned back and turned his head. He grunted,

"Ah. You're back. Damn."

Dr. Frasier smiled patiently.

"That I am. You're supposed to be in bed."

"I know." Jack leaned back into his chair, giving his doctor what he hoped was a disarming smile.

"Just keeping the space monkey company. You know you've got some of the most boring ceilings to stare at that I've ever come across."

Dr. Frasier shuffled past him, picked up the clipboard hooked to the foot of Daniel's bed, and went over to the equipment table, checking the readouts.

"I see you found a way to wake him up. Somehow I'm not surprised. How are you feeling, Daniel?"

"Not bad."

Frasier frowned at the bright-red desert cup in the middle of her equipment and pointedly handed it back to Jack. She turned and took Daniel's wrist, adjusting the pulse indicator taped to it.

"Well you're making a speedy recovery. I don't expect you two needing to stay any more than a few days here. How's your head?"

"Kind of . . . foggy still. Better than before."

Frasier smiled and hooked the clipboard back in place.

"That'll be expected. Let me know if it gets any worse and I can give you something for the headache. This is mostly just a waiting game at this point, though. You're past the worst of it."

"Ok. Thanks, Janet."

"And you-" Jack held up his hands as if to defend against an onslaught and protested,

"You can't yell at me for trying to feed one of your patients."

"Back in bed. You're supposed to be eating something, not giving it away."

Jack grumbled and Frasier threatened to help him back into bed. Jack said he knew the way.

"I'll let the others know you two are ready for visitors, if that's all right."

They murmured their assent. Janet nodded at this and left the room.