Chapter 4
The doll bed
Abigail had fallen ill from the chemotherapy; she was vomiting and had spiked a fever. Her mother had brought her into the emergency room the night before and she was then admitted to the pediatric ward of the hospital. The little girl with no hair lay listless in her bed. She stared at the IV that was poking out of her hand. She brought the right hand up under her nose and she started picking at the tape.
Abigail's mother walked into the child's room and saw her picking at the IV. "Don't honey." The dark haired woman told her and placed the paper bag that she carried on the table. "You can't lose the IV; it's so hard to get them on you now." Her mother placed her hand over the tape to stop the child from picking at the tape.
Abigail looked up at her mother. "I want to go home, mommy."
Her mother replied. "I know honey…as soon as you're better." Her mother tried to reassure.
"What if I don't get better?" The girl asked feeling worn out from the constant medical attention and procedures. She was still pale and she was frail from the virus that attacked her body while she took the drugs to kill the cancer. Abigail didn't know which was worse, the cancer or the cure?
"You will get better." Her mother told her, she sat on the edge of the bed and held the child for a few moments, "I know you will." Her mother reached in the paper bag and started to remove some items from it. "Look Abby, I brought that model of the circle you like to play with." She placed the little Stargate down on the bed table in front of Abigail.
Abigail beamed when she saw it. "You brought my gate, thank you mommy." She held her mother tight. "Now my fiends can come and visit me." Abigail suddenly got a burst of energy as she looked in the bag for the DHD device. "Mommy, where is the DHD device?" The girl asked.
"The what?" Her mother replied.
"The dial home device" Abigail replied. "SG-1 needs it to get back home."
"SG-1?" Her mother asked, "Have you been watching cartoons again?" she assumed it was a kids TV show.
"No." The girl replied. "I need the DHD…it looks like a little mushroom…it was by the gate."
"I will look for it tonight and bring it tomorrow." Her mother assured.
A doctor stood in the doorway of the room; he was short and wore a lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck. His hair was dark and straight and his skin had an olive complexion. "Jean, can I speak with you…out here." The doctor wanted to speak to Abigail's mother privately.
She nodded to the doctor and tucked in the blankets around her daughter "I'll be right back honey." she told the child and then went to speak to the doctor.
Abigail sat and watched the little gate before her. Her face lit up with delight as the wormhole established and four little people emerged. Daniel looked to Abigail in the big bed and saw the IV above her. "Abigail, are you in the hospital?" Daniel asked her.
Abigail nodded. "I have the flu…I guess." The child replied. "I'm so glad you all have come to see me." The little girl waved and called each one by name "Hi, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel and Jack."
Jack looked over the edge of the table that hovered above the child's lap. "Are you Okay, Abby?" Jack shouted up to her.
"I'm fine Jack." The girl told him. "Are we going to do anything fun today? Daniel isn't going to tell me more stories about the aborigines?" The little girl loved Daniel but found his history lessons rather boring. "Can we have Ba'al come and play again?"
"I don't think Ba'al wants to play with us anymore." Jack shouted up to her.
The IV pole that pumped the fluid into her veins started to peep. "Oh, Jack we better take cover. The nurse will be coming to fix that." Daniel knew the routine well from his own experiences in the infirmary. Jack looked up and saw a heavyset nurse come into the room with a brisk walk. Jack dove for cover along with Sam onto the bed. Daniel hid behind the Styrofoam cup of water with Teal'c.
The nurse fixed the occlusion in the line and restarted the IV pump. She looked at the girl's half-eaten food. "Not hungry today, Abby?" The nurse asked. Abigail shook her head no and the nurse swiftly took the tray from the table and left the room. Abigail saw Daniel and Teal'c had come out from behind the cup and then she looked down and saw Jack and Sam, climbing up her blanket. Jack stood onto of the girl's lap.
Abigail giggled as Jack wobbled upon standing up on a human leg "Your funny, Jack." she told him.
Sam snickered as she tried to stand up next to Jack on the leg and Jack gave her a look. "Carter?"
"Yes sir." Sam replied.
"I know how you girls are when you all climb in bed together for your sleepovers." Jack replied and gave Abigail a grin "No giggling." he held up his index finger as he spoke.
Daniel looked around the area and then spoke to Teal'c, "Did I leave my bag on the tray?" He asked his friend as Teal'c raised an eyebrow; Daniel winced and walked over to the edge of the bed. "Jack, we've got a problem."
Jack turned wobbly around, holding onto Sam for support. "What is it Daniel?" Jack asked as he tried not to fall off the leg.
"My bag is gone…it was on the try and the nurse took it." Daniel stated with a concerned look.
"That's not a problem, Daniel." Jack shouted back and then he looked to Abigail. "That's an answer to a prayer."
"Daniel Jackson…we have a bigger problem." Teal'c shouted. Daniel turned around to see what Teal'c was talking about. "The DHD is gone."
Daniel looked at the gate and saw the missing device. "Jack, ask Abigail where is the DHD?" He spoke into his radio in order to save his voice.
Jack and Sam shared a worried look and then looked up at Abigail "Abby, did your mom bring the DHD along with the gate?" he asked the girl.
"Mom forgot it…she said she would bring it in tomorrow." Abigail told them. "I guess you will have to spend the night in the hospital with me."
Jack looked down at the covers he stood upon, "I hate hospitals." he mumbled to himself and then he shouted back to Abigail. "It will be fun." He reassured the child.