Inspired by Hero by Mariah Carey and Fallen by Sarah McLachlan.
Spoilers for Heroes Part One and Part Two
He lay on his stomach, groaning. Bosworth stood over him; protecting him. The bandage covering Well's wound was drenched with blood. An explosion was heard and Bosworth looked up in the direction of the sound. He scanned the surrounding terrain and saw Jackson and Fraiser approaching. Relieved, a smiled tugged on his lips, but he refused to let it show. It would be unprofessional to smile in this kind of situation.
'Over here! Man down over here!' He shouted.
Janet looked over at one of her own and quickened her pace as she and Daniel rushed over.
'Right here! There's a lot of blood coming from underneath him. I'll cover you up on the ridge.' Bosworth said as he moved up to the ridge.
Janet and Daniel dropped their packs and fell to their knees beside the injured officer.
'Yeah. I'm Doctor Janet Fraiser. Can you hear me?' She asked, sincerely.
'Yeah.' He said, obviously in pain. 'It hurts so bad. I can't move- I can't feel my legs. I think it went right through me.'
'What's your name?' Daniel asked.
'I'm Senior Airman Wells. Simon Wells. Am I going to die?'
'Not if I have anything to do with it.'
She looked at Daniel and spoke to him. 'Okay, we need to roll him over and stop the bleeding. Okay?'
'Simon, you hanging in there?' She asked him. He gave a grunt of assent.
'Okay, easy. All right, on three. One. Two. Three'
Janet held his neck and Daniel carefully turned Wells over. He screamed in agony. Daniel put something soft underneath Simon's head to make him comfortable. She began to check his wound.
Daniel made eye contact with Wells and began speaking to him in a soothing, calm manner.
'I'm Daniel Jackson.' He said.
'I know, I know, SG1.' Simon said through pain filled gasps.
'Okay, you're gonna be fine.'
'That sonovabitch! He came out of nowhere and shot me in the back.'
'Just talk about something else right now, Simon. Uh, what's going on at home right now.'
'Uh, my… wife… is pregnant.'
'Yeah, that your- that your first?'
Wells nodded.
'Congratulations' Daniel said sincerely.
As Janet probes Simon's wound as carefully as possible, he lets out an anguished cry and winces.
'That's good. At least you felt that.' She said, determined.
Voices were heard over the radio.
'Colonel O'Neill, our position is being compromised! We're not going to be able to hold the Gate for long!'
The radio became gargled as the Colonel replied. 'It doesn't matter. We're not gonna be able to hold- is posit- for- long!'
Janet keyed into the radio and spoke directly to O'Neill. 'Colonel, I'm gonna need more time to stabilize this patient. He can't be moved yet!'
'Go without me. Leave me.' Wells stated, a pained expression on his face.
'Nobody is going anywhere.' Fraiser said, calmly.
'I cant believe I'm not gonna see my son.'
'Okay, just stay focused. You- you- you know it's a boy you're gonna have right?' Daniel asked.
Wells nodded briefly.
'Tell me the truth. I'm not gonna make it, right?' Wells asked, forcefully and clearly in pain.
Janet handed Daniel an I.V bag and he held it upright, squeezing it.
'You're gonna be fine.' Daniel said.
'Doctor Jackson? Please-please-please, just let me just tell my wife—Let me tell my wife that—'
Wells became even more agitated and Daniel and Janet exchanged concerned looks and both nod in agreement.
'Okay, okay.' Daniel said.
He handed Janet the I.V bag which she steadied over her shoulder.Wells tried to stifle his agonized cries.
'Got it. Breathe Simon.' Janet told him.
Daniel fumbled around in his backpack and pulled out a camcorder.
END FLASHBACK
---
Daniel's world suddenly turned black and he found himself back in his office. He looked over at the camcorder, stained with blood. He got up and strode over to his desk, and picked the device up and move it further away. Away from Bregman.
'I said now's not a good time. What part of that do you not understand?' Daniel said through clenched teeth. Tears threatened to fall but he would not let them.
Bregman eyed the camcorder. 'You got something on tape didn't you?'
'Get out.' He shouted, enraged. Daniel moved towards Bregman, his posture become more menacing with everything step.
Bregman held up his hands and backed away. 'Okay, I'm going. All right.'
Daniel turned away, shook his head, muttered to himself and sat in front of his computer. He fumbled around with the camcorder. Bregman turned back to Daniel and paused in the doorway.
'You know I, uh… I once did a piece on this war photographer. His name was Martin Krystovski.'
Daniel rolled his eyes and shook his head, amazed at the man's gall. All the while, his back was turned to Bregman.
'For about six months, he was with a unit in Vietnam, and…the day before he was scheduled to leave, the day before. He's out with a unit, and it was just a routine patrol. Or so they thought.'
Daniel stiffened, his back still facing Bregman, but he was listening.
'But suddenly, the lieutenant pulled him down…and Krystovski…he hadn't intended to take a picture at that moment, but his hands were on the camera, and he hit the ground so hard that it just went off. And the picture captured…the lieutenant getting shot in the head. And Krystovski said to me—he said: "That bullet would have hit me—should've hit me." And he never showed that picture to anyone. Not for twenty-five years. But twenty-five years later, he got up one morning, and he looked at that picture. And he saw something that wasn't horrific. And he decided to tell the story because he realized that he hadn't accidentally taken a picture of a man dying. It was of a man saving his life. The picture I'm making, that I'm trying to make, is about what you people do every single day.' Bregman continued.
Daniel turned towards Bregman and studied him intently.
'Under extreme circumstances that no one can even imagine. And I don't know what happened out there. I'm sorry about what happened, whatever it was. And if you did tape something of it, that's not gonna change what happened. What will change is how you feel about it.' He gave an encouraging nod at Daniel and backed away and out of the office leaving Daniel lost in thought.
Daniel paced his office for about five minutes before he sat down and laid his head in his hands. He had never thought that things would end up like this. Hell, he had never thought he'd lose anyone, but that was the risk with going through the Stargate and he knew that. His life seemed to crash around him in the blink of an eye and he finally knew what his friends, his family, had gone through when he died. He picked up the nearest object, a glass bowl, and threw it at the wall. It smashed into a thousand pieces, just as he felt his heart doing. Breaking.
---
The door opened and General Hammond entered and slapped a file on the table. Woolsey sat reading a file and carefully making notes.
'General?' Woolsey asked.
'I've prepared a written testimony.'
Woolsey opened the file and glanced at it.
'This is your mission report.'
'I'd thought I'd kill two birds with one stone.'
'Well, then. I guess I'm done.' Woolsey said dryly.
'Then you'll be leaving.'
'The President will have my preliminary report by the end of the week.'
'I'm sure it will be every bit as interesting as your memo on the economics of the SGC.' Hammond said, sarcastically.
Woolsey looked up, shocked. 'I won't bother asking how you got that.'
'What was that dollar value you attributed to an SG team member?' Hammond asked.
'You know damn well I wasn't pegging the value of a person's life. It is a cold, hard fact that it costs millions of dollars to train these men and women, and that is a fraction of the funds being subverted by the Pentagon for this operation.' He stood. 'I think it is reprehensible that the taxpayers of this country are paying enormous sums of money to wage a war they know nothing about, and are getting little, if anything, in return. If the Stargate's existence were public knowledge, and your actions were being judged in the court of public opinion—'
'You're the one suggesting that sending a team worth $27 million to save the life of one man is a business decision.'
'Your putting words in my mouth.' Woolsey said, becoming increasingly annoyed.
'You said it in black and white, and I don't think you would dare do such a thing if this wasn't a classified operation. The President has asked a documentary team to get to the truth of what's going on down here. Why don't we just go down and give them the whole truth as you see it? Right now.' Hammond said.
Woolsey gathered his files and Hammond glared at him with disgust.
'That memo is classified. That investigation is classified. If you so much as utter even a hint of either, I'll see you are put away in a cold, dark place for the rest of time.' Woolsey threatened.
He stood at left the room, leaving Hammond remaining, visably trying to compose himself.
---
'Security caught Mister Bregman trying to access the infirmary, sir. He claims he was lost, but I've shown him all round this complex…' Colonel Rundall explained.
Hammond contined walking and Rundall fell in step beside him.
'Get rid of him.'
'Sir? Have our orders changed, sir?' Rundall asked.
'Toss him out on his ass, Colonel.'
---
'Hammond has ordered Bregman off base.' Daniel told Sam.
'Good.' She said.
'You okay?'
'Daniel… don't even bother.' She said truthfully.
He reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder. He nodded and exited the darkened room, leaving her alone.
---
Daniel stood, staring distractedly at a computer screen in front of him. Hammond entered the office and Daniel glanced up at him.
'I've been ordered to turn over the tape.' Hammond stated.
Daniel stiffened and moved over to his other computer. Hammond sighed.
'Look, I'm not happy about it either. I could fight it. The tape could get lost or accidently erased, these things happen, but I'm not going to do that. You know, I had that little weasel of a man thrown out of here, but in light of the NID's latest investigation, I'm starting to think maybe there should be a record of what goes on here beyond the classified reports.'
'And you trust Bregman to portray that?' Daniel asked, skeptically.
'At the moment, I have no other choice.'
---
Daniel walked into the briefing room, slammed a camcorder tape labeled P3X-666 down on the table. Bregman and Hammond stood by the door. Bregman reached out with his hand and tried to say something, but Daniel ignored the gesture and stormed out of the room without saying a word. Bregman went over to the table and picked up the tape. Hammond watched him stonily as Bregman left the room.
---
VIDEO
Wells face took up the entire screen, he was crying and in obvious anguish. Daniels voice could be heard telling Wells that he could speak to his wife himself.
'I'm so sorry about this. Ah! I love you so much… God, I-I just – I just wanted…' He cried.
He screamed in agony and squirmed on the ground. The camera shook.
'Oh God! God! Shut it off! Shut if off! I don't want her to see me die! Please! God!'
The camera shifted again. Fraiser appeared on screen; she looked directly at Wells, and brushed the hair away from his face. Daniel shifted the camera angle again, between Well's face and Fraisers.'
'Simon. Simon! Look at me! You are not going to die, okay?'
Wells began to calm down and Janet continued to speak to him.
'I did not come all the way out here for nothing. Now, I've stemmed the bleeding. We're going to get you on a stretcher. We're going to get you home with your family in no time, okay? Now you hang in there, Airman!'
'Yes, ma'am!'
A staff blast flared across the screen and striked Fraiser. She fell backwards, out of the camera's view.
'Oh god, what was that? Is she hit?' Wells asked.
Daniel shifted the camera erratically between Wells and Fraiser. Smoke curled upwards from her chest. Her eyes were wide open and she lay on the forest ground, unmoving.
'I got him!' Bosworth shouted.
'Janet?'
'Your clear, Doctor Jackson! Sorry, but…'
The camera shifted away quickly, obviously dropped on the floor.
'I need a medic! Fraiser's hit! I need a medic.' Daniel screamed in anguish.
'Is she okay?' Wells asked.
'Sierra Gulf Niner, Doctor Fraiser's been hit. Position… aah! I NEED A MEDIC!' Daniel shouted frantically into his radio.'
END VIDEO
---
Someone turned off the video. Rundell began reading the paper from the envelope Bregman had given him.
'O'Neill's alive. So is Airman Wells.' He said. He choked slightly but continued. 'Doctor Fraiser didn't make it.'
Rundell quickly left the room and everyone else remained in shocked silence.
---
'She's dead because of me?' Wells said guiltily. He was lying in the infirmary, his vitals were good and he had been told he would be outta the infirmary soon and would make a full recovery.
'No. No she's dead because a Jaffa shot her. She was doing her job. Same way you were doing yours when a Jaffa shot you.' Daniel told him.
'I can't make it feel right.'
Daniel shook his head. 'It wasn't right. Nothing about it was right. But it also wasn't your fault.'
Wells studied Daniel's expression for a moment, then nodded. Daniel returned the nod, then left.
---
Bregman laid the tape down on the infirmary bed and turned to leave. 'I'm not gonna use it.'
'Wait.' He bagan. 'I want you to.'
Daniel placed his hands in his pockets and stared at the tape and the bed.
'You know, I died in this room? Ascended. Doctor Fraiser did everything she could. I think she went three days without sleep. Even in the end she didn't want to let me go. I owed her…a lot more than I ever gave back.'
Daniel picked up the tape. 'I thought a lot about what you said about Krystovski. I think this shows what Janet Fraiser was all about.' He held the tape out to Bregman, who approached and took the tape. Bregman exited the room and Daniel remained standing, his eyes filled with tears.
---
The United States and SGC flags were set up on the ramp with a podium, a wreath and a red flag. The room was filled with SGC personnel, military in full dress uniforms. Teal'c and Daniel were dressed in black suits. The documentary crew was also dressed for the occasion and filmed the memorial.
Carter approached the podium.
'Janet Fraiser was an extraordinary person. She was kind and funny and talented. Above all, she was courageous. Try as I might, I could not find the words to honor her, to do justice to her life. Thankfully, I got some help.' She looked over at Teal'c who nodded in acknowledgement. 'While words alone may not be enough, there are some names that might do. We often talk about those that give their lives in the service of their country. And while Janet Fraiser did just that, that's not what her life was about… The following are the names of the men and women who did not die in service, but who are in fact alive today because of Janet: Major Samantha Carter. Doctor Daniel Jackson. Colonel Jack O'Neill. Teal'c… Sergeant Connie Smith. Major Ian Hules. Senior Airman Simon Wells…'
---
Daniel woke abruptly from his sleep. He shot up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He stood and walked silently into the bathroom. He splashed cold water onto his face and looked up into the mirror. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.
Quietly he tiptoed back to his bedroom. She sensed someone moving and her eyes opened.
'Daniel. Come back to bed.'
'I will, just give me a minute.'
'Daniel…' She said, emphasising the 'l' and making her voice said whiny.
'Vala. Please.'
She sat up and shuffled over to where he was sitting. She leant her head on his shoulder and he wrapped him arm around her shoulder.
'I just had a dream.' Daniel told her.
Vala looked up at him and could see the sorrow in his eyes.
'I dreamt about her death.'
She took his hand and held it within hers.
'It was so clear.' Daniel stroked her arm with his thumb. 'I miss her.'
'I know.'
'I still think about her every day.'
'Daniel, I know how much you miss her and that no-one will ever replace her.'
'She's been gone for four years. Yes I loved her. Never told her, but she knew. I hope she knew. But now I have you.'
Vala smiled and once again, lay her head on his shoulder. He smiled and tightened his grip around her.
'I love you.'
'I love you too.'
R&R as always x