A
crack in forever by Roo
Part 5
Daniel woke with a start; vivid technicolor dreams forced him awake just as they had been doing for the past several days. He'd dreamt about the moment Janet died again, and her warm body slumped against his shoulder. But he realised that this time it was Jack, asleep against him. He looked at his watch- 0232. His butt was numb from sitting on the floor, goodness knows how Jack felt.
"Jack? Do you have any idea how really really cold and hard this floor is?"
"Hmm? It's not much use as a floor otherwise Dan'l" came the sleepy reply. As soon as Jack shifted a bit, Daniel carefully got up, putting his glass on the counter, and stretched to unkink his back.
"You're not going home are you?" asked Jack.
"Nope, still got the spare room set up?"
"Yup"
"Okay then," and Daniel started to move out of the kitchen.
"Ah, Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"I can't move!"
From the direct looks they both shot each other, they each knew the other was thinking automatically that Janet would have told Jack and Daniel off in no uncertain terms for sitting on the floor for several hours, drinking alcohol, with no food and no medication. The phrase "who you gonna call?" flitted across Jack's brain. Action was needed.
"Daniel, there some heat gel packs in the cupboard there with the first aid stuff. Bung 'em in the microwave for a minute. I'll need them when I get upstairs." ordered Jack carefully sliding to the floor and gingerly kneeling on all fours.
The microwave dinged.
"Bring a chair over here and I'll use it to get up in stages," he directed. Daniel held onto the chair so it didn't fall over.
Once he was more or less upright, Jack took a step, but pain rippled across his chest and back and he thought that his legs would give way. Suddenly he felt Daniel supporting him. Together they lurched slowly across the kitchen and lounge and up the steps to the corridor where the master and spare bedrooms were.
"Thanks Daniel, I think I can manage from here."
"Okay, I'll get the heat packs. You want anything else?"
"A glass of water, thanks."
When Daniel returned a few minutes later, Jack was just coming out of the bathroom in T-shirt and shorts, and tugging the hem of the T-shirt down to cover the burn dressings on his chest.
"What is that?" he asked as Jack wafted past him.
"It's the ointment Warner gave me to make sure the burns heal nicely or something."
"I didn't notice it before,"
"That's because I didn't put much on today. I figured what with wearing the bandages under the dress blues, it would be uncomfortable enough without that, so…no smell" said Jack preferring not to think about it too much.
"Right." said Daniel absently, standing stock still with the glass of water and the gel packs in his hands.
"Daniel?"
"Umm?"
"The packs?" gestured Jack.
"Oh sorry -here" and he yawned, as Jack sorted himself out in bed, finding the least painful position of several.
"Night Daniel." said Jack pointedly.
There was a pause, Daniel still didn't move.
"This seems really weird." he finally said
"What does?" asked Jack.
"Normal, well almost normal routine stuff. It seems so wrong; after all we've been through the last few days. I don't know anymore. I mean, I almost forgot Janet for a while. Surely that's wrong?" reasoned Daniel.
"Daniel, if you carry on thinking like that you'll go nuts. I couldn't bear it after Charlie…. died. I couldn't understand how Sara carried on with day to day things. It's why we fought so badly. But I know now, that she was right. You have to live your life too Daniel- you taught me that on Abydos. We won't forget Dr Fraiser, but you've got to get some perspective. She wouldn't want us moping around. She'd want us to give her a good send off- which we did; look after Cassie- which we will, and carry on fighting the Goa'uld." Jack ran out of steam and now he too was yawning.
"You're right Jack. I'm so tired I don't know what I'm saying."
"Then get some sleep!" ordered Jack quietly.
"Night Jack."
"Night John-Boy."
Daniel smiled to himself as he made his way in a slightly wobbly line to the spare room. He hoped that Cassie and Sam were also finding solace and comfort tonight.
Jack was right. It was going to be difficult, but they had to carry on. The next Chief Medical Officer was going to have to be very special to fill Janet's shoes. For a small person she sure filled up a lot of space.
THE END
"When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause every body cries and everybody hurts sometimes…….
Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand, Oh No. Don't throw your hand.
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you're not alone"
"Everybody Hurts" song by REM.