Two days later, Jack and Daniel stood at the bottom of the stargate ramp, welcoming Teal'c and Sam, along with Jacob and Bra'tac, home from their mission on the Super Soldier home world. Daniel, supported by a crutch, and Sam, arm in a sling, grinned sympathetically at each other as they left for the infirmary.
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Dr. Fraiser completed Sam's exam and sent her home for two days rest. She turned to Daniel. "You can go home as soon as an airman is available to drive you. I want you off your feet for one week. No driving. No coming into your office. Understood?" She glared directly into his eyes.
"One week? How about three days?" Daniel couldn't imagine what he would do at home for a full week.
"This is not one of your diplomatic negotiations. One week." Janet patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, I'm having a party this Saturday for Cassie. She's turning eighteen next week. I'll have her come pick you up about 1400. She has a date that evening, so it'll be over early."
"Sure. I don't spend enough time with Cassie. Wow, it's hard to believe she'll be leaving for college in the fall." Watching Cassandra grow up, reminded Daniel of the passage of time in his own life. He thought he and Sha're would have had a couple of children by now and he'd be watching his own children grow up.
"Good. I'll see you then - and I'd better not see you on this base before that!"
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Daniel hobbled to the door using a cane. He'd been able to dump the crutch the day before and he wanted Janet to know that he'd be ready to return to work on Monday.
He threw open the door and hugged the teenager waiting on the other side. "Cassie! It's great to see you. All grown up and almost ready to leave the nest, huh?"
"As if any of you guys would leave me alone long enough!" Cassie kissed Daniel on the cheek. "You ready?"
"Yeah. Just let me get my jacket. Why don't you head for the car and I'll be right behind you?" Daniel reached up to the hook next to the door, grabbed his jacket, locked the door and limped slowly out to the car.
As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, Daniel turned to his young friend. "I understand you're dumping us old folks this evening? Hot date?"
Cassie's cheeks flushed slightly, "Dom's taking me out after the barbeque to a new teen dance club over on Austin Road, near the University. His best friend is playing in the band tonight."
"Sounds like fun. You'll have a great time." Daniel patted her on the shoulder as she pulled into her driveway.
"Come on around back, Daniel. Mom set stuff up back there. Everyone else should be here by now." Cassie dashed out of the car and skedaddled for the food, leaving Daniel to mange by himself.
He was just standing up, supporting himself with the car door, when a car pulled up by the curb and parked.
He stopped and watched as Lt. O'Brien emerged. This time her hair was loose and wild around her shoulders. Myriads of fire-colored ringlets cascaded around her face, casting a warm glow over her fair complexion. She slammed her door and turned to open the back door. Daniel watched as she fumbled around for a couple of minutes, and then emerged, toting a toddler and a diaper bag the size of his off-world backpack.
She looked up and saw him leaning on his cane, apparently waiting for her.
"Hey, Dr. Jackson. Glad to see you walking around on your own." She set the squirming boy down and grasped his hand firmly in hers.
"Lt. O'Brien. Who's this little guy?" Daniel nodded his head toward the toddler, who was unsuccessfully trying to escape his warden's hold.
"This is my son, Connor. He'll be two in a couple of months."
Daniel watched, amused, as she almost trotted up the driveway, attempting to hold back the energetic child. Connor broke away from his mother and made a dash for freedom, straight to Daniel. He leaned down and captured the fugitive in his arms.
Connor pulled back in Daniel's arms to examine this new adult who had disrupted his flight. He stuck his pudgy finger on Daniel's glasses and said, "Wha's dat?"
Daniel grinned, "Those are my glasses. And not to be touched, OK?"
The same pudgy finger disappeared into a soggy mouth as the toddler nodded in agreement. "Who you?"
"I'm Daniel. I work with your mother."
"Ah." Satisfied that Daniel was friendly, Connor began pulling open his shirt pockets, searching for something interesting to explore.
"I'm so sorry. I swear I'm going to have to get a leash for that child. I wonder how any kid grows up without major physical trauma if they're all as curious and energetic as this one." She reached over and retrieved her errant mischief-maker from Daniel's arms.
"My parents had a harness and leash for me. Digs weren't exactly safe places for little kids, so as soon as I knew how to climb out of the playpen, I was harnessed and my movements restricted." Daniel gave her a wistful smile. "I remember my mother threatening me with a leash when I was older."
They walked toward the gated fence leading to Janet's backyard. Daniel opened the gate for her and closed it, checking to be sure it latched. He'd already seen how quickly Connor could escape his mother's strong grasp and he had no wish to chase the little boy down the street.
Daniel turned to see what looked most of SGC in Janet's backyard. General Hammond, SG1, Walter, Siler, and the better part of the medical staff and their dates/spouses, were crammed into the small yard.
Connor took off in a flash and when Cassandra captured him, Lt. O'Brien dashed over to repossess him. Daniel watched as Cassie took the child into the house with the diaper bag. He hobbled carefully over to the lieutenant. "Cassie gave you a reprieve?"
"Yep. She took him in to change his diaper and let him play with her dog for a few minutes." She turned toward Daniel. "Would you like to sit down? You shouldn't be on your feet for very long."
"God, another hovering medical mother. Janet's bad enough." He gave her a shy grin to show that he was teasing. "I'm fine. I've been off my feet all week and I'm sick of sitting. It feels good to stand and walk for a while."
"Well, Dr. Jackson, as soon as you begin to feel any discomfort, I want you to sit down." She was looking around the yard to see if there were any empty chairs.
"Daniel."
"What?"
"Call me Daniel. Only strangers and people I don't like call me Dr. Jackson." Mackenzie flashed through Daniel's mind.
"I'm Rori."
"Rori O'Brien. By any chance, Irish?" Daniel folded his arms around his chest and grinned at her.
"Ah, now, 'tis grand of ya ta notice! Me gran-da would be proud." Her blue-green eyes twinkled in humor.
Daniel's linguist ear picked up the regional accent in her brogue. "County Mayo?"
"Wow. I'm impressed! Yes, my father's parents migrated to Canada from Ireland and when my dad married my mom, an American, he moved to the States. We visited my grandparents frequently and my grandfather made sure I knew what a good Irishman sounded like. He even taught me some Gaelic."
"I've been working on Gaelic recently. SG10 has discovered some ruins on PC7-291 with some carvings that look like Ogham from the 4th century Earth time…"
"Excuse me, Daniel, but Cassie just came out with Connor. I need to go rescue her. After all, it's her birthday and she shouldn't have to baby sit." Rori left Daniel in lecture mode, mid-sentence, with his mouth open and finger pointing in the air.
Shocked, and a little embarrassed, that she'd just walk off like that while he was in the middle of a sentence, Daniel shrugged and moved over to the grill where Jack had taken charge of the hot dogs and hamburgers.
'Hey, Danny." Jack waved the long-handled tongs at him. "Grab me a beer, will you?"
Daniel found the ice chest and dug two beers out. He handed one to Jack and twisted open the other for himself. "Where are Sam and Teal'c?"
Jack took a deep swallow, sighed in satisfaction, and shrugged. "Haven't seen them for a while. Last I saw them, they were talking to Hammond over by the maple tree in the corner. That was about fifteen minutes ago." Jack turned back to the grill and began turning the hot dogs over.
"Uh, I guess I'll go looking." Daniel turned and began a slow walk around the yard, searching for his friends.
By the time he'd circled the yard, without finding either SG1 member, his wounded leg was beginning to burn and he knew he needed to sit or he'd fall on his face. He spotted an empty chair on the deck behind Jack and made his way back up the steps. Sinking down gratefully, he sipped slowly on his beer and watched his fellow workers in a different environment.
It amused him how he could work almost daily with someone and not recognize them when he saw them in civilian clothes. Siler stood out in shorts and a multi-colored Hawaiian shirt. Walter was wearing tight fitting jeans over cowboy boots, a Western shirt with pearly snaps, and a worn, straw cowboy hat. The high healed boots brought him up to just about Sam's height.
He also enjoyed seeing who people dated and married. He never would have thought of Siler married to a petite woman who looked too fragile to be safe with the tall, accident prone man.
Daniel sat and enjoyed himself quietly for about twenty minutes, when his solitude was abruptly broken by a flying toddler. Connor barreled up the stairs, leaped into Daniel's lap and buried his curly strawberry blond head in Daniel's shirt, giggling like crazy. Daniel was so startled, he almost shoved the child off his lap.
Rori came ripping up the stairs in pursuit of her escape artist son. "Thank god! Thanks for capturing him, Daniel, again."
"I think he caught me. I was just sitting here when I suddenly became a landing site for a flying bundle of energy." Daniel looked down to see sleepy blue-green eyes blinking at him.
Connor plunked his thumb in his mouth and snuggled comfortably against Daniel. His eyes shut and, just that fast, he was asleep.
"Does he always fall asleep this quickly? I should learn how to do that. It would come in handy." Daniel curled his arm protectively around the sleeping boy.
"Yep. He runs and runs until he suddenly shuts down. I'll take him." Rori reached out to remove Connor from Daniel's lap.
"Won't he wake up? You can leave him with me. I'm not going anywhere for a while." He looked down at the angelic-looking child and wondered what Sha're's and his child would have looked like. He brought his free hand up and began stroking Connor's hair gently.
Rori watched him with her son and she wished that Connor could have had a father who treated him like Daniel did. She sighed and pulled a chair over next to Daniel. "I've been chasing him around since we got here and I'm exhausted. I wish I could just cuddle up like him in a nice comfortable lap and go to sleep."
As soon as it was out of her mouth, she wished she'd never said that. Daniel peered at her over the top of his glasses, as she colored with embarrassment, all the way down her neck. He tried to stifle his laughter to keep from further embarrassing her and to keep from waking the sleeping boy.
"I…That is… Oh, that didn't come out right!" Rori looked away from Daniel and tried desperately to find a way to change the subject.
Settling down to a grin, Daniel said, "I know there have been many times I wished I could just snuggle up to someone and sleep. I guess little kids are lucky - they can sleep on anyone."
Daniel searched for a topic to discuss – she obviously wasn't interested in translation work. "When do we get to meet Connor's father? Is he coming later?"
"There is no father in his life." Her eyes flashed and changed color.
I was right. Her eyes do change color with her moods. OK, green means anger. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject."
"That's OK. You'd think I'd be used to it after almost two years."
Janet chose that moment to call everyone around for Cassie to blow out her candles and cut the birthday cake.