Almost two months later, Daniel was walking through the park to his favorite coffee shop, thinking about whether he should order a cinnamon spice mocha or an Americano, when he spotted Rori pushing Connor on a swing. Glancing at his watch to confirm that he still had plenty of time before meeting Jack for coffee, he crossed over the grass to the play area.
"Hi! Looks like he's enjoying himself." Daniel waved at Rori as he approached.
"Oh, hi, Daniel. Believe it or not, he could sit in this for hours. It really seems to calm him down." She reached around from behind Connor as he swung back to her and tickled his knees.
The child giggled, kicking his legs, "Higher, Mommy!"
"I think that's high enough, young man. You're not old enough to be an astronaut yet!"
Daniel watched the interaction between mother and son. She clearly enjoyed her son and once again Daniel felt a twinge of loss for what he didn't have. Surely by now he and Sha're would have had a couple of children.
"It's time to stop, Connor. We need to go home and have lunch before Mommy has to go to work." She stopped pushing and let the swing wind down on its own. When it stopped, she grasped Connor under his arms and tugged to lift him out, but his foot got caught in the child-safe swing as he fought removal, so Daniel stepped over to help by twisting the swing and extract Connor's foot, while Rori hung on to the squirming child.
"I'm forever being reminded why two parents are a better idea than one!" Rori murmured, frustrated. "Thanks for the help."
She put the child down and reached behind her to grab her purse. Connor scrambled across the sand then clambered up and over the four-foot high chain-link fence that enclosed the play area.
Daniel leaped over the fence, but Rori, burdened by her purse and shorter legs, was slowed down when she ran through the gate. By the time they'd left the play area, Connor had disappeared behind some bushes.
Daniel made it around the bushes before Rori and watched a man scoop Connor up. Daniel slowed, thinking the man would hold him until he and Rori got there. Rori came flying around the corner, saw who had her son and halted abruptly.
"Oh, dear god, no!" Her face blanched and she wavered for just a second.
Daniel looked between her and the man holding Connor. He felt the fear rising from her in waves and his concern for Connor sharpened. Daniel began to move toward Connor, intending to take the child back to his mother.
"Move any closer and I'll shoot." The man, holding Connor as if he were a football, shoved his hand into his jacket pocket.
"Rori, get down!" Daniel yelled, wishing he had a zat with him. "Please, just hand us the child and we won't make any trouble for you."
"I don't think so. This is my kid and he's going with me." Gesturing toward Rori, he continued, "That bitch never even told me I had a kid. I had to find out from my cousin." He glared at Daniel, looking him over as if he were sizing him up. "She's a good piece of ass, isn't she?" He grinned at Rori, showing a set of straight, white teeth.
"Please. Let's talk about this. I'm sure you and Rori can work out a reasonable schedule for visitation. Put down the child and we'll talk." Daniel held his hands open and out to his sides to show the man that he wasn't going for a weapon. At the same time, he inched his way closer to the captured boy.
"Jason, please don't hurt him! He doesn't know you. You're scaring him!" Rori's eyes were huge with horror. Her breath came in quick, short spurts; her hands unconsciously twisted the material of her t-shirt.
"Rori, please, just stay back and let me handle this. This is what I do all the time. I know what I'm doing." Daniel moved to block her from Jason, attempting to keep her from rushing him and getting herself and Connor hurt.
Connor heard the stress in his mother's voice and decided he wanted to go to her. He'd already learned that a hug from him made her happy when she was sad. He began wiggling and yelling at the bad man to let him go.
"Oh, god, Daniel! Do something!" Rori made an attempt to run up to Jason and take Connor, but Daniel grabbed her by the shoulders and glared into her eyes.
"Rori! I need you to focus! Just be still. I can't get Connor if I'm trying to protect you." Daniel whispered harshly.
From the corner of his eye, Daniel saw someone else moving quickly in their direction. God, please keep other people away right now. Daniel eyed the fifteen feet between Jason and himself and tried to decide if he could throw himself across the distance and tackle the man.
"Hey, Danny! Stood me up for a pretty girl?" Jack came around the corner of the bushes, saw Daniel's tense expression and realized that there was a situation. "What's going on?" Colonel O'Neill snapped to attention.
Jason began to feel he was losing control of the situation. "There are way too many people here. Stay back! I'm taking my son, and you," waving his gun toward the group, "aren't stopping me." His eyes were wild and Jack was certain the man was strung-out on something.
Jason began backing up, moving toward the parking lot. Jack moved quickly behind the bushes, planning to come around behind the man before he made it to his car. Jason saw the movement and fired his gun wildly at Rori and Daniel.
Rori went down, clutching her arm. "Daniel, don't let him take my baby!"
Daniel knelt down and saw that she'd been shot in the arm, but didn't appear to be in immediate danger. He squatted down, making himself as small a target as possible, and ran after Jason and Connor. At the same time, he dug out his cell phone and dialed 911.
Jack ran behind the bushes toward the parking lot and watched as Jason jumped into a battered pick-up, still holding a screaming Connor. He held onto the boy with one arm and started the truck with the other, backed up and pealed out of the parking lot. Jack wasn't able to see the license plate to get the number.
Daniel ran up just as the truck entered the street. He was on the phone, talking to the dispatcher; giving a description of the truck and the direction in which it was heading. Rori arrived immediately behind him, clutching her bleeding arm.
Jack pulled out his phone and called Janet, told her where they were and to bring emergency supplies to treat a bullet wound.
Daniel turned toward Rori. "God, Rori, you're bleeding a lot!" He watched blood flow down her arm and puddle at her feet.
She glanced down at her arm, only vaguely aware that she was injured. "I think he hit the brachial artery – lots of blood." Turning slowly toward Daniel, she mumbled, "I don't feel so good." Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed.
Daniel shrugged out of his jacket, stripped off his t-shirt, wadded it up and held it on the bleeding wound, applied pressure to slow the bleeding.
"Janet's on her way to take care of Rori. Police coming?" Jack stuffed his cell phone back in his pocket and knelt down next to Daniel and Rori.
"Yes. I gave them a description of the truck, of Connor, and of Jason. Hopefully, he won't get too far." Daniel sent up a silent pray that Connor would be recovered quickly.
In less than three minutes, the police arrived, with Janet about a minute behind them. Daniel continued applying pressure to Rori's wound while Jack told the police everything he had seen. As soon as Janet arrived, Daniel stood up and was approached by a man in a suit.
"I'm Detective Reynolds." He introduced himself and pointed to the badge clipped onto his jacket pocket. "I understand you were a witness to the entire incident?"
"Yes." Daniel gave him a brief report on what had happened.
"I'd like you to come down to the station so we can get a complete statement." The detective turned to Jack, "We also need you to come. Tomorrow at 9am."
Daniel and Jack looked at each other. "I'll have to check with our CO and see if we're free." Jack didn't plan on going to the police station. He'd already told them everything he'd seen. Daniel wasn't going in either. He planned on going after Jason.