Chapter 5: I'll Be There For You
At his home in Washington, General Jack O'Neill was awakened by the mildly irritating sound of his telephone ringing. He was extremely aggravated that someone was waking him up at 4:00 in the morning. Rolling to the side of the bed, he snatched up the phone and turned it on.
"What?" Jack growled angrily.
"Jack. Sorry to wake you up at this hour but this is important." Hank Landry said quickly.
"Sorry, Hank. You said important? What's up?"
"I thought you might want to know of a situation that has arisen here. I called you so that you can come here and be with your team if you want."
"Hank, cut the crap. You woke me up and now your dodging. Stop beating around the bush and tell… me… what's… wrong."
"Jack, I don't know how to say this so I'll say it straight out. There was an automobile accident last night that was called in by one of the airmen here. We got the call because the victim is an off world guest who you know very well." Hank began.
"Wait a minute. Accident? Off world guest I know well? What are telling me here, Hank." Jack interrupted, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he began getting dressed. He didn't like where this conversation seemed to be going.
"Like I said, there was an accident. The driver of one of the cars was critically injured and is in our infirmary now. I said you know this person very well because he used to be a member of your team. Jonas Quinn." Hank informed his friend as he heard a loud bang. "Hello? Hello? Jack, are you there?"
"Yeah. Sorry, Hank. I dropped the phone. It's just hard for me to stomach this information. How is my team handling this?"
"They're taking it hard. Sam just got back in from Washington and we had to break the news to her. Colonel Mitchell is here and is doing what he can to help out."
"For crying out loud. Hank, hang tight there. I've called my pilot on the cell phone and my plane is waiting on the runway for me. I'll be there in three hours."
"See you soon, Jack."
At the same time, Sam had just entered the infirmary with Cam and saw Teal'c sitting in a chair along the side wall and Daniel pacing back and forth across the room nervously. Upon seeing the two enter the room, Teal'c slowly got to his feet and Daniel stopped in his tracks and crossed the room to her, folding her in his arms.
"I'm so sorry, Sam. If it hadn't been for my ignoring the weather, none of this would be happening. I'm sorry you had to come back from Washington to this." Daniel whispered into Sam's hair.
"Daniel, this is not your fault." Sam began, pulling back to look Daniel in the eyes. "It's nobody's fault. What happened was an accident. It could have happened to anyone."
"Colonel Carter is correct, Daniel Jackson. You should listen to her words." Teal'c said solemnly from where he stood in the corner.
"See there. At least Teal'c has listened to reason. The most important thing that we can do right now is stay right here and give this guy some support." Cam said, coming to sit beside Teal'c. A few moments later, Dr. Lam walked into the room and approached them.
"Dr. Lam. What's our situation?" Sam asked nervously.
"It's going to be a waiting game. Dr. Warner and I managed to repair as much of the damage as we could and we stopped the internal bleeding. We had to transfuse him since he lost so much blood before he got to us. There's no way of knowing how long he had been trapped in that car before our people came across the accident. Jonas is in a coma right now but I'm more concerned about the possible shock to his vital organs because of the blood loss. Dr. Warner and I have done all we can for the time being. Right now, it's up to him."
"Can we see him?" Daniel asked.
"Of course. Having familiar presence around him might be helpful. But I can only allow one of you to sit with him at a time for right now." Lam agreed.
"Go ahead, Daniel. Teal'c and I can go after you." Sam said, gripping Daniel's arm for a moment as Teal'c nodded his agreement.
"Okay, if everyone agrees, Daniel you can come with me."
"Okay." Daniel said uncertainly as he followed the doctor out of the room.
When Daniel got to Jonas' room, his heart leapt into his throat and his stomach decided at that point, unfortunately, to tie itself in a knot. He couldn't shake the feeling that if he had paid more attention to the weather conditions that none of this would be happening. He was so consumed with his own thoughts of guilt that he didn't notice Dr. Lam was speaking to him until he felt her hand on his arm.
"Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you say something?" Daniel asked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Yes, I said that you should talk to Jonas to keep him anchored to the here and now as much as you can. Let him know everyone is here for him, tell him not to give up. That's the best thing anyone can do for him right now." Lam began and paused a moment when she noticed the young archaeologist's weary face and the tired eyes that looked back at her from behind the man's round glasses. "Daniel, are you okay? You look like you just fought a battle with someone twice your size and just barely got the upper hand."
"I don't know how I feel right now to be honest with you. Sam, Teal'c and Cameron tell me that this was just an accident and I really want to believe that but why do I feel like I'm responsible?"
"I can't answer that question, Daniel. But I can go to the commissary and bring you a cup of coffee. Would that be okay?" Dr. Lam asked, a thought popping into her mind.
"Yeah. I'd appreciate that. Thanks." Daniel smiled weakly as the doctor turned and walked out of the room.
As soon as he was alone in the room with his friend, Daniel walked slowly over to the bed, pulled the chair close, and placed his hand on Jonas' arm. It hit him like a blow to the stomach to see how pale he looked as a result of the blood loss. Remembering that Lam had said it might help to talk to Jonas, Daniel cleared his throat to make sure he could trust his voice and said the only thing that he could think of.
"Jonas, I am so sorry. I never should have let you venture out in a rainstorm. This is so not right. You should be resting in one of the guest quarters, not lying here in the infirmary in a coma. When you get through this, I'll do whatever you want to make this up to you. We're all here for you, Jonas. Teal'c and I are here, Sam just got back from Washington and came here as soon as her plane landed. Cameron's here too. I know you guys don't know each other but he wanted to lend you his support as well. Please hang in there, Jonas." Daniel whispered.
As Dr. Lam headed down the hall she was thinking about how tired and conflicted Daniel had just seemed. Before she went up to the commissary to get him the cup of coffee she had promised, she made a quick stop by the medication room. Once inside she closed the door and began looking for something to help the current issue. After a moment of looking she found what she needed, placed it into the crusher and put the whole little packet into the pocket of her lab coat.
When she got to the commissary and got a cup of coffee for Daniel, she stepped out into the hallway, emptied the packet into the cup and stirred it with the stirring stick. Then she took the elevator back down to the infirmary to the room where Daniel was sitting with Jonas. She knocked gently and entered the room.
"Hey, Daniel. Here's that coffee I promised. Hopefully after you drink this you'll feel a little better."
"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Daniel smiled, taking the coffee and sipping at it slowly. He turned his attention back to the vigil he was keeping as Dr. Lam turned and left the room quietly, hoping she had done the right thing.
Daniel finished his coffee rather quickly and set the cup on the table. He continued to sit at Jonas' side, occasionally talking to him about things that interested both of them, but mostly trying to give the young man strength by his presence. After about twenty minutes, Daniel was acknowledging how tired he was and he began to feel slightly drowsy. His eyes were starting to close and he felt his head nodding. He blinked rapidly and shook his head to wake himself up.
"This doesn't make sense. I just had a cup of coffee and here I am trying to nod off. I guess I'm more exhausted than I thought. I have been up all night though. I need to keep myself awake here." Daniel thought.
The more time that went by, the more drowsy Daniel became and it was getting harder for him to keep his eyes open. He was fighting the drowsiness that was strongly closing in on him and it was a battle that he was rapidly losing. No matter how hard Daniel tried, his eyes kept drifting closed and each time it was even more difficult to force them open again. He knew he needed to keep himself alert for Jonas' sake but it seemed the harder he fought to that end, the more his body was begging him to surrender to the alluring tug of sleep that was trying just as hard to pull him under.
Finally, Daniel was so sleepy that he didn't have the strength to fight against it anymore. This time, when his eyes slid closed and he felt his head nodding, he didn't resist. In fact, as sleep claimed him completely, he welcomed it's embrace and his head fell gently to one side, a wave of comforting darkness flowing over him and washing away his guilt for a while.
A few minutes later, Dr. Lam walked in to check on Jonas' condition and noticed Daniel sound asleep in the small plastic chair beside the bed. She smiled a little and then decided that someone should move Daniel into a bed because he would likely sleep for quite a while and he would be more comfortable lying down than sitting up in that chair. After checking the monitors and determining that Jonas's condition was stable for the moment, she left the room quietly and went in search of some assistance.
Sam, Teal'c, and Cameron were sitting in the small room where they were waiting when Dr. Lam walked in. They immediately turned their attention to her.
"Teal'c, would you come with me for a moment please. I need someone with a great deal of strength and I could really use your help."
"Of course, Dr. Lam." Teal'c said respectfully, nodding to her as he followed her out of the room leaving Sam and Cameron looking at each other trying to figure out what was up.
"Thanks for coming to help me, Teal'c." Lam said quietly.
"With what do you require my assistance?"
"Well, I need your help to move Daniel to a bed in the room across the hall from the one Jonas is in. I obviously can't do it myself and knowing that you are by far the strongest person on this base I came in search of your help."
"Has Daniel Jackson become ill?" Teal'c asked, concern in his voice.
"Oh, no. He's not sick. He's just sleeping. I offered to get him a cup of coffee from the commissary and, when I did that, I slipped something in there to relax him that put him to sleep. Anyway, he fell asleep in the plastic chair next to Jonas' bed and I don't want to leave him there as that's not exactly a comfortable place to sleep so I've set up the room across the hall for him to rest. Can you help me get him over there?" Lam said quickly, reassuring the large Jaffa.
"Indeed. I will transport Daniel Jackson. Please stand aside." Teal'c said, gently lifting his unconscious companion into his arms and carrying him across the hall to the room Dr. Lam had set up for the archaeologist to sleep. He then laid Daniel carefully on the bed, taking off the young man's glasses and making sure he was comfortable. Teal'c then turned to speak to Lam.
"I will return to the waiting room and inform Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell of what has transpired. We will remain with Jonas Quinn and Daniel Jackson as long as our presence is required."
"From what I've seen of SG-1 in the short time I've been here, I wouldn't expect anything less, Teal'c." Lam smiled as she walked out of the room, followed closely by the Jaffa warrior.
Sam and Cameron were still in the waiting room trying to figure out what was going on when Teal'c appeared in the doorway. The Jaffa walked over and approached his friends.
"What did Lam want with you, Teal'c?" Cameron asked, a confused look on his face.
"Dr. Lam merely required my assistance in transporting Daniel Jackson from his current location. He had fallen asleep and was unable to do so for himself. He is now resting in a room across the hall from Jonas Quinn's room." Teal'c answered stoically.
"I guess he must really have exhausted himself. He was pacing the room for two hours nonstop." Sam said.
"Oh, well. I guess it's not that important. What is important is that he's resting." Cameron remarked.
"I think someone needs to sit with Daniel as well. We can take turns sitting with Daniel and Jonas."
"Indeed. If you are not in objection, Colonel Carter, I would like to take first opportunity to maintain watch at Jonas Quinn's bedside." Teal'c requested.
"Okay. I'll go sit with Daniel. What about you, Cam?" Sam asked their friend.
"I think I'll stay here for now and wait for any updates from Dr. Lam or Dr. Warner. That way I can keep General Landry up to date on what's going on."
"Okay. See you later. Thank you for coming back. I know you don't know Jonas but it means a lot to us that you're here."
Teal'c walked into Jonas' room and took up a post at his friend's bedside. It disturbed Teal'c to see his friend and former teammate in such critical condition. The young alien was hooked to a respirator and his chest rose and fell at mechanical intervals as the machine moved oxygen through his lungs. Teal'c took a moment to listen to the monitors beeping to the rhythm of Jonas' steady heartbeat. The Jaffa found this sound strangely comforting, an odd signal that his friend was in his damaged body somewhere, in need of his friends to help bring him back.
"As I told you when you departed following your year with SG-1 to return to your planet, Jonas Quinn, you truly have the heart of a warrior. Your strength of spirit rivals that of even the strongest Jaffa I have ever encountered. You must maintain your strength and allow your body to heal. There are several people who still require your wisdom, Jonas Quinn. If I were able, I would give you extra strength to aid you." Teal'c said quietly, one arm crossed over his chest in a gesture of respect and the other hand on his friend's arm. He then began his silent vigil, determined to support his injured friend by remaining close at hand as long as he was needed.
Sam walked quietly into the room where Daniel was sleeping and approached the bed, taking a seat in the chair she found nearby. She took her friend's lax fingers in her own, holding his hand firmly, and ran her other hand through his short hair.
"Why do you have to be so hard on yourself, Daniel? You blame yourself for a lot of things that go wrong around you and it's slowly destroying you. Not everything is someone's fault, Daniel, and it's not your responsibility to shoulder the burden of those that can have blame assigned to them. You are not responsible for what happened to Jonas. Cam was right, you can't control the weather. You really shouldn't blame yourself for this. I know Jonas doesn't blame you. Even though he can't tell us that himself, knowing him as I do, it's something that I can be sure of. I'm going to be here for the both of you." Sam whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Daniel's forehead.
In the meanwhile, Jack's plane had landed at the local Air Force base and a car sent from the SGC had been waiting for him on the tarmac as soon as he stepped off the plane. Now he was in the elevator, waiting impatiently to reach Landry's office on level 28. When the doors finally opened, Jack made a beeline for his former office. Once there he found Walter Harriman waiting outside for him.
"General O'Neill. Welcome back, sir." Harriman said, saluting out of habit.
"At ease, Walter." Jack said, not really in the mood for formality now.
"Yes, sir. General Landry's waiting for you in his office, sir. He'll bring you up to date on what we know so far."
"Thanks, Walter." Jack said, clapping the other man on the shoulder as he headed into the office.
"Hank. What else have you got?"
"Jack, come in and sit down. I just spoke with Dr. Lam approximately half an hour ago. You're not gonna like this."
"What am I not gonna like? Jonas isn't….."
"No, no. He's alive. He is in a coma though and Dr. Lam and Dr. Warner had to transfuse him because he had a great deal of internal bleeding as well as external injuries. She told me that they've done all they can for Jonas right now. It's up to him at this point." Landry said quickly, noticing that Jack was unable to even complete the thought he inquired about.
"As long as he's alive, there's still a chance and that's a good thing. What about the rest of my team?"
"According to Colonel Mitchell, Teal'c is sitting with Jonas at the moment keeping vigil and Colonel Carter is sitting with Dr. Jackson."
"What? Is something wrong with Daniel, too?" Jack asked quickly, the thought of two of his close friends coming to harm bringing a sick feeling to the pit of his stomach.
"There's nothing wrong with him. From what I understand he's just sleeping. Dr. Lam thought he might be more comfortable somewhere other than the chair beside Jonas' bed that he fell asleep in so she and Teal'c moved him to a room across the hall. Colonel Carter went to sit with him. Colonel Mitchell is in the waiting room keeping me informed with whatever he hears on the situation." Landry reassured his friend.
"Okay. That's the situation. Thanks for briefing me. I'm gonna get down there and be with my team."
Without another word, Jack O'Neill headed out of the office and down to the infirmary to be with his team and friends. As he stepped out of the elevator, he decided that his first stop would be to go to the waiting room and check in with Cameron Mitchell.