Chapter Eight. What Was That Thing?
Vala watched as the EMT's worked on Daniel and he appeared to be stable. He was still unconscious, which was probably a good thing. She looked out the window for a minute and saw the Rocky Mountain range to her left as they flew north east over them and it was what seemed like minutes before they were landing on the top of a large building in downtown Denver. Emergency room nurses and doctors were waiting for them, coats flapping and hair flying about them as they approached the helicopter to remove the stretcher. She jumped out and followed them in as the gurney carrying Daniel was rushed through double electronic sliding doors. He was whisked away and one of the doctors took her aside to question her about what had happened. She explained everything calmly and then was led aside to a waiting room.
After sitting for a few minutes, in a daze, she realized that she had to call the SGC and get in touch with General Landry. She asked to use a phone and was shown one on a desk in the nurses station.
After she talked to the General, she went back to the waiting room and quietly and completely fell apart. She was alone so no one was there to comfort her and she was terrified that she would lose her Daniel.
About 45 minutes later, the doors to the emergency room opened and a doctor came to her and sat across from her on the coffee table.
"Ma'am, I'm Dr. Freeman and I wanted to let you know that Dr. Jackson is fine. The bear's teeth punctured his arm and caused a lot of bleeding but it didn't tear any of the muscle away. He has some fingers broken on each hand but we set them and they'll be fine. He has a couple of deep scratches across his chest from the claws, I think, but we stitched them up and they'll heal. He lost a lot of blood but he'll make a full recovery. You acted quickly, which probably saved his arm and his life. They're just now putting in the final stitches and in a bit, they'll move him to recovery. As soon as he's settled, we'll take you to his room."
Tears ran freely down her face and the doctor patted her shoulder and asked if he could get her some water. She nodded and a few minutes after taking a sip, the doors opened and General Landry and Colonel Mitchell came in. They immediately went to her side and asked what happened. She waited for the doctor to finished telling them what he knew and that Daniel was okay.
"I'm going to have to have him transferred to our base in Colorado Springs, Doctor. Daniel works on classified materials and is a security risk if he's held at any other medical facility. You never know what he might say while under the influence of heavy duty pain killers. I hope you understand."
"That's fine. We'll keep him isolated and as soon as he's out of recovery, he'll be released into your care. Do you have transport?"
"Yes, we do. Just let us know when we can move him."
Landry shook hands with the doctor and watched as he left the room. Then he turned back towards Cam and Vala and sat down in a chair by the couch they were on.
"We're going to transport up to the 'Daedalus' as soon as Daniel is ready to be moved. So, I'll need you to stick around. Okay, tell me what happened."
Vala explained how they went up and met Daniel's friends and went to the cabin. She talked about them taking a hike and coming across the bear, the cave with the drawings, and their attempt at an escape. When she described the attack, she wept quietly and Cam pulled her into a hug. When he let her go, she was calm again and so he went to get her another drink of water.
While Cam was gone, Landry said, "I know what's going on with you and Daniel, Vala, and it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."
Vala wondered how he knew about her and Daniel. "Sir, I'm sorry we didn't tell you about us. It only started being 'us' about 4 days ago so we didn't have a chance."
"I know. When Teal'c told me about the house and that you were there with the team, I put two and two together. Teal'c doesn't gossip, don't worry. I asked him if he had been enjoying his time off and he said yes, and told me where he'd been. He said that everyone had left that morning except you and Daniel. I could tell that something was different between you two. Not so much with you, as with Daniel. He stuck his neck out for you and requested that I give you a chance to prove yourself. To be honest, I wasn't inclined to. But, he was quite convincing so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Lately, he's been looking at you when he didn't know I could see."
"He has?"
"Yes, and you're behaving like a responsible adult for a change. You're working hard and helping out the SGC tremendously. When you started behaving and stopped harassing him, he started to look at you as a woman and not as a pest."
"Well sir, I didn't know you were an expert on human psychology?" Vala laughed and smiled.
"I didn't get to be a General in the United States Air Force by keeping my eyes closed. I've seen a lot of things over the years and I've noticed that when a little boy and a little girl are picking on each other, it means they're attracted to each other. Adults are no different. Now, do you have any things left up at the cabin? Clothes, stuff like that?
"Yes. In the loft. Both our bags are up there. And Daniel's Jeep is at his friend's house."
Landry smiled and patted her hand. "We'll send someone up to get them."
Cam came in at that point and handed her the refilled paper cup of water and then sat next to her.
"Sir, there's something else. When I was talking with Daniel's friend, I let it slip that I 'zatted' the bear. I backpedaled a bit when he looked confused and said, 'you know, we shot the bear.' I wanted to kick myself afterwards and he didn't seem confused by what I'd said. But, sir, I realized on the flight over here that if we had shot the bear with conventional weapons, we would have a gun and there would be blood. We don't have a handgun and the bear wasn't bleeding. The only blood they're going to find is Daniel's."
"Okay. We'll have to come up with a cover story. Thank you for telling me this. I appreciate your honesty."
They were waiting for further news on Daniel's recovery when they stepped into the hall and saw two sheriff's officers come into the unit. Vala recognized them from the mountain and grabbed General Landry and Cam and pulled them into a side room. "Those are the officers that came to investigate. I'm sure they're here about Daniel. Why else would they have come all the way from that mountain?"
"Let me handle it, Vala. You stay here with Colonel Mitchell."
She nodded and he left the room. She looked at Cam and he said, "Don't worry, General Landry can handle them. If nothing else, it's a national security issue and he won't tell them anything."
"How is shooting a bear a national security issue? They aren't going to settle for that, Cam. Would you?" Vala was afraid that she'd be arrested and taken into custody and she didn't think General Landry could stop them.
"Just stay in here with me. He won't tell them where you are. We'll beam you out and they'll probably always wonder but they'll never know."
A few minutes later, General Landry came back into the room and said, "They left. I told them they would have to wait for an explanation and that we'd contact them when Daniel was ready to talk. But, that's not going to happen so don't worry. I've just called and had two SGC personnel beam into the cabin, get your stuff and beam back out. Your things are on the Daedalus, as we speak. Others are driving up to get Daniel's Jeep, the conventional way."
The door opened and then Dr. Freeman came in and told them that Daniel was ready for transport and they could see him.
They went to the recovery room and saw that Daniel was asleep in a hospital bed and though he looked pale, his monitors showed that he was in good shape. His left arm and that side of his chest was heavily bandaged and both hands were wrapped as well.
Landry turned his back to the doctor and gave a signal. Two SGC orderlies beamed into an empty elevator and the doors opened on their floor and they stepped out. They went to the room Landry directed them too and transferred Daniel to the gurney they brought with them. After unhooking Daniel from the monitors and making sure the IV wasn't twisted, they moved out into the hall and Landry thanked Dr. Freeman for his help. Dr. Freeman handed them the file with all the medical information about Daniels surgery, the medication and antibiotics he was given, and all other pertinent information for the transfer of care. Vala gave the Doctor a hug and then they stepped into the elevator. Landry pushed the button for the first floor and then beamed them all up to the Daedalus.
After arriving, the orderlies took Daniel to the infirmary and got him settled into a bed. Vala followed and when they left, she sat in a chair by his bed and finally relaxed. It was over. Daniel was safe, they were back in the care of the SGC and she wouldn't have to answer any Sheriff's questions.
0 0 0
Daniel became aware that he could hear monitors. It was a familiar sound and at first he thought he was at the SGC and that Janet was near by. Then he remembered that Janet had died two years before, so that really confused him and almost brought tears to his eyes. He opened his eyes and heard Vala say, "He's awake." When he turned his head, there she was, holding his right arm.
He smiled at her and asked, "What happened?"
"A bear chewed on you. You're okay. Hey, are you in pain? You look like you're about to cry."
"It's nothing." He looked around the room and saw that he was in the infirmary at the SGC. "How did we get here? Last thing I remember is you driving the Jeep. I think. Did you really drive it?"
"Yes, I did. It wasn't hard. I got you back to Leon and Jenny's and they called for help. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later."
Dr. Lam was looking over the monitors and taking notes. "Hello there, Dr. Jackson. Welcome back. Do you remember what happened?"
He paused for a minute and then said, "Yeah, I do and I'd rather forget." Daniel gave her a sheepish smile and took a deep breath. Then he said, "Ow."
"Yeah, 'ow.' You have some stitches in your chest from the bear's claws. Your arm was sewn back together, too. The doctor's in Denver did a great job with that, by the way."
"Denver?" Now he was really confused.
"Long story, remember?" Vala said.
"I'll take your word for it." He looked around the room and said, "So, how bad and when can I get out of here?"
"Well, you've got a slight fever because you're fighting off an infection in your arm and chest. Until the fever is gone, I want to keep you here overnight. If you're still stable in the morning, you can stay in the VIP quarters. In a few days, we'll see. It things go well, I might dismiss you by Saturday."
"Isn't your birthday Saturday?" Vala smiled. "If you're a good boy, Darling, you can have cake and ice cream and we'll hire a clown for your party."
He gave her a dirty look and said, "Very funny. Yes, it's my birthday and if you make a fuss, I won't be so nice."
Vala laughed and held up a cup with a straw for him to drink from.
Dr. Lam said, "Vala, would you step into the hall for a moment? I want to change Daniels dressings and it's gonna take a few minutes. Maybe you can go get some lunch."
Vala gave Daniel a kiss on the cheek and said, "Don't go anywhere." Then she said, "Carolyn, make sure you page me when you're finished, okay?"
Daniel gave her a sardonic smile and watched her as she left.
"She's a lot of fun, Daniel. You two got a thing going?" Carolyn got out the electronic thermometer and waved it across his forehead.
"Just recently," he said as he looked up at her. "It kinda snuck up on both of us."
"Well, I like her. And she's good for you. Keeps you on your toes." She wrote in her chart and then took his blood pressure.
"What do you mean?" He wondered if there had been any gossip.
She finished and then pulled her stethoscope away and said, "Let's put it this way… until a short while ago, you were spending too much time on the base. Overworked, underfed and grumpy. Now, she's around and from what I hear, she's been a lot of help. You actually go home at the end of the day. She even makes you laugh a time or two. That's a good thing."
"So, she has your stamp of approval?" Daniel grinned at her as she started to removed his chest bandages.
"Yes. Now be quiet and let me work." She smiled back at him and as he settled back into the pillow, he thought that Carolyn was right. Vala was good for him.
0 0 0
Daniel spent the last two days on his hospital stay in the VIP room with Vala waiting attendance and by the end of the week, he was climbing the walls. Dr. Lam told him his office was off limits and he tried to get Siler to sneak in his laptop but Siler had been warned and wouldn't comply. Daniel was told to rest. Vala did her best to keep him company but by Friday night, she'd had enough and asked Cam to take her out to the house.
Daniel was grumpy, rude, overbearing and obnoxious (her words) and she needed some time to herself. She never thought she would ever feel that way about Daniel but she knew it was only because he was incapacitated and would be back to his old self, soon.
Late Saturday morning, Daniel rode home from the SGC with Carolyn. She had been invited over for the barbecue so after her last examination to make sure he was well enough, she took him home.
He felt like kissing the ground when he got out of her car. It was so good to be back. He'd only been gone a few days but it felt like forever. When he stepped through the front doors, he was greeted by Vala, Jack, and Teal'c. General Landry was out on the grilling deck with Cam, discussing their favorite marinade recipes and he went out to say hello. He was only out there a few minutes when Vala pulled him back inside and sat him on the couch next to her.
"Carolyn said you have to sit. I will be right here if you need anything."
"I'm not going to argue with you. I'm so glad to be home, I'll do whatever you ask."
"Really?" Vala grinned at him and he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Really." He grinned at her and started to laugh. "Within reason."
"Of, of course, Darling. 'Within reason'," she echoed.
Daniel was unable to feed himself or hold a glass so he was at her mercy, but she was very sweet to him and they laughed as she fed him. A little before 2 o'clock, the door opened and Sam came in.
"Hey, you're back!" Daniel was overjoyed to see her.
"Yes, and I heard about what happened. I had to get back here to see if you were alright and I knew the party was today, so here I am." She sat down next to Daniel and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How are you, really?"
"I'm good. Carolyn brought me home this morning."
"I know. My first stop was the SGC and they told me you'd been released. When I heard about what happened..."
"I'm okay, Sam. Right, Vala? Tell her I'm okay."
"He's fine. In a few weeks, he'll be good as new. I'm going to stay here at the house and spoil him rotten."
"Drive me crazy, is more like it." Daniel gave Sam a grin and she could only laugh. He always seemed to bounce back.
Jack came in and sat across from them. Unscrewing a beer bottle, he said, "Okay, tell me about the bear." The others all came in and made themselves comfortable.
"The bear? What do you mean?" Daniel was puzzled. "Didn't you hear about what happened?"
"Yes, but I have some questions and I need some answers. So, first, tell me, how did the bear behave?"
"Like a bear, Jack. It was big, angry and probably hungry. Did you see the carcass?"
"No. There was no carcass." Jack took a sip from his beer bottle and looked at Daniel over the top as he did.
"What do you mean? Vala killed it right in front of me." Daniel looked at Vala and she smiled at his confusion.
"Darling, listen. When they officers went up to find the bear, it was gone. It escaped."
"How could that be?" Daniel looked around the room at everyone. "I wasn't dreaming any of this so there has to be a logical explanation."
"Vala,' Jack said, "How many times do you think you zatted that bear."
"I don't know. It had to be at least 5 or 6 times. It just wouldn't quit. Daniel zatted it a few times before I did so it was maybe a total of 8 times."
"That should have killed it, Jack. What's going on?" Daniel was really disturbed and wondered what Jack was implying.
"I'm not sure but I think that we have a serious problem. I think the bear was a Goa'uld."
"WHAT?" Daniel almost came out of his seat. "You're kidding me, right? This is all just a prank for my birthday, right?"
"No, Daniel. I'm not kidding. I can't explain why the zat didn't kill the 'bear,' but it didn't die. It might still be up there somewhere, roaming the woods. And we have to find it."
"It's the only explanation, Daniel," said General Landry. "I don't know how it happened but I think we have a bear loose that's been implanted by a Goa'uld. The sheriff's men weren't able to find any trace of the animal after a while. We had a hard time getting them to turn over the investigation to us and they wanted answers that we couldn't give."
"We think it was planned. We found out some things while you were in the infirmary that causes us to believe that you were a target."
"Jack..."
"Daniel... okay, listen and try not to interrupt. When you were brought back to the SGC, Carolyn did the standard MRI and CAT scans. She found something that she hadn't noticed before. Nobody did, probably because it's so small and they weren't looking for it. You were implanted with a tracking device. Probably Osiris did it when he was beaming in and out of your house. It was in your heel. You never knew. We think they wanted to keep tabs on you so that Sarah or Osiris could check in from time to time and see if you learned anything new about the Lost City. They could do it at any time, if they knew where you were."
"So, what's the bear got to do with it."
We're not positive but we think that when the NID rogues who were working out of Area 51 found out about it, they decided to leave it in. You became a problem for them, Daniel, so they decided to take advantage of it. I think they were tired of you getting in their way. We found out this house was bugged. So was your Jeep. They knew exactly where you were at all times and could monitor what you were saying. When they saw that you were alone with Vala, up at the cabin, they secretly implanted the bear and sent it after you. Nobody would be the wiser if you and Vala were killed and eaten by a bear. The authorities would hunt the bear down and kill it, find parts of you both inside it, and that would be the end of it. No questions asked. But, you two fought it off."
"We found the bug, Daniel." Cam held out a transmitter and placed it on the coffee table. "Actually, there were a few of them. We kept one to show you and destroyed the rest. We thought you might like the pleasure of taking out the last one."
Daniel looked at the thing and felt sick. "They've been listening to everything?" For how long?"
"Approximately 2 years."
Daniel went white in the face and Carolyn jumped up and ran over to him. She checked his pulse and said, "He's okay. Daniel, if you can, put you head between your knees."
Daniel couldn't do that very well with all the bandages around his chest and arm so they made room for him to lay flat on the couch.
"Some happy birthday this turned out to be, Jack," Vala said as she came back from the kitchen with a damp cloth and put it on his forehead. "I think he needs a bit of time to himself, if you don't mind. Carolyn, please stay."
"Right," Jack said. "Let's all go out to the deck and give him some time alone."
After they stepped outside, Vala noticed that Daniel's color was coming back. Carolyn monitored him for a few moments and then said, "I think he's okay. I'll go outside so you two can talk. If you need me, just yell."
Vala sat down on the couch at his side and took his hand. "Darling, it's over. They checked everything you own... all the artifacts, your clothing, every single thing you have, including the kitchen things. No room was left unsearched. It's all gone. This place is clean. Carolyn even checked you again just to make sure. Nothing out of the ordinary showed up."
Daniel laid still and just listened while watching her face. Then he carefully drew her down and she laid on his right side and held him.
"Darling, talk to me."
He didn't say anything for a while and then when he did, it was with deep emotion. "I feel like I've been violated. They've been invading my life all this time. My most personal moments..."
"I know, Dear. It's awful."
They were quiet for a few minutes and then he said, "Jack's going hunting, isn't he?"
"I think so. They might already have a team up there. But, they might never find the bear, Daniel."
He reached over, picked up the listening device and looked at it thoughtfully.
"I'm going with him."
The End