Origin

Briar Elwood

A/N: I KNOW!!! I KNOW!!!! I'VE BEEN GONE FOR...well, basically forever, right? Yes, I died. No, not literally. I am not Daniel. Nor any relation. Sadly. Course, if I WAS related to him, I wouldn't ever be able to have him. That'd just be weird. ANYWHO!! I AM DEEPLY AND UTTERLY SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO FLIPPING LONG AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR IT. There are about two paragraphs that I'm absolutely in love with but, other than that, this is overall a filler chapter. I'm sorry. BUT I STILL LOVE YOU!!! Especcially if you're still reading... ;p

Chapter XIII

My Son

"How far into the pregnancy is she?" the female doctor asked Daniel as Vala was towed quickly into a private room.

"About seven months maybe?" Daniel replied, his eyes fixed on the door swinging shut. The doctor looked surprised.

"That's rather early for her to go into labor," she informed him. Daniel bristled angrily, glaring at the doctor.

"I'm quite aware of that, thank you."

The doctor frowned at him, pursing her lips. "We will do all we can for her, Orionus. I make no promises."

"What about my son?" Daniel demanded, his gut wrenching painfully. The doctor held his gaze for a brief moment longer.

"I do not know." She turned to leave, but was stopped by Daniel's firm grip on her elbow.

"Can't I be there?" he asked, his voice suddenly soft and desperate. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry. This delivery has too much risk for you to be there." She softened slightly when Daniel's hand fell limply to his side.

"We'll keep you informed."

The Next Morning…

"Hey, Daniel."

Daniel looked up from his hands to see Jack standing beside him, a concerned crease in his brow.

"How…?" The older man jerked his head at the closed door.

"I don't know," Daniel replied hoarsely.

"Either of 'em?" Jack made sure. The linguist shook his head. "They know why she's going into labor so early?"

"They think it was stress," the younger man whispered, knowing that that stress had to have been his fault.

"Orionus?"

Daniel jumped up when the female doctor opened the door. "Yes?"

"You answer to that?" Jack asked. Daniel barely even glanced at him.

"It's how they know me, Jack. Is everything okay?" he asked urgently.

"Miss Mal Doran will be fine," the doctor assured him good-naturedly.

"And my son?" Daniel pressed. The woman's smile slipped a fraction.

"He is on life support. It is up to him now. There is nothing more we can do."

"What are his chances of survival?" Daniel asked, his voice panicky.

"Fifty-fifty," she answered. "Pretty good for the circumstances. "Would you like to talk to her?"

"Yes!" Daniel exclaimed and scurried to follow the doctor. Jack watched as the door shut behind the frightened man, a worried frown pressed onto his features.

"How is he?" Sam asked from behind him. Jack turned around to gaze at his wife, not quite sure how to greet her…who he guessed had been cheating on him for at least the first few nights they had been in the city.

"He's on his wits end but…." He shrugged. "Vala's gonna be fine and the kid has a fifty-fifty chance."

"Oh, Jack…" Sam whispered, rushing to wrap her arms around her husband. Surprised, Jack patted her back. He had so many thing he wanted to yell, to push on her, but the pain of his best friend stopped him. After a moment, he returned the embrace, nestling his face in her hair.

"Everything's gonna be all right," he whispered gently. "It's gonna be okay."

Meanwhile…

"Vala?" Daniel said desperately, rushing to her side. Vala grabbed his hand, clutching it like it was her only hope of survival.

"Daniel," she breathed. "Have you seen him? Is he gonna be all right?"

The tears he'd been keeping at bay all night long suddenly broke loose and Daniel clutched her hand back.

"I haven't seen him yet, Vala," he chocked. "They're giving him a fifty percent chance of survival."

"I don't want to loose another one," Vala told him, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

"Neither do I," Daniel replied.

About An Hour Later…

"I'd like to meet my son," Daniel told the doctor firmly. She held his gaze for a moment before nodding curtly.

"Follow me."

Daniel hurried to follow the short woman. She led him to a window and he looked through to see a tiny baby, attached to numerous machines and wires, inside a clear box. The young boy's eyes were shut tightly; his petite hand wrapped around one of the wires. His legs kicked gently as he whimpered softly in distress.

"Can I hold him?" Daniel whispered, pushing past the large lump in his throat. He kept his eyes fixed on the child, his heart twisting into a sharp knot.

"No," the doctor replied apologetically. "But there is an alternative." She opened the door to the room the baby was in, steering Daniel gently to the plastic box where his son lay. Opening a small hole in the side of the box, she took Daniel's wrist and guided his hand through the hole.

Daniel watched as the child slowly let go of the wire he was clutching and grabbed his father's outstretched hand, holding onto his finger with all his strength… which, Daniel was sad to note, wasn't much.

Fighting back another bombardment of tears, Daniel looked to the doctor gratefully, finally recognizing who she reminded him of.

"Thank you," he whispered. Her brown eyes twinkled.

"You're welcome."

She very well could have been Janet Fraiser.

A/N: And, yes, it's another short one. But, hey, there's no cliffhanger! You've got to be grateful for that!!

Oh, and BTW, I'm going to be gone most of June on vacation...I know, after being gone so long already, that's horrible, I'm sorry.

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