Chapter Eight- Angel

Beep-beep, beep-beep.

That sound was all too familiar to Daniel. Warmth was spreading from the heavy weight on top of him. He could hear people moving around, low whispers and hushed voices. Tickling against his hand sent pain up his arm as he tried to move away from the light.

"Doc, I think he's waking up!"

Could Jack be any louder? Groaning, he tried to open his eyes but his body felt like lead, refusing to bend to his will.

"Daniel? Can you hear me?" That was Janet.

"J'ak? Jan't?" He said his mouth like a dead slug.

"Daniel, can you move your fingers?" He tried, feeling his fingers brush against the bed. "Good. Looks like we won't have to amputate them."

At that, Daniel's eyes flew open in fear, searching for Janet. Hands clasped him around the shoulders and refused him as he tried to sit up.

"Whoa, Daniel, it's alright!" Jack said.

Pain flew up his arm and leg. Hissing in pain, Daniel slowly laid back down. His eyes went to Janet, an apologetic expression on her face.

"Sorry, Daniel. I didn't mean to scare you."

Despite the growing headache and the returning feeling of exhaustion, Daniel refused to go back to sleep. "What happened?"

"Don't you remember anything since SG-1 left for the ice planet?" Janet asked.

Feelings of cold, warmth being sucked away, white. Bright white light. "Not clearly. I remember hiking back through the forest, trying to find the Stargate after we fell through the ice." Daniel stopped. "Then falling into the river again after my foot got caught in the roots of a tree."

"Which could explain why Thomas reported feeling the ECWCS was wet when they found him along with the broken ankle and arm." Jack mused.

"You're lucky, Daniel. Real lucky. You got frostbite on your toes and fingers. For a while it seemed we might have had to amputate them off but seeing how you were able to move them, I guess all you need is physical therapy to start the blood flow again and to rebuild the muscles after the casts come off, which should come off in about two months."

"You scared the crap out of me, Janet, when you said that."

"Well, I'm sorry." Janet patted Daniel on the shoulder. "The colonel can stay with you for tonight but I want you to sleep. You are still recovering from the hypothermia and slight body weakness you have."

"Okay Janet." She smiled before walking back to her office.

"How long have I been out?" Daniel asked the colonel.

"About four days. You think we scared you? Man, your heart stopped on the planet while SG-2 and the teams were waiting for the gate to dial up with Earth. Lucky, Janet was waiting for you."

Daniel yawned, trying to stay up a little longer. "How did Ferretti find me? I couldn't scream; my voice was gone."

"You blew the emergency whistle." Jack said.

"Right Jack. But the emergency whistle was in the pack when I fell through the ice." Daniel was almost asleep. "I don't remember packing another one in my leg but it was there when I notice they were leaving. It felt like I knew it was there. " His eyes closed and he fell asleep.

"Well, Daniel. I guess you have a guardian angel looking over you." Jack said as he brought the blankets closer around the sleeping man.

On the cold desolate world, the being moved from the Stargate, her clothes swirling around her. The feathery wings protected her from the worst of the cold breeze as the snowstorm continued to rage. Her gray eyes tinkled with light as she floated back to her home in the river, the swirling edges that churned with danger that had claimed many over the years. It had almost claimed another but she had forbidden it.

The man had been saved, blowing the small whistle that she had placed in his leg pant as he drifted in and out of unconscious. After all, he needed to be protected did he not?