A/N: For those of you who wanted to know about why George didn't realize that Daniel was the same person he met in 1969, I went back and read a transcript of the episode and never once did any of the team give their real names. So, there's no reason George would associate little Daniel with the adult Daniel from the 1969 espisode.
George found a space across the street from their brick row house and parked. Ruby had kept up a running commentary during the drive about the scenery outside for Daniel. He knew that the street they were on was lined with large trees. He could hear kids bouncing balls on the sidewalks, women sweeping their stoop steps, keeping an eye on their children and chatting with neighbors.
George opened the back window and hauled out Daniel's suitcase while Ruby helped Daniel out of the car onto the street. She had him place his right hand on the back of her left arm, just above her elbow, as she led him around to the sidewalk. She halted one pace from the sidewalk. Daniel realized why she'd stopped and raised his right foot about twelve inches above street level. He slowly moved his foot forward and down, finding the curb. Ruby patted his hand in praise and moved with him toward the gate of their postage stamp sized front yard. She took Daniel's left hand and placed it on the top of the three-foot high chain link fence and let him feel his way along the fence to the gate. He fumbled downward, finding the gate release and pushed the gate inward.
From what he remembered of New York City before the accident, he expected to be confronted with a steep set of stairs, but Ruby led him along a flat walkway. He counted as he took eight steps between the gate and where Ruby stopped again. "There are two broad steps, each about four inches high, then the door." She let Daniel find his own way to the door.
They entered the hall while Ruby described the rooms downstairs. "There's a set of stairs that leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. The master bedroom and bath are on the third floor and there's an attic above that. We also have a basement where the washer and dryer are. The stairway is about six steps straight in front of you. To the right, past the stairway, is a hallway that leads directly to the back yard. On the right side of the hall, the first door is the living room, the second the dining room, the third is the kitchen. There are three doors under the stairs on the left. The first is a closet, the second a small bathroom with just a toilet and a sink, and the third opens to the stairway leading to the basement."
She let go of Daniel's hand and urged him to explore the downstairs while George carried Daniel's suitcase upstairs and into the tiny room at the front of the upstairs hall. The girls helped him open Daniel's suitcase and place his belongings on the bed. Ruby would assist him in putting things away later so he would know where to find them.
When he'd finished investigating downstairs, Ruby took him upstairs and repeated the process. Then she guided him as he put his meager possessions away in the dresser and bookshelf in the room.
She called the girls from their room where they had been playing. "Girls, why don't you show Daniel the backyard while I make dinner?"
Julie and Rachel bounded down the stairs and waited at the back door for Daniel. They guided him outside in much the same way as their mother had shown him the inside of the house. They had served as eyes for their Aunt Barbara on more than one outing and were familiar with what Daniel needed. Rachel, who at seven was the oldest, led him around by his hand and had him touch the two spindly trees and the chain link fence surrounding the pocket-sized yard. She led him over to a box against the side of the house that contained a few outdoor toys.
Daniel leaned over and handled the objects in the box; a couple of playground balls and a few metal Tonka trucks. Daniel lifted one of the balls out, rubbing the palms of his hands over its pebbled texture. He stood and tentatively bounced it a couple of times, successfully able to keep the ball under control.
Julie moved closer to him and playfully snatched the ball away leaving him confused. She moved about five feet away with the ball. "Daniel, see if you can catch it when I bounce it to you."
By listening carefully, he was eventually able to catch it more than he missed and could toss it back to Hannah when she called his name to let him know where she stood. Rachel ran after the ball whenever Daniel missed and returned it to him.
Inside, Ruby watched through the kitchen window, encouraged by the interaction of the three kids. She called George over and he pulled her into a hug from behind while they watched the kids play in the yard.
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After dinner that evening, the family gathered in the living room to watch TV. Daniel sat quietly listening to The Brady Bunch, not understanding anything about what was happening. He'd never seen a television show. He understood what it was, but there had been no TV sets on any Egyptian digs and in the few weeks his family had been in New York, his parents had had neither the time nor the inclination to get a television. He knew this was just one more thing that was going to set him apart from other American kids his age.
When the show ended, Ruby sent the girls upstairs to take baths and get ready for bed. George stayed downstairs with Daniel and talked to him a little about the family's routine. He explained that he frequently was gone Monday through Thursday nights because the distance between the base in Trenton and their home in Brooklyn made a daily commute difficult. Since it was summer vacation for the schools, Ruby often took the girls to a park, the library, or a museum during the week. On weekends they gathered with Ruby's family, sometimes at someone's home and sometimes they met at Coney Island or a local park for a picnic. Daniel had no idea what Coney Island was and had never heard of a picnic. Sunday mornings would be spent in church and then quietly at home with just the immediate family. America was in a whole new experience for him.
He remembered the tents on the digs and small, cheap hotel rooms; the rolling hills of sands that seemed to go on forever. He could still see his father kneeling before him, dumping a pile of sand from his favorite red tennis shoes. His mother reading to him by the wavering light of the kerosene lamp while his father poured over maps of the current dig. His mother's long hair brushing his shoulders when she leaned over to correct his schoolwork. His father allowing him to trace the carved tomb wall with his finger tips. He could still feel the grooved walls and remember the brightly colored paintings on the walls.
When the girls were ready for bed they came downstairs and George took Daniel up and showed him where everything was so he could take a bath. George left Daniel as the tub was filling with water. He had been taught how to bathe himself before he left the hospital.
After he washed, he sat quietly in the cooling water. His eyes were fixed on the transom window that let in the fading summer light that flooded the hall, trying to understand how his parents could have left him alone. After about thirty minutes, George came up to see if Daniel needed help. He found the child in a tub of cold water, shivering, but not making any move to get out.
"Daniel? Are you okay?" George stepped into the room and grabbed the towel sitting on the closed toilet lid. He pulled the plug in the tub and grasped Daniel's shoulders, standing him up in the tub. He wrapped the towel around his shoulders, noting how thin the child was. He sat on the toilet and pulled Daniel onto his lap. Daniel sat unmoving and George watched as a single tear trailed down the boy's face.
George's heart melted and he pulled the blond head down onto his shoulder and held him silently. Several minutes later the door opened slowly and Ruby peaked in to find them still sitting, unmoved. George raised his eyes to meet hers and she nodded, closing the door quietly behind as she pulled back. He allowed Daniel to sit for a few more minutes before he shifted a bit.
"Daniel, I think it's time we get you into your pajamas. Our family always gatherings in the living room for a story and prayers before the girls go to bed."
George let Daniel dress himself while he tidied the bathroom, which, after three kids had bathed, looked a bit like there had been a water balloon fight.
Downstairs, the family cuddled together on the couch, Julie on Ruby's lap, Rachel on George's and Daniel on the couch between them, while George read from a book of children's Bible stories.
Daniel knew the story of Joseph that George was reading. His father had often recited Bible stories to him as at the end of the day. He had especially loved the stories of Joseph and Moses because they had taken place in Egypt.
George finished with a short prayer and then the whole family went upstairs. Daniel waited in his room while George and Ruby tucked the girls in and kissed them good-night. Then they came in to his room.
The couple sat on the edge of his bed, Ruby by his pillow and George further down, near Daniel's hip. Ruby gently nudged the tousled blond hair from Daniel's eyes.
"Daniel," George began, "tomorrow's Saturday and we're going to Ruby's sister's house for dinner. Just our family and Aunt Barbara's. We thought it would be easier for you to meet the family in small groups." George grinned at Ruby when she snorted at him. "There's a lot of them!"
"Look, I know this past six months has been really tough for you and it isn't over yet. I just want you to know that you have people who care about you now and we'll go to bat for you to get you whatever you need to grow into a successful adult." George gave Daniel's hand a pat while Ruby leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
As they left the room, George stopped and turned to Daniel. "Good-night, son." Turning out the light, he left the room.
Daniel reached up and touched the spot where Ruby had kissed him. As he drifted off to sleep he wondered when his parents were going to come back and get him.