Summary – Since you made it till here, I believe you already know all you need to know. :) Have fun.

Sandra – cau. oki, priprav sa na to ze toto tiez bude "chybne" z biologickeho, ako I medicinskeho, antropologickeho ci forenzneho hladiska, tak proste – CHILL OUT a snaz sa si to nevsimat, vies ze studujem nieco komplet ine. a vo volnom case pozeram ER. ;)

a medzi nami, dneska nechcem pocut NIC o tom ze podvadzam, tento jeden je cistucko novucicky, tak nemas pravo pindat! Samozrejme v ramci konstruktivneho criticizmu hej, ale sak ty vies ako to myslim. :)

Leenie – You should be added as a co-writer. :) Thank you, thank you, thank you again.

All – Ok. So this one is completely new and fresh and original, and nobody of you now knows where this is going to lead, except me of course, but to be honest, even I can't be really sure, since this story has a life on its own.

And, finally, this is the chapter where we will see Daniel suffer a bit. But believe me, this is only the top of the iceberg! ;) Ok, now my sweet beta Leenie just told me that we don't actually see Daniel suffer…so I am calling this off. Who wants to see 'real suffering' will have to wait for the next chapter I guess. lol

Anyway, I hope you'll have fun with reading and REVIEWING!!! Always open to ideas, criticism, inputs and of course, praising (!) ;) of all sorts! Let me know whatcha think!

Where the truth lies

by- liz parker

Chapter 8 – Hope and Desperation

Daniel's loose feet were frantically swinging back and forth whilst hanging from the infirmary bed. Their owner sat nervously on the edge of the bed where he had been forced to remain after some heavy protesting on his part. He hated sitting here and doing nothing, merely waiting for the rescue team to return. He wanted to be present in the dialing room at least, since he wasn't allowed to go back through the gate along with the rescue team.

Cam was stretched out on another bed at the opposite end of the quiet infirmary. Although he was facing Daniel, he was not looking directly at him, since he was struggling with the nurse who was trying to measure his temperature.

"I am fine! I truly am!" Cried Mitchell in frustration.

However, the nurse wasn't paying any attention to his protests and proceeded with her work. Daniel mused that she was probably used to difficult patients, since she had already been working here during the times of Jack O'Neill. Under different circumstances, the look on Cam's face would have made Daniel smile in amusement. However, the situation was far too grim and so was Daniel's mood.

Just a short while after they left the cave and the others behind, all hell broke loose. The storm had started much earlier than they had originally anticipated. In a matter of minutes, the ruthless wind and the snow blowing incessantly into their faces disoriented them. Even their shouts in attempt to address one another were lost in the clamor of the storm. They tried to proceed despite the fact the wind was blowing directly into their faces, strongly leaning into their bodies.

It was almost impossible to keep going, making them feel as though the wind pushed them two steps back in response to every forward step they took.

Their situation was desperate. Their limbs were half frozen, they were short of breath and felt deadly tired. Yet, the two of them persistently continued forward, desperately hoping to somehow reach the gate. They had nothing to lose anyway: if they stopped, they would freeze. Their estimated 20 minutes walk turned to an unbearable 53 minutes long trudge through the snow.

Daniel couldn't remember when he was this tired before.

He wondered how Cam had managed to hold up and keep going. The only thing that had spurred Daniel on was a single thought – the dreadful vision of what would have happened if they didn't reach the gate on time.

The thick curtain of snow and the dark clouds made everything around them dim and hazy. They could see not more than two feet ahead of them, and so if Mitchell didn't literally bump into the DHD, they would have probably walked by and missed the gate entirely.

Daniel couldn't even remember how they dialed and got through. The only thing he remembered was how he suddenly collapsed onto the ramp in the gate room and cried out for help.

It took the SGC almost 30 minutes to gather a rescue team led by Dr. Lam, who found the time to leave the infirmary nurses with explicit orders on what to do with the two members of SG-1 who had already returned. No matter how much the two of them fought the nursing staff in order to stay in the gate room, they were finally defeated when three muscular unfriendly-looking male nurses appeared in the doorway.

In fact, the two SG-1 members weren't feeling anywhere near alright. Their whole bodies were aching, with a heavy exhaustion slowly and insidiously taking over their consciousness, making Daniel, in spite of his heavy protests, almost collapse onto the infirmary bed. Cam was in no better shape.

Without any prior warning, both of them suddenly had thermometers thrust in between their teeth and a mug of hot tea forced into their hands. Only when Daniel had almost spilled the entire contents of his mug had he finally realized that his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He wanted to believe the shuddering was only due to the enormous pressure and exertion he had experienced. But his inner voice, which to Daniel's discomfort was growing stronger every day, told him there was also another reason.

No matter what was happening around them since the two of them had stepped through the gate, the only thing Daniel could really think about was whether the rescue team would be able to find and save the others, specifically the member of his team who was seriously injured.

It took him and Mitchell far more time to reach the gate than they had originally guessed, almost an hour. Another half an hour was needed to gather up the rescue team, whose members would too have to struggle with the raging storm at the other side of the gate, in addition to transporting all the necessary medical supplies. Thank goodness the SGC had already made provisions for every type of weather condition they had experienced before, so that they always had emergency equipment on store; in this case a couple of snowmobiles and other useful tools.

Daniel sighed painfully, then took his glasses off and rubbed his tired eyes. This day was a nightmare. A real mess, which he was overall responsible for. Daniel knew he wouldn't be able to ever look himself in the mirror again if the rescue mission were to fail.

"We did everything we could, you know," a voice began, from the bed at the other side of the room.

Daniel didn't have to look up to know it was Cam. Great. Now Cam will give him one of those "it's-not your-fault" or "accidents-happen" speeches.

"Look Cam, no offense, but I am not in the mood for any pep-talks right now."

"I was just going to say that it's still too early."

"What?" Asked Daniel, confused.

"You keep checking your watch like every 30 seconds. I was just saying it's too early for them to be back."

"Yeah. Right." Said Daniel sounding somehow disappointed.

However, he subconsciously checked his watch again, though he failed to notice the time at all. It was almost half an hour since the rescue team had left Earth. 24 minutes to be exact. Daniel knew it would be impossible for them to be back already. Nevertheless, he still hung onto the hope that the storm would quiet down early…or that the team would find a new bout of strength and energy to hurry a little…or that Teal'c and Sam would help with stabilizing Vala on the stretcher and giving Carolyn updates on her condition. Besides, Harper and Collins from SG-14 had gone with the rescue team, and Daniel knew they were a bunch of really tough guys. Add on the fact that the rescue party was traveling far quicker using the snowmobiles and that they also wouldn't need to search for the cave, or the stargate on their return route for that matter, thanks to the location devices they were bound to use.

Daniel was aware that these thoughts were merely platitudes based entirely upon conjecture, but at least they gave him a slight hint of comfort, an innate hope that everything would resolve itself in the end.

Daniel's thoughts were swirling violently in his head without any clear order, as he desperately tried to keep himself together. He checked his watch again. 25 minutes. Hell, was this watch even working? Or did time decide to freeze still?

Daniel straightened up, closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. The tiredness slowly caught up with him, and a strong wave of cold ran through him causing his body to shiver involuntarily. Within seconds, the annoying nurse appeared at his side once more, forcing him down into the bed, trying to pull the covers over him. He started to explain to her that he was not tired, nor sleepy, and that he wanted to stay awake and wait for the rescue team to return, but she wouldn't listen. Not that he would listen to anything she said in return.

"Hey Jackson! JACKSON!"

He stopped for a moment to look at Cam.

"Listen to the lady: she's right. There's nothing we can do right now. Just lie down and get some rest. It won't do you any harm to get a couple of minutes of extra sleep. Trust me, you will need the strength when the rest of the team returns." Said Mitchell in his most persuasive voice.

The thought of warm and cushy bed made Daniel long for some rest so he finally obliged. Yet, he refused to sleep. He checked his watch again. 28 minutes. Hell, his watch must be broken or something.

"Excuse me?"

He tried to get the attention of the nurse who had just tucked him under the covers.

"Yes doctor Jackson?" She asked in a polite, yet cool voice.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually, yes, there is. Could you tell me what time it is?"

The nurse raised her eyebrows and then pointed her thumb above her shoulder at the wall behind her. Above the large drug cabinet, there was even a larger watch that showed exactly 10:20 am. Daniel sighed. Nope, his watch was correct. 29 minutes. Great. Even time wanted to spite him.

Daniel sighed and again, without even noticing checked his watch once more.

"Give them time." Said Mitchell in a soft voice.

"Yeah…That's exactly what they don't have." Said Daniel bitterly. He didn't need to specify who he meant by "they". He meant Vala of course, and Cam knew.

"Look Daniel, you know this was just a very stupid bad-timing accident, don't you?" Started Cam.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Here we go…" He murmured.

"Look, Cam, nothing personal, but I am really not in the mood for talking right now."

He checked his watch again. Damn, 31 minutes.

"I just don't want you to place the bla-"

"You know what? I guess the nurse was right. Maybe I really should get some rest." He shuffled on his bed and finally managed to turn his back on Cam, showing him he had no intention nor interest to continue with their discussion.

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Daniel didn't even know how, but in a matter of seconds he fell into a light slumber. However, when the alarms went off, he shot from the bed in an instant, almost tripping over his other leg as his head spun, caused by the rash movement. He didn't pay much attention and was already on his way towards the door, when he noticed the large watch on the wall: 10:36 am. So it took the rescue team about 45 minutes to get back home.

He was running towards to gate room without really thinking about where he was going. He already knew the SGC so well he could count on his feet to carry him wherever he wanted to go. Behind him, he could hear another pair of boots. Daniel was sure it was Mitchell.

Daniel got to the dialing room just in time to see the gate open and hearing Walter telling the General it was the code of SG-1. However, Daniel's gaze was focused only on the gate.

Sam and Teal'c were the first one to come through. They looked like crap. Two members of the rescue team stepped through shortly behind them. Then finally, Harper and Collins followed, carrying the stretcher. They were accompanied by Carolyn Lam, whose eyes never left her patient's still form, although she looked as worn out as ever.

The rescue team must have left the snowmobiles at the other side of the gate, assuming that somebody from the SGC would return for them later. It was not like the snowmobiles would go anywhere on that god-forsaken planet anyway; thought Daniel.

Daniel gaze refocused on the stretcher again, causing his heart to miss a beat when he noticed a big blue bag in Carolyn's hands, which meant only one thing – they had had to intubate Vala. Carolyn was squeezing the bag every few seconds to provide Vala's lungs with oxygen. The medic that followed was carrying a portable defibrillator, which had been obviously used before. The only visible part of Vala's body was her face. The rest was covered with a thick woolen blanket, on top of which a large silvery foil was wrapped, which Daniel figured was needed to prevent any heat loss from her body by radiation. Someone had placed a group of blue heat packs around her body in an attempt to warm her up. Daniel's breath caught when he saw how deathly pale her face was, and how blue her lips were… They had always been so bloody red and most of the time spread out into a huge confident grin aimed at him…God they HAD to revive her.

While the medical team transferred Vala onto a gurney, Dr. Lam looked up towards the dialing room, focusing her gaze upon General Landry, and shook her head dejectedly. Daniel felt his chest tighten up, suddenly feeling sick and weak.

However, when he felt Cam brush past him, and watched him descend the stairs in order to join the rest of the team on their way to the infirmary, Daniel finally found the strength to move and quickly follow him.

There were still a few feet behind the crew when Mitchell started to ask questions.

"What happened? Why is she tubed?"

Dr. Lam answered him without even turning her head or slowing down.

"Her condition worsened significantly some time after you left. By the time we got to the cave, she was already unconscious. She is suffering from extreme hypothermia: her body temperature has gone down dangerously below normal. Under ordinary circumstances, she might have been able to start recovering shortly after being pulled out of the water, but since she was exposed to the freezing weather and cold for so long, her lungs started to shut down, causing respiratory failure, so we had to intubate her shortly after our arrival. We also had some serious trouble with her heart."

"Her heart?" Asked Cam in confusion.

"Yes. See, hypothermia causes the vital body organs to shut down in order to save energy and keep her blood circulating. By the time we managed to get to her, Vala's heart beat had already slowed down significantly, but was still stable.. But half way back to the gate, she suddenly went into cardiac arrest, so we had to stop and shock her right on the spot. There was no way we could give her a heart massage till we got here, so defib her was the best and only option. Luckily enough, she proved to be quite a fighter and we managed to get her heartbeat up again."

"So you think she will make it?" Asked Cam with hope.

"I am sorry but I can't give you any answers just yet." Said Carolyn, avoiding a direct answer on purpose.

Daniel wasn't able to say anything. He felt as if he were in a trance. The only action he was capable of doing was to follow the gurney, his eyes never leaving the still figure lying upon it. In his head, he could still see the look on Carolyn's face and the sad shake of her head when she had stepped through the gate.

When they were no further than 10 meters from the infirmary, the cardiac monitor started beeping wildly. Dr. Lam observed the monitors with heightened concern.

"Damnit! She is crashing again!"

Dr. Lam switched her quick pace into a run. While quietly cursing under her breath, she failed to notice Vala's hand falling from the side of the gurney and lifelessly dangling in the air.

They finally arrived at the infirmary and Carolyn quickly pushed the gurney into the trauma room. However, before closing the door behind her, she abruptly turned to the others, who had been simply following her up to his point, causing them to freeze in their tracks.

"I'm sorry, but you know the rules. You'll have to wait outside. I will inform you the instant I manage to get her stable again and decide on the best treatment."

With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving the remaining members of SG-1 outside. Finally, Daniel's knees failed to carry him and, with his back pressed against the wall, he slowly slid down to the ground with an exhausted sigh. He could feel his heart thumping hard against his chest, his whole body shaking with exhaustion. He hugged his knees, resting his forehead on the top of them.

"Daniel, are you alright? Shall we call somebody?" Daniel could hear Sam's concerned voice.

"I am fine." He mumbled from behind his knees. He was so tired, so worried, so sick. All the things that happened throughout the previous days started to play before his eyes again…yet the order was all messed up. He knew a very strong headache would soon follow these flashbacks.

"Daniel?" Somebody touched his shoulder, making him look up. He finally opened his eyes.

"I am fine, ok? Just really tired."

Sam gave him an understanding look.

"We all are."

"Vala Mal Doran is a fighter, Daniel Jackson. She is going to be healthy again." Said Teal'c.

"I know," responded Daniel in a seemingly careless voice. He knew Teal'c's words were just meant to soothe him, but surprisingly, they really did.

"What happened after we left?" Asked Daniel. He wanted to change the subject to something more casual.

"A short while after you were gone, all hell broke out. The storm started too soon. We were concerned you wouldn't make it to the gate." Said Sam.

"We didn't think we would make it either." Said Mitchell. "We literally bumped into the gate."

"Vala Mal Doran was continuously losing and gaining her consciousness after you left. Approximately half an hour before the rescue team arrived, she fell unconscious again, but this time, Col. Carter wasn't able to wake her up anymore." Continued Teal'c.

"Did she…" Daniel wanted to ask, but suddenly stopped when he realized how stupid and selfish it would sound if he asked whether Vala had mentioned him at all before she lost consciousness. Yet, Sam knew Daniel well and she guessed what was on his mind.

"No. Shortly after you left the hypothermia, and probably the head wound as well, began to get to her. At first, she stopped talking. Then, she got delusional and mumbled some stuff. She mentioned a lot of things, even spoke in a couple of different languages, but I didn't notice anything of real importance."

Then, Sam gave Daniel a big smile.

"Although, now that you mention it, there was something rather interesting…she said: ' Leave that coffee alone, Daniel!'"

Daniel's eyebrows almost reached his hair. Mitchell gave a small laugh; even Teal'c ducked his head and smiled.

"Figures." Said Daniel pulling a face. However, he could feel a warm, fond feeling spreading through his chest at the memory of the countless times Vala had attempted to rid him of his caffeine addiction.

Then, they all fell into silence, a rather comfortable one at that, with everybody recalling different humorous situations they had shared with Vala. In the few months since she joined their team, everyone on SG-1 felt she became an irreplaceable part of it. Now they were waiting, praying in silence for their friend to be alright. Slowly, the rest of them had managed to find some uncomfortable spots on the ground while they waited for Dr. Lam.

Everybody was nervous, but Daniel was so tense he couldn't do anything else but fidget with his watch and stare at the ground in front of him. Suddenly, he noticed a shiny object on the floor. There was something there, something he hadn't noticed before. He bent forward and reached for it. He found that it was a thin golden chain with a small pendant attached to it. He saw some engravings, even recognized them to be ancient, but just as he was about to observe the tiny object closer, he felt someone snatch it out of his grasp. He turned in surprise only to feel even more surprised when he realized that the thief was someone he didn't expect at all: it was Sam who held the chain in question protectively in her right hand. Daniel raised his eyebrows, giving Sam a questioning look.

"Could you please hand that back? I didn't have time to look at it yet. It might be something valuable." He explained, as though he were addressing a small child, since he could think of no better justification for Sam's actions except madness.

"Now you sound more like Vala." Teased Sam, trying to change the subject.

Daniel didn't even flinch, he simply continued staring at Sam questioningly. Sam shifted a bit, feeling awkward.

"If you don't mind Daniel, I'd rather return it to it's rightful owner, ok?"

"As a matter of fact, I would mind. See, there are some ancient engravings on the pendant, so whomever you mean by owner, you must be mistaken. It can't belong to anybody on this base."

"Actually, it can. It belongs to Vala."

"Vala?? Are you sure?"

"I am sure, Daniel."

Daniel surprise couldn't have gotten any larger. He didn't know Vala had something like that in her possession.

He continued giving Sam a questioning look, waiting for her to tell him what it was.

"I…well, it's something…rather private."

"Sam, what is it?" Asked Daniel impatiently, curiosity taking over him.

"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell anybody."

This pushed Daniel's curiosity to it's maximum.

"Sam? Would you please be so kind as to tell us?"

"You better ask Vala herself, Daniel." She said quietly.

All of them fell silent again. They knew it wouldn't be easy to ask Vala anything for quite some time.

Suddenly, the door opened only to reveal Carolyn Lam with a more tired expression on her face than the one she had earlier in the gateroom. She didn't look any more optimistic than she did before either.

They all jumped to their feet, waiting for the doctor to give them the most recent update on Vala's condition.

Carolyn inhaled and started to talk.

TBC

AN – Ok, another cliffie. Now whatca think? What is there for Carolyn to tell them? Let me know!

If you review, I might write another piece sooner…;)

Nah, probably not, but still, it would make my day and bolster me to more writing enthusiasm…:) If I were you, I would give it a try. ;)

Ok, enough of me. Have a great day you all, hope you liked it! And don't forget to review!

Dismissed!