Daniel clenched a fist, pacing the triage area and pausing once to punch a wall. He couldn't lose her. If he did, there would be no coming back. As much as he loved his job, he couldn't walk the cold grey halls and never hear her boots flying up behind him, or never feel the touch of her hand in his.
He couldn't lose her. He'd already been through too much. One more loss, he'd break.
"What the hell is taking so long?" he snapped as a nurse scurried out of Vala's room.
"Doctor Jackson, we're doing everything we can. Please, be patient. We're almost done, and you can go in and see her." The woman replied sternly before hurrying off. Daniel let out a sigh of frustration and raked a hand through his hair.
"You're wearing yourself a bald spot, Jackson." Mitchell pointed out, reaching up to yank his friend down beside him in one of the waiting room chairs. Daniel whacked him in the chest, Mitchell whacked him back.
"Sure you wanna' fight me again, Jackson? I remember you ended up on the floor a lot." Mitchell taunted.
Daniel went after him, only to be intercepted by Teal'c.
"I believe, for my own peace of mind, that separating you both would be most beneficial." The much larger man stated firmly, guiding Daniel into another seat three down from Mitchell.
"I can still hit him from here if I lean over and stretch." Mitchell muttered when Teal'c turned away. A raised eyebrow from Teal'c calmed him instantly.
"But I won't." He hastened add, more out of a sense of self preservation than anything.
"Indeed." A verbal warning was all Teal'c needed to end the conversation.
"Sir?" An SF stood just outside the waiting room door, eyes on Mitchell. He rose and followed the man further down the hallway.
"Everything okay?" He asked quietly.
"No, sir. There have been reports that Jacek followed you back here, through the gate. I was told to tell you this out of earshot of Doctor Jackson. Sir, he pulled several crystals from the DHD. There's no way to dial out, even if we wanted to." The SF explained.
Mitchell sighed heavily. "Is there good news?"
"We have men tracking him down as we speak. Also, Dr. Lam is on her way. Colonel Caldwell brought the Daedulus back, heard what happened and General Landry asked for a personal favor. She'll be transporting down in just under a minute."
"Good work. Everything should be back to normal again, soon. I hope. Thanks for telling me." Mitchell smiled tightly.
Daniel looked up as Cam entered the medical area once more.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Will be soon enough." Cam replied. Before he finished speaking, Carolyn was transported in, looking slightly worried as she hefted her gear. "Show me to her." she ordered.
Vala felt relief wash over her at the sight of the woman she was trusting with her child's life. Unable to move anything beyond her eyes, she cursed inwardly as she felt tears well up in her eyes.
"Hey, no worries. Everything's going to be fine. Someone go get blood from Teal'c, just in case we need an emergency transfusion. I don't want us scrambling for anything in the next little while." Carolyn took over instantly, much to Vala's relief. Gently squeezing her shoulder, Cam smiled at Vala. "I'm going to bring Dr. Jackson back to see you for a bit. The antidote we've created is starting to work, and I think it's time he sees you." She began. Vala blinked, unable to do much else. Truthfully, the antidote they had been pumping into her was starting to take the stillness off her, but what she couldn't tell Carolyn was killing her.
Then Daniel was there, gripping her fingers in his and squeezing gently.
"Hey, sorry, they wouldn't let me in before this. Something about me and Cam starting a…you know what? Just forget about that. I'm here now." He breathed.
Pulling back, he got his first real look at her in several hours.
"What's wrong?" He asked instantly. Her eyes flicked away, toward the far wall, then back to him.
"Blink twice for yes, once for no. Is there something over there you want me to get?" He asked. Vala blinked once, immediately. Flicked her eyes back to the wall, then fastened them on his face. "Something by the floor?" Daniel asked. She blinked once, again. "By your feet?" He tried again. Another single blink.
He placed a hand over the baby. "Here?" He asked softly. She blinked twice, tears finally coming as he solved her problem.
"Carolyn!" Daniel all but bellowed.
She came over instantly, worried.
"Vala says there's something wrong with the baby."
"She can't talk yet. How can you tell?" Carolyn asked, moving quickly to get a fetal monitor set up on her friend. "Vala, blink twice for yes, once for no. Is there something wrong with the baby?" Daniel asked.
Vala blinked twice. "See? Something's up with the baby." He almost added an 'I told you so', but one look at Carolyn dissuaded him from such juvenile behavior.
Watching the monitor, Carolyn let out a gentle sigh of relief. "By all accounts, the baby looks okay. Heart rate, brain functions, everything normal." She replied.
"Vala says no. Something's up with Dacodah." Daniel argued.
"Are you in pain?" Carolyn directed her question at Vala, watching as the woman blinked yes.
"From the baby?"
Yes.
"Have you ever had this kind of pain before in this pregnancy?"
No.
"Is this something you experienced while giving birth once before?"
Yes.
"Great. As if this whole situation couldn't suck anymore than it already does." Carolyn paused once, looking around the medical area.
"Right then. I've handled worse, this can be done." She continued, speaking more to herself than to anyone. Then, she was spouting orders like a water fountain.
"I need three operating lamps, here, here, and here. We'll need blankets, heating pads, as many as we can find. One of the scales from down in supply, get it up here. Yes, the industrial one. No, I don't care that it's attached to the ceiling, unattach it and get it set up in here. You, you're on boiling water. Find as many pairs of scissors as you can and bring them to me, along with the pot of boiling water. I need forceps, clamps, and surgical sutures. Measuring tape. Ink, and at least a ream of paper. Some pens might be good too, I'll figure it out as I get closer to them." She ordered. Releasing the brake on the gurney, she pulled the medical bed over to the farthest corner of the medical room, drawing the curtain for privacy.
"Guess what? You're in labor. Because of what Jacek gave you, I'm not exactly thrilled with cutting you open right now, not sure what was in the drug until we're done analyzing it. Can you handle that?" She asked.
"Anything you can do to save Vala and the baby." Daniel replied.
"That's the thing. I can't save both. Only if I opt for the caesarean can both be saved. A natural birth might kill the baby, will most likely kill Vala. You have to choose." Carolyn ordered firmly.
"Dacodah." Daniel hated having to choose. But one look at Vala told him he had made the right decision.
"Save Dacodah. Worry about Vala later." He continued.
And somewhere, deep in his soul, he felt a part of him die.