Memories of the Heart by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. A mission goes horribly wrong while Sam's life is changed forever. Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been closed his eyes. He did not want to see. He could remember enough.

Memories of the Heart

Chapter 42

"Hey, Daniel," he felt Sam touching his shoulder. "I got you some clothes anyway… and I lowered the temperature a bit. I think you'll be more comfortable that way."

Daniel opened his eyes and saw the clothes on top of a chair by the bed.

"I need to dry my hair before I go to bed. You get dressed and I'll be back soon. Don't wait for me if you're tired, okay?"

Daniel nodded. "Thanks."

When Sam got back to the bedroom, he seemed to be asleep. She got in bed, but did not turn off the light. She lay sideways to be able to look at him. She enjoyed watching him sleep, breathing evenly by her side. Most of the time he seemed so troubled, worried about things she could not even fathom, but right there he looked peaceful and beautiful. Though she had never put too much attention on his appearance, since his return she could not keep her eyes away from him. There was no other place she would rather be than by his side and if she had Danny with them, too, her happiness was complete. The rest of the world lost importance in a second.

She suddenly felt cold when the thought that she could lose him again crossed her mind. They were not on safe terrain yet. They were just starting to swim toward the coast. There was much way to go. She looked forward to thousands of days of hearing his key turning in the lock, of watching him play with Danny and the twins, of lying in bed by his side. It terrified her that all that could not last; she was afraid that he would not be able to deal with so much sorrow anymore.

After a long while, she gave up and turned off the light. She needed to rest to be strong and keep helping him. The next she would remember later was Daniel voice, almost whispering, by her side.

"No, don't… I won't do it! I can't do that! No, please… No!"

She turned on the light, but it was too late. Daniel almost jumped out of bed, stumbled against the chair, and fell with an ominous sound.

Sam run to his side and carefully turned him to see his face.

"Daniel! Daniel! Look at me! What do you feel?"

His face looked contorted by the pain, but he was not answering. He put a hand on his chest and Sam guessed he had hurt himself there. She run to the bathroom and got a pair of scissors. She used them to cut the bandages around his chest.

It did not look good. There was something that seemed to stick out from under the skin and the area was getting rapidly bruised. Daniel started having trouble with his breathing and Sam panicked.

"Daniel! I think you broke another rib; you may have internal injuries. Your lung could collapse… I'm going to call Jennifer."

She was about to stand up to get the phone when he grabbed his wrist and kept her by his side.

"No, don't leave me," he asked without opening his eyes.

"Daniel, you need medical attention." She tried to liberate herself, but he was holding her strongly.

"No. Just turn off the lights. They're hurting me. Stay with me."

Sam thought that would be insane, but his voice was so calm and reassuring that she felt compelled to obey. "Okay," she said softly.

Daniel let her arm go. She walked to the nightstand wondering if she had lost her mind, but turned off the light. She saw the phone and was tempted to pick it up, but Daniel called her back to him and she went without hesitation.

She knelt by his side and held his left hand. Daniel put his right hand on his chest and his breathing slowly evened out. Under the faint light of the moon coming through the circular skylight on the ceiling, she watched him for at least half an hour. His eyes were tightly shut, but he did not seem to be distressed anymore. Nonetheless, she spent the time praying that she was not making the biggest mistake of her life.

She was starting to get desperate, when Daniel opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and looked at her.

"Sam?"

"Are you okay? What are you feeling now?"

He looked disoriented. "What's just happened?" he tried.

Sam was at a loss for words. She squeezed his hand and said, "You fell. I'm going to call Jennifer. Don't move."

Daniel obeyed. She walked to the phone and called the McKays.

"Rodney? I'm sorry I woke you up. I need to talk to Jennifer."

"Sam? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Daniel fell and I don't know if I can move him."

"Wait; I'll pass the phone to Jennifer."

"Hello? Sam? What happened?"

"Daniel fell and- It's kind of complicated. I think he should go to the Infirmary. I'll tell you all the details when I see you."

Jennifer heard the tone she identified as "very worried Sam" and agreed. She made sure the S.G.C. sent an ambulance to Sam's house and drove to the base with Rodney.

Meanwhile, Sam put a pillow under Daniel's head and got dressed."

"Are you sure I have to stay here? I don't feel any pain. Not even in the chest."

"Yes, I'm sure. Just do it for me, okay?"

"Okay."

Half an hour later they were all in the Infirmary. Sam walked apart with Jennifer and explained everything that had happened. Jennifer was stunned, but she thought it was too late to disapprove of Sam's actions. She had done what she felt she had to do. She went in and started examining Daniel.

Sam sat outside with Rodney. She explained to him what she had told Jennifer and they discussed different scenarios that could explain the events. When Jennifer came out to talk with them, she seemed in awe.

"Nothing. There's nothing there."

"You mean he didn't hurt himself in the fall?"

"I mean, there's nothing. Not even a scar. Before, he had the fractured ribs and plenty of scar tissue in the lungs. Now, they're clean, perfect. The ribs don't even have signs of ever have been broken. It looks as what Janet Fraiser described as the effects of the sarcophagus."

Sam sat down. "He healed himself, didn't he?"

"That would be a logical conclusion."

"But how?" Rodney asked.

"I don't know and he doesn't remember. I asked and he only has memory since right before you called me, Sam."

"What about his leg?"

"That's still broken. It seems that all the healing energy ─to call it someway─ was focused on his chest. I'm going to let him go back home with you. He's hungry."

Sam smiled.

"He'll also have a much better time walking with the crutches, now that the effort won't make his chest hurt."

"Wow! I don't know what to say."

"It all must have to do with his Ancient knowledge. Maybe it's so hidden in his subconscious that he can't recall it when awake, but in a semi-conscious state like after the nightmare, he probably had access to it."

"And there's nothing we can do to get him to remember?" Rodney wanted to know.

"He's already in a fragile state of mind after all that has happened. I wouldn't mess with his brain."

"Does he know?"

"Well, I told him that he was healed. I'm sure he got to the same conclusion we did. Just take him home; let him rest. Do what he says. He probably knows better than we do."