Chapter Eight

It was well past midnight, but Daniel was wide awake with the exception of his right arm which had fallen asleep long ago. He had decided against retrieving his arm from under Janet's head in fear of waking her. Her breath brushed across his skin as she slumbered peacefully. Daniel closed his eyes and tried to match the slow rhythm of her breathing.

The angry burn marks on Daniel's left arm throbbed painful, although that wasn't what was keeping him awake. Now that they were in the lion's den it was only a matter of time before he got them killed. His blood flashed to ice when he realized that he'd probably be the only one to suffer death. In a culture where women were property she would just be given to someone else.

Guilt gnawed at his already sour stomach. Janet stirred in her sleep, pressing harder against his side as she unconsciously sought warmth. The contact added a new stress to Daniel's already racing thoughts. As his doctor she'd had her hands on him for years, however as the weeks past something about the quality of her touch had changed. Once again his heart raced just thinking about it.

Daniel tried to piece together the moment when their friendship started to blur and cross into something more. It wasn't even clear to him if that line had actually been crossed yet or not. All he knew at the moment was that for the first time since Sha're's death he had something on his mind other than work or revenge. Daniel reached up with his free hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not the time nor the place to be having such thoughts. He needed to concentrate on what he was going to do to get them home.

Outside some distant voices started calling to one another. Daniel tensed as the sounds grew louder. Even though the words were not clear the panicked edge to the voice was. It wasn't long before there was a good deal of commotion splinting the once peaceful night air. When he could hear that at least some of the chaos was coming their way Daniel made the decision to Janet.

"Janet..."

"What's happening?" Janet asked the moment she jerked awake.

"I don't kno..."

Before Daniel could finish the tent flap was ripped back. Gaius stood in the entranceway with a torch in his hand. He didn't have his usual calm manner about him, in fact he looked on the edge of panic. Daniel and Janet both sat up, but made no motion to get out of bed.

'Doctor, quick, a party has returned and one is gravely wounded.'

"Daniel?" Janet asked quietly.

"It looks like I have a patient."

When Daniel got up to leave Janet followed him. He was just about to turn and tell her to stay behind when Gaius reached out and took his wrist to haul him out of the tent faster. Daniel growled in pain as Gaius wrapped his hand around the burns and bruises on his wrist. In the rush to get Daniel to the dying man no one thought to stop Janet from tagging along.

Gaius dragged Daniel to the outside edge of the camp where a large tent was set up. The inside of this one was not like the soft word they'd just come from. Rather than fur the floor was simply hard packed dirt, turned concrete from blood seeping into the soil. The stench of it alone was almost enough to cause Daniel to completely lose his nerve.

The side walls were lined in bone and cloth beds where men lay recovering or dying. In the back corner was a wooden table, dark with dried blood. Four men were tying a fourth down to the table as he fought madly against them in a delirious haze. Sticking from his chest was a thick arrow shaft adorned with bright feathers. Sweat drenched the man's skin and blood seeped from his lips as he tried to cry out.

"This doesn't look so bad." Janet noted seriously.

"Janet, there's an arrow in his chest."

"You'll make a good medic yet, Dr. Jackson." Janet teased. "The fight in him tells me he's stable. The arrow is preventing his lung from collapsing."

"But what happens when we take it out?"

Daniel didn't get to hear the answer to his question. Gaius shoved him towards the table that held the panicking victim. Gaius barked some orders and the four men backed away, one of them brought Janet's medical tackle box out and placed it on the end of the table by the man's feet. One of the men glared at Janet spitefully.

'What is that woman doing here?' He demanded.

'She's mine, I've trained her as my assistant.'

'She's bad luck!' The man cried. 'Get rid of her!'

'I need her.' Daniel insisted to Gaius directly. 'He'll die if I'm forced to work alone.'

'Fine.' Gaius growled. 'However she is not to touch him, the penalties for a woman touching a man without his permission are strict.'

"Janet, you can stay, but don't touch him. I've told them you're my assistant."

Janet nodded. The man on the table arched his back as more blood rose to his lips. One of the men brought over a bucket of water and a rag. Daniel instantly used it to remove some of the sweat from the man's face, knowing that he'd always been grateful for the same treatment when injured. Daniel's patient stopped trying to cry out, but his eyes were still wide with fear.

"In the movies I'd snap off the fletch and push the arrow through the other side."

"Yeah, well in the movies your patient is only bleeding Karo Syrup." Janet replied. "No, we're going to just yank it out the way it went in. Give me some orders and I'll get the supplies you need."

"Right." Daniel nodded thoughtfully. "Go and get me whatever magic wand it is I'll need to keep this man alive so that his friends don't take his death out on us."

"Yes, Sir." Janet nodded.

For the first time Daniel was truly grateful for the language barrier. Janet opened up the tackle box and tossed a pair of latex gloves at Daniel for him to put on. She brought over a small collection of tools and supplies. After putting on the gloves Daniel tried to look useful by cleaning up the blood around the arrow shaft. Another man entered the tent, looking like he'd just been woken. He rushed up to Gaius.

'Lord Gaius, you can't seriously let this stranger tend to him!'

'Quiet, Tao! Every man to ever have a deep chest wound has died under your care.'

'The lungs can not be healed. I am sorry for...'

'I said silence!'

'This isn't right, these men are my responsibility...'

"Daniel!" Janet snapped. "Pay attention."

"I'm sorry, Janet." Daniel stopped listening to the men argue. "What do I do?"

"Pull the arrow out fast, and as close to the angle it went in as possible."

Swallowing hard Daniel reached out to take the arrow shaft, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. Once he had his hand around the arrow he placed the other against the man's chest. After a deep breath Daniel put his adrenaline augmented strength into tearing the arrow from its gory place. The man thrashed and gurgled blood as Daniel yanked the arrow out in one smooth motion. Blood made frothy from the air in the man's lungs erupted from the now open wound.

'Lord Gaius, he's torturing him!' Tao cried. 'Let him die with dignity!'

'Enough, Tao!'

"Apply pressure with this." Janet handed Daniel a thick gaze pad.

Daniel pushed the gaze against the wound that was making a distressing sucking sound. While he did that Janet opened up a sterile packaging. She held the package out to Daniel without touching the contents herself. It looked like a plastic patch with a large flap sticking out of the middle. Keeping one hand on the gauze he lifted up the offered object.

"What is this." Daniel asked, but didn't add the inflection that would make it sound like a question.

"It's an Asherman chest seal, it is going to plug the sucking chest wound and automatically help vent the pleural space."

"I knew that." Daniel lied.

"Draw the gauze toward you to clean as much blood off and slap this down before too much blood slicks the skin."

'Lord Gaius,' Tao protested again 'this female is a witch! She is chattering harmful spells.'

'Hanmel, remove Tao.'

Daniel wasn't paying attention to Gaius and the local healer this time. He had all his concentration poured into getting the patch onto the wound. There was nothing he could do about the way his hands were shaking as he made the difficult maneuver to get the chest seal in clean skin while the wound still bled.

"Good job, Daniel."

"I should clean the blood off."

Janet nodded in agreement to the flat question and pretended it was another order to go to the tackle box. Daniel used the bucket of water and the rag to remove as much of the blood from the man's chest and lips. He didn't look any better than when Daniel started, if anything there was now a bluish cast to his lips as he panted rapidly. Janet silently handed Daniel a stethoscope which he put on and hesitantly place on the man's chest.

"His heart is going a million miles an hour." Daniel reported.

"I need a real number, Daniel. Count for ten seconds, multiply by six."

"210."

"Damn it. Listen to both lungs."

"I don't hear anything on the injured."

"Shit." Janet growled. "I need more orders."

"Janet, you're doing a great job so far. Just tell me what to do, we'll save this one."

Janet nodded once more and went back to the tackle box and rummaged around in it. When she came back she was holding a needle that looked more suited for use on a horse. With a hopeless look on her face Janet handed him the giant needle. He took it and looked back at his struggling patient.

"Push slowly until you first stop feeling resistance."

"Where..."

Janet reached up on herself and pretended to scratch a spot on her chest. He memorized the spot she was touching and translated it to the man. Daniel didn't know it but his patient had a complication known as a tension pneumothorax. The needle needed to go into the second intercostal space along the mid-clavicular line. The trick that took years of schooling was not letting the needle go too deep and puncture the lung or not deep enough and therefore not letting the air escape.

Daniel held his own breath and slowly inserted the needle into the man's flesh. He did not take the new procedure well and writhed in agony under Daniel's hand. With his stomach churning Daniel continued to force the needle deeper. He couldn't tell if he was getting it right or not. Suddenly Janet cleared her throat, Daniel took it as a sign and stopped pushing. After glance at Janet he drew the plunger. The syringe filled with air at first and then blood.

Janet put her hand out for Daniel to give the needle back. He pulled it out swiftly and handed it over. When Janet handed him a piece of occlusive dressing it didn't take any imagination to figure out what to do with it and he placed it over the needle puncture wound. Janet got a new needle and filled it with a liquid medication. Giving it to Daniel she scratched her exposed upper arm. Daniel injected the antibiotic.

"All done." Daniel asked.

"All done." Janet confirmed.

'Gaius, I've done all I can for him. Keep him comfortable, let him rest.'

Gaius stepped forward and looked down on the man. Daniel was surprised by how much better he looked, even the colour was returning to his lips. Gaius reached down and gently touched his forehead. He turned to Daniel with a worried expression.

'Is he going to live?'

'He has a good chance.' Daniel replied even though he didn't know.

'Thank you.' Gaius said sincerely.

'Um...I didn't really have a choice.'

'I know, but this man is special to me.'

'Who is he?'

'One of my sons.'

Daniel was shocked to hear that he'd been trusted with one of Gaius's own children. Gaius's son closed his eyes and passed out. He was untied from the gory table and taken over to one of the beds to rest. Janet cringed as they simply picked the young man and transferred him. She nudged Daniel to go check and make sure his work hadn't been undone. As far as he could tell it hadn't been so he pulled off his bloody gloves.

Gaius stayed with his sleeping son and had two of the other men escort Daniel and Janet back to their own tent. Daniel stalked directly over to the bed and sat down before falling back. Feeling dizzy Daniel moaned pitifully. Janet came over and sat down next to him with a smile.

"Daniel, you did fabulous." Janet purred. "I think he's going to live."

"After all that he'd better." Daniel huffed.

"Come on, admit it."

"Admit what?"

"It's a rush saving a life."

"I can't tell...I was too terrified to know what was causing all the adrenaline."

Janet chuckled. Daniel knit his eyebrows together before open his eyes and looking up at Janet. She seemed completely unphased by what had just occurred. If anything she looked elated, proud of her new student. Daniel felt his heart starting to race again and feared that he may be flushing.

"Daniel?" Janet asked in concern. "You okay?"

"I honestly don't know."

Smiling brightly once again Janet leaned down and kissed Daniel's cheek. The spot where her lips had touched his skin burned with a pleasant fire. She stared at him, clearly waiting for him to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. She'd stolen his voice. Janet reached down and took the stethoscope that Daniel was still wearing off. She placed the ends in his ears once more and put the listening end over her chest and took a deep breath.

"Wha...what are you doing?" Daniel asked.

"You need to know what a healthy heart and a set of lungs sound like."

"I don't know if I'm up to playing doctor right now."

"Just close your eyes and listen."

Following orders he closed his eyes and listened to Janet breathing slowly. Daniel noticed that her heart was beating just as fast as his own. Janet moved the stethoscope around so that he could hear the air rushing in from different places. After a few minutes she removed the stethoscope from his ears and he opened his eyes.

"Remember that sound." Janet smiled.

"I'll will."

Janet smiled and put her hand on Daniel's chest. When she felt his heart thumping her cheeks flushed slightly. Daniel covered her hand with his own and sat up. Janet looked nervous which caused Daniel to pause. She pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold.

"Janet?"

"Daniel...I know this isn't really the time or place, but...is something happening between us?"

"I don't know. My racing heart seems to think so."

"Mine too."

"I know...I heard."

Janet flushed again and smiled shyly. Daniel brought his hand up hesitantly and when Janet didn't pull away he carded his fingers into her dark lavender scented hair. Janet looked up at him expectantly. Deciding to take a chance Daniel leaned in for a gentle first kiss. After only a moments they broke off the soft kiss, but kept themselves just a few inches apart. A slight smile touched Daniel's lips.

"This goes against all the rules of doctor/patient relationships, doesn't it?" Daniel asked quietly.

"It's okay, we're both consenting adult doctors here."