Leap of Faith (4/6)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Author: Sunrize
Rating: PG-13 for language
Characters: Jack, Daniel
Category: Gen, H/C
Season/Spoilers: Season 4, post "The Curse"
Synopsis: A trip to the mountains becomes a battle for survival
The next time Charlie appeared, Daniel was wide awake.
It was late afternoon, and lengthening shadows crept across the ground, swallowing patches of sunlight. Daniel had passed most of the day in a pain-induced haze, slipping in and out of restless sleep. He knew his periods of clear-headedness were becoming more and more infrequent, but couldn't muster the energy to care.
The ibuprofen was gone. Jack had forced him to swallow the remaining two tablets several hours ago, and the gnawing, relentless pain in his ribs and head had already begun to pierce the drug's thin blanket of relief. They were down to one granola bar and three bottles of water. And the dark clouds brewing in the western sky threatened they'd be wet as well as cold before morning.
Jack was hobbling carefully along the rocky incline, gathering whatever wood he could find for a fire. Daniel watched, his heart stuttering every time his friend lost his balance, or stumbled, or slid on treacherous shale. He wrapped his arms around his ribs and turned his face into his shoulder to smother a cough. The annoying tickle in his chest had been steadily worsening since early afternoon, and he was pretty sure he had a fever. It was going to be hell trying to keep it from Jack.
"He knows."
All the spit dried up and Daniel's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He turned his head slowly to regard the boy crouching near his left shoulder, a solemn expression on his small face. Twenty feet away Jack stumbled, cursed lustily, and continued his search for sticks.
"Wh...what?" Daniel's lips formed the question but it came out as little more than a puff of air.
"My dad. He already knows you're sick, so you might as well stop worrying about hiding it from him."
Daniel gaped at the child for a moment, then, with some hesitation, reached for the jersey-clad shoulder. His hand met no resistance, continuing through the little boy's upper body with barely a ripple.
"Shit!"
"Daniel? You all right?" Jack had dropped his small pile of branches and was eyeing him intently, lines of worry creasing his brow.
Daniel's gaze ping-ponged between Jack and Charlie and gooseflesh broke out on his arms. Jack was staring right through the boy, as if he wasn't there. "I--I... Jack, d-don't you... He's..."
"He can't see me."
Charlie's soft, sorrowful words pulled his attention from Jack. "He can't?"
"Daniel? You're getting me a little worried here. What's with the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest imitation?"
Daniel looked at Charlie, who simply raised both eyebrows. He cleared his throat. "I'm...ah...Sorry. I'm not...I'm fine."
Jack folded his arms. "You are."
"Yes."
"Fine."
"Yes."
"You're sure."
Daniel gritted his teeth. "Yes. I'm positive."
"Then would you please explain who you were just talking to?"
Daniel locked his eyes with Jack's, doggedly ignoring the presence at his side. "Myself."
"Yourself?"
"Yes, Jack. Sometimes I talk to myself, okay?"
"Is that a geek thing?"
"Don't you have some wood to gather?"
Jack pointed his finger, like he was going to argue, then shrugged and picked up the pile of sticks. Daniel waited until Jack had moved further away before turning cautiously toward Charlie.
"If I'm not going crazy...why can't he see you?"
Charlie sat back on his butt and picked up a rock. "I hurt him too much." He rubbed some dirt off the stone and squinted up at Daniel.
"By dying?" When Charlie nodded, Daniel frowned. "That's...that doesn't make sense. He's not mad at you; he doesn't blame you
for--"
"Not mad. Sad." Charlie's tone was patient and weighted with wisdom beyond his years. "It hurts him to remember me."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." It was so hard to think, to keep his muddled brain on track. "Are you saying he can't see you...because he doesn't want to?"
"He shut the door between us," Charlie replied. "I can't get in."
Jack chose that moment to glance over his shoulder. Daniel let his eyes slide shut, as if dozing. Though it fooled Jack, opening them proved harder than he'd anticipated. "Why are you here? Does this mean...?"
Charlie scrunched up his forehead. "Huh?"
Daniel stole a quick peek at Jack, then licked his lips. "It's just...I thought maybe you were here to, you know...take me with you."
Charlie's eyes went wide. "Oh! You think I'm here because you're gonna die."
"Well, the idea had crossed my mind."
"Nah. Well, not exactly. I mean, you could die. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can see the future."
"Then why...?"
"I'm here to help you. I guess you could call me a guardian angel." Charlie snickered. "But not like those girly looking ones you see in church."
"Good." Daniel sucked in a breath as pain shot through his ribs. "We can use...all the help we can get."
"I think I can get you out of here. There's just one problem."
"Just one?"
Charlie frowned. "You know, sometimes you sound an awful lot like my dad."
He didn't even want to go there. "What's the problem?"
Charlie jerked a thumb toward Jack, who had left off gathering twigs in favor of massaging his injured knee. "You've gotta get him to do what I say. And he's not going to believe you."
Daniel closed his heavy eyes. "You're right. Don't suppose they make...you angels come up with a plan B?"
A warm palm touched his forehead, then cupped his cheek. Daniel jerked, his eyes flying open. Jack's face was inches from his own, and his friend was swearing softly.
"You're burning up. No wonder you're over here talking to yourself."
Daniel batted weakly at the hand. "'M not delirious, Jack."
The little line between Jack's brows deepened. "Uh-huh. Here. Drink this."
Daniel swallowed the water pressed to his lips, his gaze drifting over Jack's shoulder to where Charlie still stood. The little boy was looking at his father was such undisguised longing that Daniel's chest ached.
Jack set aside the water bottle and tucked a blanket around Daniel. "It's just like you to go and get pneumonia when we don't have any ibuprofen left," he growled, but Daniel heard fear and not anger in the words.
Daniel drew in a breath. The air seemed to catch in his chest and he barked out a string of harsh, wet coughs until black spots danced before his eyes. "Jack, I...I gotta te-...tell you something."
"What you gotta do is shut up and breathe. And I've gotta get you out of here."
"That's what--" Daniel coughed again, his respiration a harsh wheeze. "--what 'm trying...say. Know...know how."
"Oh yeah? Got it all figured out, huh?" Jack wiped his face, the cool, damp cloth heavenly against Daniel's hot skin.
"Yes."
"Well lay it on me. I'm all ears."
Daniel blinked. His conversation with Charlie had zapped his already flagging stamina, and Jack's ministrations were lulling him toward sleep. "Huh?"
"I said I'm listening."
"To what?"
Jack pulled back the cloth and scowled. "For cryin' out loud, Daniel! To the grand plan you've got for getting us out of here."
So tired. Daniel squinted at Jack through slitted eyes. There was something...something he had to tell Jack. Something important. Movement at the periphery of his vision gave him his answer. "Charlie."
Jack went very still. "What?"
A distant corner of Daniel's brain registered the thin, tight sound to Jack's voice, but he couldn't seem to focus. Mesmerized, he watched Charlie reach out tentatively toward his father.
Jack gripped Daniel's arm, hard. "Daniel? What about--?"
Charlie's fingers brushed Jack's head and a breeze ruffled the short, silver strands of hair. Jack blinked, faltering, then quickly recovered. "Damn it, Daniel! What are you trying to say?"
"See?" Charlie's blue eyes were filled with regret. "I told you. He doesn't want to see me. I think maybe he wants to forget me."
"You're wrong." Daniel's tongue felt lazy and too large for his mouth. "He doesn't want...forget you. Just can't...forgive himself." His eyes slid shut. Leaving them closed really seemed the best way to go.
The last thing Daniel heard was two voices calling his name.
*************************
What the hell just happened?
Daniel was out cold--asleep, unconscious, in a fever-induced stupor. Jack wasn't sure which and it was scaring him. Badly. He wiped his friend's flushed face, then tugged the blanket more firmly into place around his shoulders, shivering a bit at the growing nip in the air. There was no sign of rescue, clouds had blotted out the setting sun, and it seemed they'd be spending another night out in the open.
Meanwhile, Daniel had developed a set of symptoms that looked uncomfortably like pneumonia and was spouting...
Jack ran a hand down his face, wincing at the combination of sweat, grime, and stubble. Why would Daniel be talking about Charlie? And who was he talking to? He could chalk it all up to pain, fever, and sickness, but that still didn't explain why Daniel would be rambling on about Jack's dead son. It made no sense. And he really, really disliked it when things didn't make sense.
Losing Charlie was a private pain, one he guarded jealously. As close as Jack had grown to his teammates, as much as they had become family to him, he balked at sharing the intimate details of his earlier years. He'd divided his life into two distinct compartments--before and after the SGC, and he'd become adept at patrolling the wall between the two.
With everyone except Daniel.
Jack looked at his friend, lips curving in a rueful smile. Daniel was a pushy little bastard who refused to respect Jack's self-imposed boundaries. He'd fumbled his way into Jack's life, disarming him with keen intelligence combined with wide-eyed wonder. And he'd stayed--despite Jack and the kind of crap he'd pulled a few weeks ago.
He'd stayed.
Jack shook his head. He hadn't done much lately to deserve that kind of loyalty. It was high time he rectified that situation. Otherwise the day just might come when Daniel would decide he'd had enough and say when.
And even a hardheaded, frequently oblivious guy like Jack knew that that the SGC in general, and his own life in particular, would suffer from the loss.
He snagged a corner of the blanket and scooted underneath, his mouth twitching with repressed amusement when Daniel's head dropped onto his shoulder with a soft sigh. One more night. He'd get them through one more night on this god-forsaken hunk of rock and then he was climbing up to the road, come hell, high water, or bad knees. He owed Daniel much more, but it was a start.
*************************
Daniel. C'mon, Daniel, you gotta get up!
Something tickled his ear. Daniel frowned, bringing up a hand to swat at the offending bug. Cool air raised goose bumps on his arm and brought him abruptly awake as he groped for the blanket. Two blue eyes, directly in front of his own, wrenched a breathy yelp from his lips. Beside him, Jack snorted, smacked his lips, and continued to snore.
Charlie backed off but glared at him. "I thought you were never gonna wake up. I've been yelling in your ear for an hour!" When Daniel raised an eyebrow, he huffed, "Okay, maybe not an hour. But a really long time!"
Daniel shivered, smothering a cough that struggled to break free. His face was hot, his body cold, and the gorilla sitting on his chest had gained ten pounds. In short--he felt terrible.
"Sorry." He punctuated the apology with a cough.
"It's okay. It's just--it's time."
"Time?" Time for what? He peered into the darkness, trembling harder with the cold. "To go back through the 'gate?"
Charlie blew out a long breath, but stopped scowling. "No, Daniel. You're on Earth. You had an accident, remember?"
Accident? Daniel looked in the direction Charlie was pointing, barely able to make out the hulking shape of the SUV in the darkness.
Oh yeah.
"Still don't get...what it's time for."
"To get you and my dad rescued. But you gotta make him do what I say."
Daniel's snort turned into hacking and wheezing. "Doesn't do...what I say...and he can see me."
Jack groaned and nudged his hip. "Dreaming, Daniel. Wake up."
When Charlie gestured pointedly at Jack, Daniel squirmed upright and shook his shoulder. "I'm not asleep, Jack. You wake up."
Jack sat up, grumbling under his breath. His hair stuck out at odd angles and his eyes were bleary. "It's the middle of the night." His gaze sharpened. "Is something wrong?"
"Not...not exactly."
"Not exactly?"
Daniel glanced at Charlie, who simply made shooing motions with both hands. "Ah...I've got a plan."
"You've got a plan."
"That's right."
"For what?"
"For what? For getting us out of here."
"I see." Jack laid the back of his hand against Daniel's forehead, then his cheek. "And this plan just...came to you, I take it?"
Daniel batted at his hand away. "Stop it. You have...have to listen to me."
"I am listening." Jack's uncharacteristically patient tone screamed "humor him."
"Tell him to turn on the headlights," Charlie said, popping his head over Jack's shoulder.
Daniel jumped, wincing. "God! Don't do that! You about scared the life out of me."
Jack gaped at him. "What? What the hell did I do?"
Charlie stamped his foot. "Pay attention, Daniel. He needs to put the headlights on so they're...what do you call it? When they get really bright."
Daniel's jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. That's your plan? Turn on the high beams?"
"High beams! Yeah, that's what Dad always called 'em."
"Daniel. Who are you talking to?"
"What...what possible good is that going do?"
"Daniel." The indulgence was gone from Jack's voice.
"It's gonna let people know you're down here, that's what. Gee, I expected this from my dad, not you."
"Let people know... We're thousands of feet down the mountain! Those...those headlights will never reach--" Daniel broke off, shaken by a round of harsh, barking coughs.
"Damn it, Daniel! What in the hell is going on?"
Jack caught him around the chest, trying to brace his ribs while Daniel did his best to hack up a lung. When the spasms finally eased off, he could barely hold up his head. He let Jack manhandle him until he was propped in a semi-reclining position against the tree.
"I can't," he gasped at Charlie, who had come to crouch by his side. "'S no use."
"Yes you can." Jack growled through clenched teeth. "You're going to hang in there, damn it! You've never been a quitter and I'm not about to let you start now."
"You're gonna die," Charlie said, blue eyes glistening. "And I don't think my dad can get over losing another person he loves. Please. You've gotta trust me."
Jack slipped a hand behind Daniel's neck and helped him sip some water. "Maybe if you got some sleep instead of chatting with...your invisible friend, you might not be in such bad shape."
"Jack."
"Shut up, Daniel."
"Jack, you've got...got to turn on...headlights."
"Forget it--"
"Know it...sounds crazy, but--"
"Not as crazy as you talking to thin air."
"I'm serious. You don't understand--"
"No, you don't understand."
"Trying to tell you--"
"Daniel, the battery is dead."
"Wha--?" Daniel stared at Jack, then Charlie. "Dead?"
"As a doornail. I tried the engine when I was scavenging for blankets and water. Nearly got myself killed in the process."
Charlie leaned in closer. "It will work. But he's gotta turn 'em on."
"You're sure?"
Charlie nodded.
"Now see, that's creeping me out." Jack waved a hand in Charlie's direction. "You still haven't mentioned who you're talking to. And please don't say yourself."
He was so achingly tired. Daniel didn't know if he had the strength to deal with what was coming.
"You have to," Charlie said. "He might give you a hard time, but he listens to you. You know he does."
"You're not going to believe me." Daniel turned his whole focus onto Jack, desperately trying not to slur his words.
"Won't be the first time."
"Jack."
"Daniel. Just...level with me."
Daniel licked his lips. "Charlie. I've been...I've been talking to...Charlie."
Jack didn't blink. "Have you now."
"God! I knew...knew you wouldn't believe me."
"Did I say that?" Jack got out cloth and doused it with water. "I think it's great you two have been shooting the breeze. Tell him I said hello."
"Tell him you..." Daniel shut his eyes, grinding his teeth in frustration. The cloth felt wonderful on his overheated skin, and part of him--the exhausted, hurting, hopeless part--wanted to just give in and enjoy it.
"Daniel."
"I know, I know." He glared at Charlie. "This would be...lot easier if you'd...talk to him yourself."
"I told you..."
"So, what's Charlie been doing with himself? They got a baseball team up there? Charlie was always working on his pitching, but--"
"Stop it."
"I didn't start it, Daniel. You did."
Daniel welcomed the edge in Jack's voice. If Jack continued to treat him like a toddler with a vivid imagination, they were doomed. Anger he could work with.
"I'm not delirious...or...or hallucinating. He's here; you just can't see him."
"Right. Because why would I be able to see my own kid? It makes so much more sense that he'd appear to you."
"I asked him about that."
"Really? Care to share?"
No, Daniel thought. Then he looked at Charlie, wearing that same expression of naked yearning as he watched Jack fume.
"He said... He said you shut him out. That remembering...hurts you too much."
Jack froze. Even in the darkness, Daniel could see that his entire body had gone rigid. After a moment he lurched to his feet and hobbled away, the night quickly swallowing him up.
"I told you," Daniel said quietly.
"He'll be back."
"How can you be sure?"
Charlie shrugged, evading Daniel's gaze. "'Cause deep down inside, he knows you're right."
A few minutes later Daniel heard the crunch of footsteps and Jack stalked into view, limping heavily. He lowered himself to the ground, grunting when the movement jarred his leg. Daniel waited him out.
"Say I believe you--which I don't. None of this really matters." When Daniel opened his mouth to argue, Jack waggled his finger. "The battery is dead, Daniel. Those lights won't work. And you said it yourself--they'd never reach the road even if they did."
"Why?"
"Why? How the hell should I know? Carter's the mechanical whiz kid; I pay someone else to fix my car."
"No, no." Daniel struggled to draw breath into lungs that felt waterlogged. "Why...won't you believe me? How long...how long have we...been friends? Why can't...you trust me?"
"It's not a matter of trust! For God's sake, Daniel, you're concussed and burning up with fever! It's not that I'm surprised you're seeing things; I'm just surprised what you're seeing is my son."
"God, you are so-- Okay." Daniel glanced over at Charlie. "He's wearing a Minnesota Twins jersey." He blinked against blurry vision. "Rick...Rick Aguilera. And a...a red ball cap."
Jack jerked as if he'd been slapped. "What?"
"Charlie had...a jersey like that...didn't he, Jack?"
"That's...it's coincidence. I'm from Minnesota and I've told you often enough that Charlie loved baseball."
"He bought it for me on my eleventh birthday," Charlie said, fingering the striped material. One corner of his mouth turned up. "He took me to a game and we ate all kinds of junk--sodas, hotdogs, popcorn, and candy. When we got home, I threw up and Mom read Dad the riot act for letting me eat all that stuff. That's what he always called it--the riot act." He sighed and looked up at Daniel. "It was the best birthday I ever had."
Daniel swallowed but couldn't seem to dislodge the lump in his throat. "He says you got it for him...when he turned eleven. You went to a game...bought him junk food. Sara got mad at you...when he threw up."
Jack's mouth moved as he struggled to form words. What finally emerged was a gravelly croak. "You...you can really...see him?"
"Yeah." Daniel looked away from the pain in Jack's eyes. "He wants us...to turn on the lights. Says...trust him."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "Daniel, I already tried, and nearly plunged down the mountain for my trouble. If we just
wait--"
"He says...I'm dying, Jack." Daniel forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Think I'm...out of time."
Jack stiffened. "Don't say that!" But as his gaze moved over Daniel from head to toe, his shoulders slumped.
"No one's coming. And you and I both know...you're never gonna make it...up that mountain." When Jack's head snapped up, Daniel chuckled raggedly. "Did you really think...I didn't know?"
Jack sighed. "You are a pain in the ass, you know?"
"Jack."
"I know, I know. Not in front of the kid." Chin tucked to his chest, Jack added quietly. "Daniel...tell him I--"
Daniel laid a hand on his leg. "He can hear you. And he already knows."
"Yeah." Jack hauled himself upright. "Then I guess he knows I wouldn't do something this crazy for anyone but him." He cocked an eyebrow at Daniel. "And, God help me, you. Wish me luck, Dannyboy."
He'd won. Gotten Jack to do what needed to be done--according to Charlie, anyway. So how come he felt so rotten? "Jack."
Jack turned to look at him and Daniel couldn't help flinching at the fresh lines of pain around his friend's eyes and mouth. "Yeah."
"Just...be careful."
Jack's jaunty salute came out as more of a weary wave. "Aren't I always?"
Daniel watched him lumber toward the truck while his stomach did flip-flops. The answer, of course, was no.
Go to part 5
Author: Sunrize
Rating: PG-13 for language
Characters: Jack, Daniel
Category: Gen, H/C
Season/Spoilers: Season 4, post "The Curse"
Synopsis: A trip to the mountains becomes a battle for survival
The next time Charlie appeared, Daniel was wide awake.
It was late afternoon, and lengthening shadows crept across the ground, swallowing patches of sunlight. Daniel had passed most of the day in a pain-induced haze, slipping in and out of restless sleep. He knew his periods of clear-headedness were becoming more and more infrequent, but couldn't muster the energy to care.
The ibuprofen was gone. Jack had forced him to swallow the remaining two tablets several hours ago, and the gnawing, relentless pain in his ribs and head had already begun to pierce the drug's thin blanket of relief. They were down to one granola bar and three bottles of water. And the dark clouds brewing in the western sky threatened they'd be wet as well as cold before morning.
Jack was hobbling carefully along the rocky incline, gathering whatever wood he could find for a fire. Daniel watched, his heart stuttering every time his friend lost his balance, or stumbled, or slid on treacherous shale. He wrapped his arms around his ribs and turned his face into his shoulder to smother a cough. The annoying tickle in his chest had been steadily worsening since early afternoon, and he was pretty sure he had a fever. It was going to be hell trying to keep it from Jack.
"He knows."
All the spit dried up and Daniel's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He turned his head slowly to regard the boy crouching near his left shoulder, a solemn expression on his small face. Twenty feet away Jack stumbled, cursed lustily, and continued his search for sticks.
"Wh...what?" Daniel's lips formed the question but it came out as little more than a puff of air.
"My dad. He already knows you're sick, so you might as well stop worrying about hiding it from him."
Daniel gaped at the child for a moment, then, with some hesitation, reached for the jersey-clad shoulder. His hand met no resistance, continuing through the little boy's upper body with barely a ripple.
"Shit!"
"Daniel? You all right?" Jack had dropped his small pile of branches and was eyeing him intently, lines of worry creasing his brow.
Daniel's gaze ping-ponged between Jack and Charlie and gooseflesh broke out on his arms. Jack was staring right through the boy, as if he wasn't there. "I--I... Jack, d-don't you... He's..."
"He can't see me."
Charlie's soft, sorrowful words pulled his attention from Jack. "He can't?"
"Daniel? You're getting me a little worried here. What's with the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest imitation?"
Daniel looked at Charlie, who simply raised both eyebrows. He cleared his throat. "I'm...ah...Sorry. I'm not...I'm fine."
Jack folded his arms. "You are."
"Yes."
"Fine."
"Yes."
"You're sure."
Daniel gritted his teeth. "Yes. I'm positive."
"Then would you please explain who you were just talking to?"
Daniel locked his eyes with Jack's, doggedly ignoring the presence at his side. "Myself."
"Yourself?"
"Yes, Jack. Sometimes I talk to myself, okay?"
"Is that a geek thing?"
"Don't you have some wood to gather?"
Jack pointed his finger, like he was going to argue, then shrugged and picked up the pile of sticks. Daniel waited until Jack had moved further away before turning cautiously toward Charlie.
"If I'm not going crazy...why can't he see you?"
Charlie sat back on his butt and picked up a rock. "I hurt him too much." He rubbed some dirt off the stone and squinted up at Daniel.
"By dying?" When Charlie nodded, Daniel frowned. "That's...that doesn't make sense. He's not mad at you; he doesn't blame you
for--"
"Not mad. Sad." Charlie's tone was patient and weighted with wisdom beyond his years. "It hurts him to remember me."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." It was so hard to think, to keep his muddled brain on track. "Are you saying he can't see you...because he doesn't want to?"
"He shut the door between us," Charlie replied. "I can't get in."
Jack chose that moment to glance over his shoulder. Daniel let his eyes slide shut, as if dozing. Though it fooled Jack, opening them proved harder than he'd anticipated. "Why are you here? Does this mean...?"
Charlie scrunched up his forehead. "Huh?"
Daniel stole a quick peek at Jack, then licked his lips. "It's just...I thought maybe you were here to, you know...take me with you."
Charlie's eyes went wide. "Oh! You think I'm here because you're gonna die."
"Well, the idea had crossed my mind."
"Nah. Well, not exactly. I mean, you could die. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can see the future."
"Then why...?"
"I'm here to help you. I guess you could call me a guardian angel." Charlie snickered. "But not like those girly looking ones you see in church."
"Good." Daniel sucked in a breath as pain shot through his ribs. "We can use...all the help we can get."
"I think I can get you out of here. There's just one problem."
"Just one?"
Charlie frowned. "You know, sometimes you sound an awful lot like my dad."
He didn't even want to go there. "What's the problem?"
Charlie jerked a thumb toward Jack, who had left off gathering twigs in favor of massaging his injured knee. "You've gotta get him to do what I say. And he's not going to believe you."
Daniel closed his heavy eyes. "You're right. Don't suppose they make...you angels come up with a plan B?"
A warm palm touched his forehead, then cupped his cheek. Daniel jerked, his eyes flying open. Jack's face was inches from his own, and his friend was swearing softly.
"You're burning up. No wonder you're over here talking to yourself."
Daniel batted weakly at the hand. "'M not delirious, Jack."
The little line between Jack's brows deepened. "Uh-huh. Here. Drink this."
Daniel swallowed the water pressed to his lips, his gaze drifting over Jack's shoulder to where Charlie still stood. The little boy was looking at his father was such undisguised longing that Daniel's chest ached.
Jack set aside the water bottle and tucked a blanket around Daniel. "It's just like you to go and get pneumonia when we don't have any ibuprofen left," he growled, but Daniel heard fear and not anger in the words.
Daniel drew in a breath. The air seemed to catch in his chest and he barked out a string of harsh, wet coughs until black spots danced before his eyes. "Jack, I...I gotta te-...tell you something."
"What you gotta do is shut up and breathe. And I've gotta get you out of here."
"That's what--" Daniel coughed again, his respiration a harsh wheeze. "--what 'm trying...say. Know...know how."
"Oh yeah? Got it all figured out, huh?" Jack wiped his face, the cool, damp cloth heavenly against Daniel's hot skin.
"Yes."
"Well lay it on me. I'm all ears."
Daniel blinked. His conversation with Charlie had zapped his already flagging stamina, and Jack's ministrations were lulling him toward sleep. "Huh?"
"I said I'm listening."
"To what?"
Jack pulled back the cloth and scowled. "For cryin' out loud, Daniel! To the grand plan you've got for getting us out of here."
So tired. Daniel squinted at Jack through slitted eyes. There was something...something he had to tell Jack. Something important. Movement at the periphery of his vision gave him his answer. "Charlie."
Jack went very still. "What?"
A distant corner of Daniel's brain registered the thin, tight sound to Jack's voice, but he couldn't seem to focus. Mesmerized, he watched Charlie reach out tentatively toward his father.
Jack gripped Daniel's arm, hard. "Daniel? What about--?"
Charlie's fingers brushed Jack's head and a breeze ruffled the short, silver strands of hair. Jack blinked, faltering, then quickly recovered. "Damn it, Daniel! What are you trying to say?"
"See?" Charlie's blue eyes were filled with regret. "I told you. He doesn't want to see me. I think maybe he wants to forget me."
"You're wrong." Daniel's tongue felt lazy and too large for his mouth. "He doesn't want...forget you. Just can't...forgive himself." His eyes slid shut. Leaving them closed really seemed the best way to go.
The last thing Daniel heard was two voices calling his name.
*************************
What the hell just happened?
Daniel was out cold--asleep, unconscious, in a fever-induced stupor. Jack wasn't sure which and it was scaring him. Badly. He wiped his friend's flushed face, then tugged the blanket more firmly into place around his shoulders, shivering a bit at the growing nip in the air. There was no sign of rescue, clouds had blotted out the setting sun, and it seemed they'd be spending another night out in the open.
Meanwhile, Daniel had developed a set of symptoms that looked uncomfortably like pneumonia and was spouting...
Jack ran a hand down his face, wincing at the combination of sweat, grime, and stubble. Why would Daniel be talking about Charlie? And who was he talking to? He could chalk it all up to pain, fever, and sickness, but that still didn't explain why Daniel would be rambling on about Jack's dead son. It made no sense. And he really, really disliked it when things didn't make sense.
Losing Charlie was a private pain, one he guarded jealously. As close as Jack had grown to his teammates, as much as they had become family to him, he balked at sharing the intimate details of his earlier years. He'd divided his life into two distinct compartments--before and after the SGC, and he'd become adept at patrolling the wall between the two.
With everyone except Daniel.
Jack looked at his friend, lips curving in a rueful smile. Daniel was a pushy little bastard who refused to respect Jack's self-imposed boundaries. He'd fumbled his way into Jack's life, disarming him with keen intelligence combined with wide-eyed wonder. And he'd stayed--despite Jack and the kind of crap he'd pulled a few weeks ago.
He'd stayed.
Jack shook his head. He hadn't done much lately to deserve that kind of loyalty. It was high time he rectified that situation. Otherwise the day just might come when Daniel would decide he'd had enough and say when.
And even a hardheaded, frequently oblivious guy like Jack knew that that the SGC in general, and his own life in particular, would suffer from the loss.
He snagged a corner of the blanket and scooted underneath, his mouth twitching with repressed amusement when Daniel's head dropped onto his shoulder with a soft sigh. One more night. He'd get them through one more night on this god-forsaken hunk of rock and then he was climbing up to the road, come hell, high water, or bad knees. He owed Daniel much more, but it was a start.
*************************
Daniel. C'mon, Daniel, you gotta get up!
Something tickled his ear. Daniel frowned, bringing up a hand to swat at the offending bug. Cool air raised goose bumps on his arm and brought him abruptly awake as he groped for the blanket. Two blue eyes, directly in front of his own, wrenched a breathy yelp from his lips. Beside him, Jack snorted, smacked his lips, and continued to snore.
Charlie backed off but glared at him. "I thought you were never gonna wake up. I've been yelling in your ear for an hour!" When Daniel raised an eyebrow, he huffed, "Okay, maybe not an hour. But a really long time!"
Daniel shivered, smothering a cough that struggled to break free. His face was hot, his body cold, and the gorilla sitting on his chest had gained ten pounds. In short--he felt terrible.
"Sorry." He punctuated the apology with a cough.
"It's okay. It's just--it's time."
"Time?" Time for what? He peered into the darkness, trembling harder with the cold. "To go back through the 'gate?"
Charlie blew out a long breath, but stopped scowling. "No, Daniel. You're on Earth. You had an accident, remember?"
Accident? Daniel looked in the direction Charlie was pointing, barely able to make out the hulking shape of the SUV in the darkness.
Oh yeah.
"Still don't get...what it's time for."
"To get you and my dad rescued. But you gotta make him do what I say."
Daniel's snort turned into hacking and wheezing. "Doesn't do...what I say...and he can see me."
Jack groaned and nudged his hip. "Dreaming, Daniel. Wake up."
When Charlie gestured pointedly at Jack, Daniel squirmed upright and shook his shoulder. "I'm not asleep, Jack. You wake up."
Jack sat up, grumbling under his breath. His hair stuck out at odd angles and his eyes were bleary. "It's the middle of the night." His gaze sharpened. "Is something wrong?"
"Not...not exactly."
"Not exactly?"
Daniel glanced at Charlie, who simply made shooing motions with both hands. "Ah...I've got a plan."
"You've got a plan."
"That's right."
"For what?"
"For what? For getting us out of here."
"I see." Jack laid the back of his hand against Daniel's forehead, then his cheek. "And this plan just...came to you, I take it?"
Daniel batted at his hand away. "Stop it. You have...have to listen to me."
"I am listening." Jack's uncharacteristically patient tone screamed "humor him."
"Tell him to turn on the headlights," Charlie said, popping his head over Jack's shoulder.
Daniel jumped, wincing. "God! Don't do that! You about scared the life out of me."
Jack gaped at him. "What? What the hell did I do?"
Charlie stamped his foot. "Pay attention, Daniel. He needs to put the headlights on so they're...what do you call it? When they get really bright."
Daniel's jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. That's your plan? Turn on the high beams?"
"High beams! Yeah, that's what Dad always called 'em."
"Daniel. Who are you talking to?"
"What...what possible good is that going do?"
"Daniel." The indulgence was gone from Jack's voice.
"It's gonna let people know you're down here, that's what. Gee, I expected this from my dad, not you."
"Let people know... We're thousands of feet down the mountain! Those...those headlights will never reach--" Daniel broke off, shaken by a round of harsh, barking coughs.
"Damn it, Daniel! What in the hell is going on?"
Jack caught him around the chest, trying to brace his ribs while Daniel did his best to hack up a lung. When the spasms finally eased off, he could barely hold up his head. He let Jack manhandle him until he was propped in a semi-reclining position against the tree.
"I can't," he gasped at Charlie, who had come to crouch by his side. "'S no use."
"Yes you can." Jack growled through clenched teeth. "You're going to hang in there, damn it! You've never been a quitter and I'm not about to let you start now."
"You're gonna die," Charlie said, blue eyes glistening. "And I don't think my dad can get over losing another person he loves. Please. You've gotta trust me."
Jack slipped a hand behind Daniel's neck and helped him sip some water. "Maybe if you got some sleep instead of chatting with...your invisible friend, you might not be in such bad shape."
"Jack."
"Shut up, Daniel."
"Jack, you've got...got to turn on...headlights."
"Forget it--"
"Know it...sounds crazy, but--"
"Not as crazy as you talking to thin air."
"I'm serious. You don't understand--"
"No, you don't understand."
"Trying to tell you--"
"Daniel, the battery is dead."
"Wha--?" Daniel stared at Jack, then Charlie. "Dead?"
"As a doornail. I tried the engine when I was scavenging for blankets and water. Nearly got myself killed in the process."
Charlie leaned in closer. "It will work. But he's gotta turn 'em on."
"You're sure?"
Charlie nodded.
"Now see, that's creeping me out." Jack waved a hand in Charlie's direction. "You still haven't mentioned who you're talking to. And please don't say yourself."
He was so achingly tired. Daniel didn't know if he had the strength to deal with what was coming.
"You have to," Charlie said. "He might give you a hard time, but he listens to you. You know he does."
"You're not going to believe me." Daniel turned his whole focus onto Jack, desperately trying not to slur his words.
"Won't be the first time."
"Jack."
"Daniel. Just...level with me."
Daniel licked his lips. "Charlie. I've been...I've been talking to...Charlie."
Jack didn't blink. "Have you now."
"God! I knew...knew you wouldn't believe me."
"Did I say that?" Jack got out cloth and doused it with water. "I think it's great you two have been shooting the breeze. Tell him I said hello."
"Tell him you..." Daniel shut his eyes, grinding his teeth in frustration. The cloth felt wonderful on his overheated skin, and part of him--the exhausted, hurting, hopeless part--wanted to just give in and enjoy it.
"Daniel."
"I know, I know." He glared at Charlie. "This would be...lot easier if you'd...talk to him yourself."
"I told you..."
"So, what's Charlie been doing with himself? They got a baseball team up there? Charlie was always working on his pitching, but--"
"Stop it."
"I didn't start it, Daniel. You did."
Daniel welcomed the edge in Jack's voice. If Jack continued to treat him like a toddler with a vivid imagination, they were doomed. Anger he could work with.
"I'm not delirious...or...or hallucinating. He's here; you just can't see him."
"Right. Because why would I be able to see my own kid? It makes so much more sense that he'd appear to you."
"I asked him about that."
"Really? Care to share?"
No, Daniel thought. Then he looked at Charlie, wearing that same expression of naked yearning as he watched Jack fume.
"He said... He said you shut him out. That remembering...hurts you too much."
Jack froze. Even in the darkness, Daniel could see that his entire body had gone rigid. After a moment he lurched to his feet and hobbled away, the night quickly swallowing him up.
"I told you," Daniel said quietly.
"He'll be back."
"How can you be sure?"
Charlie shrugged, evading Daniel's gaze. "'Cause deep down inside, he knows you're right."
A few minutes later Daniel heard the crunch of footsteps and Jack stalked into view, limping heavily. He lowered himself to the ground, grunting when the movement jarred his leg. Daniel waited him out.
"Say I believe you--which I don't. None of this really matters." When Daniel opened his mouth to argue, Jack waggled his finger. "The battery is dead, Daniel. Those lights won't work. And you said it yourself--they'd never reach the road even if they did."
"Why?"
"Why? How the hell should I know? Carter's the mechanical whiz kid; I pay someone else to fix my car."
"No, no." Daniel struggled to draw breath into lungs that felt waterlogged. "Why...won't you believe me? How long...how long have we...been friends? Why can't...you trust me?"
"It's not a matter of trust! For God's sake, Daniel, you're concussed and burning up with fever! It's not that I'm surprised you're seeing things; I'm just surprised what you're seeing is my son."
"God, you are so-- Okay." Daniel glanced over at Charlie. "He's wearing a Minnesota Twins jersey." He blinked against blurry vision. "Rick...Rick Aguilera. And a...a red ball cap."
Jack jerked as if he'd been slapped. "What?"
"Charlie had...a jersey like that...didn't he, Jack?"
"That's...it's coincidence. I'm from Minnesota and I've told you often enough that Charlie loved baseball."
"He bought it for me on my eleventh birthday," Charlie said, fingering the striped material. One corner of his mouth turned up. "He took me to a game and we ate all kinds of junk--sodas, hotdogs, popcorn, and candy. When we got home, I threw up and Mom read Dad the riot act for letting me eat all that stuff. That's what he always called it--the riot act." He sighed and looked up at Daniel. "It was the best birthday I ever had."
Daniel swallowed but couldn't seem to dislodge the lump in his throat. "He says you got it for him...when he turned eleven. You went to a game...bought him junk food. Sara got mad at you...when he threw up."
Jack's mouth moved as he struggled to form words. What finally emerged was a gravelly croak. "You...you can really...see him?"
"Yeah." Daniel looked away from the pain in Jack's eyes. "He wants us...to turn on the lights. Says...trust him."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "Daniel, I already tried, and nearly plunged down the mountain for my trouble. If we just
wait--"
"He says...I'm dying, Jack." Daniel forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Think I'm...out of time."
Jack stiffened. "Don't say that!" But as his gaze moved over Daniel from head to toe, his shoulders slumped.
"No one's coming. And you and I both know...you're never gonna make it...up that mountain." When Jack's head snapped up, Daniel chuckled raggedly. "Did you really think...I didn't know?"
Jack sighed. "You are a pain in the ass, you know?"
"Jack."
"I know, I know. Not in front of the kid." Chin tucked to his chest, Jack added quietly. "Daniel...tell him I--"
Daniel laid a hand on his leg. "He can hear you. And he already knows."
"Yeah." Jack hauled himself upright. "Then I guess he knows I wouldn't do something this crazy for anyone but him." He cocked an eyebrow at Daniel. "And, God help me, you. Wish me luck, Dannyboy."
He'd won. Gotten Jack to do what needed to be done--according to Charlie, anyway. So how come he felt so rotten? "Jack."
Jack turned to look at him and Daniel couldn't help flinching at the fresh lines of pain around his friend's eyes and mouth. "Yeah."
"Just...be careful."
Jack's jaunty salute came out as more of a weary wave. "Aren't I always?"
Daniel watched him lumber toward the truck while his stomach did flip-flops. The answer, of course, was no.
Go to part 5