AUTHORS: Demon Faith and Stephali
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
and stephalij@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Sam/Daniel, Angst, Drama
SEASON/SEQUEL: Season 3
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Implications
SUMMARY: Daniel saves Sam from a fire, but will everything
be alright?
DISCLAIMER: Steph and I are just playing! Honest! We’ll
put them back safely, once Sam and Daniel finally get together. (Anyone get the
feeling I’m clutching at straws?)
AUTHOR’S NOTES: We wanted to do a joint fan-fic but had no
decent ideas. So Stephali flicked through a dictionary and pointed out three
words: flat, salvage and dystrophy. For the dystrophy part, our research went
probably too far but hey, Steph had fun! And we based our fic on this: hope it
isn’t too insane! (Though with Steph helping to write it, what else can it
be?)
Sam stumbled through the door and collapsed in the
armchair. Hazily she noticed the rather gripping drop in temperature. Damn, she thought, the power must be off again. That happened regularly, Sam was
seriously considering moving into a new flat, preferably one bigger than this
one as well. At least her proprietor had some compassion for her tenants, and
in each flat, there was a rather unattractive ornamental fireplace. Wearily Sam
stood up and rummaged through a cupboard for some matches. She never knew where
to find them, especially when she was as tired as this. Finally, she found a
box and lit her fire. The fire burned merrily away and Sam settled on the sofa,
watching the dancing flames as she drifted off to sleep.
~
Daniel looked at his watch for the fourth time in two
minutes. Where was she? It wasn’t
like Sam to forget when they had arranged to meet. Particularly when it
involved doing research. He had seen the expression on her face when the
General had told her about this new alloy SG4 had found when off exploring.
You’d have thought that it was her birthday three times over and that she’d
received the best gift in the universe. Daniel liked seeing Sam like that. The
child-like wonder on her face, something he knew probably crossed his face from
time to time, and the mile-a-minute technobabble, which nearly always got them
out of trouble. He often studied those sculpted features, watching for the
tell-tale signs of her emotions, the little secrets that told him all. But she was late. That meant something was
up. Sam would never just abandon him like this. He decided to give it another
couple of minutes before ‘phoning, since she was only twenty minutes late, but
it was enough to worry him. But then, this was Sam he was thinking about; any
tiny little thing with Sam made him worried. Perhaps he should just call her
now. Daniel lifted the receiver of the ‘phone he had been waiting by for the
last ten minutes and dialled Sam’s flat. All he got was a dead line. By now,
Daniel was truly worried. What disaster would cause Sam to disconnect her
phone? Or, what could have disconnected it? Or even, who? Daniel had worked
himself into a paranoid frenzy and couldn’t wait a moment longer. He got up,
grabbed his coat and headed out of the door, glancing at the picture of Sam on
his mantelpiece. Please let her be
alright.
~
Daniel’s car turned off the busy main road and headed off
to the quiet suburban area, which was where Sam lived. It was quite pretty
really, with its well-kept flower beds and trees, however Daniel was not
noticing these things. He was by now extremely anxious and had considered
calling Jack to fill him in on what was going on, but had decided that Jack
would tell him Sam had probably just fallen asleep or something and that he
should go home and do the same. Daniel wondered if Sam would appreciate being
woken if she had indeed fallen asleep and wondered if it would be better for
him to just visit in the morning.
He pulled up to the entrance to Sam’s apartment to turn
his car around, and that was when he noticed the flames. Sam’s window was open
and the firelight danced against the pane, tempting him inside. Daniel stood,
transfixed, not believing what he was seeing. Moments later, the other
residents of the apartment block came out onto the street, coughing and
clutching each other for support. But Sam wasn’t with them. Daniel’s heart beat
faster and he realised that Sam was in trouble. The rational part of his brain
realised that by now someone would have called 911 and that the emergency
services would be on their way. That same rational part of his brain realised
that Sam probably wouldn’t last that long, especially if the fire had started
in her room. Looking around, he could tell no-one else was up for a spot of
heroics, in fact, no-one else seemed to have noticed Sam was missing. That
decided it. He couldn’t leave Sam in that building any longer. This was it: he
was going in.
Without even
considering himself, he charged into the smoky corridor. He had memorised the
route to Sam’s flat long ago and the smoke was no deterrent. He reached her
apartment and slammed down her door, hollering her name at the top of his
voice. Then he saw her. She was hanging off the couch, lips slack and parted.
Daniel fought his way through the burning furniture, occasionally crying out
when the flames got too close. Finally, he reached her, coughing and spluttering.
He hefted her into his arms, amazed at how tired his arms were. Lack of oxygen. Sometimes he wished his
brain wouldn’t be so rational. Suddenly, the candelabra gave way, falling into
the abyss. Pieces of glass shattered everywhere and Sam moaned softly, finally
stirring from her fume-induced slumber. He was a little slower coming out,
all-too conscious about the sleeping woman in his arms. At least, he hoped she
was sleeping. Eventually, he fought his way into the street, where he collapsed
onto his knees. The crowd around him grew silent in horror. Daniel’s mind
suddenly went fuzzy, a combination of the smoke and the worry and the stress.
Flashing lights suddenly appeared all around him and he felt Sam taken from
him. Right; job done. Time to sleep now…and he slid to the
ground.
~
Daniel opened his eyes to the steady rhythm of a heart
monitor. He really wished this would stop happening. He tried to remember
exactly why he was there, but everything was all a bit of a blur, apart from
one thing. In his mind he kept seeing an image of Sam amidst all the flames.
Then it came back to him. Then he thought: If
this is how bad it was for me, and I was only in there for a really short time,
and I stayed conscious long enough to get out of the building…then how bad must
it be for Sam?
Someone had obviously
noticed he had woken up and had come over to read some charts, or whatever
doctors did. He thought it might have been Janet, but it was difficult to tell,
he didn’t have his glasses on.
“Janet,” he croaked, his throat burning.
“She’s still in intensive care. But we’re very hopeful
that she’ll make a full recovery.”
Wait a
minute, Daniel thought. That
wasn’t Janet talking. Was Janet injured? The smoke was obviously having an
effect on his mental capacity. After a few agonising seconds he realised the
nurse/doctor/whoever thought he meant Janet was in the fire, but that was Sam!
“No, Sam,” he tried to explain, but he didn’t have the
energy to say anything more than that.
“We telephoned the contact numbers in your wallet. Is it
Jack?”
Daniel nodded slightly, a look of relief passing over him.
“He should be here shortly. Try and get some rest.” And
she went. Daniel tried to sit up, look around but it was as if the energy had
been drained out of him. He heaved himself onto the pillows but his arm gave
way under him, and he thudded back down.
“You’re trying too hard, Danny boy. Had enough of saving
damsels in distress?”
“Jack!”
The older man grinned at Daniel’s surprised face.
“You else were you expecting?”
“Jack, you have to tell me: where’s Sam? Is she alright?
Where am I? What’s happening? Who…”
“Whoa, slow down! Right, you want me to fill you in?”
Daniel nodded then collapsed his head against the pillow,
which made him feel dizzy.
“Oh and the doctor says you shouldn’t move your head too
much.”
“Thanks for telling me now.”
“You’re welcome. Anyway, after you did your little rescue
act and dutifully passed out, Sam and you were picked up by an ambulance and
taken here. Um…Saint someone or others’ hospital. Right? You were relatively OK
and therefore are here, whereas Sam was injured critically….” Jack stopped and
saw the look of horror on Daniel’s face, so he hastily added “But will be
perfectly fine soon, and was taken to intensive care. They haven’t told us
anything further yet.”
“They wouldn’t tell us anything? Why not? Oh god, she’s
going to die, isn’t she? Oh no…”
“Daniel! She is not going to die! Now, pull yourself
together!”
“But it’s my fault! If I had been quicker, if I hadn’t
insisted…”
“Blaming yourself will not help Major Carter, Daniel.”
Teal’c’s calming voice suddenly cut through Daniel’s
distressed mind. He stopped panicking and looked up to see Jack, Teal’c and
Janet.
“You’re right, you’re right…”
Jack looked at Teal’c with a new-found respect. Jack had a
hard enough time getting Daniel to calm down, let alone admit he was wrong.
What did they teach these Jaffa?
“So Daniel, how are you feeling?”
“Fine. How’s Sam?”
Janet looked uneasy. “Well I asked one of the doctors here
and they said…”
“How come they told you?” Jack asked, slightly surprised.
“I’m a doctor. They appreciate that. Unlike you. Anyway,
they said Sam’s going to be basically all right. Her burns will need to be
treated for sometime, but nothing really serious there. They’ve stabilised her
and now she’s breathing independently of the life support, which is always good
news and all the cuts and scratches she suffered with the exception of one are
all relatively minor.”
Daniel hesitated, “What about the other one?”
“Something must have splintered near her eye, damaging the
outer layer of her cornea. This means it will have lost its absolute
transparency and will therefore damage her sight. However, corneal dystrophy is
treatable. If she receives a transplant, then the doctors will be able to
completely salvage her sight.”
“That’s good news, I guess,” Jack said.
Daniel collapsed back against the pillow, shutting his
eyes tightly so no one would see him cry. This was all his fault and he should
be the one in that damned position, not Sam.
Teal’c was watching Daniel carefully, while Jack and Janet
argued about soccer results. Crazy Tau’ri
thought Teal’c. He continued to look at Daniel, noting the moisture escaping
under his eyelid and the slight shaking of his shoulders. The young man was
clearly upset but Teal’c was unsure of what to do.
“Well, we’ll have to throw Sam a great party when she’s
better, right Daniel?”
Jack frowned and leaned over Daniel. His eyes flew open
and Jack didn’t miss the slightly red rimming or the wet lashes.
“Yeah. Can I see her?”
~
Sam was aware of a great flurry of movement and sound
around her. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in front of the
fire. Now, where was she?
“Hello?” she called, “Who’s there?”
The voices stopped and Sam realised they had converged on
her. She tried to open her eyes but there was something covering them. They
hurt loads.
“You’re Sam, aren’t you? Don’t worry, you’re in hospital.
There was a fire but you’re going to be okay. I’ll just get the doctor.”
Sam tried to nod but her head felt very heavy. A fire,
huh? She recalled her medical training and began to mentally recite
side-effects. Hmm…burns, dehydration,
loss of consciousness. Sore eyes? Well, apart from smoke exposure, she
shouldn’t have a bandage over her eyes. She felt someone move near her and
briefly wondered how she could be that sensitive.
Jolinar she thought.
“Hello Sam. I’m Doctor Adams. You’ve been in a fire but
you’re in hospital now. I just wanted to discuss the…problem with your eyes.”
Finally,
an explanation! Sam thought to herself.
“Have you heard of corneal dystrophy?”
Sam raised an eyebrow. She had briefly covered it in high
school biology but she only knew the cure…
“Am I having a transplant?”
Daniel smiled. After much persuasion from himself and
Janet, he was finally standing outside Sam’s door, listening to the
conversation going on inside.
“Yes, you are. The donated organs are arriving this
morning. You must rest now.”
Sam felt the man move away but the feeling of a presence
wasn’t gone.
“Sam.”
Sam cocked her head slightly. Ah, Daniel! Suddenly the
sensation was gone as emotions welled on top of her consciousness.
“Where are you?”
A hand found hers and she closed her fingers around the
palm. She felt his breath as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. Sam felt
herself flush and was sure that a loopy grin was plastered all over her face.
“Are you alright? The doctors wouldn’t let me off the ward
for ages.”
Off the
ward? Sam gasped, as the truth hit her.
“What did you do?”
Daniel felt quite hurt. He withdrew his hand, clinging it
to him. What did Sam mean? What did he do wrong?
“W…w…what do y…you mean?”
Sam bit her lip, as she realised what she had said.
“Why were you on a ward?”
Sam said her words slowly, trying to control her emotions.
Above the tirade, she just sensed other presences moving into the room.
“Well, Danny here saved your butt. He’s just too
embarrassed to say.”
“You’re here because of him, Sam.”
“When Daniel Jackson sensed something was wrong, he was
quick to rescue you, at great danger to himself.”
Daniel reddened considerably, although Sam was spared the
spectacle. Jack winced at the red skin of Sam’s arms and then realised they
were similarly mirrored on Daniel’s. Daniel, the supposed ‘weak link’ of SG1,
had literally been through fire for Sam and she was angry? Jack tried to wrap
her head around that when he considered what he would have felt if Daniel had
done the same for him. Firstly; very, very grateful and secondly; ready to give
him a right dressing down for trying such a stupid bunch of heroics in the
first place. But it wasn’t him and he couldn’t really expect Sam to react the
same way.
Once again, it was Teal’c who filled the awkward silence.
“Major Carter, I will inform the General of your state of health. He requested
that of me when I left the base.”
Jack inwardly sighed. Teal’c?
In a public place? Using an Airforce radio transmitter? He didn’t really
think that would turn out particularly well. “It’s OK Teal’c, I’ll do that. You
take the other patient back to his room, you know like the doctor ordered.”
Daniel smiled and said goodbye to Sam, for once accepting
the support that Teal’c offered him. He too was puzzled and concerned by Sam’s
reaction. What did I do wrong? He
slowly left the room, letting Teal’c shut the door behind him.
~
They were right. Sam was definitely angry, not least
because she had led Daniel into this mess, when it was clear the problem was
all her fault. Feeling relief as she felt the ‘presences’ leave the room, she
delved into the retreats of her memory, searching for the answers that refused
to come. She remembered lighting her fire and sitting down but nothing else.
Not until the moment she had woken up in the hospital. She was not angry at
Daniel, but at herself. She didn’t want him to think that she needed the
‘babysitting’ that he reluctantly had forced upon him. She was an Airforce
officer, for God’s sake, and a good one at that. She shouldn’t have to be
rescued from fires, like a fairy tale damsel in distress. But sometimes she
felt she wouldn’t mind it happening, especially if she knew who the Prince was.
But Daniel had no business doing heroics when it clearly
risked his own life! She would not have Daniel, of all people, looking out for
her, when she knew it was him who
needed all their support. After Sha’re died, Daniel was shaky at best and she
really didn’t want him dying trying to save her. She knew that if her eyes were
functioning properly, there would be tears streaming down her cheeks. Sam lay
back, thinking of her knight in shining armour.
~
Daniel sat on the bed, brushing at the steady stream of
moisture trailing down his cheeks. Teal’c was very confused and had grabbed
Janet to explain.
She had kept quiet
during Sam and Daniel’s ‘argument’ but knew what was wrong. She knew that
everyone thought of Daniel as the little boy who couldn’t cope, who would
crumble in the face of danger. But she knew that he was just as strong, even if
the others didn’t realise it. She knew that Daniel constantly compared himself
to the tough-men around, knowing that he just didn’t measure up. Truth be told,
Daniel was probably the nicest of the lot and pretty handsome to top. Janet
knew that her nurses had a thing for Daniel and there was a fight every time he
came in to be treated, which was pretty often.
Janet was a little disappointed in Sam. The girl must be
blind to not notice the archaeologist’s attentions. Of course, current rumour
held the view that her love was directed at one Colonel Jack O’Neill, which
Janet believed was complete rubbish. After Sam’s experience with Jonas, she
wasn’t about to go for another military man. Which was why Daniel was perfect
for her: why couldn’t she just wake up
and see it?
Janet sighed to herself and sat down beside Daniel, who
had his head firmly buried in his hands.
“What did I do wrong, Janet?”
Janet put a hand onto his shoulder and he sniffed
slightly, obviously quite ashamed. He pulled away from Janet.
“S…s…sorry. I’m j…just being stupid.”
“You’re not, Daniel. You did really well today. For
goodness sake, you saved her life! She just worries about you, that’s all.”
“But she’s angry…”
“Don’t sweat it, Danny. I’ll go talk to her.”
Daniel looked up at Jack and moaned softly. Janet shook
her head violently at Jack, who shrugged with a ‘what did I do?’ expression on
his face. Idiot! thought Janet.
Daniel didn’t want Jack to walk in when he was crying. The Colonel didn’t
realise just how fragile Daniel’s ego was.
Jack took the hint and left.
~
Sam heard a knocking on the door and sensed someone
familiar outside the door.
“Come in, Jack.”
The Colonel came in and sat down beside her.
“How’d you know it was me?”
“You’re the only person who would knock the funeral march
in a hospital!”
Jack blushed and squeezed her hand.
“I’ve got to talk to you. About Daniel.”
Sam pulled her hand away from his.
“What about him?” she said, her voice tight and woody.
Jack sighed. This was going to be difficult
“He’s upset, angry, confused, more than I can even guess
at. You know how he can confuse me just by breathing, but now he’s really
retreated into himself. He wants to know how you’re feeling, why you’re angry.
He won’t be right until he knows.”
Sam sank back in thought. “You really care about him,
don’t you?” She asked of Jack, who nodded.
“Of course I do, he’s a very good friend, and I don’t like
seeing any friend of mine hurt Sam, even you.”
“I owed him everything
before, now I’m even more in his debt. But it isn’t supposed to be this
way. I should be the one helping him, he’s the one who needs it.” She paused,
“I tried to help him after Sha’re, but he needed more than I could give. You,
Jack, you gave him what I couldn’t. I failed him, in the worst way a friend can
ever do.”
Jack didn’t know what to say, so he tried to come up with
something that could help. “You have never failed anyone. How could you have
done? You’re pretty, smart, kind, the best friend you could possibly be. By
no-one’s standards is that a failure.”
Sam took the compliments, but realised Jack’s heart wasn’t
really in it. He was thinking about how he
had failed people in the past. She was about to say something reassuring,
but thought better of it. By saying those words to her, she knew that he
understood. “Come here.” She drew him into a hug, comforting them both, or so
she liked to think. They both drew awkwardly away, knowing that there was no
future in it for them. “If it’s OK with you Jack, I’d like to go to sleep now,
I’m really tired.”
“Of course. If there’s anything you need: CDs, food,
cuddly toys, a rifle, you know where to call.” Jack left the room, more
satisfied than when he arrived. Finishing his duties as counsellor, he headed
off towards the cafeteria, hoping the food was better than back at the base.
~
Jack grabbed a quick coffee and then went looking for
Daniel. Janet and Teal’c hadn’t seen him and his ward nurse had lost him
completely. Jack eventually found him: in
the library. Jack sighed. Did the boy never give up? He was sat at a large
round table, with about twenty books spread over the surface. All of them had
titles like ‘Ophthalmology’, ‘Basic Surgery’ and ‘Operations of the Eye’.
Daniel was currently engrossed in a small magazine about corneal dystrophy,
whatever that was. Jack sat opposite him and Daniel looked up at him. He looked
very haggard and tired and his eyes were outlined in red. He put down the book
and sighed.
“It’s all my fault, Jack.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, as Daniel collapsed back against
the chair.
“Oh, and how is that exactly? As I recall, you saved Sam?”
Daniel picked up one of the books, labelled ‘Corneal
Dystrophy: The Facts’, and began to recite:
“‘Corneal dystrophy can be caused by a number of
conditions, one of which can be accidental damage to the eye by flying glass or
another object hitting the eye.’ The candelabra smashed when I brought her out and I did nothing to help! What kind of
friend am I?”
“THAT IS ENOUGH!”
Jack stood up and thumped the table, making Daniel sit up
straight. Got ya now, Danny.
“Daniel, you voluntarily went into a smoke-filled
building, with big freakin’ flames, to save your friend. And Sam is here because you did that! One little
operation is better than being dead, okay?”
“She shouldn’t be having an operation at all. I should
have realised earlier that something was wrong, I shouldn’t have wasted time
like I did, I shouldn’t….”
“Daniel.” Just by saying his friend’s name, Jack conveyed
all he needed to say.
“Thanks Jack.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Sam’s
going to be alright.”
“I think I’ll stay here a little longer.”
“Ok.” Jack decided to leave him to it, guessing that he’d
done all he could. Who died and made me
chief counsellor?
~
Early the next morning, Sam was called into surgery. The
doctors had reassured her that the transplant would be a satisfactory match,
and that they had never yet performed
this operation and it had been a failure.
Daniel arrived just as they were taking her to theatre.
She was half-asleep but he kissed her lightly on the lips.
“Come back to me, Sam.”
“I always do, Daniel.”
~
The next 90 minutes were the most agonising of Daniel’s
life. He was constantly pacing around the library, which SG1 had appropriated,
and drinking sweet coffee, with about twenty sugars apiece. Jack was trying to
calm him down while Teal’c observed it all with obvious amusement. Janet was
sitting in on the operation because of Sam’s ‘blood disorder’, that was really
just Jolinar’s protein marker.
Eventually, Janet came and sought them out, smiling at the
antics of SG1.
"Well, it looks as if Sam's going to be alright after
all,” Jack triumphantly announced.
"What makes you say that, Colonel?" asked Janet.
"You wouldn't be smiling like that if she
wasn't."
"So she's OK?" Daniel fidgeted with his hair
nervously.
"Daniel, Sam's fine. It will be a bit awkward for a
month or so, but after that she'll be back as good as new."
Jack could see what was coming next. Daniel looked at the
ground, the obvious guilt reflecting in his downcast eyes. "Hey, she
wouldn't be here if you hadn't gone in after her. You saved her Daniel. You
have to accept that things didn't go exactly as planned. Losing a month is
nothing compared to what you both could have lost."
"Indeed Daniel Jackson, there is nothing more you
could have done to prevent this accident from occuring."
"For once he's right. Sam's eyes still have to be
covered for another 24 hours, but you can go in and visit."
"Thanks," said Daniel, shifting his gaze around
the room, making sure they knew he was thanking all of them.
"Anytime, Danny."
Teal'c nodded his head and Janet led the way down to the
room where Sam was recovering.
~
"Janet! You cannot be serious, no bending for a month!"
"Sam, this is standard procedure, you cannot risk
your eyesight."
Sam shrugged. "Fine. I expect you'll then tell me I
can't have a shower for a fortnight."
"Well actually....."
"I don't want to know right now. You can tell me all
the 'doctor's orders' later."
“What about visitor’s regulations?”
Sam visibly brightened.
“Where’s Daniel? I want to see him, Janet. Where is he? If
I know him, he’ll be worrying like crazy. You have to get him, Janet. I need to
tell him to stop panicking…”
“Okay, okay! I’ll get him, Sam. But if you raise your
blood-pressure..…”
“Why would I do that, Janet?”
Sam seemed genuinely puzzled and Janet was glad Sam
couldn’t see the grin on Janet’s face or the loopy smile on her own.
“Well, I’ll go get him.”
Daniel was pacing up and down the corridor, wringing his
hands nervously. Was she okay? What was taking Janet so long? Horrible thoughts
of complications, accidents and disasters flew through Daniel’s mind, as he
started to mutter to himself.
“Oh no what if she can’t see? What if she blames me? What
if she’s dead?”
Daniel’s eyes widened in horror but Janet couldn’t help
laughing.
“She’s fine, Daniel. And she’s waiting for you.”
Janet realised how corny she had made that sound but
Daniel didn’t seem to notice. To Janet, he looked like the energiser bunny on
speed. She quickly stifled that mental image, as Daniel rushed into Sam’s
hospital room.
“Are you okay? Are you sure? You’re really fine?”
Sam laughed lightly, as she tried to pull herself up. She
was soon in Daniel’s reassuring arms, as he supported her against his chest. Shame I’ve lost the view, she thought
evilly to herself.
“I’m fine, Daniel. Just a little off-time for a month,
then I’ll be as good as new.”
Even though her words were meant to comfort, Sam could
feel the tension building in Daniel.
“I almost killed you and you say you’re fine! Oh, Sam; it
should be me, not you!”
"Daniel! This has gone on long enough! I realise that
it was me who burnt the aprtment block down. Me. If I hadn't have lit that fire
then everything would be as normal. Are you going to tell me that was your
fault too?" Sam quietened a little. "Of course it wasn't. And the
sooner you accept that the better, I don't want you punishing yourself."
Daniel didn't know what to say.
"It's OK, Daniel. You don't have to tell me anything
more. Just by being here you've brightened my day, of course I didn't actually
have a day to brighten, but you know what I mean."
"I do Sam, I really do."
Sam let herself sink into Daniel’s strong arms, drifting
off to sleep.
~
Jack stood in the doorway, trying to ignore the moisture
building in his eyes. Ah, happy ending! He
brushed at his eyes, as Janet came into view.
“Is he still in there?”
“Yep. I think Sam fell asleep on him.”
Janet smiled and watched the two carefully. She smiled to
herself and tip-toed in. Jack followed curiously, as Janet stopped by both of
them. She chuckled softly and Jack raised an eyebrow.
“They’re both sound asleep! I think we should leave them a
while. Sam’s bandages can be taken off in about an hour. We’ll wake them up
then.”
Jack nodded, as they headed for the cantine.
~
About an hour later, Janet and Jack returned to find Sam
and Daniel involved in vibrant discussion.
“But if it’s a mixture of plutonium and naquadah,
shouldn’t that make it stronger than naquadah?
“No, it’s actually quite brittle. The plutonium and
naquadah both shed their best qualities as waste when this new metal is forged,
yet it forms an impenetratable shield.”
“So, it’s a metal of contradictions. I mean, it’s
definitely a metal but it’s also an insulator.”
“So, a bit like you then, Daniel?”
The archaeologist laughed and sat back in his chair,
watching Sam laugh. Her cheeks glowed with health but he couldn’t help notice
the white bandages covering her eyes.
“I quite agree, Carter. Full of contradictions, is our
Daniel.”
Jack sauntered in, followed by Janet. She was smiling, as
she got near to Sam.
“We’re ready to remove the bandages now, Sam.”
Sam nodded and caught Daniel’s hand in a death grip. He
winced visibly but didn’t actually seem to mind. Janet reached forward and
carefully peeled off one of the bandages. Sam blinked quickly, as she saw her
friends staring worriedly at her.
“Perfect. That’s a nice shirt, Daniel. Blue really suits
you.”
Daniel smiled and rubbed her hand, a loopy grin all over
his face. Sam grinned back and Janet removed the other bandage.
“This was the most damaged…”
Sam opened her eye, to reveal both beautiful eyes. A small
frown crossed Daniel’s forehead but it disappeared quickly. Jack’s eyes widened
and he just resisted bursting with laughter. He dived out of the room, as
Janet’s jaw dropped. Sam was getting worried now. Why were they all acting so
strangely?
Janet disappeared quickly and Sam stared accusingly at
Daniel.
“What’s so funny?”
Daniel bit down on his lip. He rushed out, but returned
with Janet’s small pocket mirror.
“What colour were your eyes…before, Sam?”
“Blue, Daniel. Like yours.”
“Well, not anymore…”
Daniel gave Sam the mirror and she gasped. Deep emerald
eyes stared back.
“Janet!”