DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Sam and Connor came running at the colonel's shout, helping Daniel back to the water and forcing him to sit down despite his protests. Sam figured it had been long enough since Teal'c drank the water. Teal'c had been bending one of the pieces of metal they'd saved from the Jaffa armor into a cone-shaped cup. Sam dipped it into the water and raised the cup to Daniel's lips, breathing a small prayer that they were doing the right thing.
Daniel sipped at the water slowly, as if sensing her trepidation, then passed the cup off to the colonel. Sam dipped her cloth strips into the water and advanced on Daniel. He protested half-heartedly, but finally gave in. As Daniel gingerly removed the top portion of his coverall, Sam unwound the bandages gently. And gasped at what she saw. The infection had spread; raw angry lines connected the spots of the original wounds. Sam made Daniel lie down on his stomach and warned him to take a deep breath, before draping the rags over his back. Daniel hissed at the coldness, but didn't move.
Sam looked over at the colonel, shaking her head a little to let him know that Daniel's condition wasn't good. Dipping another cloth into the water, Sam moved to the colonel and removed his bandages as well. She heard the colonel sigh as they saw that the wound was clean. She washed the wound carefully before re-wrapping it with fresh strips.
Together they moved to Daniel, who seemed to be asleep. The colonel sat down beside the younger man, checking his temperature reflexively. Daniel stirred, but didn't open his eyes.
"We're on the right track, aren't we, Jack?" Daniel almost whispered.
"Looks that way, Danny."
Daniel's head moved in a slight nod, "Good..."
"Just rest, Daniel," Sam cut in. "I want to let the wounds soak for awhile."
"Okay, just for a minute...." Daniel's voice trailed off and Sam was fairly confident that he was asleep. She gently laid one of the cloaks over his shoulders and motioned for the others to join her a short distance away.
Daniel could hear the distant mutters of his friends. It didn't take a Ph. D., any of them, to know they were talking about him. Just like he didn't have to see his back to know it was bad. The burning pain had grown from a background annoyance to a constant, insistent companion. The heat of his body seemed to generate from that point outward and it was growing worse.
Daniel didn't want to sleep, there was no time. As closely as Daniel could calculate, they'd left Earth nearly three days ago. That left them two more until the bomb was sent through. Two days to find Thor, return to Pal'noor and go back through the Stargate. That was if Tel'nat kept his word. Daniel still had a few suspicions in that area. Tel'nat said they would be returned through the gate ... not necessarily that they would be sent through alive.
Daniel had been replaying his dream about Ra over and over in his mind. He knew it was important, perhaps vitally so.
If only he could figure it out...
// Ra smiled, that same unfathomable smile. The scroll was offered and taken. The scroll ignited in Daniel's hand. Daniel tried to shout out a question, before Ra disappeared, but was too late... //
As Major Carter explained the seriousness of Daniel's condition, Connor noticed the trio of concerned looks that turned toward the sleeping form on the ground. Connor had glimpsed the young scientist's back, he knew it was bad.
Connor was all the more impressed with SG1's caring and determination. If they ever decided to add a fifth, Connor knew he'd be first in line. This team was something special. Connor had been a part of a lot of squads in his military career, there was always a special closeness that came with being a part of a group that risked life and limb on a daily basis. But Sg1 was unique, even more so than Connor had originally suspected.
Their concern for their teammate was only part of it. They knew each other, felt each other, believed in each other ... without reservation. And in Connor's book, that made SG1 a team in a million...
The colonel called for a break ... as long as Daniel needed to ... and asked Connor and Teal'c to search the nearby trees for food and further clues. Connor watched the colonel's eyes promise vengeance for the pain their friend was going through ... and Connor really did feel as if Daniel was becoming a friend. Connor traded a glance with the colonel that promised any and all assistance to achieve it.