DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable 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 purposes 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. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Chapter 9: Wind Shift
Jack shook his head at Daniel, trying very hard not to laugh at the younger man swaddled in Uncle Gil's much too large sweats. Uncle Gil towered over Jack's own head with shoulders twice as broad. The fit was loose on Jack but manageable...Daniel was far and away too skinny and too short. Jack struggled to tighten the drawstring while Daniel stared, perplexed, at his sleeve-covered hands.
Washing up had proven difficult, Jack providing Daniel as much dignity as his condition would allow. The ankle was pretty badly sprained, blue-black from toes to mid -calf. The knees were similarly bruised, the right one swollen and hot. Somehow...Jack thought perhaps during the last, desperate pull from the sliding car...something had left behind a tattoo of bruises along Daniel's back. A well-supplied first aid kit from the bathroom closet had yielded bandages and wrappings enough to make Daniel look like a refugee from 'The Mummy.' Jack had used the opportunity to draw Daniel out a bit...sparking tired synapses and assuring himself Daniel's dazedness was a result of utter exhaustion and not the effect of serious head injury. Little by little, Daniel's conversation improved from disjointed monosyllables to entire sentences...questions actually; Daniel's memories of the night before were even hazier than Jack's, but together they managed to fill in most of their mutual blanks.
Jack finished up with a sigh. "Ready to head back to the couch?"
Daniel's expression made his lack of enthusiasm quite clear, but he nodded acceptance. Jack pushed the too long sleeves up on Daniel's forearms and hoisted him to his feet. Jack heard the hitch of breath as Daniel stood, but said nothing as Daniel signaled his readiness. By the time they reached the sofa, Daniel was trembling, face gone even whiter from the effort. Daniel lay there breathing raggedly as Jack bundled the quilts back around him.
"Think you can stay awake while I fix something to eat?"
Daniel nodded. "Coffee, too?"
The slightly pleading tone made Jack laugh. "Sure, big guy."
Jack was almost to the kitchen when Daniel's voice stopped him. "Jack?"
"Yeah, Daniel?"
Blue eyes blinked up at Jack...sincere, exhausted...
"You saved my life last night...Thanks..."
Jack swallowed hard and nodded before continuing on to the kitchen. "The least I could do..."
The kitchen had been stocked to his specifications. Three pounds of Daniel's favorite coffee waited beside the coffee machine. Setting a pot on to brew, Jack scrounged out eggs and bread. Within a few minutes he had a tray loaded with scrambled eggs, toast, juice and coffee. He was surprised to see Daniel still awake, staring out the windows as the grey-blue light of dawn began to tinge the landscape. Jack nearly dropped the tray as he realized it had snowed a lot. Three feet, at least, and still coming down.
"We have two choices, call for help now and haul ass back to civilization...or dig in for the duration...." Jack sighed, placing the tray carefully on the coffee table.
Daniel smiled slightly, reluctance plain on his features. "Right now all I want to do is sleep anyway...might as well do that here."
"Eat first, sleep after...we need to get you fattened up so those clothes fit right."
Daniel laughed softly at that, pulling the front of the sweatshirt out in front of him almost as far as his arm could reach. "Never happen...
" Jack passed over the coffee and watched as Daniel sighed in deep contentment at the first sip. One eyebrow lifted in question as he recognized the brand.
"Yes, oh great coffee connoisseur, it's your brand."
Daniel's smile grew even wider and Jack couldn't help but laugh. There was no doubt of it...the way to Daniel's heart was definitely through his caffeine intake.
Jack went back to the bathroom and retrieve the large bottle of Tylenol, shaking out two pills for each of them. The food disappeared quickly enough, but Jack could see the effort draining Daniel's flagging energy.
'Shit, O'Neill, what do you expect. He was in piss poor shape to start with, he doesn't have anything left for this.'
Daniel was without doubt one of the strongest-willed, most tenacious people Jack knew; it disturbed him to see the man he'd come to expect miracles of endurance from so... beaten down. Even with all the ups and downs of the past year, they still clicked, still worked...last night proved that...but it seemed to Jack there was a very tangible specter of defeat hanging over them. Jack shuddered at the thought and looked up to see if Daniel felt it too...
Daniel...was asleep. Plate still balanced on his knees, coffee cup sliding ever so slowly from his fingers. Jack smiled, shaking his head, and rescued the glassware, tucking the blankets snugly around his friend. Jack stood there a moment, noting a bit more color in Daniel's cheeks, thinking perhaps it was merely a trick of the approaching daylight.
Friends. They were still friends. Jack was sure of it. Daniel had said so and Daniel never lied to Jack. Daniel never lied.
'No, I'm the expert on that...'
Jack looked back down at Daniel...noticing for the first time the fine worry lines, the deep shadows of maturity's mark in Daniel's youthful features...
Three years of near-constant stress had changed the younger man; he was leaner, harder, quieter...except when defending a cause...withdrawn on levels Jack hadn't taken the time to notice until the lie had come between them. Daniel had forgiven him, Jack was sure of that, yet there was a distance...a holding back...now. Daniel challenged Jack, be it chess or philosophical debates, something Jack would never have imagined he'd enjoy, Daniel wouldn't let Jack get away with not thinking. And to Jack's surprise he'd discovered he liked it. Daniel still didn't like beer, was vaguely encouraging for Jack's sake when it came to sports...but Jack liked to think he'd taught the younger man a thing or two about having fun, lightening up against the heavy load of self-imposed responsibility and guilt.
Jack missed that give and take, the easy comfort of two like-not like friends, who regardless of the odds, had become the closest of friends. The 'friendship thing' was important to Jack...far more important than he'd imagined possible...
Jack sighed and picked up the tray, heading for the kitchen. The Tylenol and food had combined to make him pleasantly lethargic. Placing the tray on the counter for later disposition, he realized they had nearly two weeks...twelve and a half days to rest up.where better to do that than snow-bound in a mountain cabin?
'Sleep now...worry later...'
Jack took a moment to bank the fire before wrapping himself up on the other sofa again.
'Worry later...'