Author's Notes: For Bruni, for the sake of her health...
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 13: Eye of the Storm
Jack watched Daniel wind his way through his tirade, watched the frustration and pain bubble up and spill over...remembered another time when pain had spoken and pain had responded...idly wondered how the little naked guys were doing...and smiled. Saw the reaction to his flip answer...saw the little half-shocked grin, the little headshake as some errant thought struck...felt the rumblings of the laugh before it erupted...and degenerated into another paroxysm of coughing...
Daniel's arms wrapped around his chest, trying to hold it against the obvious pain. Jack rubbed his hand forcefully against Daniel's back, hoping to ease the spasms. The coughing slowly wound down, raspy breathing taking its place.
"Better?" Jack asked carefully.
Daniel nodded a little, looking sheepish now. "You?"
Jack grinned again. "Pretty good for a guy with half a roof on his ass. Nothing hurts, I can feel my toes. I'm just ... stuck."
Daniel took a few shallow breaths, rubbing his temples. "Guess I should see if I can, uh, do something about that..."
Jack shook his head in disbelief. Daniel was sitting there among the debris, filthy in his over-large borrowed clothing. The younger man looked ready to collapse, face literally paler than the snow around them...shaking and bruised with an ankle swelled tight around its wrappings, and Jack could hear the rattle accompanying every breath.
"Daniel?" Daniel was moving the wood and planks in his immediate vicinity with his usual focused intensity. "Daniel!"
Blue eyes did a quick double-take from Jack to the pile and back again, still shifting pieces off the pile. "Yeah, Jack?"
"This is going to take a while."
"Ye-ah..."
Jack smiled at the drawling tone. 'Guess that was one of those 'duh' moments...'
"Daniel?" A slightly sharper tone, a tone perfected over time to penetrate most of Daniel's states of mind...
Daniel stopped, finally looking at Jack.
"Daniel, you need to do a few things first here...if you can walk on that?"
Daniel's eyes followed Jack's gesture, looking at his foot as if only now remembering the earlier injury.
'Not hitting on all cylinders yet there, buddy.'
Daniel sighed deeply. "I'll make it. What do you need?"
Jack shook his head at the words. "We need, Daniel. You need some shoes...or at least some socks...two or three pairs before your toes freeze off. And another couple of shirts wouldn't hurt...look in the big chest in the bedroom."
Daniel started to protest, Jack stopped him with a raised hand. "Ah ah...it's cold, Daniel and it's going to get colder now that we're...ventilated. I wouldn't mind a blanket or two myself."
That statement generated a guilty look and a nod. Jack watched as Daniel shifted to his knees, holding tightly to the wall beside them...the lucky wall that had kept them from being crushed in the collapse. A quick, shallow breath and Daniel was upright, listing a bit to one side but standing. Jack watched in almost-fascination as Daniel centered himself, squaring his shoulders then moving forward step by awkward step until he disappeared into the bedroom.
Jack strained his hearing, noting the sound of drawers opening, a gasping curse...'the socks,' he guessed, then the crack of wood splintering...
"Daniel?"
Daniel's voice came back, breathless. " S'okay...sorry..."
"What's going on?"
"Just an idea..." Daniel's voice trailed off, a familiar tone Jack recognized as 'Daniel lost in thought.' Jack laid his head down on his arms in frustration, he hated being stuck and helpless this way.
A thump echoed down the hallway and Jack looked up to see Daniel hobbling toward him using a crutch...rather what was left of Uncle Gil's antique coat rack padded with a towel...under his arm. Jack watched as Daniel disappeared again into the bathroom, heard the medicine cabinet open and close then Daniel was on his way back down the hall, blankets hugged tightly under his free arm.
Jack gratefully accepted the warm blankets...two around his body, one under his head.sighing in pure relief at the luxury of warmth. Daniel produced the first aid kit and offered Jack some Tylenol, dry-swallowing two himself. Sterile wipes were put to use as Daniel cleaned Jack's cuts with single-minded purpose. Jack had little choice to allow it...but he was angry at the necessity. He knew Fraiser considered him her "worst patient ever"...a distinction he was rather proud of and knew he'd earned...but he despised being ill and further hated any situation that put his well being in hands other than his own.
Like he was in Daniel's hands now...
Daniel's fine, expressive hands...gently but firmly cleaning blood and grime away.competently applying bandages and tape... trembling from the cold and the effort of pushing himself when he should really be crashed out in a warm hospital bed. Jack looked up into Daniel's intent eyes, quiet and expressive in ways all their own. Long practice had taught Jack how to read those eyes...at least to some extent...and right now he could see raw determination, a promise that somehow Daniel was going to get them out of this mess.