Work Text:
There was no warning. A large stone had been blocking the bottom line of glyphs Daniel was trying to read. One minute Sam was helping Daniel rock it loose so they could lever it out of the ground, and the next everything fell apart.
Sam coughed strenuously, waving the thick dust away from her face. The only place she hurt was on her side where she'd slammed into the wall of the cave when she'd lost her balance and gone flying. "Daniel?" When there was no answer she called again, "Daniel?"
Pulling her maglight out of her vest pocket, she turned it on. Other than the beam from her light, it was dark. The larger lights they'd been using to brighten the underground cave as Daniel worked must have fallen and broken when everything else collapsed. As she moved the beam, all Sam could see were tumbled boulders and the detritus resulting from their explosive landings. Both entranceways into the room were blocked as well.
The specific cave she and Daniel had been in was the central one in a short necklace of underground caverns. Sam had been sure the cave system was safe; there'd been no dust underfoot suggesting any prior tremors shaking anything loose, no debris to trip over.
In addition, the glyphs that Daniel had found were undamaged; the surface of the cave walls free even from cracks. The only thing Sam could think of was that rock they'd been trying to move. Somehow it must have triggered something. Sam coughed again. "Daniel!"
She shone the light into the pitch black of the cave, looking for her friend. Her radio crackled. "Carter? Daniel? Everything okay? Teal'c and I heard some noises."
Sam coughed again and clicked on her radio. "Sir? It's Carter. We had a cave-in. I don't know why it happened; there was nothing to indicate these caves were unstable."
"You both okay?"
"I'm fine. A little bruised, but nothing serious. I don't know about Daniel. He's not answering my calls." On her hands and knees now, Sam moved cautiously along the ground, careful of glass and sharp rocks. She also wasn't sure if the cave-in had created any crevasses and didn't want to find out the hard way.
"We're coming down to find you."
"Be careful, sir. I'm not positive what set it off. It's possible it might have been a trap." That was the last thing they needed, for the Colonel and Teal'c to get caught in this as well.
"You find Daniel, we'll worry about getting to you."
"Yes, Sir." Clicking off, Sam flashed a tight, rueful smile at the snap in O'Neill's voice. He never took kindly to being told what to do, even if he then went ahead and did it. He might be stubborn, but the Colonel wasn't stupid. "Daniel?"
Sam clipped the flashlight to one of her pockets so it shone without her having to hold on to it, then she resumed inching along the floor. It worried her that her friend wasn't answering. It worried her even more that she couldn't hear a sound other than the settling of the rocks and boulders that had fallen. It was so quiet she should have been able to hear someone breathing.
"Daniel?" She found herself whispering. Every second he didn't answer increased the knot of fear in her stomach. Sam didn't know what she'd do if he was dead. She honestly had no idea how she would cope. How any of them would cope. Daniel's ascension had almost killed them all.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a boot. "Daniel?" Sam ran the light up Daniel's body to see what the damage was. It didn't look good; she wasn't even sure he was alive. "Oh, God."
He lay on his back, his head turned in her direction. A trickle of blood was running out of his mouth. One large boulder lay across him, covering his chest; another one lay across his thighs. Under her breath she began to murmur, "Please, please, please, please." Her hand moved to his throat to feel for a pulse. "Please, oh God, please."
At first she felt nothing, and her chest hurt so badly Sam was afraid she might be having a heart attack. It felt as if a boulder was sitting on her chest making it almost impossible to breathe. But then Sam felt it, weak and irregular, but there. Sending a prayer of enormous gratitude to whatever gods might be listening, Sam finally drew in a breath.
Laying down, her head near Daniel's, she very softly touched his cheek. "Daniel?"
The radio crackled again. "Carter?"
Sam let out a gasp at the noise and sat up abruptly, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked down and saw that Daniel's eyes were open. His eyes didn't track on her or the light, and Sam wasn't sure he was entirely there. She clicked on her radio. "Colonel, I'm here."
"Did you find Daniel?"
Sam was looking at Daniel when he snapped out of whatever fugue he'd been in and the spasm of pain that crossed his face made her ache in sympathy.
"Yes, I found him. He's hurt."
There was a moment of tense silence, and then Jack snapped, "How bad?"
"I think it's bad. I just found him when you called, but two heavy boulders fell on him and he's bleeding. He'll need medical assistance as soon as he can get it, Sir."
A moan brought her attention back to Daniel. It was soft and low, almost a keening, and it went on for a few seconds, sending shivers down Sam's back. Lying down again, Sam realized she was still depressing the speak button on her radio, her finger rigid against it. Releasing it, she turned her attention back to her friend.
The Colonel's voice was tight with concern. "What the hell was that?"
Staying close to Daniel, she pushed the button again. "It's Daniel, sir. He seems to be in a lot of pain. How close are you to getting to us?"
"Jack?" The name was whispered.
"No, Daniel, it's me, Sam."
Daniel's eyes blinked. "Jack?" he whispered again.
Jack's voice sounded harsh over the radio. "We can't get in. The entrance is blocked. I just sent Teal'c back to the Stargate to get some help. Goddammit!" There was a scuffling noise. "I'm gonna try and get in from the other side."
"Understood." Sam pushed the fear aside about what the delay might mean for Daniel. There was no point in fixating on it. She needed to see how she could help now.
Daniel let out a brief cough and started to moan again.
This time the sound brought tears to Sam's eyes. She ran her light over the rocks that pressed down on Daniel, trying to see if there was any way she could remove them.
"Jack?" Daniel gasped the name out.
Sam focused all her attention back on her friend, running a hand through his hair. "No, Daniel, it's me, Sam. Can you see me?"
She watched as Daniel swallowed painfully. "Sam?"
Sam let out a sigh of relief that at least Daniel was more alert. "Yeah, it's me." She reached for her canteen. "Do you want some water?"
It was the barest of nods, but Sam saw it. She reached for her canteen and dribbled a few drops over his lips. His tongue flickered out, catching the liquid. "More."
Wishing she could lift his head a little, Sam did her best to get the water in his mouth and not all over his face. At least half of it spilled down his cheek, but she got some in. She stopped when the majority of it was pooling on the ground. "Better?"
He nodded and then coughed again. That forced another moan out of him and Daniel's eyes grew frightened. "What's happening? Why can't I--why can't I move?" His talk subsided so he could breathe; the sound of his rapid shallow panting filling the small cavern.
"We were in a cave-in. Some boulders fell on you. They're lying over your chest and legs."
Daniel began to cough again, interspersed with moans caused by his movements.
Sam's heart skipped a beat when blood bubbled out of Daniel's mouth. She clicked on the radio. "Sir? What's your status?"
There was a long pause but finally Jack responded. "I can't get in. The other side's blocked, too. We're going to have to wait until Teal'c gets back. These rocks are too big for me to move. How's Daniel?"
"Not good."
"Jack? Is that Jack?"
"He's on the radio, Daniel." She worked it out of her vest pocket and held it up for him. "Want to talk to him?"
He nodded. Sam held the radio close and clicked on the talk button.
Daniel coughed and then said, "Jack?"
"Daniel, is that you?" Sam could hear O'Neill's voice soften, and she wondered at it. Usually the tenser the situation, the snarkier he got.
"Where are you?"
"Trying to get to you, Danny boy, but all the entrances are blocked. You hanging in there?"
Daniel coughed, tried to bite back a moan. "Oh, God. Jack?"
"Right here, buddy."
"Where are you?"
Sam could see Daniel's brain wasn't keeping up very well. She could also see that just the short conversation had tired him out. His eyes were closed, pain lines creasing his forehead. Sam didn't like the way he was breathing, either. Bringing the radio up to her mouth she spoke, "He's not tracking well, Sir."
"How bad is he hurt?"
"Hold on." Sam knew she had to investigate a little further to give the colonel the info he wanted. Moving the light down to Daniel's toes, she touched them. "Can you move your toes, Daniel?"
"Hmm?"
"Daniel, wiggle your toes."
For a few heart stopping seconds she watched as there was no movement. Then, accompanied by a groan, his foot jerked in her hand. Sam closed her eyes in relief. "Okay. That's good. I'm going to try to see how the rest of you is doing. I'll try not to hurt you."
Working around the boulders, Sam tried to feel her way up Daniel's body. Wincing, she could feel bone on his right leg, an open fracture. There was no way she could move his leg to splint it; the huge rock made that impossible. Hoping she didn't cause Daniel any additional pain, Sam stood and tried to lift the boulder that was lying across his leg. She barely made it move and gave up when Daniel let out a moan at her attempts.
As she kept working her way up Sam wished she could give him something for the pain. Somehow she didn't think Tylenol was going to do the trick, and Sam didn't think anything stronger was a good idea. Daniel was already struggling to breathe, the last thing he needed was a sedative of some sort that might suppress his ability to breathe even more.
His abdomen was fine; she could get her hand in there, and his belly wasn't tight or guarded in a way that might indicate any sort of abdominal injury. Suddenly she noticed how quiet it had gotten again. Fear coiled down her spine and she skirted around his head until she was facing him. "Daniel?"
He managed to pry his eyes open. "J'ck?"
She let out a tiny sob. "No, Daniel, it's me, Sam."
Sam could barely tell he was breathing. Laying down near his chest, ignoring the small puddle of blood she was lying in, she shone the flashlight on his torso. Her lips tightened when she saw how the stone was pressing down on him. His chest was badly compressed and rivulets of blood were trickling down from under the stone. Gingerly she felt his side, grimacing when she felt shattered ribs. When he let out a cry she jerked her hand away. "Sorry. Sorry."
Sam felt for his pulse again, under his jaw, and it beat erratically under her finger. It was creepy how softly he was breathing. Using her flashlight she tried to see if his chest was able to rise at all with his breaths. She saw some movement, but not enough to reassure her that he was pulling in adequate air. "Daniel? I need you to try and breathe for me, okay?" Sam was afraid if he didn't consciously make the effort, that at some point he'd simply stop.
All she got in response was a labored grunt.
"Come on. I know it's hard for you to breathe, but don't stop, okay?"
The radio crackled. O'Neill's voice snapped out, radiating impatience. "Carter, how's Daniel?"
Sam ran a hand through Daniel's hair, feeling how soft it was. "He can move his feet so his spine's okay. But, one of the stones is crushing him, he can't breathe very well, and his pulse is irregular. His right leg is broken, and what ribs I can feel are broken as well."
"Can you get that rock off him?"
"Negative, sir. There's nothing to use to lever it off of him, and I'm not strong enough to lift it. They're both bigger than the one Daniel and I were trying to move earlier and working together we were having a hard time even shifting it."
"Shit."
Sam couldn't agree more. The quiet in the cave grew ominous and she snapped her attention back to Daniel. "Daniel!" She felt for a pulse again, then keeping her finger on the sign of life she found, Sam touched Daniel's face with her other hand. "Take a breath, Daniel. Breathe."
Sam was relieved to see that the touch startled him enough to make him open his eyes. The confusion in his eyes was clear. Not wanting him to be anxious about anything within her control, she oriented him quickly. "You were in a cave-in. You're hurt. I need you to breathe."
He looked at her dully.
Sam put some snap in her voice. "Breathe."
He tried. The effort made him cough, and the coughing made him moan. Sam knew the coughing meant he was pulling in some air, so she tried hard not to think about how much it was hurting him. The pain he might live through; he wouldn't last long without adequate oxygen.
"J'ck?"
Sam signaled the colonel. "He keeps calling for you, Sir. Maybe you could just talk to him. It might make him feel better."
Without waiting for a response she held the radio by Daniel's mouth saying, "Daniel, it's Jack."
"J'ck?"
"Right here, Danny. Teal'c went to get help and then we'll get you out of there. Course, we'll be sending you off to the infirmary so it'll be sort of like jumping out of the frying pan smack into the fire, but there's no helping that."
Sam saw the corner of Daniel's lip quirk up. Taking a quick moment to exhort Daniel to breathe, Sam spoke into the radio. "Keep going, sir, he seems to be paying attention."
"That'll be a first."
Sam grinned, feeling oddly comforted herself by the sound of the colonel's voice. Her hormones were taking some notice as well. Not that it mattered. Sam knew it was well past time to have a talk with her CO to tell him that no matter how much they might be attracted to each other, there was no way in hell she was giving up her life for him. "Keep telling him to breathe, Sir. He needs to be reminded."
There was a telling pause. Sam could only imagine the colonel didn't like that piece of news. "Danny? Take a breath for me, okay?" Another pause, and then his voice tense, O'Neill asked, "Is he breathing, Carter?"
Sam watched Daniel for a second. "He's trying, sir." Her voice sounded wobbly to her, and she knew she wasn't doing a good job of disguising her fear. She rested her forehead against Daniel's. "Please, Daniel. Please don't die. I can't deal with it again. I can't. I know that's selfish of me, but I need you to keep breathing."
She could hear him try to draw some air in. It didn't seem like it could possibly be enough to sustain him. She fought back her tears.
Jack's voice almost made her drop the radio. "Danny? Are you still with me?" His voice sounded thick, and Sam wondered if he was fighting back tears of his own. "Daniel?" Sam clicked the speak button so Daniel could respond.
"J'ck?" Daniel's voice was drowsy. "Come to bed." The words were slurred but unmistakable.
Sam gawked at her friend. Then, with ferocious intent, her mind began making up excuses. He's dreaming, he's anoxic, he thinks I'm Sha're. Because there was no way Daniel's remark could have meant what it sounded like it meant. Sam thought wildly for a moment, running the past few months through her mind, trying to see if she'd somehow been that blind. Finally, making the only assumption she could, Sam pressed on the radio. "Sorry, Sir. I think he's anoxic."
There was another long pause. Then she realized Daniel wasn't breathing at all. Sam tapped his face gently, as tears started running down her face. "Daniel. Please. Breathe." She got a firm hand under his chin and shook his head. "Daniel." Sam snapped into the radio. "He stopped breathing."
She didn't mistake the angry 'fuck' from the colonel as her finger slid off the button. Sam pried Daniel's lids open trying to elicit a response.
"Carter!"
Sam ignored O'Neill. She put her lips over Daniel's mouth, pinching his nose, blowing into his lungs. She could feel the resistance of the stone; his lungs unable to fully inflate. Sam didn't care. She took a deep breath and shared it with Daniel. As she drew in another deep lungful of air she felt for his pulse and almost started sobbing when she could feel it under her searching fingers, even more erratic than before, but still there.
"Carter! Report! Fuck!" Then, even louder. "Carter! Report!"
Carter's fingers felt itchy in the need to obey her CO's command, but Daniel needed her more. She breathed once more for him. "Daniel. You need to wake up, you need to breathe." Another rescue breath.
Then she heard him draw a raspy breath on his own. No music in the world had ever sounded sweeter to her ears.
The fear was a living presence and it was eating Jack alive--chewing on the marrow in his bones, drinking his blood. As the seconds ticked on with no response from Carter, Jack could feel his life force being sucked away.
He couldn't do this again. He couldn't. Not now. Not when they'd finally figured it out. Not when he'd only had Daniel in his life and his heart and his bed for a couple of months. Not when they'd wasted years and years dancing around each other, ignoring the connection between them that had kept them orbiting around one another like binary stars.
"Sir?"
Jack clutched his radio like a lifeline. "Carter?"
"He's alive, sir, but barely. That rock is crushing him, and he's slowly suffocating. He stopped breathing completely for a minute there, but after I gave him a few breaths he started up again. He needs oxygen immediately or --"
Jack sank to his knees. Alive. He was still alive. It felt like a stay of execution, even if it was only for a few minutes. Jack radioed Teal'c. "Teal'c."
The response was immediate. "Yes, O'Neill?"
"Are you close to the gate?"
"I was about to dial earth. Do you require my assistance?"
"No. Yes. Tell Janet Daniel's suffocating. We need oxygen and whatever other stuff she thinks she'll need. Carter says he--" Jack couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't say that Daniel was dying, that he would die if they couldn't get to him in time.
His pause must have been telling as Teal'c simply said. "Understood. I am dialing now."
Jack clicked the radio off and for a few seconds didn't know what to do. The thought of going through the gate and having to live on the other side of it without Daniel again paralyzed him. In retrospect, Jack didn't know how he'd made it through the year Daniel was ascended.
Jack forced his brain to think. There had to be something he could do. Something more than kneeling here while the man he loved more than anything in the world lay dying only yards away. Jack was overwhelmed with the need to be touching Daniel. It seemed unbearable that Daniel was so close but completely unreachable.
"Carter."
"Sir."
"Teal'c has just gone through the gate. He'll get Janet, and I told him to bring oxygen."
There was a long pause and again Jack's heart began to shrivel in his chest. Don't say it, he begged silently, don't say it. Don't tell me he's dead. "Sir, even when they get here, they won't be able to get to us, to him. I--," her voice cut off only to start up again, strident. "Daniel, breathe. Damn it." Her radio clicked off.
Jack wanted to punch something. Someone. Anything. The need for violence put him in mind of something he had in his pack. Running to it, he yanked out the blocks of C4 and a couple detonators. He moved to the mouth of the primary cave and molded some C4 in the crack between the two largest rocks. Jack worked the detonator into the clay, and then clicked on his radio. "Carter?"
There was no answer.
Jack waited a minute, his heart pounding in his chest, each second a killing blow. But he couldn't just set off an explosive without warning Carter.
Finally, breathless, voice tight, Sam's voice crackled across the radio. "He's breathing again, but I don't know how long he'll last. He's calling for you."
Jack fought against the sting of tears. "Let me talk to him."
There was a pause then, "J'ck?"
"Yeah, it's me Danny. I'm getting ready to blast my way in there. You gonna be glad to see me?"
"Where're you?"
"I'm outside the cave. Right outside the door."
"J'ck?"
Jack could hear the confusion in Daniel's voice, could guess that the oxygen deprivation was getting Daniel's gray matter in a twist. Jack yearned to be able to touch his friend; knew that his touch would help. "Right here, Daniel."
"Sorry, J'ck."
Jack didn't like the sound of that. At All. "What are you sorry for? Besides the fact that you obviously touched something you shouldn't have." Jack hoped that might rile Daniel enough to keep him breathing.
"…promise."
Jack's guts froze up and he pushed his words past the lump of barbed wire in his throat. "That's right, you promised me you wouldn't die again. You better keep that promise."
"…sorry."
Jack slammed his fist into the rock. "Not fucking good enough. You do not have my permission to fucking die again. You promised me, you promised me you wouldn't do it." Not willing to wait another second, he spoke to his 2IC. "Carter, I'm blasting the entrance with some C4."
Carter answered quickly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, sir. The tremors might kill him." Jack didn't even bother to speak to her concern, letting Carter work her way through it. In another few seconds she spoke again, "I see your point. Give me five seconds."
Jack gave her six before he detonated the C4.
Sam huddled around Daniel's body as best she could hoping that the explosion didn't trigger another landslide of rocks. It was risky, but the colonel didn't have much choice. If Janet couldn't get to Daniel, he was as good as dead. He was maybe as good as dead anyway.
Sam felt the earth shake and heard Daniel groan with pain. As much as she hated for him to be hurting, every groan meant a breath, and every breath meant he was alive.
She had to keep reminding herself of that fact as the groans grew constant, when it was clear that every breath was an exercise in agony.
"Carter? You okay?"
Clicking on the radio she said, "Yes." There was no way Jack couldn't hear Daniel's cries.
"Shit. Did something else fall? Did I do that?"
"Sir, it doesn't matter. Is the next entrance blocked as well?"
"Yes." The colonel packed a lot of anger into that one word.
"Then blow it, Sir. You don't have any choice."
"Shit. Carter--tell him to hang on. Tell him I'm coming as fast as I can. Okay?"
"Yes, Sir." Sam clicked off and lay down by Daniel again, brushing the tears off his face. "Daniel?" She waited a few seconds. "Daniel?"
His eyes flickered open and all she could see in them was pain. All consuming pain. Daniel feebly licked his lips. "J'ck?"
Sam wished with all her heart that she and O'Neill could trade places, that Daniel could have who he wanted here with him. "No, Daniel, it's me, Sam." Sam remembered how she lied to Jack, telling him she was Sara, as he lay dying in the freezing caves of Antarctica. She wondered if Daniel was confused enough to believe her if she tried to lie to him.
When the groaning stopped for a moment, Sam reached for her canteen and dribbled a few more drops into Daniel's mouth.
"Carter, I'm blowing the next one."
Sam nodded and curled herself around Daniel again. When the C4 blew, she couldn't feel the earth shake any more than the last time so assumed that Jack used a smaller charge. Unfortunately, Daniel felt it anyway, as he started groaning again.
Sam whispered in his ear. "Daniel, did you hear that explosion? That's Jack working his way in. He said to tell you that he's coming as fast as he can. He'll be here in just a couple of minutes. You just keep breathing, and he'll be here."
The groaning grew quieter; no less pained, but quieter. "Sam?"
"Yeah, it's me, Sam." Sam brushed away more of Daniel's tears and a few of her own as well.
He was quiet for a while, and each breath he exhaled caused Sam to hold her breath as she waited for him to draw in again. "S'm?"
"Right here."
"Tell--tell J'ck--"
Sam already didn't like where this was going and she interrupted him. "I don't need to tell him anything, Daniel. You can tell him. He'll be here in a minute." She could only hope that Jack was getting the next charge ready.
"Can't--hurts--tell--" His eyes closed, the creases on his forehead deep, indicative of how much pain Daniel was in.
"Maybe you should rest." If Daniel was running out of steam, if he was running out of life, he needed to conserve his strength.
Sam almost jumped when fingers touched her. She looked down and saw Daniel trying to get her attention. Wrapping her fingers around his she touched his face again, letting him know she was there.
"Tell--sorry--I--broke--promise--I--can't--too hard--I--Sam--I don't--hurt you."
Sam gently squeezed his fingers, fighting off the urge to cry as Daniel wasted his energy worrying about her. "I'll be all right, Daniel. Just try to hang on."
"Carter, five seconds." Jack's voice filled the cave with urgency.
Sam curled around Daniel once again. This time the earth jumped a little and Daniel let out an agonized cry that almost deafened Sam even as it chilled her to the bone. Her whole body hurt in empathy. She shone her flashlight trying to see if something else had fallen on Daniel.
When nothing seemed obvious, Sam moved a few feet away, she clicked on her radio. "Have you heard from Teal'c?"
"Yeah. They're through the gate and on their way."
Sam closed her eyes in relief. Just a few minutes. A few minutes and two more explosions, if she was remembering their location correctly.
"I could hear him from here, is he all right?"
Sam had no idea how to answer that. The obvious answer was no, but--, "He's still alive."
"J'ck?" Sam could barely hear Daniel. Every shallow breath he drew in sounded like torture.
"He's asking for you again," Sam informed Jack.
"Let me talk to him. I'll make it quick."
Sam brought the radio to Daniel. "It's Jack, Daniel."
"--here?"
"On the radio."
"Daniel? It's me. I'm two caves away from you. You just keep your promise and I won't have to hurt you, okay?"
Daniel's eyes closed and for a horrifying second Sam thought he was dead. Not dead, she viciously corrected herself, just not breathing; I can breathe for him; I can keep him alive that way. Sam almost fainted with relief when she saw him draw a shallow breath. She felt a moment's pity for her body, the minute by minute panic attacks couldn't be a good thing.
Sam clicked on the radio. "Better keep coming, sir."
"Is he still--?"
"Yes, but--" Sam refused to elaborate anymore.
"Carter?" Immediately Jack amended himself, "Sam?"
Curious about the hesitation, and the familiarity, in her CO's voice, Sam furrowed her brow. "Sir?"
"Will you tell him something for me?"
"Of course."
A few seconds passed in silence and then Jack said, "Never mind, I'll tell him myself. Twenty seconds before the next boom."
"Yes, sir." Sam clicked off the radio. One more time she wrapped herself around Daniel and waited for the next explosion.
Jack detonated the C4 and then waited for the flying rocks to settle. He'd been trying to use progressively less explosive as he got closer to Daniel, wanting to jar him as little as possible. Based on the groans he could hear, Jack didn't think he was doing a very good job.
Not that it mattered. They had to get through; it was the only way to get Daniel out. Only way to get Daniel home and back in his bed. With Jack. As soon as possible.
Jack didn't believe in God anymore, not since Charlie, and nothing he'd seen since had changed his mind, but he couldn't help the prayers that were racing through his mind. Let me get to him. Don't let me get this close to have him die before I can get to him. Keep him alive. Keep him alive, please.
Doggedly, ignoring the cries coming from beyond the last set of rocks keeping them apart, Jack set the last explosive.
Daniel started talking again. "J'ck? Here?" He looked around, seemed to look right through Sam.
Sam tried not to see a death mask when she looked at Daniel. "He's here, Daniel."
"Sorry--promise--broke--sorry--J'ck--sorry--Bermuda--"
Sam's eyes widened at that seeming non sequitor. Then she remembered Jack saying something a couple of weeks ago about taking a vacation to Bermuda. Sam thought back to Daniel's earlier comment and began to wonder again.
Daniel was still talking. "J'ck--J'ck--love you. J'ck--dark--can't--breathe--sorry--"
Sam could barely see through the haze of tears in her eyes.
A low gurgle began in Daniel's throat and the hand that had been clutching at Sam's hand moved to claw at Daniel's throat. "Can't--" His breathing was little more than harsh gasps.
Jack's voice hollered into the room. "Twenty seconds."
Sam slammed her pack behind her to try and protect her head and neck and then curled around Daniel for the last explosion. "Daniel, help's almost here. Please don't die. Please don't die again. Please." Sam was crying so hard, she wasn't sure if Daniel would even understand her.
A few rocks pelted her and she felt one wham into her pack. Then she heard the scrabbling of feet and the next thing she knew O'Neill was there. He took one look at her face, at her tears, and turned as white as a ghost. Falling to his knees, Jack felt for a pulse.
He couldn't feel a thing and for a blinding second, Jack wanted to eat a bullet. He wanted to push Carter out of the cave, and just eat a bullet. But then he felt it. Just a flicker, a thready beat, letting him know that he had a reason to live.
He heard Daniel's gasped breaths and knew they didn't have long. Staying near Daniel, Jack surveyed the rocks. They were big.
Sam must have seen where he was looking as she said, "I tried to move the smaller one and I couldn't lift it. I was afraid I'd do more damage if I tried to push it off him."
Jack nodded, and without thinking, brushed the hair off Daniel's forehead, leaning down and pressing a kiss there. "Hey Danny, I'm here."
Daniel's eyes opened and gasped, "J'ck?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"--love you--sorry."
Jack looked up at Sam, knowing that things would be easier in the long run if she wasn't around to hear this. It was his own fault. He should have spoken to her months ago. Made sure she knew that whatever they'd been flirting with was nothing more than that. Even without Daniel, it was never going to be anything.
So now she'd find out. Jack only hoped that it wouldn't change the great thing they did have. She was a good friend, and one of the best soldiers Jack had ever had the honor of serving with. He didn't want to lose any of that.
All those thoughts went through Jack's mind in a second, and then he did the only thing he could. He kissed Daniel again on his forehead. "I love you too, Danny. And there's nothing to be sorry for. You're gonna be fine. Janet's on her way, and then we'll be going home. And as soon as you're back on your feet we're going to Bermuda." Jack kissed Daniel's cheek and the tip of his nose. "Just keep breathing." He kept his finger on Daniel's pulse, needing that extra reassurance as Daniel's fight to breathe grew more difficult.
Sam's heart almost broke at the look on Daniel's face. Even in the midst of his dying, as he lay there suffocating, the fact that Jack was there made his face light up. Sam suddenly knew that Daniel would be okay. As long as Jack was with him, he'd keep Daniel from letting go.
As she looked at the light on Daniel's face, she saw it reflected back on O'Neill's. Sam realized it had been there as long as she could remember, connecting them both. Something ineffable that tied them together in a way that she'd never been tied to Jack. Whatever they might have had was suddenly and surprisingly easy to let go of. Maybe it was because the two of them looked so right together. "Sir?"
Jack turned his head so his cheek rested on Daniel's forehead and he looked up at her.
Sam smiled at him. "I'll go wait for Janet and Teal'c."
Sam saw in the colonel's eyes when he realized she was going to be fine with the two of them and what was between them. The smile he gave her in return almost made her giddy. All he said, though, was, "Thank you."
Sam knew the thank you was for more than her being okay with the two of them. It was for keeping Daniel alive until Jack could get there. As she stood there for a moment, watching the two of them, seeing the gratitude in Jack's eyes, Sam felt if she never did anything else, if she never discovered anything else, or created anything new, what she'd done here was more than enough.
With another smile she headed for the small exit. At the last minute she turned and saw Jack lie down as close to Daniel as he could get. She couldn't hear the words he was saying, but she could feel the love he spoke fill the cave. Wiping the tears from her face, she ducked down and headed for the entrance.
Jack lost count of all the times they'd almost lost him. Not even counting how close to death he'd been by the time Jack got to him in the cave. They almost lost him when they lifted the stone off of him. The relief of the pressure caused his heart to go nuts and Janet had to shock him with the portable defibrillator she'd brought with her.
They'd almost lost him on the way back to the gate when it became clear that on transferring him to a stretcher and then jouncing him around, however gently, that one of his shattered ribs had punctured a lung. The caravan stopped so Janet could insert a chest tube.
When they went through the worm hole, they almost lost him again. He wasn't breathing when they got out the other end. Jack had breathed for him until he started up again.
They almost lost him three times during surgery when his heart kept stopping, but each time the surgical team brought him back.
Now, Daniel lay in the infirmary bed, a cast on his leg, his chest wrapped up tight, with a dozen tubes running in and out of his body. The only good thing was that he was breathing on his own. No, there were a few other good things. He was alive. He was going to recover. And Jack was going to take him to Bermuda. Not for a while, of course; Daniel needed time to heal.
Jack had already cleared it with Hammond, and even though Hammond had given him a look that let Jack know the General saw right through his 'just trying to help out a friend' façade, he'd quickly approved Jack's scheme.
Even after he'd come out of surgery, Janet had been guarded about Daniel's prognosis. Had said that things could still go wrong, that his body had come too close to dying too many times.
Jack had watched Daniel like a hawk, watched the monitors, yelled for Janet every time there was even a blip, until she practically threw him out of the infirmary and told him to get some sleep and to please leave the practicing of medicine to those who had licenses.
He was back early the next morning. Very early. They reached a compromise. If Jack tried to trust her and her staff to keep Daniel alive and to keep his mouth shut, then Janet would let him stay. He only left when either Teal'c or Carter could relieve him. Carter--because she understood. She knew what Daniel meant to him and if anything went wrong--or right--she'd call him. Teal'c--because, well, he was Teal'c.
It had taken three days but finally, yesterday, Daniel had opened his baby blues. Carter had been there with Jack when Daniel managed to get his eyelids open; it had only been for a moment. The eyes had opened, fastened on Jack, Daniel had smiled briefly, closed his eyes, and gone back to sleep. It made Jack feel like he had a new lease on life, and he knew there was a ridiculous grin on his face. He'd glanced up at Carter and found that she was grinning madly too. It had taken some serious restraint not to get up and give the woman a hug.
They'd done it. They'd kept Daniel alive.
Janet had kicked him out again after that and Jack had gone home, showered, eaten, and slept for sixteen hours. He felt good. All he needed now was a second blue-eye sighting, and he'd have it all.
So now Jack was waiting for Daniel to wake up again. Feeling foolish, even after making sure no one was around, he kissed Daniel, just in case a kiss was what it would take. Not that Jack was a traditional Prince Charming, but he was willing to try anything.
Daniel slept right through it. Jack decided to keep any further kisses on the back burner until he and Daniel could enjoy them together. The fingers entwined with his jerked a little. Jack kept his gaze locked on Daniel's face. The last time, Daniel was only awake for a matter of seconds; Jack didn't want to miss it.
"J'ck?"
"Right here."
Daniel squinted and then pried one eyelid open. He shut it and squinted again and then, eyebrows lifted high, both eyes popped open. Then he grimaced. "Ow."
Jack frowned. "Need something for pain?"
Daniel nodded, which told Jack how much he had to be hurting; Daniel hardly ever asked for pain meds. He pushed the call button and when the nurse answered Jack asked for some medication for Daniel.
Jack eased off his chair and very gently sat down on the bed next to Daniel's hip. Once he was there, he didn't move a muscle, just in case he jostled Daniel and caused him more pain. Jack sat there and stared at his lover, finally allowing himself to believe that Daniel was going to be fine. "You gave me a scare there, Danny boy."
"Hmm," Daniel agreed. "Water?" he added.
Jack reached for the cup and positioned the straw so Daniel could sip while still lying down. "Hmm," Daniel said again when he was done drinking.
"You're welcome." Jack stood when the nurse came in to put some medicine in Daniel's IV. When she left he sat back down and took Daniel's hand in his again. "I love you," Jack whispered.
"Hmm," Daniel smiled in response and closed his eyes.
Jack watched, his heart lighter, as Daniel drifted back off to sleep.
When Sam woke up, she was momentarily disoriented. Then she remembered that she'd fallen asleep in the infirmary. Janet had ordered her to get some sleep and Sam had begged for a couple more minutes with Daniel, and then, obeying the letter of the law if not the spirit, crawled off onto one of the gurneys two bays down.
She couldn't help it. Sam wanted to be with Daniel. He was finally waking up for longer periods of time, and he felt like a miracle to her. Today he'd eaten for the first time and she and Jack had smiled at him like doting parents while he ate his blue jello.
Stretching, Sam heard voices. When she focused on them she realized it was Daniel and Jack. Grinning to herself she shamelessly eavesdropped.
"You need something for pain?"
"No, Jack, I'm fine. Stop being such a mother hen."
"Hey, I'm not the one who almost died seven times, you know." Sam grinned at the sullen tone in Jack's voice. She could smile about it now that Daniel was recovering.
There was a pause and then, "I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry I put you through that again," Daniel said in a voice tinged with sorrow.
Sam heard some shuffling and she peeked around the curtain to find Jack trying to hug the stuffing out of Daniel while doing his best not to hurt him. "Just, don't do it again. I can't--Daniel, I can't, I won't do it again. I won't live without you again. Don't make me."
Sam watched as Daniel urged Jack's head down to rest on his shoulder and then ran his fingers through the gray hair, over and over again. "I'm sorry. I'll do the best I can, I promise."
A small mirthless laugh escaped Jack. "That's what you said last time."
The fingers combed through Jack's hair again. "I know." Daniel's lips tightened in a smile. "I don't mean to do it. I didn't wake up one day and decide to make a career out of almost dying. Or dying but not staying dead. I'd have signed up for something else if I'd been given a choice."
Jack lifted his head up and gazed down at Daniel. "Do you have any idea how much I love you? How much you mean to me? How crazy it makes me when you get hurt?"
Daniel slowly reached up, wincing a little, and caressed the side of Jack's face. "About as much as I love you? About as much as it makes me crazy when you pull one of your stunts?"
Jack lowered his head to Daniel's shoulder again and let out a little moan. Sam recognized that moan. Even though it had been years ago, it was the same sound Jack had made when Daniel had miraculously made his way off Apophis' ship. When Jack had hugged him in front of half the soldiers at SGC and called him a spacemonkey.
Sam remembered it like it was yesterday because everything about that day was indelibly etched in her memory. Her eyes widened suddenly, wondering if this thing between the two of them had started that long ago. If the weird flirty thing between her and Jack had been a last gasp effort on Jack's part to fight against the inevitable.
Sam grinned; it had apparently been spectacularly unsuccessful. Somehow Sam didn't think Jack minded that this particular campaign had failed so miserably.
As Daniel cradled the back of Jack's head, his eyes wandered for a moment and accidentally met hers, and they widened with worry. Sam realized that he didn't know that she knew, that he was concerned she was just now finding out about the two of them.
Sam put him out of his misery as quickly as she could by flashing Daniel one of her more brilliant smiles.
His eyebrows went up in surprise, and she watched as the worry in his eyes faded away to be replaced by gratitude. Daniel gazed at her for a while and then turned his attention back to Jack. "Jack, go home. Eat some dinner and get some sleep. I'm sure I'll be getting grouchy by tomorrow and you'll need to be on your toes."
Jack grinned at him and gingerly leaned forward to kiss Daniel. Not a long kiss, but one that got Sam's hormones zinging. The two of them together were pretty hot, despite the fact that neither of them were at their best.
"Want me to bring you anything when I come back in the morning?"
"Coffee." Daniel's answer was instantaneous and unequivocal.
Jack shook his head. "No can do. No caffeine. Janet doesn't want any strain on the old ticker."
Daniel let out a beleaguered sigh, as if this was the unkindest cut of all.
Jack snorted out a laugh.
Daniel eyed him malevolently. "Laugh it up, fly boy."
Sam had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She suspected that Jack-and-Daniel watching was going to be her new favorite thing.
Jack stood, and from his new position, easily leaned down to give Daniel another kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, by the way," Jack pulled something out of his pocket, "I picked you up a new pair of glasses. The optometrist says you're almost qualified for a free pair."
Daniel gave him a look through narrowed eyes, but took the glasses. "Thanks." Then he encouraged Jack close enough for another kiss. "Night, Jack."
Sam heard Jack make his final farewells, and then listened to his footsteps as he made his way out of the infirmary. After a minute she heard a tentative "Sam?"
Sam slid off the gurney and walked to Daniel's bay. "Hey." She carefully sat by Daniel's side, right where Jack had been. "You look better."
"I feel better." The worried look was back. "Are you all right? I didn't mean for you to find out that way. I didn't want--"
Sam put her fingers over his lips to shut him up. "I already knew. I figured it out in the cave." Suddenly her eyes opened up wide as she finally figured something out. "That's what you were trying to tell me, wasn't it? In the cave. You wanted me to tell Jack that you loved him just in case you died, but you didn't want to hurt my feelings." She felt a sting of tears. "You are something else, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel found her hand and squeezed it. "The feeling's mutual, Samantha Carter. Thanks for saving my life."
Sam smiled down at Daniel, relieved beyond measure that she'd had the opportunity. "Thanks for not dying."
He squeezed her hand again. "You sure you don't mind about me and Jack?"
Sam nodded. "Very sure. I needed a kick in the pants to wake me up. Now I can go out there and find me a guy who'll be good for me. The way Jack is for you. The way he never would have been for me."
Daniel's eyes shined. "There's no one out there who's good enough for you."
Sam ran the back of her fingers down Daniel's cheek. "I'm sorry we put you through that, me and Jack. Sorry we were both so stupid. If I'd known how you felt I never would have--"
"I know," Daniel interrupted. "I didn't see it that way. I didn't know what I was feeling, except that it wasn't good. I'd have been happy for you if he ended up being what you wanted. I think." He flashed her a quick grin. "But I'm glad he wasn't."
Sam tried to suppress a yawn but she wasn't successful. "Sorry."
"Hey, I thought Janet threw you out of here hours ago."
Sam smiled ruefully. "She did."
"Go home. I'll still be here tomorrow."
"Promise?"
Daniel nodded, eyes earnest.
Sam looked around the infirmary bay. "It's probably safe to leave you on your own. I think even you'd have a hard time getting into trouble here."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. You're as bad as Jack."
"We love you, Daniel. Just remember that. None of us want to live our lives without you in it."
Janet chose that moment to visit her patient. She scowled at Sam. "Are you still here?"
Sam put her hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm going, I'm going." She leaned down and gave Daniel a kiss on his cheek. "Love you."
"Love you too, Sam."
As Janet checked the chart, Sam whispered in Daniel's ear. "You look good together."
Daniel gave her a shy grin. "Yeah?"
Sam let out an appreciate whistle. "Oh, yeah." She laughed as Daniel's face reddened and as she turned to go she said teasingly, "Sweet dreams, Daniel."
As he turned even redder, Sam let out another laugh. "Oh, yeah." Still smiling, Sam headed for the elevator, hoping for some sweet dreams all her own.
Epilogue
Daniel looked beat and Jack was wondering if he should have ignored Daniel and, instead, listened to Janet. Even though he'd been in the infirmary for three weeks, and recovering at home for another four, Janet had said it was too soon for Daniel to take a trip. Jack was suddenly consumed with guilt as he recalled the three flights, the hours spent sitting in airports, and the bumpy taxi ride that it took to bring them here.
He watched as Daniel made his slow way to the French doors of their suite. They overlooked the beach, revealing an ocean of such astonishing blue it was bewitching.
Daniel made an effort to open the door but the lock seemed beyond his capacity. Jack hurried to his side and unlocked it, opening the doors wide. Daniel stumbled for a moment as he stepped over the threshold but recovered himself before Jack could help him. Jack followed as Daniel walked to the small balcony. He stared at the beach, a look of utter exhaustion on his face.
Jack felt another uncomfortable flash of guilt. But before he could start to wallow in it, Daniel turned to him and flashed a brilliant smile; a smile that appeared so infrequently that Jack could count the occurrences on one hand. He couldn't help but smile back. "You all right?"
Daniel nodded, still smiling. "It's so beautiful here." He closed the gap separating him from Jack and slid his arms around Jack's waist. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing me here."
Victoriously pushing away his guilt, glad that he'd listened to his instincts that were telling him that Daniel needed a break immediately if not sooner, Jack hugged him right back.
Daniel rested his head on Jack's shoulders and they both turned back to the ocean. "This is the best vacation I've ever had," Daniel confessed softly.
"We just got here, Danny."
"I know."
Jack got that. It was the best vacation he'd ever had too. He was here with Daniel. Daniel was alive. It didn't get better than that. Jack could feel Daniel sag a little in his arms. "Hey, you ready to get some sleep?"
He felt Daniel nod against his shoulder.
Jack let out a soft laugh and got them turned around and back in the room. Holding Daniel up with one hand--not sure he wouldn't fall without some support--Jack pulled the comforter and sheets down and then let Daniel fall onto the soft mattress. Daniel let out a soft moan of pleasure and buried his face into the down pillows.
Jack laughed again as he slipped Daniel's shoes off. Then, crawling over his lover, he lay down next to him, running his hand down Daniel's back until it rested on his ass.
Daniel turned his head to gaze at Jack, a guilty look on his face. "I hate to start our vacation being such a party pooper but I don't think I--"
Jack leaned in and kissed Daniel, interrupting him. "I said sleep, Daniel, and I meant it. You're dead on your feet. Trust me, you're making my day just being here with me."
Daniel let out a satisfied sigh, closed his eyes, and just that fast, he was asleep. Jack didn't think he'd ever seen anyone fall asleep that quickly. He got up again, stripped out of his clothes, and then started on Daniel's. Daniel never stirred as Jack moved him this way and that getting his clothes off.
Finally, Jack got Daniel naked. As he got back into bed, he found his gaze drawn to the turquoise blue of the ocean outside their room. Then he looked down at Daniel. "That ocean's got nothing on you, Danny," he shared with his comatose lover.
Jack settled down and pulled Daniel into his arms. He was tired, too. It felt like weeks since he'd gotten a good night's rest. Wrapping his arms around Daniel, he let the perfect peace of the moment surround him and pull him into sleep.
The End