At the Edge of Madness
At the Edge of Madness
by Jkrickit
Summary: Sarah's warped fantasy becomes Daniel's worst nightmare.
Category: Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Episode(s): 413 The Curse, 715 Chimera
Season: Season 8
Pairing(s): none
Rating: 13+
Content: violence
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 08/23/04
Title : At the Edge of Madness Author : Jkrickit Summary : Sarah's warped fantasy becomes Daniel's worst nightmare. Warnings : Graphic violence Category : Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort Season : Eight Feedback : Jkrickit@insightbb.com Author's Notes : When my beta told me after reading the first few chapters "My, my. Aren't we getting a little `evil'? Man oh man. It's really creepy", I knew I was definitely on the right track. LOL. So, thank you Lenya for another fine beta on this fic. Also gotta thank Karen who innocently planted a tiny seed in my mind which transformed itself into this "evil, creepy" story.
At the Edge of Madness
Sarah shut off the engine and looked around the clearing at the cabin surrounded by trees. Eric had told her the cabin was in a remote area but this was even better than she'd pictured. The narrow road winding its way through miles and miles of dense forest had taken longer than expected but she'd still made good time.
Several times she'd been forced to stop and get out to clear small limbs and brush from the previously graveled path. It was apparent that it hadn't been used in many years. Eric had told her to make sure and bring everything she needed because the nearest store to get supplies was a good thirty miles away. According to him there was no electricity but there used to be a generator. But that was many years ago so she had brought plenty of candles and flashlight batteries. And since his memory of the amenities available was fuzzy at best she had brought several cases of bottled water. It would meet her needs adequately enough. Anything was better than the hospital with its antiseptic stench and haunting eyes staring at you from every corner.
She wasn't concerned about him telling anyone where she'd gone since her promise to return for him would ensure his silence in the matter. She'd found in Eric a confidante at the psychiatric hospital. He too was tormented by people living in his head and when he mentioned the cabin he still owned before coming to the hospital several years ago a plan had begun forming in her mind.
In one of his more lucid moments he had drawn directions to the cabin for her that had been relatively easy to follow and eagerly handed her the key. She laughed out loud at the thought of him trusting her so completely.
Turning around in the leather seat, she looked back behind her at the body lying so still on the floor of the van. Daniel was still unconscious and would be for several more hours. Plenty of time for her to prepare a proper welcome for her special guest.
She turned back around and glanced down at her watch. There were quite a few things she needed to take into the cabin before it got dark so she opened the door and got out noticing immediately how incredibly quiet it was. The hospital was never quiet. All day and late into the night she could hear the moans and cries of other patients.
She closed the van door gently almost afraid to disrupt the complete absence of noise. But as she listened the silence was occasionally interspersed with birds and the faint rustle of dried leaves as the breeze stirred them softly along the ground. It was fall and most of the leaves had already turned their brilliant color and were beginning to fade. The trees would be gradually losing their covering in the weeks to come. The rustle of leaves beneath her feet was almost comforting.
She stood staring at the cabin fingering the key in her pocket then walked around to the passenger side door and opened it. Reaching in she picked up one of the boxes and turned to face the rustic wooden structure. The faded brown paint on the outside walls gave it an almost ageless feel.
She gripped the box tighter and slowly walked up the broken stone pathway to the porch, climbed the two steps and set the box down next to an old wooden chair. The wicker seat and back had long since rotted away and the small table sitting beside it had broken and lay in pieces on the floor.
After opening the rusty screen door she slipped the key into the lock and turned it. For some reason she was oddly relieved that the key Eric had given her fit. Even if it hadn't she would have found another way in but she smiled to herself that this was surely a sign of good things to come. She bent down, picked up the box, and pushed the creaking door open.
The sour, musty smell filled her nostrils as she took a look around the main room of the cabin. A fireplace covered one entire wall and old dusty, graying sheets covered the sparse furniture. A swirl of dust danced in the sunlight as it pierced through the open door. It was sparsely furnished but would fit her needs for now.
She set the box down on the table then walked back outside to the back of the van and pulled the door open. She smiled as she stared down at him lying so peacefully on the floor but a frown clouded her face as she saw the bloodstains on the carpeting. She would have to rip the carpet out now that it was tainted.
She reached down to move a stray hair away from his eye avoiding the still sticky cut on his forehead. She quickly drew back her hand looking at her finger to make sure she hadn't gotten any blood on her and seeing nothing she picked up a box and turned to make what would be one of several trips. A rush of freedom ran through her and she shivered with anticipation as she tossed her hair back in the breeze and smiled.
The hospital had been slowly killing her soul. Trapped like a prisoner even after the symbiote was supposedly removed from her, she had come to realize that they would never set her free. Lies, all she'd heard from them were lies and when she'd pleaded with them to take the vile creature out of her, all they would say over and over was that is was already gone.
But she was the one who heard it's sneering voice that woke her with images of horrific acts done by her own hand. Finally she stopped telling them. She did however confide in Eric who swore he'd never tell her secret. It had not taken long for her to realize that if she were to ever taste freedom again she would have to answer their questions with what they wanted to hear.
She became a model patient over the next few months and she had gradually been given more and more privileges within the confines of the hospital grounds until finally she had come up with a plan to try to slip out in one of the laundry trucks. But when she was told she could go into town with the group from her ward she was amused by how easy they had made it for her to escape.
The doctors had all tried to convince her that the Goa'uld inside her was gone but she knew better. She knew what she had to do. Find the man responsible for her capture and make him feel what it was like to have your freedom taken away from you. To have all control stripped away. To be tortured day and night.
Chapter 2
Jack snatched up the phone on the first ring hearing Sam's voice on the other end.
"Well, did you wake Sleeping Beauty, Carter?"
Sam gripped the phone a little tighter glancing around again at the empty rooms and back at Teal'c before taking a deep breath.
"He's not here, sir. And it looks like Daniel hasn't been here for several days." She stared at the lone full coffee cup on the nightstand and the clothes hastily discarded onto the bedroom floor.
"Where could he have gone?"
"I don't know sir. I checked his answering machine and besides a few messages from the three of us over the weekend, there's nothing. He hasn't picked up his mail in a few days and according to one of his neighbors we spoke to, she saw Daniel's Jeep pull out of the driveway late Friday night." Sam closed her eyes a second and took a deep breath before continuing, "It looks like wherever Daniel went he left in a hurry."
"What are you saying, Carter? You think he was kidnapped or something?" Jack rubbed his temples where the headache was beginning to grow.
Sam didn't want to think of the possibility that Daniel was being held somewhere against his will or worse, but it wouldn't be the first time one of them was the target of sycophants with an equally sick agenda. "It's not like Daniel to miss a mission briefing. It's possible he could be somewhere injured and just not able to contact us. We should have his cell phone and credit card records checked to see if they've been used in the past few days and ...the local hospitals, sir."
Sam's words hung in the air like a dark cloud and although he tried not to, scenarios kept playing over in his head of what could have happened to Daniel and none of them were good. Rogue N.I.D. and god knows who else had reasons for harming Daniel. He regretted now giving SG-1 the few days downtime.
"You and Teal'c head back to the base. I'll get someone to start checking into it."
"We'll be there as soon as we can General. We'll find him, sir."
"Yes Carter. We will."
Jack nodded to himself and hung up the phone, immediately picking it back up to get the ball rolling on checking out, hopefully anyway, a trail.
Chapter 3
Dragging his limp body the length of the stone pathway was proving harder than she had anticipated. Sarah stopped again and let go of the hands that were held together by handcuffs, letting them fall to the ground. Bent over with her hands pressed against her knees she just needed a minute to catch her breath. It had taken all her strength to get him out of the back of the van, finally having no choice but to roll him out and let him drop onto the ground. She turned around and looked behind her. Only a few more feet, up the two steps and into the cabin. She could do this. She had to do this.
She bent over once again and grabbed the shackled hands lying on the ground above his head and began pulling a few inches at a time until she was at the foot of the steps. She stepped up on the first step and after several exhausting tries she finally had him up onto the porch floor. Thank goodness she had left the door propped open.
As she dragged him slowly into the room she kicked the rock away from the screen door letting it close with a bang. She straightened up looking over at the other side of the room where she had dragged the thin, dirty mattress off the bed and laid it onto the floor.
She tugged and pulled which was even harder over the lumpy, worn carpeting until she had him beside the mattress. She looked down at the smeared blood on her finger where it had touched a place on his wrist that the handcuff had cut into and wiped it off onto his pant leg.
After a few attempts she finally had his body rolled up onto the mattress. She took the key out of her pocket, unlocked one of the cuffs and raised it up above his head, securing it to the metal grate built into the stone beside the fireplace that used to hold stacks of firewood.
Stepping back she collapsed into the overstuffed chair behind her with a sigh. Her eyes drifted down to his thigh where the red-fringed tranquilizer dart was still embedded and she bent over and pulled it out.
As she rolled it over in her fingers the hate she had for this man began to surge through her. They had taken her down once with one of these devices and almost had a second time but now it was reversed. She tossed the dart into the empty fireplace and kicked him with her shoe as hard as she could. Revenge would be very sweet.
She glanced at her watch. She had to move quickly to get things ready. He'd been asleep for over six hours already and she wasn't sure how much longer the tranquilizer would keep him out. After luring him into the van it had been easy to stab the tranquilizer dart into him and the injection she'd given him after getting his limp body over the seat and onto the floor of the van insured that he wouldn't wake up until she wanted him to.
Her eyes traveled over to the large table in the kitchen area of the room at the black plastic case she had brought. The knowledge that she could always give him another shot if he woke up before she was ready, calmed her.
She looked back down at Daniel and noticed the head wound had reopened and was bleeding on the mattress. It hadn't been necessary to hit him so hard. After all, the tranquilizer dart had been doing its job and his body was numb from the immobilizing effect of the fast acting drug. But she couldn't resist seeing the look of disbelief on his face when she had swung the gun and it impacted with his skull. It was extremely gratifying.
She stood up and walked over to the table that was loaded with boxes and after sifting through them she found one of her knit shirts she had brought. After ripping through the seams with a sharp knife she walked back over and knelt down beside him. Folding the fabric in exactly three sections she placed it over his eyes and tied it securely at the back of his head. Then staring down at the jacket he wore and frowning she got back up and walked over to the table, picked up the knife and brought it back. She picked up a sleeve and began cutting away the jacket and then the t-shirt, finally yanking them both out from under him, tossing them aside. A shiver of anticipation ran through her like an electric current as she stared down at his still body, running her fingernail along the muscle in his arm.
Soon Daniel.
Chapter 4
For once Jack was almost glad for the distraction of the mountain of mundane paperwork on his desk. Worry about Daniel's whereabouts was eating at him and he knew it would only get worse until he was located safe and sound.
A knock drew his attention to the open doorway as Sam and Teal'c stepped into his office.
"Sir."
"Carter. Teal'c." Jack laid the pen down and brought his hands together as he leaned forward and looked up at the expectant faces. "Daniel hasn't used his cell phone or his credit cards in four days. He filled up his Jeep at the Swifty Mini-Mart Thursday night after he left the base."
Worried looks passed from one to the other as a foreboding silence filled the room.
"Daniel Jackson must be injured or in serious trouble or he would have contacted us by now." Teal'c said, stating what was obviously on everyone's mind.
"I talked to Pete and he's put an APB out on Daniel's Jeep and has all the airports covered." Sam was relieved that her boyfriend was a cop now more than ever. It seemed he knew people in law enforcement agencies all over Colorado. She only hoped that would be enough to help them locate Daniel. "The hospitals and clinics turned up nothing, sir."
Jack scrubbed his hand across his face in frustration looking up at them. "So, Now what?"
Sam looked at Teal'c then back at General O'Neill. "We may have to broaden the search outside Colorado, sir. Just in case."
Chapter 5
The distinct smell of coffee wafted into Daniel's consciousness and it pulled him to the surface like a magnet. Only slower. Much slower. The oh too familiar sensation of being drugged swept over him and he tried to clear the fuzziness in his mind with little success. He tried to open his eyes but was met with resistance and he wasn't sure at first if he was blind or just in a dark room. The pressure of something wrapped tightly around his head brought him instantly alert.
He tried to reach to remove the blindfold but found that he couldn't move his arms. They had been pulled above his head for so long they were nearly numb and he tried to pull at whatever was entrapping him only to be met with his wrists awakening to the pain of the cuts where the cuffs had dug into his wrists.
He listened intently for some sound that might tell him where he might be but was met with silence. His first attempt to yell for help came out as a hoarse whisper as he tried to swallow and make his parched throat work. He licked his lips with what little saliva he could muster and almost gagged as the metallic medicinal taste swept over his tongue.
"Hello! Is anybody there?" He listened and then he heard what he thought was a footstep.
"Who's there?"
More slow, quiet footsteps followed and the smell of coffee came nearer and then he heard and felt liquid hitting his bare chest. He tried to jerk away as the hot liquid seared his skin but his efforts only made the cuffs dig in deeper. "Stop! Who are you?" The burning hot coffee reddened his skin and she smiled down at him, tipping the mug in her hand over letting another small stream trickle down upon him, then she tipped the mug all the way over as he screamed.
"Noooooo!"
Chapter 6
"What do you mean they haven't found any leads yet? I thought he was a cop." Jack stopped pacing to glare at Sam.
She stared at him for a moment then looked away. She knew he was only worried about Daniel, but his words still stung. Which is what he had intended them to do.
"He is a cop, and a good one, but that doesn't mean he can walk on water...sir." Sam took a deep breath and focused on the floor for a second before looking back up. "I'm sorry, sir. I know you're concerned about Daniel. So am I. So is Teal'c. And believe it or not, so is Pete."
Jack looked away and stared at the wall and sighed. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Carter... I was out of line." He stepped back behind his desk and sat down heavily, leaning back. "It's been four days since anyone's heard from Daniel and... I've just got a really bad feeling about this."
The loud ringing of the phone made them all flinch and Jack snatched it up and put it to his ear.
"O'Neill here.....Crap!........When?.....Well, find out!" He took the phone away from ear and slammed it down then stared at it wondering if anyone had ever actually broken the general's phone.
Sam and Teal'c exchanged nervous glances.
"Sir? News about Daniel?"
Jack sighed and clenched his hands together. "It seems that Sarah Gardner left the hospital a week ago and hasn't been heard from since."
Sam looked confused. "I thought she was at the Psychiatric Naval Hospital in Denver."
"She was."
"Do you believe this woman has something to do with Daniel Jackson's disappearance?" Teal'c asked questioningly.
"I hope not. The woman's a total whack job from what I've heard. Carter, see what you can find out about her. If she does have something to do with Daniel being missing maybe she said something to one of the shrinks or the other patients that might help us find out where they went."
"Yes sir."
Chapter 7
Daniel woke up shivering. The last thing he remembered was his chest feeling like it was on fire and then a needle being jammed into his arm and then blackness. He was sure it was Sarah who was here with him. He had recognized her distinct laugh right before the drug pulled him under. Whether or not she had someone else here with her he didn't have a clue. His eyes were still covered by the blindfold and from the stabbing pain in his head and the way he kept drifting in and out of consciousness he was sure he must have a concussion.
Suddenly a voice made him freeze and he listened intently trying to figure out where she was.
"Doctor Jackson." Sarah sneered as she watched him from the sheet-covered sofa right across from the mattress where he lay. She was amused at the way he cocked his head trying to pinpoint her location. This could be fun, she thought and she stood up quietly keeping her eyes on him as she stepped over to the table. She looked around first picking up the knife but then laying it back down. She didn't want to kill him just yet and she didn't want to risk getting too close to him while he was conscious. Even though he was handcuffed and secured to the metal grate, he could still do some damage if given half a chance.
Something caught her eye and she quietly stepped over and ran her fingers along the dart gun. She still had an entire box of empty tranquilizer darts that until now she hadn't seen any need to keep. A smile crept on her face and she glanced back at Daniel then picked up the dart gun and darts and walked over to the sofa and sat down.
Daniel listened to her footsteps as she walked about and the fact that he couldn't see where she was or what she was doing was making him nervous. "Sarah, why are you doing this?"
She dumped the box of darts onto the sofa next to her and picked up one, sticking it into the gun.
"Sarah? Whatever's wrong, we can talk about it." Daniel knew she hadn't adjusted as well as they'd hoped after the symbiote was removed but he'd heard she had shown a great deal of improvement in the last few months.
She laughed. "What makes you think I want to talk? I've been talking to doctors for months now and I'm afraid I'm all talked out."
Daniel was straining his ears trying to make out what the sounds were she was making but it wasn't until he heard the sound of an air pistol being pumped that he realized what she was doing.
"Listen to me Sarah. We're friends, remember?" He was confused as to why all of a sudden she wanted to hurt him.
"I don't have any friends and I don't feel like talking. I'd rather have fun. They don't let you have any fun at the hospital."
Sarah held the gun out in front of her with both hands and took aim at Daniel. She could see the rippling in his muscles as he lay tensed on the mattress and she put her finger on the trigger and pulled. The dart shot from the gun with a rapid click-swoosh sound hitting Daniel in the upper arm.
He cried out and jerked as the dart pierced his skin and he waited for the drug to start to take effect but after a few minutes passed with no change he tried to relax and concentrate on what he could say to stop her. Suddenly he heard the pumping of the gun again and another click-swoosh! as another dart imbedded itself into the side of his neck.
"Ah!...God no!...Sarah stop!"
He gasped at the stab of pain, trying to get his breathing back under control and tried again to get her to listen to him. "Sarah. You don't want to do this. I can help you if you'll ..."
Click-Swoosh! Another dart hit him in the other arm.
"Sarah, no! Don't..."
Click-Swoosh!
Sarah watched him trying to twist away but the fruitless action was only exciting her more. She looked down at the pile of darts laying next her and then back at Daniel smiling as she picked up another one.
Chapter 8
Sam squirmed in the hard leather chair looking around at the wall filled with plaques and framed degrees which only made her more uncomfortable. This was worse than being in the principal's office. Not that she had visited there often but the few times she did, had left an indelible impression.
She looked over as the door opened and a medium tall man with thinning hair and a slight paunch strode into the room. She stood up quickly and reached out when he extended his hand and after the usual meaningless greetings they both sat down.
"So you are Colonel Samantha Carter and you're here to find out about one of our patients, is that correct? I understand that you also suspect Miss Gardner might have something to do with the disappearance of one of your colleagues, a Doctor Daniel Jackson." He looked at her above his glasses and waited.
Sam cleared her too dry throat and sat up straight looking the man in the eye. "Yes, Daniel... Doctor Jackson and Sarah worked together at the same university several years ago. I understand that she was not doing well."
Doctor Shlegel took wire-rimmed glasses off, folded them and held them in his hand staring at them for a moment, then looked up at her again. "I realize you have the necessary security clearance to see Miss Gardner's records but I must tell you I do so under protest. I do not take kindly to breaking my patient's trust in me."
"I respect that Doctor, but a close friend and valuable member of my team is missing and if there's even the slightest chance that one of your patients might have anything to do with his disappearance then I have no choice but to pursue every lead."
He stared at her for a few uneasy seconds then unfolded the glasses and put them back on. He hesitantly picked up a folder lying on his desk and opened it.
"Miss Gardner has not adjusted well to the removal of the alien creature that was within her. However we had high hopes that we could, with the proper medication and therapy, stem her delusions to the point that she would be able to lead a reasonably normal life here at the hospital."
"So there were no plans to allow her to ever leave here? Even if she recovered completely?"
The doctor closed the folder and held it tightly in his hands. "My colleagues and I don't believe Sarah could have reached that point. In a detailed MRI done a few months ago, we found several lesions on her brain. Whether or not they were the cause of her delusions, we don't know for sure. She had improved considerably in the past several weeks though to the point that I was considering doing another MRI to see if there could possibly be a change that was responsible for her lessening symptoms, but we hadn't gotten the chance. Sarah was among a group of patients whose improved behavior had been rewarded with extra privileges, one of which was a supervised trip into town. She apparently had an episode while in the presence of one of the other therapists, a nurse and six other patients." He finally looked up at Sam with a pained expression on his face. "Sarah somehow gained possession of a letter opener from the desk of one of the secretarial staff and stabbed Doctor Benowitz over twenty times. He's still in critical condition."
"I'm sorry." Sam stared back at the doctor and she could swear he had gotten older and paler since coming into the room. She wiped her moist palms on her slacks. "So Sarah is evidently more than capable of murder..." Her thoughts turned to Daniel and what could be happening to him right now or had already happened and she had to take a deep breath before she could continue. "Is there anywhere you think Sarah might have gone? Someplace we may not have already thought to check out?"
His eyes took on a sympathetic look as he laid the folder down and laced his hands together. "No. I'm afraid that even the staff that has daily contact with her couldn't come up with anything. I'm sorry. I do hope you find her and I hope you find your friend, too."
Sam nodded and slowly stood up to shake the outstretched hand once again.
She took a small card out of her pocket and handed it to him. "If you can think of anything at all that might help call this number and you'll be connected directly to the Commander of our facility. Thank you for your time, Doctor."
"Colonel Carter. If I have any more news I'll be sure to let you know immediately."
Chapter 9
He could feel every single dart sticking into his body but it was only a dull throbbing now. After the first dozen or so darts Sarah had shot into him his mind had shut down as his body desperately tried to block the pain of each thick sharp metal tip as it penetrated his skin, his clothing.
He'd finally given up trying to reason with her to make her stop this madness. She still hadn't removed the blindfold and if made him feel vulnerable. After the ordeal with the dart gun he didn't know what to expect from her next, which made him flinch at even the slightest sound.
The hours had gone by in a blur. It seemed like the reasonable thing to do when Sarah had called him late at night, upset and crying, pleading with him to meet her. She had made him promise not to tell anyone where he was going until after she'd talked to him. He had trusted her.
He had obviously been surprised when she told him she'd been released from the hospital but she had assured him that she was better. Just needed to see him and thank him before she caught a late flight out. He had believed her.
The navy blue van had been parked in the exact spot she said it would be. When he'd climbed inside the van and sat down, everything had seemed normal enough. To say that it was a shock when she suddenly and unexpectedly pulled a dart gun out and shot him with it, was putting it mildly. What was most unnerving though was the innocent smile he'd seen on her face as the drug immediately began numbing his arms and legs so that he couldn't move. The last thing he remembered was the sight of her swinging the pistol at his head, then incredible pain before he blacked out.
A sound alerted all his senses and he froze listening for it again. A short sharp pain like a needle sticking him in his arm made him jerk and then all the darts still imbedded in his skin sent stabs of pain everywhere at once.
"Just tell me why you're doing this!" Daniel pleaded as slowly his brain felt like it was dissolving and the room began to swim with patterns and designs in vibrant colors even though his eyes were still covered.
He tried to speak but his tongue felt thick and he couldn't tell if he was talking or not. Sounds began swirling around him and he felt like he was being sucked into a vacuum. He knew from past experience that he'd been drugged and he fought desperately to stay in control but the pull was too strong.
Whatever she had injected was sending him on a trip he knew he'd rather not go on and yet it was pulling him along whether he wanted it to or not. Creatures unlike he had ever seen lunged at him and he cried out and tried to run away but his feet would not move. His heart started pounding wildly in his chest and he felt like it was going to burst. He was sweating profusely and the chill of the room made him shiver harder and harder until he was shaking uncontrollably.
Sarah sat on the sofa with her long legs drawn up underneath her as she watched him writhe and moan on the mattress. The drug would take him through his worst nightmares for hours and hours. She picked up the bottle of water and unscrewed the cap and took a drink then unwrapped a sandwich she had made.
After the first few hours he'd started to choke and she watched in amusement as he vomited what little he had in his stomach. As he continued to dry heave for several more minutes she placed her hand across her mouth to stifle her laughter. When he eventually was too lost in his hallucinations to amuse her she stood up and walked over to stand by the mattress. She bent down and grasped one of the darts and plucked it out and then another and another. Sometimes he would moan when she pulled one out so she started twisting them as she removed them one by one until they were strewn all over the room.
Chapter 10
Jack looked around the commissary and took another drink of coffee. At this moment he felt every one of his going on fifty years. He had blamed Daniel over the past few years for turning his hair gray and they had both joked about it on probably a weekly basis.
He had hoped this day would never come. That he would lose Daniel while he was in charge of the base was one of his worst nightmares. He was feeling incredibly guilty for not going over to Daniel's house after calling over the weekend and not getting an answer. Not that it would have mattered since whatever happened may have already occurred, but still...
"O'Neill." Teal'c stood beside the table with a tray looking down at his leader. "May I join you?"
Jack looked up and motioned for him to sit. "Sure, have a seat."
Teal'c looked at him intently. "Does not the fact that Daniel Jackson's Jeep has been found lead us closer to locating him, O'Neill?"
Jack held his head in his hands and stared at the tray of food piled up on Teal'c's plate. "I hope so, but it could have been parked there for days. It's an airport parking lot, Teal'c. People are coming and going 24/7. No one would have noticed when one vehicle parked there. IF Daniel was even the one who parked it there."
"Do you believe someone else might have placed his vehicle there to throw us off his trail?"
Jack looked up at Teal'c and saw deep concern etched in his face. "The thought did cross my mind. And to be honest I don't even want to think about the possibility that he left on a flight from there, because if that's the case he could be anywhere by now."
"Colonel Carter has assured me that Pete Shanahan has every law enforcement agency in the state looking into every possible lead."
Jack rolled his eyes and picked up the coffee, taking a sip and grimacing at the bitter cold brew. "Oh yes, Pete. Somehow that doesn't put my mind at ease."
"Do you not think he is capable of helping us locate him?"
"It's not that, Teal'c. It's just that, well, this is all my fault. The proper chain of command failed miserably and I'm afraid it's going to be Daniel who pays the price. I should have been informed the second Sarah Gardner turned up missing. Then maybe we would have stood a chance of preventing this from happening."
"It is not your fault, O'Neill. You are a caring, capable leader but you are not responsible for the actions of others who did not do their job in informing you."
Jack stared at his cup then looked up into the dark eyes boring into him and gave a nod before he stood up. "I've got to make some more phone calls."
Chapter 11
Sarah sat up groggy from the nap and looked around at first disoriented. Her eyes locked on Daniel lying still on the mattress. He was apparently still unconscious and she stood up and stretched before walking quietly over to where he lay.
She stared at him to see if he was still breathing and after several minutes she knelt down, reached behind his head and slipped the blindfold off. He was very pale and the sweat from his hair had soaked the fabric.
There were spots of blood on his arms, chest, legs, and his neck where the darts had punctured his skin. She almost felt sympathetic as she gazed down at him and she was caught by surprise when suddenly his eyes shot open and she stumbled backwards. Her heart pounding as she quickly got to her feet and her anger at him for scaring her filled her like a fiery flood until she could hold it back no longer. She jumped up, grabbed the knife from the nearby shelf and lunged at him. He didn't even have time to yell out to her before the blade pierced deeply into his thigh.
He screamed as the pain shot through his leg and he fought the pull to black out. He looked up at her through eyes squinting in pain and the look of shock on her face was both a relief and was frightening at the same time. She didn't look like she wanted to actually kill him so if he could survive long enough to get through to that part of her, he might stand a chance.
Sarah stood, staring down at Daniel as his breathing came in great gulps as he fought the shock to his system. He managed to move his head up just enough to look down at the blood beginning to soak his jeans right before his head flopped back on the mattress.
Seeing the pain in his eyes as he looked up at her stirred something inside that had been buried deep within. She raised her hand and stared at the blood. This was a man she had once loved. My God, what had she done?
An anguished moan brought her attention back to Daniel and she slowly started to back away from him. Reaching behind her she grabbed the door knob yanking the door open. A keening wail tore itself from her throat and she shoved the screen door open letting it slam shut behind her as she ran out into the woods.
Chapter 12
Sam ran down the corridor and bounded up the steps two at a time to the spacious briefing room. She could see Jack sitting at his desk, tossing something and as she came closer she could see a scattering of paper clips on the floor around the wastebasket.
She knocked lightly on the doorjamb and he looked over with a stone-faced expression. He motioned for her to take a seat but she was too excited to sit.
"We may know where Daniel is, sir."
Jack sat up straighter and eyed her, waiting on her to continue. "And?"
"Dr. Schlegel, one of the doctors I spoke to, called a few minutes ago." she glanced down at her notes, "An Eric Waters, a patient at the hospital who evidently was close to Sarah, has been bragging to some of the other patients about Sarah and him going away together as soon as she gets back from fixing up their new home. The `new home' he's referring to may very well be a cabin that's been in his family for generations. He used to carry around a key on a chain around his neck everywhere he went but now it's missing. They're going through his records as we speak and will hopefully be able to fax us a map of the location soon."
"Good work, Carter."
Chapter 13
The stabbing pain in his thigh finally brought him back to awareness. But for some reason he couldn't seem to stop shaking. The room felt colder than it had before so he turned his head to the side to look at the fireplace where she had built a fire every night for the past few nights. But all he saw was cold white ash.
He turned his head to look around and it appeared that the cabin was empty.
The last thing he remembered was her running away after she... He raised his head a few inches, which took monumental effort and saw his leg. The knife was still sticking out of his thigh and he bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood as the pain engulfed him.
He could recognize the signs of shock and he knew from past experience that time was of the essence. If he were going to survive he would have to find a way out of here. And soon.
The handcuffs were still locked onto the metal grate, but he managed to twist his body around enough so that he could kick at the grate with his uninjured leg. The jarring was beginning to make him nauseous and he willed himself to stay alert, but thankfully after a few more well placed kicks the crumbling stonework finally dislodged the grate.
He slowly moved his stiffened arms until the metal cuff slid under the loosened grate and he let his trembling hands flop down onto his chest. He was breathing way too fast, he knew that, but the effort had exhausted him. He could feel the sweat beginning to cover his face.
Another glance at the knife protruding out of his upper right leg brought him back to some semblance of alertness. The pain radiating up from the wound was threatening to make him pass out again and he was afraid that if he succumbed to that he might never wake up.
His first attempt to sit up was pathetic. He could only raise himself up a few inches before the pain and weakness took over and he flopped back down onto the mattress. A groan escaped his throat as the knife was jarred once again, and after allowing himself to take a few deep breaths he turned to the side and pushed himself up with one elbow. Looking around the room he had to fight the waves of dizziness until he finally got it under control.
He stared at the handle of the knife embedded deep into his thigh. All around the blade his jeans were soaked with blood and he knew he had no choice but to pull it out himself and get the bleeding stopped or he would surely bleed to death.
His wrists were still shackled and he reached out with trembling hands toward the handle and wrapped his fingers around it and with a single deep breath, he pulled. A scream escaped his throat and he fell back sobbing as the darkness once again dragged him down.
Chapter 14
Sam jumped when the airman walked into Jack's office with a paper in his hand and handed it to General O'Neill. Jack shooed the airman out and stared at the fax. "This is only twenty miles north of here," he said as he studied the map showing the location of the cabin in question. "This is in the middle of nowhere." He picked up the phone and called to get a chopper in the air to check out it out. "They'll be there in less than half an hour."
Sam walked over to take a look at the map herself. As her eyes looked it over her expression grew dim. "If this map is right, sir. There's only one road, if you want to call it that, going to the cabin, and I don't see anywhere within forty...fifty miles to land. If he's seriously injured..."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face and stared at the map. "If we can't land the chopper, then we'll just have to go to plan B."
Chapter 15
His eyes slowly opened and for a few seconds he couldn't remember where he was. And then the pain shot through his thigh and it all came crashing back to him. It amazed and relieved him that he'd woke up at all. The room was cast in shadows as the sun was starting to go down and he knew he had to move.
Pushing up with one elbow he looked down at his blood soaked jeans. He had to stop the bleeding or he wasn't going to have to worry about finding a way out of here. Looking around for something to use as a tourniquet, he saw his torn t-shirt lying on the floor beside him. He ripped it the rest of the way in two and gritted his teeth, raising his leg a few inches as he slid the fabric underneath his upper leg tying it securely with shaking hands. He slipped his finger underneath the tied fabric to make sure it wasn't too tight.
Every movement of his hands rubbed the metal into the cuts surrounding his wrists but he was almost sure the keys to the cuffs were probably with Sarah, wherever she'd taken off to, along with the keys to the van he could see though the screen door parked out front.
Hopefully he could figure out how to hotwire it if he could manage to haul himself to the van without passing out first, that is. He'd seen some boys do it years ago while he was in foster care, but he wasn't sure if he could remember enough.
The room swam as he tried to stand but he managed to get upright only because of the overstuffed chair sitting close by that gave him something to hold onto.
His eyes scanned the room and he spotted a case of bottled water sitting on the floor a few feet away. His mouth would have watered if he'd had any saliva left and he limped over to it, bent down and grabbed one. He screwed off the cap drinking greedily. He had drank half the bottle before he stopped and thought he'd better wait and let that settle before he made himself any sicker than he was already.
He leaned heavily onto the table looking around the small room. There were boxes stacked everywhere. She had certainly come prepared to stay awhile. He saw a box of snack bars laying on top of one of the boxes so he made his way over to it, bent down and picked up a couple of them stuffing them into his pockets.
His stomach growled in spite of the nausea. She had given him very little to drink in the past three days, or was it four? And he'd had nothing at all to eat.
Wherever Sarah had gone she hadn't taken her purse or jacket so he stumbled over to the purse and opened it, dumping the contents onto the table. He sifted through the items tossing them aside as he searched franticly, hoping to find a key, but with no luck. He glanced down at his leg and he could see the strip of fabric was already saturated. He had to try his luck getting the van started. He didn't have a choice.
He made his way slowly across the room, holding onto furniture as he went and as he came back past the box of bottled water he finished the one he had and reached and grabbed a new one.
It was difficult to tell what time of day it was since his watch was gone, but since he had no idea where he was he hoped there would be plenty of daylight left. Who knew where Sarah had gone or when she would be back so time was of the essence. He had no doubts now that she wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Although he still didn't understand what had set her off.
Stumbling across the room he managed to reach the door and grimaced as the pain flared up again. He pushed the screen door open and made his way to the steps. He stared out at the van which even though it was only a short distance, right now it appeared miles away.
With a deep breath he gingerly placed his good leg down a step, holding onto the railing. One more step and he stopped, then letting go he limped his way along the stone path until he reached the van. He opened the driver's side door and grasped the steering wheel, pulling himself up into the seat since his right was of no use.
The pain flared again in his leg and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he grasped the steering wheel so hard he thought it would leave marks. The pain finally began to ease to a more manageable level. He glanced down at the ignition, not expecting to see a key there but was shocked when oddly enough there was.
He was almost giddy with relief or maybe it was the shock setting in, but with both hands still linked together he turned the key. The motor ground and ground until finally he let off the ignition and hit the steering wheel hard in frustration.
He was no mechanic but he didn't know what else to do so he reached down again with both hands and popped the hood latch. He slid out of the van seat and hobbled out to the front of the van holding onto it.
He opened the hood and stared at the mess of torn wires laying all over the top of the engine and the realization washed over him that Sarah had never intended to leave this place. He turned around and slid down the front of the van onto the ground as the strain on his mind and body became too much to bear.
He looked down at the blood soaked t-shirt tied around his thigh and the thought crossed his mind that he should loosen it and let the circulation flow normally for a few minutes so he wouldn't end up losing his leg. He blinked a few times and a soft chuckle escaped as he leaned to the side and fell over onto the ground. He wouldn't have to worry about losing his leg because he would be dead before anyone found him.
A squirrel skittered out from the side of the porch stopping every few feet and sitting up to look and listen. Daniel stared at it through blurry eyes as it skittered closer and closer, seemingly unafraid. A tear slid down his face as he realized it wasn't afraid of him because he must already be dead.
Chapter 16
"Chopper one to O'Neill, over."
"Go ahead Chopper one."
"We have a visual on the building, General. There's a dark blue van parked at the location but no activity has been...Wait...There's a man down."
"Is it Daniel?"
"We're trying to get a closer look, hold on, sir..."
"General, we have a visual. It is Doctor Jackson. However he is not moving and he appears to be injured."
"Chopper one, what kind of injuries?"
"There's...uh...a lot of blood, sir."
Jack glanced at Sam and his own worry was reflected on her face. "Is there anywhere nearby you can land?"
"Negative, sir. The clearing is too small and there doesn't appear to be anything large enough for several miles in each direction."
Jack stared at his hands clenched in front of him as he tried to decide the fastest least risky way to get to Daniel. The thought crossed his mind that he might not even be alive, but he forcibly pushed that aside. He moved the headset mike closer to his mouth.
"Copy that Chopper one. We're sending a Medevac to your location to attempt a rescue. Maintain aerial surveillance of the area and if there's any movement I want to know ASAP. Arrival time approximately thirty minutes. Do you copy?"
"Roger, General. Chopper one standing by."
Jack looked at Sam who was already on her feet. "Go. Take Teal'c. Brightman and her medical team will be at the chopper in five minutes."
"Yes sir." She stopped in the doorway and turned back around. "We'll bring him back, sir."
Chapter 17
The branches grabbed and tore at Sarah's clothing as she ran through the forest. She'd gotten lost in the dense woods after running out of the cabin, but when she'd heard the helicopter flying in the area she just knew someone was trying to take Daniel.
The cabin came into view through the trees and she stopped and looked up, trying to see who it was. Finally stepping carefully and slowly staying under cover of the forest she saw it. The helicopter was hovering in the sky right above the clearing and didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave.
Creeping along the edge of the clearing she looked around trying to see a way to get to the cabin without being spotted but she could see it wasn't possible. Suddenly she stopped still in her tracks when she saw the driver's side door on the van standing open. She was sure she hadn't left it that way.
Her pulse sped up as she crept along the tree line until she finally saw a pair of legs, one of them covered with blood lying on the ground in front of the van. Then oblivious to the sound of rotating chopper blades in the air above her, she walked out of the cover of trees as she made her way over to the front of the van.
Daniel was lying on his side with his legs splayed out. She watched him closely to see if he was still alive and she saw his chest move in and out slowly. Suddenly a voice coming from a loudspeaker boomed out above her.
"Step away from the body!"
Sarah looked up, shielding her eyes from the rushing wind of the blades and back down to Daniel's prone form lying so still on the ground.
"Nooooo!" Sarah screamed and stepped over his legs to stand above his head. She screamed out again, "Nooooo! He's mine!" She bent over grabbing his cuffed hands and tugged and pulled. She moved him a few inches then a few more as she desperately tried to get him back to the cabin. The voice sounded again above her.
"Release Doctor Jackson!"
Tears ran down her dirt-streaked face as she grunted and cried out as she pulled and tugged his body along the stone pathway toward the porch.
~~~~~
Jack listened to the radio conversation and clenched his fists until the nails began to dig into his hand.
"Chopper one, what is your situation?"
"General, Miss Gardner is attempting to move Doctor Jackson back inside the premises. She has not heeded our warnings. Ready and awaiting your orders, sir."
"Is Daniel still unconscious?"
"He does not appear to be, sir."
Jack looked down at his watch. The Medevac should be there any minute and they needed to have the situation contained before their medical team could go in.
"Chopper one, can you get a clear shot at Miss Gardner?"
"Negative, sir. We can't hold it steady enough to be sure we won't hit Doctor Jackson."
"Crap!
"Hold on, sir. The female has run into the building."
"What the devil's going on there, Reynolds?"
"The female has come out of the building and is holding a weapon, sir.....She has it pointed at Doctor Jackson's head."
"Can you get a clear shot now, Reynolds's?"
"We're taking weapon fire, sir!"
Sarah gripped the pistol in both hands and pointed it away from Daniel shooting a couple of times at the helicopter hovering above her. How dare they try to take away her chance to rid herself of her demons? She pointed the gun again at Daniel's head, as he lay motionless at her feet.
His wrists were bleeding from the handcuffs cutting into them and she couldn't help but stare at the large bloodstain spreading on his right leg. As pale as his face was and with no movement of his chest that she could see, she was sure he must be dead. It was over. She had lost. Sarah looked back up at the helicopter enraged then put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 18
Daniel could hear sounds all around him. Soft footsteps coming close and then retreating. Muffled voices, the warmth of a hand on his face or his forehead or his arm. The steady beeping of the monitor let him know exactly where he was. For some reason he felt that if he let his mind venture outside his carefully guarded walls, his world would come crashing down on him. So he let the familiar sounds lull him back to the deep sleep his body so desperately needed.
~~~~
Jack walked into the infirmary for what was at least the twentieth time today. One good thing about being the General was the fact that he could come in to see a patient any time he pleased and more than likely no one would attempt to stop him. The bad thing about being the General was the fact that he couldn't just park himself in the hard plastic chair beside Daniel's bed and stay there as long as he wanted.
He nodded at the nurse who was adjusting one of the many tubes and wires snaking out from underneath the crisp white sheets. Looking down at his friend who somehow seemed smaller and more fragile in the infirmary bed it was difficult to realize this was the same man who had walked out of his office a week ago on his way home for a three day leave.
The tall strong muscular man who had walked out that day was a far cry from the man lying here now. How could so much have gone bad so quickly? And here on Earth to boot. He'd seen Daniel hurt pretty badly on missions before but even he had to admit that when they first rushed the gurney down the corridor he was sure he was dead.
Jack pulled the chair up to the bed and took a seat. Daniel was deathly pale but still looked better than he did when he'd been brought to the base via the Medevac helicopter. Jack could still envision the sight he saw when he strode into the infirmary right after Brightman's team started working on him. A knot started to twist in his stomach and he had to close his eyes a minute to push the images away. How anyone could lose that much blood and still be alive was a miracle. But his friend had done it again, beaten the odds, cheated death.
It hadn't taken the rescue team long to lower the basket, get Daniel secured inside and brought aboard the Medevac. Jack had finally been able to breathe a sigh of relief. That is, until the first time they lost Daniel's heartbeat on the way back to the base. Only being able to listen to what was going on and not being able to be there had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to go through.
Jack glanced at the monitor's steady lines and dips and numbers and should have been calmed by the fact that the machine was keeping track of every function of Daniel's body. But the knowledge that it could all go haywire in a second kept him on edge.
"General?"
Jack turned and saw Sam standing at the foot of the bed with coffee and a wrapped sandwich.
"Colonel?"
"I just stepped out to. ...uh well, and I thought I'd stop by the commissary and grab something. I've only gone been about ten minutes, sir."
Jack looked back at Daniel, taking another quick glance at the monitors. "Good. That's good."
Sam sat the coffee down. "The doctor was in about a half hour ago."
Jack looked up at her. "And?"
"His fever's down a little. The doctor seems to think this last round of antibiotics is finally starting to fight the infection. It's looking like Daniel isn't going to lose the leg after all."
Jack's throat closed up and he couldn't have spoken right now if his life had depended on it so he just nodded.
"I can come back later if you want to sit with him awhile, sir."
Jack cleared his throat and glanced up at Sam. "Yeah, I think I will."
Chapter 19
The heat permeating through Daniel's body made it difficult to stay down in the safe place in his mind for any length of time and as his senses became more aware he could feel something squeezing his arm and then letting go. He immediately missed the reassuring presence and struggled to reach for it but his limbs wouldn't respond.
The antiseptic smell surrounded him and he tried to force his body to move, to no avail. Images began floating in and out of his consciousness. Trees. Lots and lots of trees. The sensation of being dragged along the ground. Suddenly the sharp stab of something shooting into his arm made him flinch. Then another sharp stabbing pain in his neck and then all of a sudden he was feeling stabs of pain like that of large needles shooting into his body and he jerked.
~~~
"What is it Doctor? What's wrong with him?" Sam stepped back out of the way as Dr. Brightman and a couple of nurses ran into the room.
Dr. Brightman looked intently at the monitors that had sent the shrill alarm. The numbers were not comforting but under the circumstances they could be a lot worse. The doctor turned to one of the nurses and sent her off to get an injection ready just as Jack strode into the room.
"Doc, what's going on?"
"His heart rate spiked and set off the monitor. I don't think its cause for alarm though, sir."
Jack stared at the doctor as she injected something into Daniel's IV and stood watching, waiting impatiently.
Doctor Brightman watched the readings on the monitor as the numbers slowly returned to normal and finally turned to look at Jack.
"I don't know what could have caused his heart rate to suddenly soar like that, but whatever it was he seems fine now, General. Rest assured, we'll keep a close watch on it."
Jack and Sam exchanged glances as the doctor made some minor adjustments in the IV and wrote something in Daniel's chart, and then she nodded and walked back to her office.
Sam stood with her arms wrapped around herself willing the tears that were threatening to appear to stay put. She'd been sitting with Daniel and suddenly without warning his whole body started to jerk and there went the alarms for the monitor. She was still shaking.
Jack stepped over toward the bed, looked down at Daniel lying peacefully still then glanced at his watch, cursing to himself. He had a mission briefing with a team scheduled to go off world in five minutes. One look at Sam who looked like she was barely holding herself together only made him feel worse for having to leave.
Sometimes this job really sucked.
Chapter 20
The infirmary was quiet. At this hour of the night patients who could be sent home were already gone and in their own beds by now, hopefully. Daniel was in one of the rooms set aside for the more critical cases and although the danger of major complications from the knife wound to his thigh were becoming less by the day, Dr. Brightman chose to keep him in the ICU where his condition could be monitored around-the-clock. Which in sight of the unusual sporadic elevation of his heart rate and blood pressure the past two days, it was for the best.
Sam and Teal'c had been taking turns checking in on him and sitting with him when they could. And General O'Neill came by so often she'd been tempted to ask him if he'd forgotten where his office really was. Of course she didn't dare.
Dr. Brightman hadn't been here at the SGC for more than a few months and already she could see first-hand why SG-1 had been so special to General Hammond who had recommended her for the position.
She opened Daniel's chart and walked over toward his bed checking the readings and nurses' notes one last time before she herself headed home.
She lifted the dressing on the knife wound. It was finally beginning to heal after trying virtually every antibiotic known to man. Now with her awareness of the Stargate Program she hoped one day that an antibiotic would be found on another planet perhaps, that would eradicate many of the infections that were so prevalent on earth, many of them deadly.
Daniel was lucky to be alive. The knife had just missed the femoral artery. If it had even nicked it she was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't be lying here right now. And his quick thinking of tying a tourniquet above the site of the wound had helped in stopping the bleeding. He was severely dehydrated and in shock by the time they had him in the Medevac and they'd come very close to losing him twice on the way back to the base. It was nothing short of a miracle that he'd survived. She had counted thirty-seven puncture wounds all over Daniel's body that according to Sam appeared to have been made by some kind of dart. Sure enough when the building where Daniel had been held captive was searched, there were empty tranquilizer darts all over the place.
A shiver ran through her just as it had when she'd first seen the wounds. How someone could be so cruel was beyond her comprehension. Whether it was the lesions found in Sarah Gardner's brain or simply the fact that having Osiris controlling her for so long had caused the mental breakdown, they would never know.
She adjusted the IV drip and checked his vitals. There wasn't much change from when they'd been checked an hour ago. She knew she was being possibly a bit overly cautious with Daniel's care but even though she'd only known him a short time, there was something about Daniel that made you want to go that extra mile. Maybe because he himself had gone above and beyond what was expected of him on so many occasions. Even to the point of giving up his own life.
She pushed his damp hair aside and felt his forehead knowing that she could have just glanced at the monitor to see what his temperature was. But she was a firm believer in the healing power of touch. She let her hand rest on his forehead and leaned closer. "You're going to be fine, Daniel."
She turned at the muffled sound and saw Teal'c standing just inside the doorway. He nodded to her as he entered and stood by Daniel's bedside looking down on him. She pulled the plastic chair out and moved aside as he stepped over and sat down to begin his vigil.
Chapter 21
Daniel's back was cramping right between his shoulder blades and as much as he tried to ignore it the increasingly painful sensation only increased. Through the foggy mist of Daniel's mind he heard a voice and the words had an almost hypnotic effect but the insistent need to move or stretch his muscles made any desire to sink back into sleep impossibility.
He suddenly realized he didn't feel heat coming out of every pore and as the sheet covering him was lifted a chill ran through his body.
"Did you see that? He moved." Jack said as he stood up, staring at Daniel's now bare upper body as the nurse dabbed ointment on some of the remaining puncture wounds. "When is he gonna wake up?" Jack had heard it all before. The fact that he wasn't really in a coma. That his mind needed to heal as much as his body and that when Daniel was ready to come back to them, he would. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, NOW would be a really good time.
He watched the nurse, shaking her head, as she gathered up her supplies and walked out of the room, leaving his words hanging in the air. Jack sat back down in the chair gruffly and leaned forward gripping his hands together.
"Daniel, you do know patience is not one of my finer qualities, don't you? Unless you're just trying to annoy me. Because if that's the case, you win. So, just wake up now and we'll call it even, whadya say?"
Jack reached out and placed his hand on Daniel's arm and patted it then raised his hands as far above him as he could and stretched, and leaned back in the hard plastic chair to watch over his friend.
~~~~~
Daniel heard the familiar voice again. This time it seemed annoyed, more desperate and he felt something warm press on his arm and then a pat and then the sensation was gone. If only he could will his mouth to speak or make his eyes open. But he was unable to climb out of the spiraling space he was trapped in.
He let his mind drift until the images began floating past him once again. Faces and things he didn't think he wanted to see. The image of himself lying on the ground looking up seeing trees all around him, their branches swaying in the breeze. It was mesmerizing. Then an image of Sarah floated toward him and the sounds of wind rushing all around him. He could feel the force of the air pushing down at him and he struggled to open his eyes.
Suddenly his pulse quickened as he saw a gun hanging from Sarah's fingers and the sound of loud voices, He fought the weakness of his body and through the haze he saw a gun being raised and pointed at Sarah's head. In the fogginess of his mind he struggled to move, to speak, to stop her. But no words would come.
~~~~
Jack sat up straight and stared at a single tear trickling from Daniel left eye. It slowly ran down the side of his face and Jack stood up watching him then leaned down closer.
"Daniel?"
Jack told hold of Daniel's hand and squeezed.
"Can you hear me, Daniel?"
He felt a slight movement and squeezed again. He started to reach for the call button when suddenly Daniel's eyes started to flutter and Jack froze as he stared. Another tear escaped and began to follow the trail left by the previous one and very slowly Daniel's eyes began to flutter.
"Daniel? It's me buddy. Wake up."
Daniel could see shadows swirling above him.... the whipping sound of the wind filled his ears...it must be starting to rain because he could feel drops running down the side of his face. As the mist around him began to dissipate, he slowly opened his eyes seeing the gray infirmary ceiling far above him. Then a hand pressed to his cheek turned his head and he saw Jack looking at him.
"It's over."
Daniel stared up at him. He hoped Jack was right. He also hoped that Sarah was finally at peace now. He had to believe that. To not would be unbearable.
Fin.
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