Wayward Son - The Journey Begins:

Counting Your Blessings

by devra and JoaG

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Authors' Notes: This is a Little Daniel story which is a pre-cursor to our Wayward Son.

Also, yes, it's AU, so don't rely on canon to keep you on the straight and narrow :) Characters may make cameo appearances in odd places where they didn't normally belong.

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"Daniel, don't wander off."

Daniel sighed at the shortness in Jack's voice, and did what he did best - ignored him. If there was anything dangerous around, Jack would be sure to let him know. In no uncertain terms.

So Daniel waved in Jack's general direction and concentrated on the pyre of stones, which most obviously was a marker for something. There were no etchings or marks other than the high pile of rocks, but about fifty feet further was a large marble slab in the ground, and he was sure the two were connected. Straightening, he brushed the dirt from his knees and slowly walked towards the marble slab.

He circled the slab, looking for signs of writing, sketches, or anything to indicate what it was. Oddly enough, the grass around the slab was high and wild, but for about a foot surrounding it, the growth was short, closely cropped, as if someone had dragged a lawnmower right around the edges. He stopped and squatted, putting a hand to the grass when Sam's voice came through his radio.

"Colonel, I'm reading a spike in the level of radiation!"

"Carter?"

"Sir, you and Daniel are in danger. Get out of there."

"Daniel!"

Even before Jack bellowed his name, Daniel was up and running. Except that he only got one foot onto the marble slab, intending to cut across it, when he was hit with pain so intense, he was unconscious before he hit the ground.

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The screams cut a swath of fear up and down Jack's back as he skidded to a stop on the grassy ground. The level of pain coming out of Daniel's mouth was so intense that all fear for himself was gone as he turned around to go back after Daniel.

But he couldn't see him. There was a blurry, gaseous section right where Daniel had been earlier, coming up about a foot off the ground. The screams were coming from that area; obviously Daniel had fallen into the mist. From the sounds of him, the gas was caustic and he was being burned alive.

"Colonel, no! Don't! The radiation!"

Carter's cries came from behind him. He glanced back, torn between his own life and Daniel's. Then Teal'c raced up to him, slid to a stop and grabbed his arm. "You must leave."

"Daniel—"

"I will retrieve him."

"I can't see him—"

"O'Neill, it is dangerous. You must..." Teal'c's voice wavered and faded, only to come back with a few words missing. "...deems it safe."

"What?" The world spun around him and his knees felt funny. Then the world tilted, and the next thing he knew, he was staring at blades of grass.

"Colonel?"

Jack tried to turn around, but his head felt like it was too big for his shoulders. He grunted, wishing the noise in the background would stop. It was high-pitched, almost like a child screaming in fear or pain.

"Sir? Are you all right?" Carter put a cool hand on his cheek and he blinked in confusion. Then everything came back to him and he sat up, clutching his head when the movement upped his headache a notch and set his stomach rebelling.

"Daniel?" he managed to mutter without throwing up.

"Teal'c's... Sir... Something's... He can't get to Daniel."

Suddenly the noise stopped and his ears rang from the silence. "Radiation—"

"We're safe here."

"No... Daniel. Teal'c."

"Teal'c said his symbiote would protect him—"

"CaptainCarter, you must dial the Stargate immediately."

There was something in Teal'c's tone of voice that scared Jack, just as much as Daniel's cries of pain earlier. He forced himself onto his knees as the world did a quick dip to the right while Carter ran and began hitting the glyphs on the DHD.

He remained there, on his knees, while Teal'c ran towards them, carrying something small in his arms. Then it hit Jack that Teal'c was going to reach the Stargate in just a moment, while he was still kneeling there, in a daze. He managed to get to his feet and walked unsteadily towards Carter, who was already on the horn with the SGC, asking for medical aid while sending their ID code through.

As Jack staggered up the stone steps, he caught a flash of BDUs flapping loosely as Teal'c ran past them, into the wormhole. Jack went through the Stargate, only to come back onto the base in such a rush of dizziness that he had to hold onto the metal handrail for a moment while the room spun. Then there were hands helping him down, and he saw Fraiser kneeling on the floor, obviously working on Daniel who - was the size of a young kid?

"What the—" He shrugged off the hands and stood, swaying as he took in the shock of long, wavy blond hair, the too large glasses, the open mouth which was gasping for air and the adult-sized BDUs which swallowed up the tyke. A chocolate bar was sticking out from a vest pocket; the same brand chocolate bar which he himself had stuck in there just before they'd left the base.

"Colonel, what in blazes is going on?"

Jack swayed, and couldn't for the life of him come up with an explanation. "I think that's Daniel, sir," he said with a mouth so dry, his tongue actually made rasping sounds.

"DanielJackson was affected by an alien device. At first he was hidden from my sight, but by the time I reached his side, his physical form had been reduced to that of a child."

"You saw him turned into a child?" Hammond's tone, while disbelieving, held a hint of command and Jack forced his gaze from Fraiser shoving an IV needle into the tiny forearm and met his commanding officer's confused gaze.

"Yes. No. He was there, behind me. I—" The room spun again and Teal'c grabbed hold of his arm, holding him steady. "Carter said something about radiation. We ran. Daniel screamed. I couldn't see him—"

"The radiation levels spiked, sir." Carter's face was white, almost as white as the kid lying on the cement floor. "Colonel O'Neill passed out and Teal'c carried the child out of the immediate area, into a safe zone."

"Colonel," Fraiser said, glancing up at him quickly as she held a stethoscope to the boy's chest. "I want you to report to the infirmary stat."

"Daniel..." He waved towards the kid, but Fraiser's attention was now on the heartbeat coming through her instrument. "Teal'c went after Daniel. I couldn't see him from where I was but he came back with that little boy."

"Would there have been time to remove Doctor Jackson's clothes and dress the boy in them?"

Jack had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. He turned to Carter, who shook her head and answered, "No, General. The whole thing didn't take more than two minutes."

"So you believe this is truly Doctor Jackson?"

Fraiser removed the stethoscope and looped it around her neck. "I need that gurney, now!" She went to pick up the kid but Teal'c moved more quickly, and with a gentleness belying his size and strength, carried the child to the waiting gurney. "Colonel, I thought I told you to report to the infirmary."

Jack nodded slowly. He tried to take a step but his knees felt locked in place. With a huge effort, he began walking, and when Teal'c occasionally steadied him as his body threatened to list to one side or the other, he didn't complain.

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"Well, you'll live." Despite Fraiser's smiling face, Jack wasn't so sure. His headache and dizziness had gotten so bad during her examination that he didn't think he'd manage to get out of bed if he wanted to, and now he was cold enough that the scratchy infirmary blanket wasn't doing much to keep the chill away.

"I'll prescribe something for your discomfort, sir. It shouldn't last more than a couple of days. Thankfully, you weren't exposed to enough radiation to do any permanent damage." She wrote something down in his chart, and the sound of the pen scratching on the paper was like nails on a blackboard.

"What about Daniel?" he asked with his eyes scrunched shut.

"Sir, we're not certain that the child Teal'c brought back truly is Daniel. Until Teal'c returns from his search on the planet and until I get the results of DNA tests and—"

"Doc." He opened his eyes. "It's Daniel." He'd nosed around once in Daniel's apartment while waiting for him, and had found a couple of black and white photos of him with his parents. The kid in those too big BDUs had looked identical to pictures of Daniel when he was five years old.

"The boy's condition is critical. He's suffering from shock and his organs are showing signs of extreme stress. If, and I stress the word, if, this is truly Daniel and his body was somehow changed from that of an adult to that of a child, it's very possible that the shock of the transformation is what's affecting him now." She shook her head sadly. "On the other hand, according to Sam's readings, the radiation emanated from the device where Teal'c found him. While your symptoms are relatively minor—"

"Doesn't feel minor to me—"

"The radiation could be what's making Daniel, I mean, the boy, sick." She looked over Jack's bed to where the kid was lying unconscious in the next bed. "Only time will tell."

When Fraiser walked away, Jack turned onto his side to look at the kid. Daniel. He looked lost in the bed. His face was turned to the side, towards Jack, and even though the oxygen mask hid a large portion of his face, Jack could see the bloom of fever on his pale cheeks.

An eternity later, a nurse showed up with a couple of pills in a tiny cup, and a glass of water. He managed to raise his head just enough to swallow the pills and water without choking and then lay back, watching the kid's chest rise and fall in a rhythm that was obviously too fast for normal sleep. With Teal'c offworld and Carter examining the results of her readings, there was nobody to sit with either one of them, a situation that Jack didn't really mind, personally, because he really didn't feel like, or want company. But Daniel, lying there in that bed, alone, deserved someone to watch over him, even if it was from the next bed.

But despite his best efforts, Fraiser's drugs slowly began to take effect and his eyes got heavier and heavier. He'd just started to drift off when a small whimper pulled him out of the lure of sleep.

He opened his eyes, only to see large, blue eyes staring at him. Eyes that were filled with pain, and fear. The kid was crying quietly, the sounds muffled by the oxygen mask. Those glazed eyes followed Jack's movements as he sat up. He wasn't sure what he was about to do, reach for the call button to alert the nurse on duty, or try to comfort the kid himself, but when Daniel reached out his arms to him, he reacted without thinking.

"Shhh, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you." He lowered the guardrail and leaned over Daniel. "Hey, don't cry," he crooned. To his surprise, Daniel raised his arms and caught his neck, trying to pull him closer. Jack allowed himself to be tugged down despite the position making his head pound. He eased a hand against the small chest, feeling the heat of fever through the thin, oversized scrub top the child was wearing.

Daniel pressed his face against his neck. Hot, tear-dampened skin rubbed against his and he felt the plastic of the oxygen mask shift as Daniel sobbed in his ear. Memories of Charlie's demands for comfort came to the fore and he pulled the small body into his arms as he stretched out on the bed. He murmured inanities as he repositioned Daniel so he could get the oxygen mask back on.

The sobs began to ease as soon as he lay against Jack, the breaths turning into hiccups that caused the heart monitor to stutter every time. Within seconds, a nurse ran up to the bed, her gaze flitting from Jack and Daniel, to the monitors. "I can take him now, sir," she said, reaching to pull Daniel off of Jack.

At her touch, Daniel began crying again, this time more loudly. Even muffled by the oxygen mask, his howls were enough to send Jack's headache escalating, as well as sending the monitors racing, and the alarms triggered added to the cacophony in the room.

"No, I got him," Jack said over the noise. He laid his hands over Daniel's back and ribs, making sure the kid knew he wasn't going anywhere. Unable to maintain the level of hysteria, his cries became whines, shortening into moans as he fought for breath.

As he seemingly became aware nobody was going to take him away from Jack, the boy calmed. Jack pulled back slowly so he could see Daniel's face and smiled at him while he wiped the tears away with his fingers. Daniel's eyelashes were spiky and dark, accentuating the blue eyes that were glazed over with fever. A small hand came up and reached for the oxygen mask, but Jack caught it and held it loosely down. "Nope, leave that alone for now, okay?"

Daniel looked at his hand, which was swallowed up in Jack's, and sighed.

Even as he watched, Daniel's eyelids drooped. After each blink, the eyelids opened less and less, until finally, they stayed closed. He occasionally drew a hitched breath even in his sleep but overall his breathing was slower than before, his body more relaxed as he lay nestled against Jack.

"He's doing a little better," the nurse confirmed after a moment. "His breathing's a little stronger, despite that little exhibition. And his heart's slowing nicely." She looked away from the monitors and looked at Jack. "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Better. Wouldn't mind a blanket, though."

Soon, with the two of them covered with a double layer of blankets, Jack allowed himself to relax.

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"Colonel?"

Jack startled awake at the sound of Hammond's voice. "Sir?" He opened bleary eyes then wrinkled his nose as something soft tickled it. He blew away the flyaway strands of Daniel's hair and turned onto his back as the headache from hell moved from the top of his skull and settled somewhere near his forehead, right between his eyes. Daniel whimpered softly and clutched at the material of his scrub top, his fingers latching onto chest hairs along with the cotton material. Jack stared at General Hammond and the SGC's CMO, both of whom were standing at the foot of his bed. Aware of more eyes on him, he noted Teal'c and Carter on one side of the bed with Fraiser on the other.

"Sorry to wake you, Jack. Doctor Lam has news and I thought you'd like to hear it."

Lam gave Jack a no-nonsense nod. "DNA results have proven without a doubt that the child is Daniel." She looked serious, and serious usually meant something bad.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Jack croaked as he shifted sideways, trying to move away from the small, living furnace plastered against his side when the small fingers lost their grip on his shirt as Daniel slid back into a fevered sleep.

"Good in that we've made a positive ID, bad in that it doesn't appear that we'll be able to reverse his condition."

"You can't reverse... You mean he's going to stay like this forever?" His head felt like it was going to split open and his mouth felt slimy and thick.

"No, sir," Lam said. "If Daniel recovers from the shock of the transformation, he'll grow at a normal rate. Give him another thirty years, give or take a couple, and he'll be the same person you knew two days ago."

Jack slowly sat up, adjusting the blanket to keep Daniel well covered.

"What about the device on the planet?" He turned to Carter. "You were going to go back and study it. Did you find out anything about it? We can't just give up."

"We can't approach the device because of the radiation, sir. It's too dangerous." Lam helped adjust the blanket as Jack moved away from Daniel. "Even Teal'c suffered some minor effects from it—"

"T?"

"I am fine, O'Neill. My symbiote has protected me."

"So far. But we don't know what repeated exposure might do to you, or it." Lam put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat, looking down at Daniel. "We did try putting a couple of lab rats in the device, Colonel."

"Rats? And? Did it work?"

"Yes, sir. They turned into babies the first time around." Lam stared at Jack, her dark eyes hard and determined. "The second time they were turned back into adults. But they didn't survive the reversal. I'm sorry, sir, but based on these results, I recommend that Daniel not be returned to the planet and placed in the device. His body won't be able to sustain the secondary shock."

Jack stared at Lam unbelievingly. He turned to his team, trying to see their reactions. Teal'c's face was expressionless but Carter looked devastated.

Fraiser, on the other hand, looked angry. She'd remained out of the conversation, letting Lam do all the talking, but she caught Jack's gaze, then set her shoulders back as she cleared her throat. "With all due respect, General, I disagree. I think we should make the attempt and put Daniel back in the alien device. He's a fighter. He stands a good chance at survival if we have a medical team standing by at the safe zone when he changes back—"

"We don't know that, Janet." Lam raised her chin in determination. "He's alive now, and that's what counts. His chances of survival are slim, given the shock to his body along with the radiation. You saw the rats—"

"Rats, not a human being—"

"I'm sorry, but as Chief Medical Officer, my decision stands. Based on Daniel's vitals, he's too weak to even be transported, never mind being exposed to an alien technology we know nothing about."

Jack watched the two women face off and was eternally glad neither of their attention was on him while sparks flew over the bed.

"In that case, seeing how potentially dangerous the radiation levels are on the planet, notwithstanding the device itself, I'll have the 'gate address struck from the dialing computer." Hammond sighed heavily as he stared down at Daniel. "I'm sorry, Jack."

"Yeah, me, too," Jack said morosely.

Hammond left the infirmary with Lam, while Carter fiddled nervously with the edge of the blanket. "Sir, those rats died horribly. As much as I hate to say so, I think Carolyn's right. I wouldn't want Daniel to have—"

"Right."

"We'll let you rest now, sir." Fraiser's voice sounded as discouraged as he felt. Actually he felt deflated; all the hope he'd held on to had degenerated into depression. He slid back onto the bed and closed his eyes, faking fatigue as he listened to their footsteps fade, telling himself the only reason he didn't get up off this bed right this minute and go sulk in his own was because of the little boy whose hand had snuck back onto his chest and who was slowly fingering the material of his scrub top in his restless sleep.

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Even with his eyes closed, Jack could feel Daniel staring at him. Sighing in resignation, he turned on his side to face him. After eight hours' sleep in his own bed, he still felt like crap, though less crappy than the day before. Lam, on the other hand, wasn't too impressed with the kid's recovery powers. And this morning, as Jack stared at the next bed, Daniel's huge blue eyes were fever-glazed.

"Morning." Jack waggled his fingers.

A small hand snaked through the bars of the bed and waved.

Jack smiled back, reining in the intensity of his smile. "Hey, sleep well?" He didn't expect an answer. Actually, that little wave was the first sign of communication Jack had seen outside of tears and screams. Jack held up his right arm, the one with the IV attached. "This sorta makes getting comfortable an impossibility."

Daniel's kid-sized arm was strapped to a board, he had wires and leads attached to every part of his body but at least the oxygen mask had been exchanged for a nasal cannula. The lights in the infirmary were dim, the voices of the staff hushed.

"It's really early," Jack whispered.

Daniel blinked, a single tear escaping, tracking over the bridge of his nose, before falling onto the pillow. He shivered, and a monitor answered, its blip off tempo, before dropping back into its regular rhythm.

Jack knew that look. Recognized the tears for what they were. "Give me a minute, okay?" Slowly, Jack sat up, testing his equilibrium before sliding off the bed. He and his IV pole walked cautiously to the infirmary's bathroom, Daniel's eyes tracking his every shuffling step.

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Between Daniel's tubes and Jack's IV, it wasn't an easy feat to crawl into Daniel's bed without setting off any monitors. Patiently, Daniel waited as he readjusted everything, plastering himself against Jack before he had a chance to settle down. "Whoa, let me—"

Daniel howled in protest as Jack held him at arm's length.

"Shush," he said, firmer than he meant, but at least it achieved the desired reaction.

Daniel clamped his mouth shut.

"Good." Jack chose to ignore the trembling chin and the tears, as long as the screaming was kept in check. Screaming, at the intensity level this pint-sized Daniel chose to express himself, reminded him too much of that planet. And those screams. The screams nightmares were made of.

With a shake of his head, Jack dismissed the nurse who'd come to investigate. With a thumbs up, she backed away, blending back into the infirmary's scenery. "There you go," Jack soothed once they both got comfortable. "You need to give me a chance, okay?" He thought he felt a tiny nod of understanding against his chest. "I'm usually sitting on that ugly plastic chair over there, waiting for you to wake up. Getting into the bed takes some doing."

God, holding the kid so close was like leaning into a blast furnace. "I'm betting you feel really lousy. Headache. Body ache." Jack forced a yawn. "And it's way too early in the morning to be up. How about you and I just close our eyes for a little while?" He looked up at the big clock on the wall. Oh four hundred hours. "How about we catch a little shut-eye until a doctor comes on duty?"

Daniel touched Jack's wrist, his fingers reaching for the tape that secured Jack's IV. When he began digging at the edge with his fingernail, Jack picked up the tiny hand and pulled it back. "Not a good idea. If Fraiser or Lam catches you playing with that, there'll be hell to pay."

Daniel frowned, looked at Jack's IV then held out his own arm, similarly bound with tape securing an IV.

"Yeah, I know, it sucks, doesn't it?" Jack rubbed a finger around the site as he gave Daniel a quick smile. "It's for medicine. To make us feel better, so no touching, okay?"

In answer, Daniel closed his eyes, snuggling closer.

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"Colonel?"

The sun on the beach was high overhead, the temperature of the planet increasing exponentially with every mile they walked. As soon as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, beads of moisture popped up, replacing the ones he'd just swiped away. And he was—

"Colonel!"

— In the infirmary. "Doc," he croaked. His throat was dry and parched as if he'd been hiking under the hot sun or - Jack looked down - slept with a pint-sized, feverish Daniel.

"Hold on a minute, sir."

Jack gratefully latched onto the straw Fraiser stuck in his mouth, finishing the cup of water in seconds flat. "Tha—" He cleared his throat. "Thanks."

She put the cup on the bedside table and glanced down at the bed with a smile. "Don't mention it, Colonel. It's the least I can do considering you're..." Gently, Fraiser smoothed down Daniel's unruly cowlick and he opened his eyes, blinking sleepily at her. "Hey, honey."

Daniel whimpered, shrugging away from her touch and tried to crawl into Jack's skin, setting off a cacophony of monitors.

Jack felt Daniel draw a breath, getting ready to scream. He threw his arms around him and drew the trembling child tightly against his chest. "I gotcha," he whispered into Daniel's ear. "Promise, hang with me and I won't let the big, bad doctor—"

"Colonel," Fraiser threatened.

But Jack's words had the desired effect, and Daniel stopped, his tense body relaxing in Jack's arms, and he sighed. And if Jack stretched his imagination, in that sigh there was a hint of chuckle. "Okay, she's not big—"

"Watch it, sir."

"Doc's not going to hurt you, Daniel. Remember how you said you didn't feel well—"

"Daniel spoke?"

"Not in words, but you know... He waved at me early this morning." Jack lifted his arm and demonstrated Daniel's previous finger waggle.

"How did you know he didn't feel—"

"His eyes." Jack released Daniel, but he still held onto Jack, burrowing under his neck. "That and the fact that his hot little body has been plastered to me for hours."

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It had been a struggle, but Jack had eventually convinced Daniel to release him, allowing him to get off the bed and permitting Fraiser to examine him without screaming. The poor kid was trembling like a leaf. Even from where Jack stood by the side of the bed, he could see that. And his eyes never met Fraiser's; they were glued to Jack's, silently begging and pleading with him to make the torture stop.

Daniel's eyes. God, they reminded him of Charlie. Trusting Jack to save him. Protect him. He shook his head. They all knew how that had turned out. "Stop it, Daniel." His voice held a gruff, nasty undertone, close enough to the surface that Fraiser shot him a look of confusion. "She'll be done in a minute."

But that blue-eyed gaze never wavered. It stared at him, until Jack couldn't take it any longer and he turned away, his IV pole rolling at his side. The sounds of frantic whimpers built the closer he got to the bathroom. The screaming started as soon the lock clicked in place.

He leaned against the door, fighting the urge to cover his ears. Or crawl into a hole. Or rip out the IV, dress and escape. Or at the very least, wipe out the past days and make Daniel an adult. Again. None of this kid shit. Daniel didn't need a do over of his formative years and Jack didn't need his own skeletons in his closet making an appearance.

A sharp rap on the door and Jack jumped, the IV pole rattling against the sink. "Are you okay, Colonel?"

"I'm fine," he said, borrowing a line from Daniel's book. Hurriedly, he moved to the sink, turned on the faucets and slid his hands under the water. "I'm almost done," Jack lied, before turning off the water then wiping his hands on his scrubs.

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Fraiser didn't give him a chance. She just herded Jack towards his bed, pushing him along right past Daniel's bed. "I sedated him," she said before Jack could inquire about the reason there was only silence from Daniel's bed.

She pointed to Jack's bed. "You. Get in."

"Doc."

"With all due respect, sir, I would highly recommend that you get your six into the bed before I have to sedate you as well."

Jack grumbled, but followed her orders.

Fraiser began to take his vitals before his ass was settled under the blanket. "Hey, you didn't say anything about examining me."

"Your temp's elevated. Blood pressure is—"

"Low, I know. You said these are the results of the exposure to radiation."

"Yes, those symptoms are." She flipped her glance over to Daniel.

"He's very sick, isn't he?" Jack followed her gaze to the tiny, flushed child.

"Do you want me to lie to you?"

"Doc..." he said as she began to walk away.

"Colonel?" She stopped and gazed at him. "Is there something you need?"

He dropped his hand when Fraiser stopped. "Do you think he's gonna be... You know..." Jack twirled his finger by his temple, "...in the head?"

"There are sensory issues."

"Come again?"

"Daniel's aversion to light. Loud noises. His inability to allow touching and comfort from unfamiliar people..." She drew a deep breath and continued. "Daniel cannot or chooses not to speak. He hasn't reached REM sleep since returning from the planet. Irregular vitals. Inability to maintain consistent body temperatures."

"So, what are you saying? Is that a yes or a no?"

"I don't know, sir. Honestly, it could be his body's readjustment to this size. The radiation. Or—"

"Permanent?"

With a placating pat to his arm, Fraiser gave a small smile. "I think we should just wait and see."

"How long?" Jack levered himself to a sitting position. "How long before it's decided—"

"Decided what? That he's permanently a child? That he's a child without the ability to interact with people. Or that we should say, screw it all and head back to the planet and touch whatever he touched and return him to the Daniel we all know and love?"

Jack jumped on her hesitation. "You're really thinking that, aren't you? The planet—"

"Don't get any ideas, Colonel. At the moment, neither you nor Daniel are up to traveling through the wormhole, especially to the planet that put you both in this infirmary."

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Jack stared at the ceiling. The Styrofoam container of pancakes, bacon and eggs that Carter had brought from his favorite diner sat closed and untouched on the rolling tray. Even though he didn't feel one hundred percent, inactivity was making him nuts. He needed to do something, hell, even working on mission reports was more appealing than counting the ceiling tiles.

His stomach growled, reminding him that it had been a long time between dinner and the number two breakfast platter from Lou's sitting within arm's reach. "Okay." Sitting up, he pulled the rolling tray across the bed, opened the Styrofoam and inhaled deeply. His stomach gave a gentle roll of contentment. "You're so easy," he said as he shoveled in a mouthful of eggs.

Then he felt it. He turned to the right. "Sleep well?" Jack asked.

There was no answer except he realized that Daniel's gaze wasn't centered on him, but on the container he was eating out of. "Wanna share?"

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Like a baby bird, Daniel opened his mouth, waiting for Jack to spear another triangle of pancake.

"You know," Jack teased with the fork, "if you ate like this for the doc, I'm sure she'd disconnect some of your tubing."

Daniel chewed then pushed Jack's hand to the last piece of pancake.

"You know, Daniel, it doesn't make a difference what size you are, my food is never safe whenever you're around."

Daniel dragged his finger through the syrup lake sitting in the corner of the Styrofoam container then stuck his finger in his mouth. He reached into the container again and Jack snapped it shut, gently capturing Daniel's hand. "Gotcha."

Daniel pulled his hand back, dragging the platter out of Jack's hands and onto his bed, dumping the crumbs and unfinished eggs all over him.

"Crap." Jack stood up and grabbed a handful of tissues from the stand on the side of the bed. "Let's see if we can get you cleaned up before we get into trouble."

Daniel began to slink up the bed, moving away from Jack, cowering and brushing so frantically, he began to disconnect the leads. The monitors and Daniel began to wail simultaneously and medical personnel descended on him like a plague of locust.

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It had been a horrifically long afternoon. After a severe tongue-lashing by Fraiser that had something to do with playing doctor, liquid diets and 'you're lucky he didn't vomit pancakes all over me', Jack buried himself in the paperwork Carter had brought him, ignoring the huge eyes boring a hole into him.

"I'm ignoring you."

Daniel coughed; the sound was wet and congested.

"Nope," Jack said, clicking his pen. "There'll be no medicinal sympathy from me. I got burnt once today with the pancakes. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have a death wish."

Daniel coughed again, the sound was hard to ignore.

"Drink?" Jack said, tossing the report onto his bed. "Sounds like you've got a frog in your throat. Hmmm." Jack situated the straw from the cup to Daniel's lips. "Ever wonder where that saying came from?"

Daniel's tongue flicked at the straw then pushed it aside, turning his face away from Jack.

"Whoa, Daniel, I'm not angry at you." He put the cup down with a sigh then reached over to push a strand of hair from Daniel's forehead. Without hesitation, he grabbed the call bell and rang repeatedly for the nurse.

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Pneumonia. How the fuck did that happen? A fever high enough to fry an egg. Respiratory treatments and a step backwards to the oxygen mask. Daniel had no screams left in him; the only noise he was now able to make was a congested cough or a whimper, all of which were smothered by the mask.

Jack held his hand, made soothing noises, patted him, made nice, listened to the doctors and nurses as they spoke in hushed voices, and worried. A lot. Worried more than he had every time Daniel had gone with them through the 'gate.

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Gently, Carter swiped the damp washcloth over Daniel's arms, lifting each hand, wetting each finger. "Sir, I've got this. I'll sit with him for a while. Why don't you go lie down?"

"Listen to your second, Colonel," Fraiser commented with a slight smile as she took Daniel's vitals.

"I'm fine," Jack protested.

Carter and Fraiser glared at him.

"Okay, I'm doing better. Feeling better."

"I'm glad to hear that." Fraiser snapped off her gloves and tossed them in the bedside trashcan. "Daniel's doing better, too. Fever's down."

Jack leaned around Fraiser and Carter. "Good job, buddy. Play your cards right and I'm sure Carter and Teal'c will make sure there's pancakes for breakfast tomorrow."

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Jack woke up slowly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, realized that he actually felt almost normal. The low-grade fever that had been plaguing him wasn't aggravating his joints and muscles, and as he turned to stretch, his head didn't feel like it was on the verge of blowing his skull off.

He lay there half-asleep, enjoying the feel of near-normalcy, beating back the feelings of guilt when he acknowledged how much more comfortable he was without having Daniel glued to his side like a giant leech. And with those guilty thoughts, he listened for the telltale residual cough and wheeze.

He heard, instead, an odd rhythmic squeaking sound. He opened his eyes in alarm, coming fully awake when he realized he hadn't heard Daniel cough or cry, only to relax when he saw what was causing the odd noises.

Carter had appropriated one of those aluminum and canvas deck chairs with tube rockers from one of the rec rooms, the cheap kind that someone had brought in from home. And Daniel was sitting on her lap, his head on her shoulder, his thumb in his mouth, and his gaze trained on Jack, his half-opened eyes moving back and forth as Carter slowly rocked him.

Awareness seemed to come slowly to Daniel, but Jack actually saw the moment Daniel realized Jack was awake as something clicked behind those fever-bright eyes. Without even a whimper, Daniel simply took his thumb out of his mouth and stretched his arms out towards Jack.

"Carter?" Jack said, sitting up. She'd been staring into space and seemed surprised to see that Daniel was not only awake, but was asking to leave her lap. She half-stood and handed Daniel over to Jack.

For the first time since Daniel had been downsized, his body heat wasn't frighteningly high, though he was still warm, and probably enough so to make him whiney and crabby. Daniel happily curled himself up next to Jack, the change in position causing him to start coughing, while Carter adjusted their IV lines so they didn't cross as Jack raised the bed so he was sitting up.

"He looks better," Jack said when Daniel finally stopped coughing. Even with his face flushed from the bout, his eyes were clearer and he was more alert. The wheezing wasn't as pronounced as before, and he was definitely breathing easier.

"So do you, sir."

"I'm beginning to feel human again. Where'd he get the new pajamas?" Jack ran a hand over the soft cotton pjs, which fit Daniel a whole lot better than an overly large scrub top. Daniel looked down at his new clothes and gave Jack a shy smile as he imitated Jack and felt the material of his top, tracing the pattern of a puppy dog with his index finger.

"I went out and got him some clothes, sir. I think everything will fit. There's four pairs of pajamas, and a couple pairs of pants and tee shirts."

"Thanks, Carter. I think Daniel likes his new clothes, don't you, Daniel?"

In response, Daniel fingered the sleeve of Jack's scrubs.

"Yeah, I know. Nothing fancy for me while I'm here. The scrubs will do for now."

"I brought you a few things to read and some games for Daniel, for when he feels up to it." Carter pointed towards a small pile next to the bed; there was a newspaper and a few magazines, a coloring book, a small pack of crayons and what looked like a book of puzzles for children.

"Hey, sweet." Jack reached for the newspaper and puzzle book, which he flipped through, then showed it to Daniel. "I used to love doing these." He pointed to a page filled with dots. "Connect the dots. You ever play this?"

"There's a pencil, sir." She handed him a pencil, and Jack immediately began drawing lines from one dot to another. Memories of doing exactly this with Charlie were painful, but the sight of Daniel watching curiously as the picture on the page slowly took shape was worth the hurt.

"Oh look, it's a bunny rabbit," Sam exclaimed when Jack closed the line on the last dot. Daniel was smiling, obviously recognizing the animal.

"Wanna try?" He handed Daniel the pencil, and waited as small fingers grasped the implement awkwardly. Then Daniel tentatively touched one of the dots with the tip of the pencil on the next page and drew lines, moving slowly as he tried to keep his outline accurate.

They watched while Daniel filled two and a half pages. They encouraged him whenever he finished a page, and Daniel's smile sent pangs through Jack's body. The smile was so reminiscent of that of his adult friend that it was painful to see, while at the same time it pleased Jack that they were finally beginning to get a reaction from Daniel. But halfway through the third page, after another bout of coughing, Daniel was making mistakes, losing sight of the hidden picture. After several false starts, in a fit of rage, he scribbled over the page and pushed both pencil and book away from him, his lower lip jutting out even as it was obvious he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"I guess you've had enough for the moment." Jack wrapped an arm around Daniel's chest and he turned to Jack, seeking comfort, his head on Jack's chest, his thumb in his mouth. Carter pulled the blanket up around him and seconds later, Daniel was fast asleep.

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"Has he been sleeping long?"

Jack looked up from the crossword puzzle and blinked at Fraiser. He'd been concentrating so hard he hadn't heard her approach. He checked his watch. "About an hour."

"And you? How are you feeling?"

He put the paper aside as Fraiser began to check him out. "Better."

His examination went quickly, and when she was done, she examined Daniel, who slept through the whole thing.

"Well," Fraiser said, putting her stethoscope away, "I think I can say you're well enough to leave the infirmary, as long as you remain on base for a couple of days so we can continue to monitor you to make sure there are no secondary effects from the radiation."

"Okay." Freedom was looming, even if it meant a VIP room. "What about Daniel?"

"The infection is down. His lungs are still congested but clearing up with the antibiotics. His sleep cycle is still a little off but at least now he's getting the rest he needs. He still has sensory issues but some of those have eased off. My biggest concern right now is his dependence on you, sir."

"Oh, you noticed that, did you?" Jack smiled down at Daniel, who'd curled up on his side, his back against Jack's chest.

"He's very easy to spoil, sir. It's wonderful that Daniel's bonded with you but it's not helping with his recovery. He needs cuddling; actually he appears to crave it. But his dependence on you is making it harder for everyone else to deal with him.

"I think we need to begin weaning him from that dependence. It might be a good time for you to leave him, now, while he's sleeping."

"He's going to be mighty scared and unhappy when he wakes up and I'm not here."

"I know. But he needs to learn separation, and I'm beginning to think allowing him to sleep with you wasn't such a good idea after all."

"He was sick—"

"Yes, he was. And he was scared and confused and we still have no idea how much damage was incurred from the transformation, but by indulging him, we may have impressed that dependence onto him and now his recovery may suffer a setback due to our actions."

"He was sick," Jack repeated, deliberately keeping his tone soft despite wanting to rant and rage. "He was sick and scared and confused and hell, he's still sick."

"Yes, he is, but his life's no longer in danger. We have to start thinking long term from now on. Daniel Jackson isn't the person we knew. We need to start testing him, try to find out how much, if any, brain damage has occurred. And based on those tests, we need to determine what level of institution he may require to live out his days—"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"Have you even thought about what will happen to Daniel when he's well enough to be discharged from the infirmary?"

Jack blinked. No, he hadn't. He'd spent most of his time trying to get over the effects of the radiation and trying to keep Daniel from screaming his little brains out whenever he wasn't sleeping with him.

"Well?"

"No, not really," Jack was forced to admit.

"General Hammond has already started looking into foster homes. There are a couple of families who have experience dealing with children who have sensory issues and who can—"

"Can't one of us take him?"

"Who, Colonel? You?"

The thought was almost appealing, but the memories of Charlie's death were still too close to the surface and to be honest, the idea of being responsible for a child, whether healthy or not, scared the hell out of him. He'd failed Charlie; there was no way he was taking on the responsibility of this Daniel's life.

"What about you? You've got Cassie. I'm sure Cassie would love to have a younger brother."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me. By myself? A single parent with two kids? Yes, I have Cassie and I love her dearly, but I don't have the time to give Daniel the kind of care he truly needs."

"What about Carter?"

"She doesn't have the time either, sir. There is no way a single parent could deal with a child of Daniel's needs and be able to remain on your team."

"Damn." Fraiser was right. He'd need to think on this because there was no way he was abandoning Daniel to the Foster Care system. Daniel had been through that during his first childhood; he certainly deserved a second chance this time around. And he wasn't about to let his friend out of his life; he couldn't take care of a child, but there was no reason that someone close to Daniel couldn't. Maybe there was a way that they could all help and chip in. That way, Daniel would remain in their lives, and Jack wouldn't have the responsibility of his welfare.

"I'll have someone bring you clean clothes. I'm sure you'll be happy to change before you get out of here."

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The shower felt great, the change from scrubs to fatigues even better, and the meatloaf in the commissary tasted ten times better sitting at a table than in an infirmary bed. But during the whole ninety minutes he was gone from the infirmary, he was filled with a sense of guilt.

Three hours of paperwork left him with a headache that reminded him he hadn't fully recovered from the radiation poisoning. He decided to go lie down in his newly appointed bed in a VIP suite, but instead of heading for that floor, he found himself punching the button for the infirmary.

The guilt that followed him through the afternoon caused him to slow down and not go straight to Daniel. He couldn't hear any crying or coughing, which had to be good. Still, he stopped at the intersection and peeked around the corner. Teal'c was sitting on Daniel's bed, holding the boy in his arms. Daniel was almost a rag doll, his head resting on Teal'c's shoulder, his arms hanging straight down. Figuring Daniel was sleeping, Jack backed off, and nearly bumped into Fraiser.

"Just going to take a nap," he said hurriedly at her raised eyebrow. "I wanted to see how Daniel was doing first."

"He was pretty inconsolable when he woke up," Fraiser said hesitantly. "He didn't want to have anything to do with any of the doctors or nurses, and only stopped crying when Teal'c picked him up. There's definitely some sort of memory pattern going on. I just wish I knew what was going through his head."

"Do you want me to...?" Jack waved to the infirmary section beyond the intersection.

"No. You need to rest and we need to try and get Daniel over this. Teal'c's got him well in hand so go get some rest before I order your ass back in one of my beds."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack sidestepped past her and hurried out of the infirmary.

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Despite his fatigue, Jack couldn't sleep. Fraiser's words kept going through his head, and he just couldn't fathom putting Daniel in some sort of institution or foster home. The trust in those eyes... He just couldn't do it to him. There had to be some way they could do this; Fraiser hadn't sounded like she was against taking Daniel in, she just didn't have the time to deal with his issues. Maybe Carter and Teal'c would be willing to help out, until Daniel got the help he needed and adapted.

And Daniel would adapt. He refused to think of the alternative.

So maybe that was the solution. Fraiser would take him in and the rest of them would help where they could. He'd talk to Carter when he got up. Decision made, sleep came easily.

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A glance at his watch indicated that he'd slept for five hours. He stretched and sat up slowly, wincing as his back, hips and shoulders complained. His bladder was full and demanding, forcing him to half-shuffle, half-run to the bathroom before he could work the kinks out. His stomach grumbled loudly as he washed his hands so he decided he'd grab some supper before hunting down Carter.

He walked into the commissary, thinking roast beef might be good for supper, and stopped short at the selection of eggs, ham, bacon and other breakfast items. He scratched his head and rubbed a hand over his cheek before checking his watch again. It still read nineteen hundred hours, give or take a few minutes. It was only when his fingers rasped against stubble that he realized he hadn't slept for five hours, but for seventeen.

Shocked at the amount of time he'd slept, Jack walked through the line in a daze while trying to tell his stomach it would have to make do with scrambled eggs and bacon instead of roast beef. He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when he spotted Carter sitting alone at a corner table.

He headed on over to her and sat. She gave him a quizzical look, watching him avidly while he sat. "I, um, sort of fell asleep yesterday," he said as he brought the coffee cup to his mouth.

"Yes, sir, I can see that."

He ignored the comment. He'd been too groggy when he'd gotten up to really notice what he looked like in the mirror.

"How's Daniel doing?"

Carter's face immediately reflected the worry she must have been feeling. She gave him a quick, glancing look reminiscent of the adult Daniel before turning her attention to her waffles. "I think he's missing you, sir."

"Fraiser said we had to deal with his dependence on me." He forked eggs into his mouth and chewed the suddenly tasteless food.

"I know," Carter said into her plate. "But, well, he seems depressed, sir, since you were released. He's not eating or sleeping, and he's shown no interest in anything. If Teal'c or me aren't with him, he'll start crying. He made himself sick crying last night until Carolyn had someone get Teal'c. He quieted down but, well, I think we've lost whatever ground we'd gained. His fever was up this morning but Carolyn said she thought it was due to his weakened state and lack of sleep rather than the pneumonia."

Jack sipped his coffee and forced himself to eat despite his quickly declining appetite. "They're wrong. This isn't doing Daniel any good."

"I have to agree, sir. Carolyn and Janet thought it would be best to try and do it this way but he's just so unhappy."

"Teal'c's with him now?" Jack took a large bite of toast, chewed quickly and washed the whole mess down with the last of his coffee. When Carter nodded, Jack wiped his fingers on his napkin and started to stand. "Then I'll see what I can do about cheering Daniel up." Then he froze, remembering. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about regarding Daniel."

"Me, too, sir. Janet mentioned putting him in an institution or—"

"Putting him in foster care?"

"Yes, sir. I don't feel comfortable with that."

"Neither do I. I was sort of hoping you or Janet would take him in—"

"Me?" Carter squeaked. "I was sort of thinking maybe you could—"

"I don't think so. But Fraiser, she's got Cassie, she just doesn't have the time to deal with Daniel's issues at the moment. But if we gave her a hand, took some of the responsibilities—"

"Yes, sir." Carter's smile almost lit the room. "That's what I was thinking. Even though she'd have primary care, we could be surrogate parents, or aunts and uncles."

Some of the tension he'd been feeling eased and he nodded. "Good, I'll bring it up again and see what she says."

"You'd still be the best choice, sir," she said quietly as he walked away.

"Not gonna happen."

Carter's words haunted Jack on his way to the infirmary. He was torn. As much as he didn't want the responsibility of bringing up a child, he couldn't help but feel smug at the thought that Daniel had turned to him for solace and comfort. He was smiling as he stepped out of the elevator and his step had a bit of a bounce in it as he walked into the infirmary.

His cheerfulness faded when he saw Daniel curled up on his side, his back to Teal'c. With a hand on Daniel's leg, Teal'c was sitting forward, talking to him. There was a bit of an audible wheeze in Daniel's breathing. As Jack approached, Teal'c stopped talking as he raised his eyes towards him and nodded.

There was a breakfast tray on the rollaway table, the food on it untouched. Daniel appeared to be asleep, until Jack saw his fingers moving across a piece of blue material bundled up in his arms. Slowly Jack circled the bed until he was facing Daniel.

Face splotchy with emotions rather than fever, Daniel was staring at what looked like a wrinkled scrub top, which he held tightly to his chest. Jack had a sneaking suspicion that top was the one he'd left on the bed next to Daniel's once he'd gotten dressed yesterday.

"Hey, Sport."

Large, sad eyes turned to look at him, and Daniel's chin began to quiver. As tears began to flow down his cheeks, Daniel silently held his arms out to Jack.

"Awww, c'mere." Quickly sitting on the bed, he reached for Daniel. He was shocked at the limpness of the kid, who only made an effort to hang onto the scrub top as Jack took him into his arms. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He stood with Daniel and moved to sit in the rocking chair. "Shhh, don't cry." Jack tried to use the edge of the cotton scrub to wipe the silent tears but Daniel suddenly twisted in his lap, his knees digging into Jack's thighs as he buried his face against Jack's shirt, coughing and crying.

"Perhaps DanielJackson would now partake of his meal. He has not taken sustenance since last night and DoctorLam was considering replacing his intravenous fluids."

"Nah. Daniel's going to eat some breakfast, aren't you, buddy?" He rubbed a hand up and down Daniel's back while he slowly rocked back and forth. When the coughing stopped, Daniel sniffled and rubbed his nose against his shirt. Jack turned him around so that he was sitting in his lap. "Now, here's the rules." Jack reached for the rollaway table and pulled it close. "I sit with you for a while, and you eat all of your breakfast."

There was buttered toast with jam, so Jack picked up a triangle and handed it to Daniel, only to have Daniel rebuff him by shoving his hand away.

"I didn't finish. You eat all of your food so you can get your strength back, and then we'll be able to do things like go out and take walks. Go to the park and the zoo." Daniel's expression changed from that of defiance to almost longing as Jack spoke. Then his eyes shifted to the piece of toast in Jack's hand, and slowly he extracted his fingers from where he'd buried them in the folds of material and reached for the toast.

Two triangles and a quarter bowl of cereal later, Daniel was dozing in Jack's arms. Mindful of Fraiser's concerns, Jack gently placed Daniel on the bed. And when Daniel went to scramble back into his arms, he put a firm hand on Daniel's chest. "Rule number two. You sleep here, in the bed, while I, or Carter, or Teal'c, sit in a chair next to you."

Daniel glanced over at Teal'c, then back at Jack, and although he wasn't happy, he allowed Jack to pull the blanket up over him. He clutched the scrub top like a lifeline and brought it so that it was tucked under his chin and he could fit his thumb into his mouth without letting go. Jack smiled down at him and cupped his cheek. "Go to sleep, Danny."

Almost as if Jack had given him a subliminal command, Daniel's eyes drifted shut and his fingers relaxed their hold on the top. Jack gently wiped the last traces of tears away and sat back with a satisfied sigh.

"Have you made arrangements to take possession of DanielJackson once he is released from the infirmary?"

"I just had this conversation with Carter. I think Fraiser's the best choice for him."

"And is DoctorFraiser of the same opinion?"

"Well," Jack said, evening out the creases in the blanket. "I'm working on her."

"I see." Teal'c stood and left the infirmary, leaving Jack with the uncomfortable feeling that he'd let Teal'c down.

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To be continued