A/N's: OM... sorry about not posting this any sooner, I got so busy yesterday, I didn't even had access to a computer! Here it is, though. The last chapter.... Although I seem to remember I have a little sequel stored on my computer somewhere....

Daniel Jackson came back to the world of the living, confused and disoriented. He could vaguely remember their run back to the Stargate and how he'd managed to stay on his feet, exhausted and hurt as he was. He couldn't picture the actual stepping through the wormhole and returning to the SGC as he slowly opened his eyes and recognized the room.

The infirmary.

He sighed. Back to where he belonged, he thought wearily. Since he had joined SG-1 he'd spent more time in a hospital room than he had in the total of twenty-eight years before that.

His eyes were heavy and he fought to keep them open. Lifting his head to look through the room sent a wave of pain through his chest.

Oh. Right.

He'd cracked some ribs. Or rather, Ra had done that. Shit. Well, he'd had worse. As long as he didn't move too much the pain was not too bad, just a dull pain, flaring in his chest. He was hooked up to an IV, which explained it. Janet's miracle fluids to ease the pain. He sank back in the pillows, unable to keep his head up any longer. He was surprised he was alone in the room. Usually, Jack, Sam or Teal'c would be keeping him company, even if he slept. That meant they thought he was fast asleep then. Or?

Jack.

Damn, how could he forget? Cursing at his fuzzy memory he attempted to sit up, but he failed. He remembered now. Jack had nearly drowned and had been really bad off. If Sam and Teal'c weren't here with him, they probably were… He had to get out of bed and check on Jack.

No way he was going to sleep while his friend was struggling to stay alive. Daniel pushed himself up to a sitting position, ignoring the stabs of pain his movement caused. He could be as stubborn as Jack could when he had his mind set on something. He was going to find his friend and no stupid ribs were stopping him. He'd run all over that planet with them so a trip to the room Jack was in wasn't going to kill him.

Janet would kill him though, he thought as he removed the IV-line.

He would deal with that later. Swinging his feet off the bed he sat still, gathering his strength to get up. He gasped for breath as he got to his feet, swaying unsteadily and he had to use the bed to keep from falling over. After a minute or two the room stopped spinning and he let go of the bed, heading to the door.

Before he reached it, the door opened and the small doctor stepped inside.

"Daniel! What do you think you're doing?"

He blushed. "I need to see Jack, Janet. Is he all right?"

Taking in the grim expression on her face, he let her guide him back to the bed.

"No, he's not all right. Now sit down, so I can examine you. Then we'll talk about visiting the Colonel." She patted on the bed and he sat down. She did a routine vitals check and probed his chest to check the bandages around his ribs.

"The Colonel has pneumonia, Daniel, along with a bruised ribcage and nasty rope burns. Right now, the coughing spells are not doing him any good. He's got a high fever and we're trying to keep it under control until the antibiotics will do their job." She finished her examination and really wanted Daniel to go back to sleep. The man was just plain exhausted and needed the rest. Knowing the strong bond between him and O'Neill however, she knew that he would not rest before he'd seen his friend and before he was certain that the Colonel would be all right. So she decided to let him off the hook.

"You think you can walk with my help?"

Jackson's face lit up. He'd expected to be forced to go back to bed. He nodded and with her arm around his waist, he stood, wincing silently. He was afraid if the female doctor noticed his pain she would change her mind, so he bit on his lip and started walking. By the time they reached the ICU, he couldn't stop himself from moaning softly, but Janet said nothing. She just helped him inside the Colonel's room, motioned for Sam to gather a chair and they sat him down, on the left side of the bed.

Daniel knew his friend wasn't in a good shape, but he was shocked to see him lying restlessly in that bed. There was a lot of gauze wrapped around him, he was covered in sweat and his cheeks were flushed and burning with the fever.

O'Neill was shifting and twisting in bed, obviously caught in some weird delirious dreams. Daniel looked up at the monitor to check on his temperature, almost a 105. Damn. He grabbed Jack's hand and started whispering soothing words, as Janet worked on O'Neill, sponging and wiping the sweat off his body. Then another coughing fit hit him, forcing Daniel to watch as Sam rushed forward, lifting the weakened body from the bed. Janet rubbed the Colonel's back with one hand and held a tissue in front of his mouth with the other. They were working together as one, telling Daniel that they'd been doing this more than once before.

Finally, the coughing subsided and they lowered the exhausted man back into the pillows. Fraiser checked the monitors and adjusted something on the IV-lines, her face grim and concerned.

"On Chulak we use cold and warm wraps to assist the sick in fighting the burning fever," Teal'c said.

Janet looked up at him, wondering what he meant. She had heard of wraps before, as people in the old days used to use a similar technique but she wasn't sure if that was what he was talking about. "Wraps? Do you know how to do that?" she asked, willing to try anything at that moment.

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed I do," he said, rising to his feet. He bowed his head. "Allow me to assist you, Doctor Fraiser."

She took in the signs on the monitors. Temp 105.2. They needed to try something or the Colonel could go into shock or start having febrile convulsions. "Tell me what you need," she said.

"Grated onion," he said, without moving a muscle in his face as the three others stared surprised at him. "For his feet."

Carter stood. "I'll get them," she said, not questioning any further and left.

"Do we need to remove the bandages covering his rope burns?" the doctor asked.

Teal'c nodded. "That will be required. The warmth from the wrap will not go through those bandages."

Janet cut the bandages around the Colonel's chest off with her scissors and Daniel gasped in shock as he took in the bruised and damaged area. Especially the rope burns under the arms were marked clearly, the dark red stains in sharp contrast to Jack's pale ashen-gray skin. He examined his friend's back too, as Teal'c lifted the man for Janet to completely remove all gauze.

"Oh, God," he just whispered. He realized he'd completely missed this damage while examining his friend after their little swim. Probably the cold of the water had covered it up, not allowing the bruising to show itself yet, he thought.

He sat back, silent and worried, and watched as Janet and Teal'c used a warm cotton piece of cloth to wrap it around Jack's bare chest. Teal'c lifted the body from the bed again and Janet wrapped it underneath. Teal'c finished the work, making sure the wrap was secure, tight and without bubbles. Then he took a cold piece of cloth, and poured half of the grated onion Sam had brought back on it. He wrapped the package around one of the Colonel's feet and repeated the process with the remaining onion on the other foot.

Nodding approvingly, he sat down. "Drey-auc used to do this when our son Rya'c was sick. It assists the body in sweating and allows it to dispose the remnants of the disease," he explained.

They all waited, Fraiser keeping a close eye on her patient, while Daniel filled them in about what had happened to them on that planet. He told them about their escape through the shafts of the pyramid, their climb down the steep stone slope, their hike through the forest and how Ra and his guards had caught them again.

Sam and Janet gasped in horror when he told them how Ra's guards had dropped the Colonel several times into the river, almost long enough to drown him. Teal'c's expression was stoic as ever, but Daniel swore he spotted real anger in the Jaffa's eyes.

"So maybe the sixth or seventh time, Ra ordered his guards to pull him back up, but the rope snapped and Jack fell down. I just dove off the cliff after him. Guess that pissed Ra off…" he continued, but he was interrupted by another cough from the bed.

The two women were by the Colonel's side immediately, helping him ride it out again. By the time Jack was finished, his eyes were open, but he was too incoherent to recognize anything. A wave of sickness overwhelmed him as he started to gag and Janet grabbed a basin, holding it in front of him just in time as he started vomiting. She wiped him clean afterwards and then they settled him down. Janet checked the monitors. Temp 104.8. She bit on her lip. Hopefully it would come down. For now he was back asleep, restless and still delirious. Sighing heavily, she looked back at Daniel, waiting for him to continue his story.

"Jack managed to climb on a platform in the middle of the river and I reached him just in time to lift him out of the water since he'd lost consciousness by then. He came to pretty soon after and then the Horus guards were approaching us, aiming to shoot. So we went back into the water and the current carried us away."

"The falls!" Sam said, visually shaken by Daniel's story. "You didn't know about the falls! You fell down!"

"Oh, yeah..." Daniel shivered at the memory. "I was SO scared…"

He paused, needing to regain his composure. The others waited patiently. They could only imagine how bad that would have been for them.

"Jack still had all those ropes tied around him. They were soaked and heavy and kept pulling him under. I got to him just in time, I think. I hauled him up, placed my arms around his chest and pulled until he stopped spitting water. I managed to get us on shore somewhere." Daniel stopped, thinking back on how he'd struggled to get them to safety.

"I woke up after blacking out, I suppose, checked Jack over for injuries and he woke up, coughing and vomiting. Then Apophis' guards surrounded us and led us away. Jack was pretty bad off, coughing hard; he just couldn't stop it. He was having a hard time breathing. Then the serpent guards carried us and I lost consciousness. When I came to again, you were there to get us out."

Carter nodded, satisfied to know all the pieces of the puzzle now. Staring at the now silent archaeologist she realized how hard this must have been on him. "You've done a great job, Daniel. The Colonel is going to be proud of you," she praised him.

Teal'c agreed. "It must have taken great courage to dive off that cliff. Well done, Daniel Jackson."

Janet watched him in silence. She'd seen the younger man develop from an inexperienced, naïve person into a brave and courageous man. One who deserved every credit they gave him, and that's why General Hammond apparently had accepted his primary role in the SGC. He was a civilian, but she'd seen airmen achieving less than he'd done. And now here he was, hurt and tired but determined to stay by his friend's side. She watched as Carter approached the bed and rinsed another cloth. She checked her patient again. His pulse was still rapid, as was his breathing. His temperature did seem to lower bit by little bit. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"I'm going to check on Major Ferretti. Call me if you need me." With that, she headed to the door and left.

**********

A couple of hours, a lot of coughing fits, some feverish nightmares and incoherent moments later, Janet Fraiser sat down next to the Colonel. She was tired to the bone, not having slept in the last 34 hours. Amazingly, Daniel had managed to stay awake the whole time, sitting on the other side of the bed, as he held on to Jack's hand.

Teal'c had assisted her in another change of the wraps, as he called it. They appeared to be working. The Colonel was more quiet now, his temperature around 103.5. It was still high, but not life threatening anymore. He'd been sleeping more peacefully over the last hour and even the coughing spells seemed to be losing their force. For the rest of the time, Teal'c had sat motionless at the foot end of the bed. Someone who didn't know him could think he was sleeping, but Fraiser knew he wasn't.

Sam was slumbering in the corner of the room, exhaustion taking its toll with her. Although she was asleep, Janet also knew she would jump up the minute something happened. The doctor had been pleased to find a recovering Major Ferretti when she went to check on him. His team members took shifts to stay with him and he was getting better already, the antibiotics helping him fighting off the infection.

She must have been dozing slightly too, as she was suddenly startled by some movement from the bed. Lifting her head, she noticed how the Colonel stirred, his face screwed up from the pain this caused on his damaged back and shoulders. She rose to her feet, exchanging looks with Daniel, who'd also been alerted by the movement.

Janet placed her hand on the Colonel's shoulder and he opened his eyes, confusion evident on his face. She smiled encouragingly at him. "Try not to move too much, Sir," she softly said to him. "It will hurt your back and chest."

Daniel was also on his feet, wincing as something pulled in his chest but determined to be there for his friend. He held a glass of water in front of Jack, along with a straw. "Hi, Jack. How are you feeling?"

O'Neill stared from Janet to Daniel. Gratefully, he sipped from the glass of water and swallowed it. He was surprised how much that hurt. He felt it burning all the way down his chest and it caused a tickling sensation in his throat threatening to cause another coughing spell. He sipped some more and managed to suppress it. Assessing his condition, he felt drained, exhausted and weak. He tried lifting his hand, to make an 'I'm-fine' gesture but he found it too much of an effort. He grinned weakly. "What have I done this time?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"Oh," Daniel started, "to say it in your own words: you've had a nice vacation in Egypt. Climbed on some pyramids, did some diving…"

Ah. The snakehead.

He remembered now. Coming to think of it, he remembered a Goa'uld battle between Ra and Apophis and he couldn't decide which side he would be on. If only they could kill each other off completely, he thought. He made a face and wondered why it was so hard for him to breathe.

"Well, THAT was fun. You okay?" O'Neill took in the exhausted features of the linguist, and didn't fail to notice the stiffness in the younger man's movements.

Daniel waved him off. "I'll be fine, now that I know you will be."

Jack frowned. Daniel had been worried about him. Only now he detected Teal'c and Carter too, greeting them with a blink of his eyes. By the way Doc looked at him, fussing all over him, he must have been scaring them quite a bit. Damn, he didn't remember a thing after stepping through that Gate.

Louis! His memory suddenly reminded him that Ferretti had been hurt, a nasty wound on the thigh. Jack forced himself to grab Fraiser's wrist. "How's Ferretti doing?" The fast movement was followed by another coughing spell and Doc hauled him up into a more upright position as she waited patiently for him to finish, softly rubbing his back. It left him weak and exhausted, his chest hurting terribly and Janet gently lowered him down.

"You've got to take it easy, Colonel. You have a severe case of pneumonia, so just relax and let the medicines do their job. Allow your body to heal. Any excitement will only make it worse," she spoke firmly. "Now, Major Ferretti is doing fine, he's been asking about you already. I'll let him in to see you later, okay?"

He nodded and frowned as he realized something. He sniffed. "I'm in the infirmary, right?" His voice was still rasp from the hard and painful coughing, but he just had to ask one more thing.

"Yes, Sir, you're in the ICU," Janet reassured him.

"Then why the hell…" he paused and sniffed again. "Why do I smell onions? You haven't been having a party without me, have you?"

This time, Carter started giggling and a wide smile appeared on Daniel's face as well. Jack arched his brows.

"Actually, Sir," Sam managed to explain, "your feet are wrapped in onions… Sir."

Jack couldn't believe her; his eyes wide open in surprise. "What? For crying out loud, Doc! What have you been up to?" He wiggled his toes, felt something wrapped around his feet and hoped they were joking. He looked at her.

She gave him an amused smile. "Actually, it was Teal'c's idea, Sir."

This time Jack stared at the silent Jaffa, demanding an answer from him.

"It has indeed been by my interference that your feet are wrapped in onion, O'Neill," the big man stated, only bowing his head slightly to confirm his statement.

Jack sighed and shook his head unbelievingly. "And I thought I'd endured it all… What else have you got in mind, Teal'c?"

"You appear to be doing better, O'Neill. There will be no need for the garlic paste." The Jaffa bowed without cracking a smile and sat back down, leaving the Colonel wondering whether he was joking or not.

"Oh, now THAT's a shame… Wouldn't have missed it in the world… " he muttered under his breath and tiredly closed his eyes.

Janet Fraiser hadn't failed to notice the conversation had worn the Colonel out. He was gasping for breath and the pain obviously hindered his movements. His temperature was still far from normal and he was fighting to stay focused. Deciding it was time to end the conversation, she clapped her hands. "I'm sorry, but the Colonel still needs to rest. Daniel, so do you. I want you back in your room and asleep. Sam, take him back, please… I don't want to see you back here for another ten hours. That's an order." She didn't bother ordering Teal'c out, knowing he would stay where he was until O'Neill was better.

Watching the others leave, she turned her attention back to the weary Colonel. "Rest, Sir. Somebody will be with you the whole time, in case you have any more coughing spells. We'll talk again the next time you wake up, okay?"

He nodded tiredly at her, his eyes drifting away already and he was unaware of her checking his vitals, adjusting things on his IV and wiping his brow.

**********

Janet Fraiser walked through the corridors of the SGC, a chart in her right hand. She'd just got the results back from their latest examination on Colonel O'Neill's legs and she was pleased to find there would be no permanent damage. His pneumonia had much improved the last couple of days as well. The congestion was almost gone, his temperature was almost back to normal and the rope burns on his chest, back and under his arms were healing well. All in all, she figured he soon could start with some therapy to regain some strength and to get some movement back into those legs.

She headed directly to his room. She wasn't surprised at the laughter that came out of there, knowing that Daniel, Teal'c and Major Ferretti had been spending lots of time together. Sam had left two days ago to visit her father and hadn't returned yet.

The clicking of her heels must have alerted them as she heard them softly whisper and she could swear they muffled something away from her when she stepped into the room.

Daniel and Teal'c were sitting on one side of the bed, Major Ferretti on the other; his right leg propped up on a spare chair. The Colonel was sitting up straight in his bed and a deck of cards lay on his lap.

They were playing poker.

As guilty little boys who'd done something wrong they looked at her, innocently but secretly.

"Hi, Doc," the Colonel greeted her, a slight smile covering his face.

"Colonel," she said, trying to keep her voice stern. "I've got the results back from the tests on your legs. There's no permanent damage, Sir. Since you're improving so fast with the pneumonia as well, I think we can book your first therapy session for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, Doc, come on… Can't I just walk out of here and go home?"

Daniel almost choked in his coffee and Ferretti chuckled. Jack had been very sick for some days. He had barely regained some strength, was still unable to stay on his feet without help but wanted to go home already.

The Major pointed at his leg on the chair and challenged him. "We can do a crutch race, Sir. I'm sure I can out-limp you."

Jack threw one look at him. "Don't let my looks fool you, Major. I've got lots of experience with those damn sticks. I can even play hockey with them!"

Janet laughed. "Not in my infirmary, you won't. Sir. And remember we'll have to do this one step at the time. You're still not strong enough to go trekking the country." She sniffed. "Hmm, is that garlic?"

Jack made an innocent looking face. "Oh, yeah.I wasn't feeling too well, so Teal'c wrapped my feet in some of that stuff. I'm much better now."

Teal'c raised his brows.

Daniel stared at the wall, suppressing a smile.

Janet wasn't fooled that easily. "Oh, and he must have poured some mozzarella on your chest then, to stop the coughing, right?"

Jack looked stunned. "They do that on Chulak, too? Teal'c, my man. You still amaze me with your talents!"

Ferretti was laughing out loud now. He pulled the pizza box from under the blankets, held it in front of Fraiser and offered her a piece. "Do you want a slice?"

Janet Fraiser shook her head in disbelief but grabbed a chair, took a slice of pizza and sat down. She enjoyed seeing them all feeling better, relaxing and having fun together. They'd been through a lot and she figured it was only fair that they had these kinds of moments.

Daniel went to get her some coffee and returned with Captain Carter, who'd just come back from visiting the Tok'ra.

"Hi, Sam!" Janet greeted her friend and colleague.

Carter took in the scene in the room; pleased to see her CO was sitting straight up on the bed, looking much better than when she'd left. "Hi, guys. Having fun without me, huh?"

"Carter. Glad you can join us. How's your dad?" the Colonel questioned, while Ferretti offered her a slice of pizza as well.

"He's fine. I've got some news. The Tok'ra have been informed that Apophis has won the battle with Ra, Sir. The rumor says that Apophis killed Ra himself and that his army has been wiped out."

Daniel's face lightened up. "That's great! So now Ra is really dead!"

Ferretti looked doubtful. "I don't know who I'd rather face. Ra or Apophis. They're both not somebody you want as your best friend…"

Teal'c stated the obvious. "If it is indeed only a rumor, we cannot be sure that Ra is truly dead."

The Colonel snorted. "Oh, but we can be sure, Teal'c. We can be sure he isn't dead at all. He will be back. I know he will," his voice faded and he stared at the wall, lost in his thoughts. Meeting Ra again was not what he was looking forward to, but he knew it was inevitable. He would just have to deal with that when the moment was there.

He was suddenly aware of his friends staring at him, so he tried lightening the mood. "We'll just have to wrap him in onions and garlic when he shows up. We'll throw him off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with a rope around his neck. Then we'll let him swim down the rapids of the Colorado River. See how he likes that." He grabbed the deck of cards and started shuffling. "Was it my turn to deal?"

***** THE END *****

A/N's: There! All done! Liked it? Hope you did, it was much fun writing it! Thanks for reading, folks....