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"You really should get some sleep," she whispered.

The colonel shook his head as he pushed himself back into a sitting position on the hard chair. His body protested at the movement, muscles groaning at the effort. She heard him sigh and stepped behind his chair, bending forward to kiss the top of his head absently. He leant back against her, feeling the warmth of her body through his green shirt. She massaged his tired shoulders and neck, eliciting a deep moan from the soldier.

"Jack, I’ll be here, you go and sleep.." she leant forward and whispered in his ear. Sad brown eyes looked down at the man lying in the bed before him. Jack’s hand reached out then hesitated. Janet squeezed his shoulders.

"We’re alone," she assured him. He reached out and took the pale, soft hand in his own, bringing it up to brush his lips over the fuzzy back of the hand.

"He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?" It wasn’t so much a question but a desperate plea for reassurance. Janet squeezed his shoulders again.

"I can't say at this stage. I’ll know more when he wakes…"

Those were not the words Jack wanted to hear. His eyes screwed shut and  he felt her kiss the top of his head again.

"He’s pulled through worse situations than this though, Jack," she reminded him but her words fell on deaf ears. He was lost in memories  of blue eyes twinkling, pink lips parted in a smile.... *his* Danny.
Janet reached down and hugged Jack when she heard his shaky inhale of breath. Her lips pressed against his ear lightly, her breath warmed him considerably. Thank God that she, Sam and Teal'c knew about his month long affair with Daniel already. It made this much easier to bear,  knowing that they knew enough to allow him time to grieve and worry..  without awkward and embarrassing questions.

Jack’s eyes traced the clear tube from Daniel’s mouth to the machine behind him.

"What’s that?" he asked, pointing a weak finger at the tube.

"Oxygen," she said, her hands absently rubbing him in some form of comfort.

Jack nodded. "He can't breath without it?"

Janet closed her brown eyes briefly. She’d never lied to Jack before so she wasn’t about to start now.

"No. Not at this stage…"

She regretted that immediately as Jack pushed up and started pacing the confines of the small room. She swiveled on the spot to look at her worried friend, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the broken body in the bed. Worry caused him to chew at his bottom lip, hands pushing hair back off the face, lacing together behind the head then flopping down the sides of his body, unsure what they should be doing now that they were no longer holding him.

"Jack," she came over so quietly that she was infront of him before he knew it, her hands on his waist, trying to get him to turn from his lover in the bed. Finally the brown eyes tore from the pallid face and
he turned to face her.

"Go and shower, at least. You’ve been in those clothes for 8 hours now. They really need to be destroyed.."

Both looked down at the blood soaked fatigues Jack was wearing, the stench all the more apparent now that she'd brought their attention to it again. His hand trembled as it passed over the dried blood.

Daniel’s blood.   Jack’s eyes lifted; fear and terror registered behind the numbness.

"Shower, toss those and get a new set," she told him again.  He nodded numbly then looked back at Daniel.

"I’ll be here for him," she reassured him, yet again.

"If he wakes.. tell him.." Jack mind suddenly filled with images of the attack at the stargate. Daniel was trying desperately to dial them home…

"Tell.. him…"

Jack was trying to keep him safe. Teal'c was right beside him, aiming and firing his staff weapon as the colonel fired rapid-fire into the oncoming attackers.

Janet looked at the saddened face. The hollow eyes. She wished he wouldn’t keep remembering, but she knew he couldn’t stop himself…

Brown eyes met in an intense stare. "Tell him I love him," was all he muttered. Janet nodded, her hand reassuringly squeezing his bicep as he headed away with one more look over his shoulder at his lover.

In the corridor Jack rubbed his tired face briskly as he stumbled along, his shoulder dragging against the smooth surface of the wall, basically the only thing keeping him up on his feet as he made his way to the amenities block.

Daniel had pressed the last chevron, and lifted his hand to press the red onyx-like centre. Jack had only glimpsed at him, unable to fully comprehend the sight as he watched Daniel’s stomach explode onto the
silver and red surface of the DHD. The young archaeologist had arched backwards with the impact before slumping forward onto the DHD - lifelessly.

Jack didn’t hear his own yells over the gunfire, but he saw Sam turn her head, looking over, and he saw instantly as she realised the situation, diving to catch Daniel even before the young man hit the ground. Her usually pretty face contorted as she yelled to the others for help, Daniel’s blood dripped from her long blonde fringe as she struggled under his weight. Teal'c picked up the near dead body, tossing it
effortlessly over one shoulder as he ran through the gate, desperate to get his friend away from more danger. Jack felt a tug on his shoulder and saw that Sam had grabbed him, running backwards, gun firing at the attackers, yelling at him to ‘come on’…

She’d basically saved his life, pulled him from danger and he couldn’t remember thanking her.

Back in the safety of the Gate room, Teal'c had stumbled under the weight of Daniel, finally succumbing to the damage caused to his own body from the guns of the enemy. Jack had grappled over to Daniel,
lifting the younger man into his arms, holding and desperately not trying to give away their secrets… all the while his heart breaking as he watched his lover slowly slip away in a state of unconsciousness.
Jack hugged him closely to his chest, whispering for him to hold on, to stay alive.. to wait.. until the Doc could arrive. Sam had gone to check on Teal'c, already recovering with the help of his Goa’uld, but he
was still weak. He was fine 5 hours later and was now in his room, resting. Sam, though, where was she? He needed to go and thank…

"Jack!" he heard the yell from the other end of the corridor and swung around. Janet was half way down running towards him, her hands holding the stethoscope around her neck, keeping it from falling as she ran.  He started back to her, his feet trying to get him to her quickly, his heart almost too scared to hear what she had to say.

They met in the middle of the empty corridor. He looked at her face, saw her desperately trying to catch her breath.

"He’s awake.." she puffed, then smiled, her soft brown eyes crinkling with sheer happiness.

Jack looked down the hall in the direction she had just come from, then down at her, confusion registering on his face.

"Awake?"

She nodded then laughed softly as she gripped his arm, sensing he was too stunned to move on his own accord. "He’s asking after you.." she said as they ran back towards the lifts again.

"He’s .. okay?" Jack asked, his heart thumping in his throat.

"His signs are good Jack," she said as they stepped into the lift and she reached forward to press the button.

"He’s asking after me, means.. he’s.. okay then, doesn’t it?" Again, he wasn’t asking, rather more he was seeking reassurance. Janet smiled and patted his back gently.

"It means he’s awake.. and asking after you. His signs are hopeful," she smiled as the doors slipped open and they headed towards the Infirmary together, Jack’s steps just that little bit longer, faster
and eager than hers.

He shot her a quick look as they reached the door, hovering in the corridor, almost too afraid of going inside.

"I told him what you asked me to tell him.." she said.

The smile wasn’t one of happiness, but one of gratitude. "And he said...?"

Janet indicated into the room that they were procrastinating out the front of now. The time had come. He caught his breath as he watched the young Asian nurse fussing around the bed, then he saw Daniel roll
his head towards the door, his hooded eyes still twinkled as he smiled.

He looked like hell, but he was beautiful!

Jack stepped in hesitantly, allowing time for Janet to dismiss the nurse then she pulled the door shut behind her, giving them the privacy they needed.

"Danny," he whispered as he shook his head. The young man held up his hand weakly, the tubes spilling off the edge of the bed. Jack snatched up the hand, wanting to relieve his lover of the effort of holding it
out to him as much as he wanted to just hold it in his own. He kissed each fingertip, his tears unashamedly falling down his face now.

"Oh.. god.. Danny.." he cried softly.

Blue eyes filled with their own tears, pooling and blurring his vision until he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, forcing them to spill down his cheek.

"And he said… I love you too.." was all Daniel said, answering the question Jack had asked outside the room. The men smiled at each other then Daniel coughed softly, his whole body wracked with effort and pain. He groaned but Jack was there to stroke his brow gently, his words cooed softly as his lips brushed the pale cheek.

"Shhh, baby…"

Daniel’s breaths were still quite raspy. "You picked a hell of a time to tell me you loved me, Jack…"

The colonel pulled back, his brown eyes searching the face before him, love obvious in his gaze.

"No, you picked a hell of a time to go and get blown apart, space monkey!  I fully intended to tell you I loved you tonight over dinner.." he smiled as he continued to stroke his lover’s damp forehead.

Daniel smiled then coughed some more, this time Jack shushed him gently as he kissed his forehead over and over.

"Sleep, baby… we have a lot to talk about .. later…"  he pulled back and looked into the blue eyes, dulled by pain and weakness, but still beautiful. "I’m gonna be right here…"

Daniel wet his lips then shook his head ever-so-slightly.

"You need a shower…" he whispered.  Jack stared at him then laughed.

"Okay, I’ll shower and THEN I’ll be right back…"

"And change those clothes…" Daniel murmured. Jack looked down at the clothes again.

"Well, I was about to do all that when you decided to wake up again," he caressed the face softly.

"Fine," Daniel said, almost asleep again, "blame me…" He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, but this time Jack wasn’t worried. He looked up at the monitors and then down at the sleeping man.

Bending down he whispered, "Sleep, space monkey," then he kissed the pasty cheek. "I love you."

Leaving the room he indicated to Janet to go in. She smiled and patted his stomach as she passed him.

"I’m going to grab a shower…" he thumbed over his shoulder. She nodded, glad to see the color returned to his face again.

"He’ll sleep a while, so take your time…"

Jack smiled then he reached over and kissed Janet’s cheek. "Thanks," he whispered. She nodded and smiled.

"Off you go.."

With another quick look at his lover, Jack headed out of the infirmary and back towards the amenities block, this time he took long, fast steps and he couldn’t hide the smile twitching at his lips.

Daniel was going to be okay, and what was more, he loved him too!!

THE END
 

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