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Suggested
Rating: for teen and
older readers
Category: missing scene, Daniel/Janet friendship
(possible romance)
Setting: Season 7, Orpheus (picks up with the scene where Jack and Daniel have just attempted
to have a “pep talk” with Teal’c)
Synopsis: Daniel gets a little advice on how to
help a friend, and maybe himself as well
Author’s
Comments: This is for
Isabelle, because she’s responsible for my muse tackling this
idea. She’d commented in a
live journal thread that she’d recently watched Orpheus again, and felt there really needed to be a missing scene
in there with Daniel and Janet.
I’m always game for a little missing scene contemplation, so
this is the result. Hope everyone
enjoys. And thanks to my faithful
beta reader, Sonia.
DISCLAIMER: All
publicly recognizable characters and places (the Stargate SG-1 stuff)
are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and
Double Secret Productions. This
piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement
on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and
places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
RECOVERY
- by
Michelle Lunsford (October 2004)
Gee, that went well, Daniel thought as he stood and
followed Jack into the hallway.
Not bothering to hide the sarcasm he said, “Yep, you’re
right – not exactly peppy.”
“Oh
what did you want me to say to they guy?” Jack retorted.
Daniel
felt the stirrings of a familiar irritation. “Well he’s lost his
confidence, and I think he was looking for you to reinstill some.”
Jack
looked him straight in the eye as he argued, “Well if he really has
lost his mojo, there’s nothing I can say
that’s gonna get it back for him.”
“It’s
all in his head,” Daniel countered, his expression equally adamant.
The
colonel sighed, but didn’t back down. “If he doesn’t think
he’s ready, he’s not
ready.”
Daniel
unflinchingly held his friend’s gaze, but he could feel a heavy sigh
forming as well. He knew Jack had
a point. He just didn’t
like the idea of giving up on Teal’c or – worse yet –
allowing Teal’c to give up on himself.
Jack
eased past him, communicating that he clearly considered the conversation
over. Fighting a growing sense of
frustration, Daniel glanced back into the room. Teal’c still sat there,
stone-faced and staring off into space.
No, he silently observed, this is definitely not over.
Shoving his
hands in his pockets, Daniel turned and headed down the corridor. He made his way automatically,
allowing his thoughts to dwell on their troubled friend. He was just about to turn the corner
when a slight figure suddenly appeared from the other side and stumbled into
him.
“Oh
Daniel, I am so sorry,” Janet hastily apologized as she bent down to
pick up the papers that had scattered across the floor. “I guess that’s what I get
for trying to read medical files while walking down the hall.”
“It’s
okay,” he assured, kneeling to assist in the cleanup. “I wasn’t exactly paying
attention to where I was going either.” Stretching to retrieve the last paper,
he then stood and offered Janet a hand to help her up.
“Thanks,”
she said, taking the papers from him and shoving them in the folder she
carried. “I guess
we’ll both have to be more careful in the future.”
“Yeah,”
he replied absently, his thoughts returning to their former course. He moved to step past the petite
doctor, but a light touch on his arm halted him.
“I’d
asked Colonel O’Neill to speak with Teal’c a little
earlier,” Janet said, meeting his gaze. “By any chance would you happen
to know if the colonel’s been by to see him?”
Daniel
nodded. “I just came from
there, actually. Jack and I both
talked to him – for all the good it did.”
A slight
frown began to form at the corner of Janet’s mouth and Daniel instantly
regretted the negative tone he’d used. One of the many things he’d
remembered since returning from an ascended state of being was that a frown
from Doctor Frasier was not a good sign.
Janet
drew the medical file against her chest, crossed her arms, and in a low voice
said, “I’m afraid this may be one instance where that famous Jaffa stubbornness is
working against our friend.”
Daniel
looked at her curiously.
“What do you mean?”
Her gaze
drifted down the corridor, toward the infirmary as she began, “I know
this hasn’t been easy for him.
Suffering a serious injury, and so soon after beginning use of the tretonin…” She pulled her attention back and
looked at him steadily.
“Recovery from something like this doesn’t involve only
the physical, Daniel. There are
also emotional and mental components to it. So, in a sense, Teal’c
isn’t going to be fully
recovered until he’s dealt with all those aspects.”
“I
understand that,” he agreed.
“I just wish…”
Pausing, Daniel was suddenly struck with a nearly overwhelming desire
to vent some of his frustration.
And, as had been happening increasingly during the previous weeks as
his memory continued to return, he found himself most comfortable doing that
with this particular friend.
“What?”
she pressed. Her eyes were warm
with compassion.
“I
just wish there was some way I could help him,” he confessed.
Janet
smiled slightly as she touched his arm again. “I know you do. But it’s going to take
time. Teal’c has to deal
with this in his own way. The
best thing we can do is just be there for him, keep encouraging him. Don’t allow him to push you
away, Daniel – even if that seems exactly what he’s trying to
do.”
He
nodded, but her advice did little to ease his aggravation. “I know you’re right, but
it doesn’t make it any easier.
And it also doesn’t help that I don’t feel like I’m
doing anything…” he waved his hand, “tangible –
anything active to help.”
Janet’s
attention wandered toward the infirmary again as she bit at her lower lip.
What’s she thinking? Daniel wondered, and as the
silence built he considered asking her outright.
“Actually,
there may be something you can
do,” she finally hinted.
“Yes?”
Janet
hesitated slightly, her eyes still fixed on the room farther down the
hall. “I’m not
entirely sure about this, but I think Teal’c hasn’t been doing
his kel noreem as
much since he lost the symbiote.”
“Okay…”
Daniel replied, uncertain exactly what to make of this revelation.
She
turned to face him. “From a
strictly medical standpoint, I don’t think this is necessarily a
danger. The tretonin
doesn’t require any kind of mental connection, they way Teal’c’s symbiote
did. However, I can’t help
but think that it might be good for him to continue the practice – to kel noreem for
other reasons.”
He
nodded, beginning to pick up on her train of thought now. “So, you think I should talk to
him about that?”
“Actually,
I was going to suggest that you offer to kel noreem with him.”
Daniel
blinked, somewhat at a loss how to reply. But before he could consider an
answer, Janet took a step closer, her expression softening slightly.
“You
may not remember it, but there were times in the past when you and
Teal’c… meditated together.
And even though it was a different experience for you than it was for
Teal’c, I know he always appreciated the gesture of respect and
friendship you made in sharing those times with him.”
Crossing
his arms, Daniel leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “Actually, I think I do
remember,” he admitted.
Images quickly flitted through his mind, dancing in and out of focus
like a candle’s flame. A
gentle pressure on his hand caused him to open his eyes again and he found
Janet had stepped even closer, her large brown eyes purposefully seeking his.
“And
maybe it will help you as much, if not more, than it will help
Teal’c.”
The
implication of her statement threatened to rile him, but the clear reflection
of affectionate concern in her expression stalled any such reaction. Unexpectedly, other scenes began to
flicker in his mind’s eye now – Janet’s faithful attendance
to him in the infirmary, her pleasant smile as she dropped by his lab to say
hello, her playful yet unyielding scolding when he was drinking too much
coffee. As he held her gaze,
Daniel felt an undeniable warmth settle between
them. He couldn’t shake the
notion that although Janet was one of many friends who were dear to him,
there was a level of comfort and trust associated with her that he simply did
not get with anyone else.
The
impression seemed to linger for a second longer and then, as quickly as it
had appeared, it was gone. Janet
pulled her hand away and stepped back.
When she spoke, her tone was almost apologetic.
“Sam
mentioned to me that you’d been spending a lot of time going through
records of recent Gate activity – that you’re trying to find
something, but you just can’t pinpoint what it is.”
Daniel
sighed, dropping his hands by his side.
“Yes. But I
haven’t been having much luck.”
“I’m
sorry.” Her eyes reflected
genuine sympathy as she softly said, “It must be very frustrating for
you.”
He
nodded. “I think I could
live with not remembering the time from when I was ascended if I could just
shake this nagging sense that somehow I’m supposed to remember.”
Recalling what he’d said to Sam during one of those recent
record searches he went on, “I wish I knew that my…”
He struggled to find the right word, “my return truly was for
the best. I can’t stop
second guessing myself, wondering if I could be doing more good if I were
still ascended.”
He looked
to Janet, instinctively knowing that even if she couldn’t give advice
or words of wisdom, she would at least offer reassurance and
understanding. But to his
surprise he saw that her face was suddenly stony, and her mouth had settled
into a hard, thin line.
“I
don’t mean to belittle your feelings, Daniel, or your struggle with
this.” Her tone was steady
and low, but there was an unmistakable fervor simmering underneath. “I can’t speak to what you
may have been able to accomplish as an ascended being. For that matter, I can’t even
begin to imagine what you must have experienced, or what it was
like.” She shook her head
slightly. “And while
it’s true that no one is completely irreplaceable, I do know that you and your influence
were greatly missed during the past year. You were – you are – very much a special part
of what goes on around here. We
need you. And for what it’s
worth, I don’t even want to contemplate the idea of losing you all over
again.”
A heavy
silence lingered between them.
Janet’s gaze faltered, and her voice fell even lower as she
continued, “I suppose that’s a rather selfish view to take of the
whole thing.”
“No,
it’s alright,” Daniel quickly assured. Again he was struck by the notion that
his friendship with this woman had been something unique compared to all
other relationships. Although he
was fairly confident that the majority of his memories had returned, it
suddenly occurred to him to wonder if perhaps at some point in the past he
and Janet had been more than just friends. But try as he might, he couldn’t
pinpoint any specific recollection to verify that. Of
course, not being able to remember anything specific doesn’t
necessarily contradict the idea either, he thought with some
frustration. Sighing heavily he
noticed that Janet was still avoiding meeting his eyes, and her expression
was bemused, as if maybe she were wondering if she’d spoken out of
turn.
He sought
her gaze and managed a slight smile.
“You’ve always been a good friend to me, Janet –
honest and straightforward, telling me what I needed to hear.” Placing a hand on her shoulder he
added, “I appreciate that, more than I probably ever let you
know.”
The
radiance of her returning smile lit up her entire face.
“Well
then,” Daniel said, shifting his weight slightly from one foot to the
other. Removing his hand from her
shoulder he shoved it into a pocket and pointed with the other towards the
infirmary. “I’ll just
go back and have another talk with Teal’c. See if maybe he’s up for a bit
of kel noreem.”
“Good
luck,” Janet encouraged.
With a
nod he turned to go. He’d
barely taken a couple of steps when Janet called out to him.
“And
Daniel?”
He
paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Thank
you.”
Something
about the tone of her voice told him her gratitude was for more than simply
his agreeing to this task involving Teal’c. Another tiny smile flickered across
her features and then she turned, heading down a side corridor.
Taking a
deep breath, Daniel considered their recent conversation. Janet had a point – Teal’c
wasn’t the only one around here in need of some additional
recuperation. Maybe some quiet time in meditation will
do me some good, he reflected.
Maybe it will help me figure out
what it is I’m supposed to be remembering from my ascension, or what
I’m supposed to find in those Gate records. As he continued down the hallway to
speak with his friend, his thoughts momentarily fixed on Janet again. And
who knows what other memories might be revealed, he wondered. Who
knows…
~ THE END
~
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