Next Time: The Beach!

The first thing that Daniel became aware of as he slowly woke up was someone hammering on his door. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but then the person started shouting, making that goal impossible. He dragged himself out of bed and looked at his clock. 6am. God.

Daniel had had a total of two hours sleep. He had been working on a translation until the small hours of the morning and finally went to bed after he could no longer see the text. It was a luxury he allowed himself from time to time, being able to work on something that was not related to the Stargate project. After all they had all been given a week off, why shouldn't he?

Bleary eyed, he stumbled to his door. The shouting and banging had reached intolerable levels and he quickly tried to unlock the door and let whoever it was in.

Jack had been hammering on Daniel's door for the past ten minutes. He knew that his friend could be a heavy sleeper, especially when he was tired, but this was getting beyond a joke.

"C'mon Danny, I know you're in there. Get up you lazy little..." Before he could finish his insult he heard the sound of the locks being undone and the door being opened.

"Finally." Jack said as he pushed past his friend and walked into the apartment. "What kept you?"

He turned around and got a good look at Daniel. He took in the red rimmed eyes, the messed up hair and the blue robe he was wearing

"Jesus, Daniel. You look awful."

Daniel opened his mouth to say something but before he could get a word out, Jack was speaking again. It took all the effort he could muster from his tired brain to concentrate on what Jack was saying.

"Well I have got just the thing you need." As he was speaking he began moving around the apartment, packing clothes in a bag. "The General thought it might be good for us if we got away from the base for a while so I booked us four rooms at this neat little place in the mountains. It's an outdoor adventure center. You know, rafting, abseiling, hiking, that sort of thing."

Daniel just stood in the middle of his living room, stunned.

"What are you waiting for?" Asked Jack when he noticed that Daniel was not moving. "We need to get going, we have to pick up Carter by 6:30 and then stop off at the base to get Teal'c. Go. And. Get. Dressed." The last four words he said very slowly as if talking to someone very, very dumb. Daniel was unable to form a coherent thought so he just shuffled off to his bathroom to get ready for what lay ahead.

In the car Daniel finally found his voice, enough to start to question Jack's brilliant idea.

"Jack are you sure this is a good idea? I mean I was quite enjoying my time off staying at home."

"Don't be silly Daniel." He said "All my ideas are good,"

"Yeah, right." Was muttered from the seat beside him.

"And you were not taking a real holiday, you were working!"

"I was not working I was reading." Daniel really hated it when Jack made fun of his work.

"Listen I am not going to argue about this. You are coming with us on this little trip and you are going to have a good time. Just be thankful I let you bring along that giant tome to read on the way there!" At that point they arrived at Carter's house to find her waiting outside.

"See there is someone who can be ready on time." Jack pointed out as Sam got into the car.

"Hey if I had known about this little trip, then maybe I would have been ready." Daniel replied sharply.

"Good morning, Guys. Daniel you look awful."

"Gee, thanks Sam."

"Don't mind him, Carter. He spent last night reading some manuscript written in ancient Greek.."

"Sumarian, actually. There is a great deal of difference." Daniel corrected.

"And didn't get much sleep. I woke him up so he's a little cranky." Jack carried on as if he hadn't heard his friend.

"I am not cranky!"

"Yes you are."

"I am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Guys, Guys. Please it is far too early to start bickering." Sam snapped

The pair of them turned their heads around to look at her. Daniel had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, whereas Jack just grinned at her.

Suddenly a thought came to Daniel and he asked,

"How come Same knew about this and I didn't?"

"I rang you but you didn't pick up the phone."

Jack had a somewhat guilty look on his face when he replied.

"No you didn't. I was in all day yesterday and I don't remember the phone ringing once."

"Yeah, Colonel," Sam chipped in, "How come you didn't tell Daniel about your little idea. You told me last week."

Jack had really begun to squirm. "All right, I didn't tell you because I knew that you would find an excuse not to come. If I surprise you with these things and don't give you any time to think about it then you can't argue." He said sheepishly. " Well you're here now, why don't we get going." With that he started the car and they were on their way.

Half an hour into the journey and everyone had settled down. Sam was busy trying to explain the concept of an outdoor adventure holiday to Teal'c whilst Daniel was reading his book. Occasionally he would let out a snort or chuckle at what he read. At one point he burst into laughter.

"O.K. What is so funny?" Asked Jack from the drivers seat.

Daniel was desperately trying to calm down. He had tears streaming down his face and was holding his sides.

"I'm sorry that was just so funny." He said trying to catch his breath. Sam took the book from his hand as he gathered himself together enough to give a sensible reply. She started to read the page that he had been at.

"I really don't see what is funny about this book, Daniel. It's all about ancient Egypt, why is that comical?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized. " I suppose I should explain."

"Ya think?"

Daniel just glared at his friend. "You see the guy that wrote this book was a professor of mine at college. He wasn't a very good professor, well I didn't thin so anyway, but he was well liked within the archeological community and many people stood by his theories. Well he was one of the main men within academic circles that ridiculed my theories,"

"Daniel, everyone ridiculed your theories. If I recall most of them thought you were completely nuts."

"Thank you for that wonderful reminder, Jack. Anyway, I was right."

"Yeah, you'll just never be able to tell anyone about it."

"Sir, will you just let him finish the story. You can state the obvious later."

"Thank you, Sam." Daniel said with a glare at O'Neill. "Well as I was saying the guy that wrote the book really didn't think very much of my theories. I like to keep up on the latest fictions that they all keep producing. Knowing what I know now means that some of these books can be quite amusing. Well this one is downright hilarious. He couldn't be more wrong if he tried." With that he started laughing again.

"Daniel, you have a very nasty streak in you." Jack said as Sam handed Daniel the book. It was nice to see Daniel laugh for a change. They all knew that he did not have a lot to laugh about in the last few years. The mood in the car was lifted another notch.

They arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon. They were all glad to get out of the car and stretch their legs.

"Well it certainly has a lovely view." Said Sam. The hotel was situated on the side of a valley deep in the mountains. From the car park they could see the river below, winding its way through the hillsides, cutting a path through the rock. Trees could be seen covering most of the lower aspects of the mountains, giving a softer covering compared to the bare rock of the mountain tops. Not high enough to receive a permanent covering of snow but with enough altitude to prevent much growth of plants other than a few scrubby looking bushes and moss.

Despite his initial aversion to the holiday Daniel was looking at the mountains with some delight.

"I bet it is great hiking here." He said with enthusiasm.

"Daniel, you are not going to spend the whole week just walking around. I am personally going to make sure that you try out some of the other activities here."

"Jack I really don't think that I would enjoy them."

"Nonsense. You'll love it." Said Jack as he walked into the lobby of the hotel.

"Don't worry," Said Sam. "Just do what you want to do. Don't let the Colonel bully you." She and Teal'c walked inside, leaving Daniel muttering to himself.

"Don't let him bully you. Don't let him bully you. Yeah Right!"

O'Neill had kindly booked individual rooms for them all and they all took themselves upstairs to unpack.

Daniel got to his room and sunk down onto the bed. The night before had begun to catch up to him and soon he was fast asleep. He was woken up some time later by a knock at his door. It wasn't the heavy pounding that had woken him up that morning but a soft gentle tapping. He got up off the bed and answered the door.

"Oh, hello Sam. What can I do for you?" he asked his visitor.

"Well it is half past seven, you know." She said gently.

"Oh damn, we were all supposed to meet at seven, weren't we?" He said and went back inside the room, motioning for Sam to follow. "I'm sorry I fell asleep and, well..."

"I understand." She responded. "From what Jack tells me you were up pretty late last night. Was it interesting?"

"Was what interesting?" Daniel asked, only half listening as he hunted for his shoes.

"The manuscript? The one that was sent to you the other day, I was at your place when it was delivered, remember?"

"Oh, THAT manuscript." Finally realizing what she was talking about. "Not really. It was an entry from a journal written by a prince. It wasn't all that special, he was young and nothing really happened. It was sent to me because it was in a strange dialect, probably one of the lesser educated dynasties, with the hopes that I would be able to decipher it and make a wondrous discovery for them." The last sentence was delivered with a tinge of bitterness.

"Who is 'them'?" Sam asked.

"Sorry?" Daniel had found hi shoes and was busy putting them on so didn't hear the question.

"I said, 'Who is 'them'?'"

"Oh just some old colleagues of mine." He said in a tone that meant 'Please don't get into this.' So Sam dropped the subject.

"I'm surprised that Jack wasn't the one to come and get me. He would just love waking me up twice in one day."

"He was going to but I stopped him. As you said he would take too much pleasure in it and I thought the last thing you needed was him hammering on your door as if there was a fire in the building, so I volunteered."

"Well thank you Sam." Daniel said as they exited his room and made their way down stairs.

"Well, well, well. Sleeping Beauty. I'm glad you could grace us with your presence." Jack said sarcastically as Daniel and Sam joined him and Teal'c in the lounge. Daniel just ignored him and sat in one of the big chairs near the window. He looked out the window quickly and was stunned by the view. The sun was beginning to descend behind the mountain on the west side of the valley. It was a blazing ball of orange fire which seemed to set alight to the trees and rocks as it passed on its way.

He reluctantly turned his eyes away from the splendor of the site as Jack had begun talking of what they all could do the next day. There was a lot of activities on offer. White water rafting down of the river. Caving in the rocks down in the valley. Abseiling and Rock climbing in the mountains. None of them sounded particularly appealing to Daniel. In fact they all sounded quite dangerous.

"Listen Jack, if you don't mind I think I'll just go for a walk in the mountains tomorrow. I really don't like the sound of some of the other stuff."

"Ah, come on Danny. You have to be a bit more adventurous for a change. You don't know that you don't like it until you try."

"I really don't think so. I put my life in danger every day at work, why should I do it on my holidays too?" he countered.

"Daniel you study ancient cultures everyday too, that doesn't stop you from doing that in your spare time, does it?"

"So, I like doing that. I don't enjoy dying. Believe me I have done it several times!" He said the last part in a hushed voice so no one outside of their little group would hear. "Listen, maybe I'll do something else later on in the week. Satisfied?"

"O'Neill, I do not understand why you insist that DanielJackson do something that he would prefer not to. It is not necessary for him to participate in these activities."

"Thank You, Teal'c"

"Fine, fine. I surrender. Go for a walk tomorrow, but I am going to get you to do something later on in the week." O'Neill conceded. "How about you Sam?"

"Well if it's all the same to you Sir, I think I'll join Daniel on his walk tomorrow. I feel like relaxing before I get into all the heavy sporty stuff. That is if you don't mind Daniel?" She asked.

"Sure, it's fine by me."

"Oh for crying out loud, isn't anyone going to be a bit adventurous?" Jack pleaded.

"I will join you O'Neill."

"Finally, someone who isn't afraid of the unknown." He said joyfully. "So what do you feel like Teal'c? How about a bit of white water rafting."

"I do not know. What is this White Water Rafting?" Jack then launched into a long monologue about the rush of hurtling down river rapids in a rubber dinghy.

The next morning Daniel was already waiting for her as Sam got downstairs. He was dressed in black bdu style pants with stout hiking boots, a navy coloured fleece and a light weight blue waterproof over the top. At his feet was a small Daypack. He was dressed for the weather as, overnight, the air had taken on a definite chill and it looked as if rain was going to fall later on.

He was talking top the receptionist and looking at a map. As she approached Sam could hear the tale end of the conversation. The young lady was quite obviously attracted to the archeologist, she was taking every opportunity to flutter her eyelids and touch his hand. Daniel, however, was oblivious to it. Sam had seen this type of reaction from the women on the base, all of them tripping over themselves to get Daniel's attention.

None of it worked, to Daniel there was only one woman who had his attention and she was now an alien host on another planet. Sam knew the appeal that her friend held, she had noticed it herself, but she knew that she wouldn't act unless Shau'ri was gone for good or Daniel decided to give up the fight. She knew that the later was never going to happen and it was probably best to just think of Daniel as a good friend, a brother.

"If you go up to this side of the mountain, Sir, there are dome old nature trails. They might be a bit overgrown, so be careful, most people don't really go hiking around here anymore." The young lady was saying. "They should be perfectly safe though."

"Thank you, I'll talk to my friend about it." Daniel replied.

Sam had to change her assessment of the situation, Daniel had noticed the woman's attentions and was quite uncomfortable with it. Sam Decided to take some action. She walked up to Daniel and put her arms around him.

"Good Morning Darling." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Daniel looked a bit shocked but then noticed the wink that Sam gave him and played along with the game, anything to stop the receptionist from bothering him for the rest of the week. It was something they had done before. Usually it was Daniel who did the rescuing. They would often go out together as friends and they were both prone to unwanted attention and so had perfected the technique of pretending to be lovers to get rid of suitors that wouldn't get the hint.

"Good morning, Sam. "He greeted her with a kiss on the lips.

"Whoa, where did that come from!? That's not the usual game plan!" Sam thought, but when she looked at his face he seemed just to be playing along with the ruse. A look back at the receptionist showed that their little play had worked. The woman was even looking quite hostile towards Sam.

"Well, thank you for your help." Daniel said and he and Sam walked over to the entrance to the lobby.

"Thanks for the rescue, Sam. I thought I'd never get away."

"Your Welcome." She said still quite stunned from the kiss. To get past the matter she decided to ask about the route they would take. "So which way are we going today?"

"Well there are supposedly some really nice trails up on this side of the mountain, they're a bit of a hike but there should be no problem with them." Daniel said as he pointed to some small lines marked on the map he got from the reception.

"They sound good to me. Shall we make a move?" Sam asked. Daniel nodded and they set off.

After about an hour hiking over quite rough terrain, they found the entrance to the trail. The receptionist had said that tit hadn't been used in quite a while but they hadn't expected so much undergrowth covering the trail.

"Are you happy to carry on?" Daniel asked "We could go back an try a different way."

"No, I'm fine if you are." Sam replied "It seems a shame to come this far just to turn back again. Besides I'm not about to let a few weeds stand in my way."

"Fine. Shall we continue, Ladies first." Daniel indicated that she should start on the trail with a flourished bow. Sam just laughed and pushed him in front of her. Friendly laughter could be heard coming from the trail.

The further they got under the trees the fewer weeds they encountered. The new green leaves of spring filtered the light and dappled the ground with yellow spots. That along with the birdsong and the occasional rustle of the undergrowth gave the trail an untouched, peaceful feel. Along the way Daniel would point out various geological phenomena, explaining their formation as he went. Sam was fascinated. She had never really been interested in geography in school, preferring to spend more time on maths and physics. Seeing it now in reality it seemed all the more interesting.

"Maybe it's the teacher you find more interesting." Sam thought to herself She immediately tried to divert that train of thought by asking, "How do you know so much about all this, Daniel?"

"Every archeologist knows this stuff." He replied. "Archeology isn't just about language and cultures. Although I chose to specialize on the more theoretical side of things, I still had to learn the practical side, like geography and geophysics. If you're lucky enough to get the funding then geophysics can save you an awful lot of time on a dig." His face took on a despondent look, "Unfortunately I don't get a lot of opportunity to use this part of my field." Sam suddenly felt the need to ask another question.

"Daniel, do you ever regret sticking with your theories, being rejected by the rest of your field?" He took some time to think about it, looking at the trees and the light around him.

"Sometimes I do, if I'm honest. I tend to get like that after a bad mission or if I'm tired. I wouldn't change it though." He looked at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "I have had the opportunity that no one else in my field has, I have traveled to other planets. I have seen cultures that, although long dead here on earth, are thriving on other planets. I met and married the woman of my dreams and found a new family. Yes they have been taken away from me but I will find them again. Probably most of all though, I have found three of the best friends in the world, in all the worlds, I should say." He sighed "So in answer to your question, no I do not regret my decision and I don't think I ever will."

Neither made anymore conversation, they just walked along enjoying the scenery and the companionable silence.

Further along the trail, were the trees began to thin out a bit, the path began to deteriorate somewhat. It narrowed so that they had to go in single file.

"Be careful along here, Sam" Daniel warned. "I think it gets better a bit further up ahead." Just as he said that, however, the rock under his foot crumbled. To Sam it seemed to happen in slow motion. Daniel wobbled a bit and them began to fall to the side, she reached out her hand to grab his jacket to stop him falling, but it was too late. She managed to grab a handful of his clothing but was pulled along with him. They both toppled over the edge of the path. Daniel stated to roll first, Sam following closely behind.

The rough rocks that line the hillside dug into their skin causing jagged cuts all over their bodies. A large outcrop began to loom closer as they sped towards the valley floor. Daniel was first to reach the rocks, slamming into them hard. He was sure he felt something break inside his chest, he didn't have time to think about it though as the next thing he was aware of was Sam crashing into his side, crushing him against the rock. After that everything went black.

Sam gradually awoke and the first thing she noticed was the pain in her right arm. Her head hurt like mad along with numerous other places all over her body. She managed to sit up and take a look at herself. Her right arm was definitely broken, she could feel wetness seeping down the side of her face. When she reached her hand up to touch the source, it came away red with blood. She could see other cuts that were mainly superficial, her chest felt slightly bruised but she could tell there was no real damage, thanks to Daniel.

"Oh my Go, Daniel!" she exclaimed. Immediately she turned to her side to find Daniel. He was still unconscious, a deep bleeding gash on his forehead. She gently rolled him over onto his side and tried to wake him. When he failed to come round she decided to check for injuries. Aside from the gash on his head she noticed a dislocated shoulder and some cracked ribs. The thing that worried Sam most of all was the twisted and swollen angle of his leg. She knew that with her broken arm she would never be able to set it back to the correct position and that meant that he would likely get an infection or bleed to death through the break.

She felt so helpless, there was nothing she could do, they had no method of contacting anyone, all they could hope for was that the Colonel and Teal'c would get worried when they didn't come back and send out a search party. They had a long wait ahead of them, it was only about one in the afternoon, the others wouldn't be back at the hotel until five, and then they might only worry when their friends weren't back after dark.

Sam decided that she could at least see what Daniel had brought with him in terms of food and water. She gently pulled the pack off his back, being careful not to jog her arm or Daniel. Once she had the pack off him she had a hard job to open it with only one arm to work with. Once she had it open she was able to look inside. She was pleased with what she found.

"Nice one Daniel." She said to her silent friend. Inside the pack she found a large canteen of water, some sandwiches that were severely squashed but edible nonetheless. What pleased Sam the most was the survival kit she found at the bottom of the pack. She pulled it out and looked inside. The kit contained a basic first aid kit, some survival rations and a survival blanket.

She gently opened the first aid kit, taking care not spill any of its contents. There were some antiseptic wipes, sterile dressings and bandages but best of all there were some painkillers. Sam extracted the triangular bandage for a sling as well as the painkillers then put the rest back in the pack. She made a not in the sling using her one good hand and her teeth and put it over her head. Gently she maneuvered her injured arm into the sling. Once she had done that she took two of the pain killers and settled back to rest for a moment.

The next thing she did was take out some of the wipes and cleaned up some of the worse cuts that both she and Daniel had managed to get on their way down the hill. She dressed the cut on Daniel's head then she found herself exhausted. She gently lay down beside her friend, ensuring that they could share some heat as the air had taken on a chill, with the both of them being injured she didn't want to complicate things with loss of body temperature. She left the survival blanket for later, she didn't know when they would be rescued, they might have need of it during the night.

The next thing Sam was aware of was a slight shifting under her good arm. She was immediately awake and pushed herself up to take a look at her friend. He was starting to come around and when he tried top move himself he gasped. His eyes opened and then screwed shut again in pain.

"It's ok Daniel, I'm here." Sam said to him as he tried to control the pain. Once he had managed to control it a bit he opened his eyes.

"What happened? I hurt all over." He said through gritted teeth.

"We fell, remember? The path gave out under your feet. I tried to grab you and managed to fall too."

"Are you hurt?" He said suddenly more concerned for her than he was for himself.

"I'm ok." She replied. "I broke my arm and got a few cuts. I'm more concerned for you though."

"I'll be ok. Give me a few minutes and I should be up and around again."

"Don't be silly Daniel. You and I both know that we aren't going anywhere any time soon. You have a broken leg and some cracked ribs that could puncture a lung if you move too much." She laid her good hand lightly on his chest to still his attempts to sit up. He finally gave up when his chest started to hurt too much.

"So. What do we do now?"

"We should be alright for a while. It's four o'clock now, the others should get back in about an hour, then they might realize we aren't back and start looking for us. It won't get dark for another few hours, but from the look of the clouds coming in from the other side of the valley there, I think that we are in for some heavy rain." She looked grim. They both knew what exposure would do top them in their state. "This rock should provide some shelter from the wind and we have the survival blanket in the pack and your jacket to keep some of the rain off us. Good thinking that kit by the way."

"Well thank you. I do try." They both chuckled at the remark. The moment was spoiled though when Daniel suddenly grabbed his ribs and grunted.

"Daniel! Daniel! Are you ok?" said a concerned Sam.

"Yeah, just don't make me laugh. I think I should sit up,"

When Sam looked like she was going to object he hurried on, "It would be easier to shelter behind the rock and share body heat if we are here over night." She couldn't fault his logic, it would certainly be easier if he were upright. So they set about trying to sit him up. It took a lot of effort and by the end they were both out of breath and gasping in pain. Once they had got their breath Sam offered Daniel some water and one of the sandwiches. He accepted the water readily but refused the food, saying he really wasn't hungry. He took two of the painkillers and they both settled in for the long wait.

About an hour later the first few drops of rain began to fall. Daniel removed his jacket and held it over their heads while Sam removed the large foil survival blanket from its wrapper and covered their legs, being careful not to jar Daniel's broken one. Sam was beginning to get worried, Daniel's breathing had turned to a shallow gasp as each breath aggravated the already painful ribs.

"I really hope the Colonel gets his act together soon or we may find ourselves in very big trouble.

The rain began to pour down in great torrents, throwing large drops onto the jacket resting on there heads.

"I think the saying 'when it rains it pours' now applies to our situation." Daniel said weakly, trying to lighten the mood. It had been two hours since the first of the rain had started to fall. They had managed to keep vaguely dry but now the cold and the wet had started to get to them. Sam began to get very worried about her friend. He was starting to drift off to sleep, she was worried that she might not be able to wake him if he did. His leg was starting to look bad and his breathing had worsened too. She was really beginning to feel the cold and began to shiver. Daniel noticed this and lifted his arm, inviting her to snuggle in close to keep warm. She was reluctant at first for fear of hurting his chest further, but he insisted that they would both feel better.

"Just picture in your mind, you, me, a roaring fire, a bottle of wine and a good movie. That should get you warmer." He was right, it did make her feel better. Unfortunately she wished they really could be doing that, snuggled up close on his couch. With that picture in her mind she drifted off to sleep.

It was pitch black when she awakened again. The rain had stopped and the sky was clear. She turned her head to look at Daniel. He was fast asleep and didn't respond when she tried to wake him. She heard something it sounded like her name. She thought she was hearing things, that it was the cold and the pain that were getting to her. No, she heard it again. It was definitely someone calling her name, Daniel's too. She shouted as loud as she could.

"We're over here! HELP!" This time the shout was closer. She tried shaking Daniel harder, to tell him that they were about to be rescued but all he could manage was to slightly open his eyes and mutter something unintelligible. The voice came closer and closer until the next thing she knew Jack was hurtling down the hill towards them.

"Carter, how you doing?" He asked when he reached them.

"I'm ok. Sir. Daniel isn't so good though." Jack turned to look at his friend as Teal'c came down the hill to join them.

"Daniel?" He gently slapped his friend's cheek, trying to bring him round. "Daniel can you here me? C'mon buddy wake up" Daniel opened his eyes a crack. "That's it Danny Boy, we'll have you off this hill in no time." O'Neill spoke into a radio that he was carrying.

"O'Neill to base. We have them. Setting the flare, send the chopper. Over." He fired a flare into the sky and then Sam heard the whirr of helicopter blades, cutting the night air.

She must have gone back to sleep because the next thing Sam knew was that she was on the helicopter, Daniel beside her and Jack sitting near her.

"It's OK. Carter. You're safe. We're taking you to the hospital."

"How's Daniel?" She asked. She could tell by O'Neill's face that things were not all that good but accepted the lie he gave her any way.

"He's going to be fine Sam. He's going to be just fine." With that she drifted back into the blackness.

When she woke up again she was lying in a hospital bed. Her arm had been put in a cast and all her cuts had been bandaged. She felt clean and warm. She looked to see Jack sat by the bed, reading a newspaper. She gently cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Much better, thank you. How is Daniel?" She watched as his face fell.

"He's still in surgery. One of the ribs punctured a lung and his leg had to be set. I think they said something about a titanium pin to hold it together."

"He'll be ok sir. He's come through a lot worse than this before." Said Carter trying to keep a positive attitude. At that moment Teal'c walked into her room.

"O'Neill, DanielJackson is being removed from surgery. Captain Cater, I am gratified to see you are feeling better." Sam saw the look that Jack was giving the door and said, "Go. I'll be all right. Teal'c can stay with me." He didn't need any further bidding and raced out the door to see his friend. Sam was happy knowing that her friend was safe and drifted off into a contented sleep.

Jack stood up as he noticed Daniel's eyelids begin to flutter. When he was sure that his friend was awake he said,

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Great." Was all Daniel managed to croak out. His voice was still rusty from the anaesthetic tube. "How's Sam?"

"She's fine. Worried about you but she's fine." He sat down by the side of the bed. "You cut it fine again Daniel. I think we ought to seal you up in your apartment and never let you out. Maybe then you'll stay out of trouble." Daniel laughed at the joke and then started to cough and gasp in pain.

"Jesus. Take it easy buddy. Do you want me to call the nurse?" Jack asked as he waited for Daniel to settle down. The patient just shook his head. "Listen, I'm going to let you get some rest, OK?" As he turned to go out the door he heard Daniel say,

"Jack?"

"Yes Daniel?"

"Next time we go to the beach." And with that he was asleep.

"You got it Danny." Jack said as he went and sat back down by his friend's bedside to wait.