CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Jack sat down in one of the chairs across from Hammond.

"Doctor Fraiser has filled me in on the situation with Doctor Jackson, including the incident in his room," the general said.  "I can't tell you how sorry I am that this has happened."

"Yes, sir.  We're all really sorry it happened."

"Colonel, I think we need to discuss the ramifications of this."

"What do you mean?"

"After the incident with the sarcophagus, it was required that Doctor Jackson be evaluated by Doctor MacKenzie to determine if he was psychologically fit to resume active duty."

Jack frowned.  "With all due respect, General, there's no way I'm letting that quack have a crack at Daniel again.  No matter what anyone says, I'll never forgive what MacKenzie did, and I know that Daniel would refuse to talk to him."

"I know, Jack, and I wouldn't even consider making him do that, but the fact remains that not only is he yet again having to go through a serious withdrawal from the effects of alien technology, he was also brutally tortured.  There are therapists specifically trained to treat victims of torture.  You yourself spoke with one after the incident with Ba'al last year."

"He won't agree to it, sir."

"Not even if returning to active duty on SG-1 required it?"

Jack thought about it.  "Yeah, he'd probably do it then, but he wouldn't be happy about it."

"I understand that, which is why I was considering something else."

"What's that, sir?"

"I've talked to Doctor Woods about Danny's therapy treatments.  Because of confidentiality issues, she couldn't give me any details, but she has kept me updated on how well he's been doing.  She mentioned that, in the therapy sessions, Daniel has been helping Danny open up by sharing some of his own experiences and emotional issues regarding his parents' death and what happened afterwards."

That really surprised Jack.  "He has?  I was kind of hoping he would, but I really didn't expect it."

"He did it for Danny's sake.  He loves that boy a great deal.  Doctor Woods said that she has built a good rapport with both of them."

"And you're thinking that she might be able to help Daniel?"

"It may be possible," Hammond replied.  "Her field of expertise is children, but Daniel apparently trusts her and feels at ease with her.  All I can do is contact her, explain the situation, and see what she says."

"I'd say go for it, sir.  Even if she can't help Daniel, she could help Danny deal with this.  That whole kidnapping thing gave the poor kid nightmares every night.  He's terrified that Daniel will die.  The stuff he sensed when Daniel was being shocked by that battery made things even worse.  He kept begging to see Daniel, so I convinced Fraiser to let him visit for just a minute or two while Daniel is still sleeping."

Hammond nodded.  "I will contact Doctor Woods as soon as possible."

Jack frowned.  "Woods," he murmured.  The name, which was the same as the friend Burke had been forced to kill, reminded him of a conversation he had with the CIA operative in the camp while they were waiting for Daniel and Bill to get the Telchak device.

He heard the general call his name and looked at the man.  "Sorry, sir.  I just remembered a promise I made to Agent Burke.  He did a good job helping me rescue Daniel and Lee.  In fact, we'd probably be dead if it weren't for him.  He's been stuck in Honduras for a long time, and I told him I'd do what I could to get him transferred out of there."

General Hammond studied Jack's features for a long moment.  "All right.  I'll make a few calls, see what I can do."

"Thank you, sir."

Once Jack had left, Hammond made the call to Meredith.  Because of the late hour, he called the therapist's cell phone instead of her office.

"Doctor Woods, this is General Hammond."

"General?  Is there a problem?"

"I'm afraid that something has happened.  There was trouble on a mission."

"Something happened to Daniel," Meredith instantly guessed.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Please don't tell me he's. . . ."

"No, he's not dead, but the situation is pretty serious.  He was kidnapped and tortured."

Meredith let out a gasp.  "Oh my lord.  How is he?"

"Physically, the doctors think he will pull through.  Psychologically. . . .  There are details of the incident that I cannot discuss over the phone.  Would it be possible for you to come here tomorrow?  I know it's Sunday, but. . . ."

"That doesn't matter," Meredith instantly replied.  "How is Danny taking it?  Does he know what happened?"

"Yes, he knows, though not all the details about the torture.  He has not reacted well, I'm afraid.  This whole situation has been very hard on him."

"I'll head over first thing in the morning, General.  Sir, is it possible for Danny to be with Daniel?  Right now, I'm guessing that Danny really needs to be close to him.  I don't know the extent of Daniel's injuries, but, even if those injuries would be frightening to a child, with the bond that the two of them share and Danny's history, it will be better for him if he can be there with Daniel so he can see for himself that Daniel really is alive."

"I'm afraid that, because of certain physical conditions, it hasn't been possible to allow Danny to be with him, except for one very short visit.  We're hoping that will change tomorrow."

"All right.  I'll see you tomorrow."

Sam had only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, her worry over Daniel making it hard for her to relax.

As she entered Daniel's room, she saw that Jack was there.

"Sir?  Did you talk to Danny?"

"Yeah.  I tried to convince him that Daniel isn't going to die, but I don't know how successful I was.  The doc let him see Daniel for a minute.  Hammond talked to me about this whole thing."  Jack recounted the conversation.

"I hope Meredith can help," Sam said.

"So do I."

A low moan drew their eyes to the bed.  Though he appeared to still be asleep, Daniel was showing signs of restlessness again.

"Noooo.  Please don't," he mumbled.

Guessing he was having a nightmare, Sam approached the bed.  As she touched his arm, he jerked violently and cried out.

"Please don't hit me again, Mister Schubert.  I'll be quiet.  I promise."

Both Jack and Sam froze at Daniel's words and the tone of his voice, which was almost childlike.  Jack's hands closed into fists.  There was no mistaking what his best friend had just revealed.

Daniel was now almost babbling, his words barely understandable.  But Jack and Sam did understand, and what he was saying tore at their hearts.

"Please, not again.  I'm just an archeologist."  His breathing grew more rapid.  "Turn it off!  Turn it off!  No, they're not dead.  Jack!"

At the outcry of his name, Jack jumped forward and grasped Daniel's shoulder and shook him.  "Daniel, wake up!"

Jack's attempts to awaken Daniel proved fruitless.  The archeologist seemed locked into the horror of the nightmare.  What he was saying was no longer understandable, broken and jumbled.  Only occasional words came through clearly, enough that Jack and Sam could tell that the nightmare was mixing up the events in Honduras with what happened when Daniel, Jack and Sam were prisoners of the Bedrosian military.

And then several sentences came through with complete clarity.  "No, please!  I'm not crazy!  Please let me out of here!"

Sam gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

The violence of Daniel's nightmare seemed to wane.  He gave a soft whimper, mumbled something about being turned into a mummy, then gradually grew still.

Just then, Sam noticed that Janet had come into the room.  She was staring at Daniel, her face pale.

"Janet?" Sam inquired.

The doctor seemed to regain control of herself.  "Nothing.  It's just. . . .  That last thing he said, it was what he said to me when he was dying from the radiation, and the necrosis had gotten bad.  He commented that he'd never have thought he'd be turned into a mummy."

"Crap," Jack cursed softly.

Janet came forward to check the monitor and take a look at Daniel.  "I'm sorry someone didn't respond sooner.  We had an emergency with another patient."

Jack vaguely recalled hearing a Code Blue announcement but had been too preoccupied with Daniel to pay attention.

"I'm assuming he was having a nightmare," the doctor said.

"Nightmare?  That's the understatement of the year," Jack responded.

Janet asked for details.

"I'm not surprised by what was in the dream," she said after she was filled in.  "If you think about it, all of those events have a common theme.  They all had to do with incidents of extreme pain, addiction, captivity or physical abuse, four things that Daniel has experienced yet again over these past few days."

Jack stared at her narrowly.  "Wait a minute.  Did you already know that Daniel was abused as a child?"

"I have all of his medical records, Colonel.  It includes reports of childhood bruising that was not satisfactorily explained.  No broken bones, but Daniel was brought to a clinic with evidence that he'd suffered a concussion a couple of days previously."

"It took them two days to bring him in?!" Sam exclaimed.

"In cases of domestic child abuse, if it's the husband committing the abuse, the wife is often either too frightened to report what's happening or is trying to convince herself that it's not as bad as it really is.  Then there are the women who figure the child did something to deserve it."

"No child deserves to be hit so hard they get a concussion," Jack growled, a murderous look on his face.

"No, of course not."

"How old was he?" Sam asked, terribly upset by what she now knew.

"Eleven, I believe.  I'm guessing that the incident with the concussion put an end to it.  The physician added in his notes that he reported possible child abuse to the authorities.  After that, there was nothing else in Daniel's medical records that suggested abuse."

"Why didn't Daniel ever tell us?"

"Probably because he knew I'd want to kill the bastard that did that to him," Jack replied.

"It's common for people who were abused or molested as a child never to reveal it," Janet said.  "Many feel ashamed about it even though it was in no way their fault, or they don't want to be pitied, looked at differently.  I'd suggest that you don't tell Daniel you know.  If you do have to tell him, don't make a big deal out of it."

"Is this going to happen again?" Sam asked, hoping the answer would be no.

"I'm afraid that it might.  There may also be more flashbacks.  The one good thing is that Daniel will likely not remember the dreams and may also not retain any memories of the flashbacks.  That's the best we can hope for, at this point."

It had been a rough night for everyone.  With Daniel's brain chemistry fluctuating so dramatically, he kept going from one extreme to the other, from restless, anxious, and confused to lethargic, withdrawn and deeply depressed.  He had several more flashbacks and frequent nightmares.  Throughout it all, he was never fully cognizant for more than a few minutes at a time.  It was tearing his teammates apart seeing him like that.

Meredith arrived at nine o'clock.  As requested, she went to Hammond's office.  The general shook her hand.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor."

"How is Daniel doing?"

"Not well, I'm afraid.  It was a bad night for him."

"What are his injuries?"

"The problem is not with his injuries, Doctor.  They are all healing well.  The problem is a great deal more complicated than that."

Leaving out the details about Anubis, Telchak and other things regarding the Goa'uld and Ancients, Hammond told Meredith about the mission, Daniel's kidnapping and torture, and the effects of the Telchak device.

"So, what you're saying is that Daniel has developed an addiction to this device," the therapist said, her mind still grasping the horror of what Daniel suffered.

Hammond nodded.  "And he is now going through withdrawal.  Doctor Fraiser will be able to explain it better."  He picked up a medical file.  "This is not the first time Doctor Jackson has been exposed to something like this.  Several years ago, another situation occurred during which he was dangerously addicted to technology that was originally developed from the device we recovered in Honduras."  The general handed her the file.  "That is Doctor Fraiser's medical report on what Doctor Jackson suffered as a result."

Meredith began reading the report, her horror growing with each sentence.  She thought of the kind, loving, gentle man she'd met, then tried to picture him as the crazed, dangerous addict he'd become.

The woman lifted her eyes to Hammond's.  "General, is this what Daniel is going through again?"

"Not exactly.  So far, he has not grown violent or paranoid, but, from what I have been told, what he is suffering could be considered even worse.  Doctor Fraiser will be able to fill you in on everything."

"How about Danny?"

"He's still being kept away.  According to Colonel O'Neill, he is extremely upset and keeps asking to be allowed to see Doctor Jackson."

Meredith nodded.  "I'd like to go to the infirmary first, then I'll talk to Danny."

When the therapist arrived at the infirmary, she was met by a tired, grim-faced Janet.

"General Hammond filled me in on what's been happening," Meredith told her.  "How is he doing?"

"Better.  The fluctuations in his brain chemistry are not as severe as they were yesterday and during the night.  I'm hoping this is a sign that the worst is almost over.  How much did General Hammond tell you?"

"Not everything.  He told me about the device and the effect on Daniel's brain chemistry.  He also showed me the medical report on what happened last time.  But I don't know the details on what's been happening this time."

Janet gave Meredith the full story on Daniel's condition, leaving nothing out.

The therapist gave a sad sigh.  "It sounds like he's been going through hell."

"He's not the only one.  This has been very hard on his teammates.  Sam's in with him now."  The doctor showed Meredith Daniel's chart.

The woman shook her head.  "In my job, I have to be familiar with how the various neurotransmitters influence moods and what imbalances can do, but I have never seen anything like this.  These levels are all over the place.  You must be having a hard time keeping his blood pressure under control."

"Yes, it's been a big concern at times.  It rose extremely high when he had his first flashback.  We're very limited on what medications we can give him because of the instability of his brain chemistry."

"Is Daniel's previous addiction a factor in what he's going through now?  Did it make him more susceptible to this?"

"No, this would have happened regardless.  As far as we know, sarcophagus addiction only happens under two circumstances: if one is used by a healthy human – someone who isn't sick or injured – or when one is used repeatedly during a short period of time.  If Daniel was injured or very ill, and he was placed in a sarcophagus, there would be no ill effects.  Unfortunately, this isn't the case with the device found in Honduras.  From what we know, limited exposure from a distance is not harmful, but Daniel was exposed at close range, and, even though it was only for a few minutes, it was enough to cause an addiction."  Janet shook her head with a sigh.  "I should have realized before now that the odds of Daniel suffering some level of withdrawal were pretty high, based on what we already knew about the device.  I can only imagine what would have happened if his exposure had been substantially longer.  The withdrawal may very well have proved fatal.  He was very lucky."

Janet took Meredith to one of the observation rooms.

"We had to move him last night to one of the isolation rooms," she explained.  "It became necessary to have someone monitoring him full-time.  I've resisted the use of restraints because I knew it could upset him even more, especially considering what his flashbacks have been about.  The last thing he needs is to feel trapped."

Meredith looked down into the room below.  Daniel appeared to be asleep.  His face was pale and drawn, a sheen of perspiration on his skin.  Sam was sitting beside him, her hand holding his.

"He's been asleep for around three hours now," Janet said, "which is the longest period of natural, undisturbed sleep he's had since all this began."

"Do you have any idea how much longer he's going to be suffering from this withdrawal?"

"The withdrawal from the sarcophagus addiction lasted several days.  I'm hoping it won't be as long this time.  This addiction was not nearly as extreme.  In fact, we didn't even know he was addicted until he suddenly collapsed.  He was not exhibiting any changes in his personality before then.  Daniel reported that the men who kidnapped him showed clear signs of being affected by the device.  But the truth is that we can't make any assumptions.  Though the sarcophagus may have originally been developed from the same technology, that device found in Honduras is vastly more powerful and may have effects on the body that we know nothing about."

Meredith gazed at Daniel's face, saddened by what he was going through.  "I wish I could help him, but, until his brain chemistry is back to normal, it probably wouldn't do much good.  I do want to talk to Danny, though."

"He's been begging to see Daniel again, but I think you can understand why I haven't allowed it."

"Yes, I do, although I believe Danny needs to be allowed to see him as soon as you think it's possible.  No matter how many times he may be told that Daniel isn't going to die, he'll still be afraid that's what's going to happen."

"Did General Hammond tell you that Danny sensed what was being done to Daniel?"

Meredith's head jerked around to face her.  "What?  No, he didn't."

"It was when the rebels were using the car battery.  Though he didn't actually feel the pain, Danny sensed that Daniel was in agony.  He fell apart.  I had to sedate him and keep him out until Daniel returned."

"Dear God.  How horrible.  With what he sensed, Danny's anxiety over Daniel would be heightened even more.  I really need to talk to him."

"I believe he's with Colonel O'Neill in Daniel's office."

Meredith wasted no time in going to the office.  When she got there, she saw that Danny was on Jack's lap, and the two of them were playing on the computer.  Jack looked up and saw her.

"Hey, Danny.  Look who's here," he said to the boy.

Danny turned from the screen.  "Doctor Woods?"

Meredith came forward with a smile.  "Hello, Danny."

"Daniel's sick."

"Yes, I know.  General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser told me all about it and about what happened to him in Honduras."

Danny's gaze fell to his lap.  "They really hurt him a lot."

Meredith knelt beside the chair.  "I know, and I'm very, very sorry it happened."

"Daniel's sick because of that thing he and Doctor Lee found."

"Yes."  Meredith glanced up at Jack, then back to the boy.  "Is it okay if I talk with you about this for a while?"

Danny shrugged, still not looking at her.  "I guess."

Meredith sat on the cot, motioning for Danny to sit beside her.

"You want me to leave?" Jack asked the therapist.

"Danny, do you want Colonel O'Neill to stay or would you rather talk with me alone?"

"I want him to stay," the boy replied.

"Okay.  Danny, I know that you're very frightened about what's happening with Daniel, and that's understandable.  Are you afraid that he's going to die?"

After a small hesitation, Danny nodded, eyes on his hands.

"Jack and the others have told you that he isn't going to die, haven't they?"  There was another, smaller nod.  "But you're still afraid.  Can you tell me why that is?"

"Because they won't let me see him again.  When Mom and Dad died, I didn't get to see them because they were dead."  Danny began to cry.  "I never got to see them again."

Meredith met Jack's eyes, seeing his distress.

"Danny, sometimes, when a person is sick, it's necessary to keep people away."

The child looked up at her.  "Is he contagious?"

"No, Daniel isn't contagious."

"Then why can't I see him?  Jack, Sam and Teal'c get to."

Meredith sighed silently.  "It's because of the way that Daniel is sick, Danny.  Doctor Fraiser worries that it will upset you.  Do you want me to tell you what's wrong with him?"

Danny gave her a nod.

"Well, you see, all humans have chemicals in their brains that help control how they feel, if they're sad or happy, if they're worried or calm.  Those chemicals in Daniel's brain are not working right.  Sometimes, they're too high, other times too low.  Because of that, Daniel isn't acting normally.  Also, he's been having flashbacks and a lot of nightmares."

"Flashbacks?  I had one of those.  That's what Daniel told me it was called."

Meredith nodded.  "That's right.  But Daniel is having a lot more of them."

"About what?"

"Several different things, including what happened in Honduras."

"And he's having nightmares about it, too?"

"Yes, very bad ones.  Because of these things, Doctor Fraiser doesn't think it would be a good idea for you to visit Daniel.  She doesn't want you to be upset by these things, and Daniel wouldn't want you to see him when he's like that.  It's not because he's going to die."

Danny sat in silent thought for a while.  "How long will it be before he's not like that anymore?"

"I don't know.  I went to the infirmary before coming here, and Doctor Fraiser said that Daniel is doing better.  The brain chemicals are starting to go back to normal.  He was sleeping, which is very good.  She hopes this means that the worst is over, and Daniel will be improving.  Chances are that you'll be able to see him in the next day or so."  Meredith studied the boy's face closely.  "Do you understand now why you haven't been allowed to see him?"

Danny nodded.  "But I still wish I could."

The therapist hugged him.  "I know.  The moment that he's well enough, they'll let you visit."

A few minutes later, Meredith was talking alone with Jack outside the office.

"Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome.  Hopefully, he'll do better now."

"I guess we should have told him the truth about what was going on with Daniel.  We didn't because we thought it would upset and scare him."

"Adults feel the need to shelter children from unpleasant things, but the fact is that it's often better to be honest and not hide such things from them.  Danny needed to know the details about why he wasn't being allowed to see Daniel.  Simply saying that Daniel was too sick only succeeded in making Danny's imagination come up with all kinds of terrible things."

Jack nodded.  "I guess this is why you get paid to do stuff like this."

Meredith smiled.  "I still need to talk with Danny about what happened to Daniel in Honduras.  Doctor Fraiser told me about what Danny sensed and his reaction to it.  But that's something that should wait until after Daniel can be part of the conversation."

"And Daniel?  Could you talk to him?  I know that you're a child psychologist, but. . . ."

"If Daniel is willing to talk to me about his ordeal, I'll be more than happy to listen and help however I can, Colonel.  I am sad to say that I do have some experience talking to torture victims.  Those victims were minors, which changes the method of therapy, but perhaps I might be able to help a little."

"We'd appreciate that."  Jack studied her closely.  "You know, I don't have a very high opinion of shrinks . . . but you're all right, Doctor Woods."

Meredith's smile returned.  "Thank you, Colonel O'Neill.  I consider that high praise, coming from you."

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