CHAPTER TWENTY
The following morning, Eliza was in Hammond's office when MacKenzie arrived. The man glanced at her, then handed his report to the general.
"That is my official report on my evaluation of Doctor Jackson. I believe that we have serious cause for concern, General. First of all, Doctor Jackson was rude, confrontational and disrespectful, which is a distinct difference in his personality from four and a half years ago. He is also exhibiting the first signs of megalomania. The frequent and excessive use of his power and the pleasure he derived from his treatment of Ba'al proves this. I would highly recommend that he be taken to the mental health facility for a more intense evaluation. It may be necessary to start him on drug therapy."
The way that Hammond and Eliza just stared at him made MacKenzie wonder what was going on. He found out a moment later when the general pulled out a file folder from his desk drawer and handed it to the psychiatrist.
"What's this?" MacKenzie asked.
"That's my evaluation," Eliza replied, "both of Doctor Jackson and of you."
"General Hammond, I protest this," MacKenzie said, outraged.
"Protest all you like. It isn't going to do you any good," Hammond said smugly. "Doctor White was given my approval to make her own evaluation of Doctor Jackson's mental state and, at the same time, observe your conduct and evaluate your fitness as a psychiatrist. Would you like to hear what she has to say?"
Not waiting for a reply, Eliza began. "From what I saw yesterday and by reading the reports of the times that Doctor Jackson has used his paranormal abilities, I determined that he is mentally stable and has done a remarkable job of psychologically handling the power he now has and adjusting to the ways that it has changed his life. I can't say that I would have handled it as well. The use of his abilities has not been excessive, as you claim. He has used the amount of force that was necessary to accomplish what he needed to. Lesser displays of power might not have had a large enough impact. And as for that little incident with Ba'al, he merely displayed a perfectly normal human response to what happened to Colonel O'Neill. If someone had tortured a person I cared deeply about like Ba'al tortured the colonel, I'd want revenge, too. The fact that Doctor Jackson chose to publically embarrass Ba'al instead of physically torturing him is a perfect example of how emotionally and mentally stable Doctor Jackson is. It also displayed an amazing level of morality and self-control. Of course he derived pleasure from what he did. So, did everyone else who was there. Are you ready to say that every one of the rebel Jaffa and SG team members who were there need psychological treatment as well? As for Doctor Jackson's attitude toward you, considering your history with him and the shameful way that you handled that evaluation, I thought he showed quite a bit of restraint. In my dealings with him, I found him to be very courteous and pleasant."
Eliza's expression hardened. "Which brings us to you, Doctor MacKenzie. I have never in my entire career met a more incompetent and unprofessional psychiatrist. Right from the start, you were accusatory, lacking in insight, insensitive and treated Doctor Jackson like a suspect that you were interrogating and had already decided was guilty. You deliberately twisted the meaning of statements he made to fit into the image that you had apparently already formed of him before you even came here. In my opinion, you are not fit to practice, Doctor."
"Your opinion holds no weight, Doctor White," MacKenzie declared arrogantly. "You are not a practicing psychologist. Your field of expertise is biofeedback therapy."
"Which is why we forwarded a copy of Doctor White's tape recording of the evaluation to someone who is a practicing psychologist," Hammond informed him, "the man who has been performing the psych evaluations on the SGC personnel for the past four and a half years. Doctor Carson agrees with Doctor White's assessment of both Doctor Jackson and you. He was appalled by your conduct and has already reported it to the proper authorities." Hammond leaned forward and glared at the psychiatrist. "Though I can't be certain that you'll lose your license over this, I can be certain that your job in the Stargate Program is at an end and that your career in the military is history."
"You can't do this," MacKenzie said, furious.
"Oh, yes, I can, Doctor." The general rose to his feet. "Now, get out of my office and off my base before I have you thrown out."
MacKenzie spun around and strode out of the room. Hammond turned to Eliza.
"Thank you for your help, Doctor White. I haven't much cared for that man since his incompetence wrongfully put Doctor Jackson in a padded cell. It was quite satisfying seeing him humbled."
"You're welcome, General. I did this for Daniel's sake, although, after seeing that man in action, I realized that I had to do what I could to have his license revoked in order to protect others as well. It may be necessary to review all of the case files of his patients over the last few years to make sure there were no other incidents of misdiagnosis."
"Well, if I have any say about it, that man will never treat another patient."
"I hope so, sir. I do have a question. What's going to be done about that report?" Eliza nodded at the file folder MacKenzie had given to Hammond.
"I assure you that it will be read by no one except the authorities who will determine Doctor MacKenzie's fate. It will never be entered into Doctor Jackson's record. Yours and Doctor Carson's reports will be the ones on file."
"Good." Eliza looked at her watch. "I have to get going, sir. I've got to get back to Denver. My daughter is in her school play tonight, and I promised that I'd be back in plenty of time to help her prepare."
General Hammond escorted Eliza to the door. "Thank you for coming, Doctor. If you ever decide to get out of biofeedback, you'll have a job waiting for you in the Stargate Program as a psychologist."
"Thank you, sir."
Wanting to say goodbye to Daniel, Eliza went to his office. She found that he was not alone. His three teammates were there with him. They all looked at her expectantly.
"You have nothing to worry about, Daniel," she said. "Both my report and Doctor Carson's state that your mental stability is without question."
"What about MacKenzie's report?" the archeologist asked.
"It was quite different, as we both suspected it would be. I'm not going to tell you what it said since it doesn't really matter. It's nothing but nonsense and will never be a part of your record."
"And what about the good doctor himself?" Jack wanted to know. "Is he going to walk away from this like he did the last time?"
"No, not this time, Colonel. His career as a military psychiatrist is over, and I'd guess that, by the time everything is over, he will no longer have a license."
"Yes! That's great news! I know that you and I didn't get along all that well when we were doing the biofeedback stuff, but you, my dear, deserve a hug for this."
Jack promptly gave the therapist the aforementioned hug. Daniel gave her another one, as well as a heartfelt thank you.
"Well, I have to say goodbye," she said. "I need to get home."
"It was great seeing you again, Eliza," Sam told her. "Please come and see us again sometime."
"I'll do that."
By some miracle, the next few weeks passed without any major catastrophes, disturbing events, or the need for Daniel to use his abilities. He, Jack and Teal'c went on two missions without Sam, but both of them ended up being routine. The colonel teased Sam that she must be the jinxed member of the team, not Daniel, since every time they'd gone on a mission without the archeologist, something still happened.
The one thing of note that happened during that time was a visit from Doctor Holt, the geneticist from Area 51. He apologized for the long delay in talking to Daniel, then told him that they'd learned some fascinating things from the archeologist's DNA but that, with Earth's present level of technology, there would be no way that scientists could tweak the DNA of a normal person so that it would possess the unique characteristics of Daniel's. Even so, they'd learned a lot of valuable information. Unfortunately, they were also unable to determine if the changes to his DNA were caused purely by his ascension or if he had been born different, meaning that it was still a mystery.
The archeologist found out later that Doctor Holt and Janet went out to lunch while the man was there. How he found out was of great amusement to him. He'd wondered why Jack was in such a rotten mood and, upon doing a little digging, learned about the lunch. Daniel would have teased Jack again about having a thing for Janet but didn't want to exacerbate the colonel's foul temper.
The SGC Christmas Party was held on the Saturday before Christmas. It was an especially festive time for everyone, who couldn't help but recall the last Christmas, the one they'd spent without Daniel.
That thought was especially prominent in the minds of his three teammates. They all decided unanimously that the team Christmas Eve dinner should be held at Daniel's house. Because of this, the archeologist found his new home decorated with all manner of Christmas decorations, the huge tree in the living room being the highlight.
Most of the decorating was done with a great deal of laughter and girlish giggles by Sam, Cassie and Janet, accompanied by the sound of Christmas carols coming from the stereo. Throughout most of it, Daniel just stood back and watched them with a smile on his face. His thoughts went often to Sam and images of them and their children enjoying years of Christmases together. It was a thought that made him happy yet also melancholy since it was only a dream.
"Is something wrong, Daniel?"
Daniel looked down at Cassie, who had come up to him where he stood in his place of observation on the other side of the dining room and living room from Sam and Janet. "No, I'm fine, Cass."
"You looked sad."
"Oh. Um . . . I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Something personal."
"About Sam? I noticed that you were looking at her."
"Like I said, Cassie. It's personal."
The teenager cocked her head and studied him. "You're in love with her, aren't you."
Shocked, the archeologist said nothing.
"I may be only eighteen, but I do notice things, Daniel. I've seen you staring at her with that look."
"What look would that be?"
"That dreamy, love-struck look that I used to see on the faces of some of the girls in school when they had a new boyfriend, except that yours is different somehow. It doesn't look stupid. It looks . . . I don't know . . . real, I guess is the right word. And, sometimes, like just a minute ago, it also looks sad."
Daniel's gaze went to the floor.
"So, I'm right, aren't I," Cassie said upon seeing his reaction.
Daniel looked over at Sam again, who was discussing with Janet the best placement for one of the decorations, Jack giving his own rather ludicrous opinions. "Yes," he answered quietly.
"And Sam doesn't love you back?"
"No, not like that."
"Are you sure?"
Daniel sighed. "Yes, I'm sure, Cass. She told me so."
Cassie shook her head. "How can she not be in love with you? You're so terrific."
Surprised again, Daniel swung his head around to stare at her.
"I mean, you're just as smart as she is," Cassie continued. "You're a really nice guy, not stuck up at all. You're brave, and strong, and caring. And you're drop dead gorgeous."
Daniel's eyebrows had risen dramatically, the last remark sending them almost to his hairline.
"Uhhh . . . thanks, Cass." Trying to lessen his embarrassment, he then said teasingly, "Hey, maybe I should ask you on a date."
"I wish."
"W-w-what?" Daniel stammered, flabbergasted.
"Oh, I'm not serious, Daniel. I mean, you're way too old for me."
"Thank God for that," Daniel muttered.
"But if I was Sam's age, and you wanted me, I'd be on you in a flash. Forget about dating. We'd get to the good stuff right off."
Daniel's eyebrows did their aerial act again. "Does Janet know you talk like that?"
"Oh, sure. We've already had our mother/daughter talk about that stuff."
Daniel cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Soooo . . . figured out what your major's going to be yet?"
Cassie frowned at him. "No changing the subject, Daniel. I'm not distracted that easily."
"Damn," Daniel cursed under his breath.
"So, are you going to keep trying with her or have you given up?"
Realizing that he was not going to get out of discussing his feelings with the teenager, Daniel sighed. "I haven't given up, but I'm not going to push her about it. When we talked about this whole thing, I promised her that I would never ask her for more than friendship, and I intend to stand by that unless she gives me a sign that she wants more. I have hopes that, someday, she'll come to love me like I love her, but, until that happens, unless that happens, I'll just keep being her friend."
"And living with a broken heart."
Daniel smiled slightly with amusement. "Don't get all melodramatic on me, Cass. My heart's not broken, at least not anymore. It's just . . . sore."
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, Sam's insane for not wanting you back." Cassie paused. "Just, um . . . don't decide to go after Mom if Sam never comes around, okay? It would be just way too weird having a guy I think is sexy be my father."
Daniel just about choked on the laughter that spilled out of him. He was both embarrassed and amused by the teenager's last comment. Coughing a few times, he said, "Don't worry, Cassie. I care about your mom a lot, but not like that." A thought came to him. "Besides, there's someone else I know whom I'm pretty sure likes your mom in that other way, although I don't think he's even aware of it himself."
Cassie's eyes, alight with curiosity, searched his. "Who? Is it somebody I know?" She suddenly smiled. "It's Jack, isn't it."
Yet again surprised at the girl's perspicacity, Daniel asked, "How did you know?"
Cassie grinned. "I didn't until just this second when you told me."
"Why, you little sneak!" Daniel said, realizing he'd been tricked. "I ought to take you over my knee for that!" Instead, he grabbed hold of her and started tickling her. Cassie squealed and tried to get away, but, though she was more agile than Daniel, he had the advantage of strength and height and wouldn't let her go.
"Help, Mom! Help, help!" Cassie cried, gasping with laughter.
Everyone watched in amusement as the archeologist reduced the teenager to a helpless mass of giggles and squeals.
"Daniel, what are you doing to my daughter?" Janet asked, smiling.
"Punishing her," he replied, getting in a particularly brutal tickle to the tummy.
"Interesting corporal punishment method you have there. I'm not sure it would work for most parents."
Daniel grunted as Cassie got in a light jab to the ribs. "Oh, I think it'll work just fine this time."
He at last let Cassie go, who was totally breathless by then. She sat in a heap on a chair.
"That was just totally unfair!" she gasped.
"Oh, I don't know. I think you deserved it," Daniel told her with a grin.
The teenaged girl gave him a pout.
The archeologist sat down in a nearby chair and watched Sam and Janet continue to turn his house into a poster ad for Christmas. Jack had gone back outside to help Teal'c with the lights. Daniel didn't even want to think about what the two men would do with them. He was just hoping he didn't blow a fuse when the lights were plugged in.
"Okay, so maybe I did trick you," Cassie admitted after a moment.
Daniel turned a stare on her. "What made you guess it was Jack if you didn't already know?"
The girl shrugged. "Wishful thinking, I guess. When I was younger, I used to think that it would be great if either you or Jack was my dad, but Mom explained to me about Sha're, and, after she died, you were just so sad. I realized how much you must have loved her."
Daniel's gaze had dropped to the carpeting.
"I know it was silly, but I pictured you pining away for your lost love for the rest of your life."
Daniel let out a soft sigh. "I almost did. When I ascended, I was still very much in love with her."
"So, when did you fall for Sam, then?"
"To be honest, I really don't know. I've tried to figure it out. Thought about it a lot. I finally realized that I didn't actually fall in love with her, I sort of slipped into it. I think that it's been happening for a very long time. I was just completely unaware of it until something happened to wake me up."
Thinking about it, Daniel had to wonder why he didn't figure it out the day Sam came to his tent on Vis Uban. After all, the feelings he'd been experiencing toward her drove him to ask if there was ever anything between them. But the slowly returning memories of Sha're had put it out of his mind until that moment he kissed Sam on the lips for the first time.
He looked at the teenager. "So, you gave up on the idea of me being your dad, but you still had hopes for Jack?"
"I guess. I mean, he's pretty cool. He always makes me laugh. I think he'd be a great dad."
"From what I saw whenever he was with kids, he was a great dad," Daniel said softly.
"Oh. Yeah, his son. Mom told me about that, too." Cassie's gaze sharpened. "So, what makes you think Jack likes Mom?"
"Oh, just the way he's been acting about some things," Daniel replied evasively, realizing that maybe he shouldn't be talking about this with her.
Cassie's expression turned thoughtful. "You know, thinking about it, he's been looking at Mom really strangely all day today, like he's confused about something and trying to figure it out." She grinned wickedly. "Maybe I'll have to help him along."
"Cass, what are you thinking?" Daniel asked, a note of warning in his voice. "Don't get any matchmaking ideas in your head."
"Why not? It'd be fun, and it's about time that Mom got a boyfriend. She might as well be a nun with the way things are now. And Jack could just about be a priest."
Daniel examined her closely. "And just what do you know about Jack's love life?"
"Oh, I've . . . sort of asked Mom every now and then if he's got a girlfriend. She's been saying that, as far as she knows, he doesn't. Then, of course, she says that it's none of her business and none of mine either." Cassie paused. "He doesn't have one, does he?"
"No, not in a long time," Daniel replied, thinking about Laira, the woman Jack spent over three months with when he was trapped on Edora. Of course, there was no way that he was going to mention the feelings Jack used to harbor for Sam.
"Well, then it's perfect!"
"Cass, just leave it be," Daniel told her firmly. "Jack and your mother don't need you trying to play matchmaker for them."
"Oh, you're just no fun."
The conversation came to an end when Jack and Teal'c came inside.
"Lights are all done, guys," the colonel announced with pride. "Wanna come see?"
"I'm almost afraid to," Daniel replied under his breath. He and Cassie got up and joined the others outside, where, with a big flourish, Jack turned on the Christmas lights. Daniel and the three girls gaped at the display.
"Welllll, it's certainly . . . colorful," Janet remarked.
"I think my electric bill's going to look like the national debt," Daniel stated.
"Oh, hardy har har," Jack said. "Come on. It looks fantastic. I think that Teal'c and I did a great job."
The others stared at the sight of the entire two stories of Daniel's house decked from top to bottom with multicolored lights. Santa and all eight tiny reindeer were glowing on top of the roof, while a great big star shone above them. Icicle lights, interspersed with various colored regular lights, trimmed the eaves. More lights were wound around the columns and railings of the porch. Every tree in the front yard was twinkling with tiny bulbs that winked on and off like fireflies. The walls of the house were decorated with stars, angels and other figures, each one giving off its own bright glow.
Sam leaned in toward Daniel. "We could charge admission," she murmured.
"I may have to to pay the electric bill," he whispered back.
"It's . . . very pretty, sir, Teal'c," Sam said in a louder voice.
"Well, thank you, Carter. I'm glad somebody likes it," Jack responded, grousing over the less than enthusiastic response to his and Teal'c's efforts.
Daniel looked at his house again. Yes, it was a bit on the garish side, but he could tell that the decorating had been done with a lot of care, and it warmed his heart that his friends did this for him.
"Thank you, guys," he said, the emotion of those thoughts in his voice. He looked at everyone. "Thank you everyone for doing this. It means a lot to me."
Sam put an arm around his waist, giving him a little squeeze. "We're just glad that you're back with us, Daniel. Last Christmas was. . . ." She couldn't finish, her throat closing up.
"Last Christmas was a complete bust," Jack finished. "Nobody had any fun."
"We just kept wishing you were there," Cassie added, a little teary-eyed.
"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, that single word holding a wealth of meaning.
"And, now that you're back, we just want you to know how glad we are," Janet told him.
Daniel smiled, unable to speak.
"Come on, everyone," Jack said. "It's freezing out here, and I, for one, could really use a drop of Christmas cheer to warm me up."
The six friends went back into the house, the warmth of friendship giving them a glow deep inside.
