Bedtime Story
by
Jackjunkie
Click for details and warnings
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters
are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double
Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment
purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is
intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the
authors. This story may not be posted anywhere without the consent of the
authors.
Bedtime Story
"Jack? What're you doing here?" Daniel blinked in surprise at the visitor standing in his doorway.
"Checking up on you, with good cause it looks like." Jack strode into the apartment, his gaze sweeping around the cluttered living room.
"Come on in," Daniel muttered, closing the door and shuffling after his friend. "Ah-choo!"
"Doc sent you home to rest, not work," Jack said critically as he took in the piles of papers, books, pens, and pencils scattered over the sofa, chairs, floor, and coffee table. "Pneumonia's nothing to sneeze at."
"Ha ha." Daniel set the book he was carrying down on a chair, carefully marking his place with a slip of paper before closing it. "If I'm gonna be stuck here, I might as well use the time productively. There's too much to catch up on."
"What you're gonna catch is more down time if you don't get over being sick," Jack cautioned. "You won't get well if you don't rest."
"It's not like I'm doing anything physical. I'm just reading and writing and..." Daniel broke off as a fit of coughing seized him.
"And thinking yourself into a fever and getting excited and stressing when you're supposed to be relaxing. I want you to leave all this work right here, go get into bed and get some sleep. Now."
"Jack..."
"That's an order, Daniel. Unless you want me to take you back to the base and check you into the infirmary so Fraiser can keep an eye on you personally."
Daniel considered his team leader. Jack was perfectly capable of making good on his threat. "No, I'll do it, I'd rather stay home."
"Fine, you can stay as long as I can count on you to get some rest." Jack eyed the wrinkled brown t-shirt and trousers Daniel was wearing. "Go change into something warm and get into bed. I'll heat this up and bring it in to you there." He held up the paper bag he was carrying.
"What is it?" Daniel asked with some misgiving.
Jack withdrew a can from the bag. "Chicken soup, Campbell's finest. Just point me in the direction of your microwave."
With a gesture toward the kitchen, Daniel reluctantly turned and headed for the bedroom.
Rummaging through his dresser, he dug out a pair of light blue flannel pajamas. He pulled the t-shirt over his head and shrugged out of his pants. Dropping them on the floor, he dressed in the nightclothes. He did feel warmer. Climbing into bed, he pulled the covers up to his chest and lay back with a tired sigh. He sniffed. He really did feel pretty rotten, but he couldn't lie around doing nothing when there was so much waiting to be done. Just thinking about it all made his head ache.
"Here we go, just the prescription for what ails you."
At the cheery voice, his eyes snapped open. "Jack, I'm not really hungry. Maybe just a hot cup of coffee..."
"Oh yeah, you'll get a lot of sleep from a jolt of caffeine. How much of that stuff have you been drinking anyway?"
Daniel looked down without answering.
"That's what I thought," Jack said shrewdly. "I'm not asking you to force down a steak dinner. Just one little bowl of soup. Come on, give it a try. I'll help you if you want."
"I can manage." Daniel took the proffered bowl. Raising a spoonful of the steaming liquid to his lips he blew on it, then sipped. The warmth felt good going down. He slurped another spoonful.
"I'll be right back."
He nodded as Jack disappeared. By the time his friend returned, he'd eaten the whole bowl.
"Here, I'll take that." Jack took it and set it down on the floor. Dragging a chair over to the bedside, he lifted the paper bag he'd brought. "Now for Granny O'Neill's surefire cure." He pulled out a jar from the bag and held it aloft. "Vicks Vapo-Rub," he announced.
"Janet gave me medication," Daniel protested.
"Sure, but why not cover all the bases? Granny always swore by this stuff when I was a kid."
"I think medical science has advanced some since those days."
"Hey, it's not gonna hurt. Unbutton your top."
Resigning himself to the inevitable, Daniel complied.
Scooping a dollop of the paste from the jar, Jack smeared it liberally across Daniel's chest and began to rub it in.
The first touch of it against his skin was cool, but it warmed as Jack continued to massage him with firm strokes. Daniel took a deep breath and choked. "That smells awful!"
"That's the idea. How else are you going to get decongested?" With a final pat, Jack screwed the lid back on the jar. "Button up and get back down under the covers," he instructed. "Now try and get some sleep."
"I'll lie down," Daniel complained, "but I can't promise to sleep. There's too much to do and too much to think about. I can't sleep when I have so much running around in my mind."
"Then I'll tell you a story."
"A story?" Daniel opened a blue eye and regarded his friend skeptically.
"Sure, my voice will give you something to focus on so you won't think too much and you can fall asleep," Jack reasoned. "That's how it works with kids."
"Okay," Daniel agreed slowly. He guessed it was worth a try.
"Glasses." Jack held out his hand.
Daniel removed his glasses and handed them over.
Placing them on the bedside table, Jack settled down in his chair and appeared to think for a moment. Then he began, "Once upon a time..."
"Jack, this is dumb."
"Just give it a chance, willya? Where was I? Oh yeah, once upon a time, there was a boy named Timmy. Timmy had a dog and the dog's name was..."
"Lassie," Daniel supplied, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, Lassie," Jack said agreeably. "Lassie was Timmy's best friend and he took him along everywhere he went."
"Shouldn't it be her?" Daniel interrupted. "Lassie's a girl's name."
"Lassie was always played by male dogs, though. Everyone knows that. So it's him."
"Okay, him," Daniel nodded.
"So Timmy and Lassie went everywhere together. They had a lot of fun playing and they had adventures and got into trouble."
"I know," Daniel yawned. "Lassie pulled Timmy out of a well."
"No, Timmy was not the kind of boy who'd fall down a well," Jack objected. "In fact, it was Lassie who fell down a well and Timmy had to pull him out. That's when Timmy decided it was too dangerous to take Lassie with him all the time because he always got into too much trouble. Timmy was worried Lassie might get hurt. So he decided to leave Lassie home whenever he went out, but that didn't work because Lassie was so unhappy about staying home he found a way out on his own and got into trouble anyway without Timmy there to pull him out of it. Timmy decided it was better to have Lassie around where he could fish him out of any wells he fell into. So they went everywhere together again and were happy, even when they got into trouble. The end."
There was only silence from the bed.
"Daniel?" Jack whispered softly. He could see Daniel's chest rising and falling in time with his deep and even breaths. He appeared sound asleep. Gently Jack brushed back a lock of limp hair and pulled the covers up to tuck them around his friend's shoulders. "Good night, Daniel." Crossing the room, Jack turned out the light.
He stood in the living room contemplating the mess, looking from the books and papers to the bedroom and back. With a shrug he quietly cleared everything off the sofa and made himself comfortable for the night.
"Good morning, camper! Rise and shine."
"God, Jack, are you always so peppy in the morning?" Daniel grumbled, curling his fingers into fists and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What are you still doing here anyway?"
"It just seemed easier to crash here for the night. I brought you some breakfast. You have your choice of pancakes, pancakes, or pancakes."
"Well in that case, I'll take pancakes." Reaching for his glasses, Daniel sat up and peered at the tray Jack was placing on the bed. "Oh good, syrup." He proceeded to drown his pancakes in it.
"Take any pancakes with your syrup, do you?" Jack inquired interestedly.
"The maple syrup's the best part," Daniel mumbled around a mouthful of pancake. He swallowed. "Hey, these are good."
"When it comes to cooking, I do have a few talents," Jack modestly proclaimed.
"Do they extend to making coffee?" Daniel asked hopefully.
"That's not exactly going to relax you."
"Come on, Jack, I got a good night's sleep, do I have to sleep all day, too? I feel better."
"Your appetite's sure improved," Jack observed. "Okay, I'll start the coffeemaker before I take off. I've got to get to the base, but I'll stop by to check on you tonight. Try not to overdo the paperwork, huh? Take it easy, take a few breaks or naps or something."
Daniel looked up at him and smiled. "I promise not to fall down a well."
Jack gave an answering grin. "I'll hold you to that. See ya later." Whistling, he walked off in the direction of the kitchen.