First do no harm - part 1
First do no harm
by Dee Tervo
TITLE: First Do No Harm
AUTHOR:Dee Tervo
EMAIL: DTervo2286@aol.com
CATEGORY: Action/Adventure
SPOILERS: Minor for "Serpent's Grasp/Lair" and "Secrets"
SEASON/SEQUEL INFO: Would need to take place after Secrets 2nd Season
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: The sg-1 team discovers the danger of too much gate travel!
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be archived without the consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story has been living in my mind for months now and has been screaming for written expression, so I basically had no choice! Here goes! Let me know what you think. The title comes from the medical oath taken by physicians on Earth.
The cold was bitter, penetrating, numbing. The mission clock counted down to the last final hours, offering small consolation, given the boredom and the ever-present cold. Jack tried to busy himself, fumbling through the gear and supplies. Never a patient man, he began dwelling on the idea of being team leader on a mission to nowhere. Despite not wanting to, he began to tally his mental scorecard of past missions. Far too many were dangerous, not productive. Then there were the few brilliant successes. How does it all add up? Guess the big picture is not mine to question, Jack thought. Just keep in step with those orders and the military bright boys will point us down the right path. Feeling he wasn't accomplishing much, he left the cave to search for the rest of SG-1. There was no energy in his step; in fact he had been feeling achy and weak. "I must need a vacation. Somewhere warm, no make that hot and steamy!" said Jack as he braced himself against the icy wind. This had turned out to be a very routine mission. No surprises, new technology...nothing for Jack to report. "Sam! Teal'c!" Jack called out impatiently. "Where the hell is everyone? We leave in 3 hours!"
Ahead, Jack heard laughter coming from the doorway of a stone house. A blazing fire burned in the center of a large community room. "Has to be," Jack remarked to himself, "Daniel's having a great time sharing folk tales again!" Amazingly, in this bleak and god-forsaken place, a civilization had taken root. Jack had to admit the people reminded him of the simple and loving folk on Abydos, and he knew it would be difficult for Daniel to leave. Jack decided to observe quietly from the doorway for a few moments. The room was warm and glowing, as the people shared their life, legends, food and drink with Daniel. He was certainly in his element, thought Jack. Dressed in native robes, conversing freely in a newly discovered dialect, their specialist in archeology, cultures and language exchanged hugs of greeting and enjoyment of life with the residents of a planet soon to be forgotten. A group of young women, wrapped in brightly colored homespun cloaks, gathered about Daniel. Each enticing him, in turn, to sample her best dish. Jack didn't need to understand the dialect to fully appreciate what was going on. Did Daniel have any idea of the interest he had generated? The impact he'd made on these people in the short span of 3 days? Jack could only shake his head, and continue to comment to himself - but this time he unknowingly was muttering out loud - "Damn dangerous...opening up to others so quickly...so completely! Foolish, brash, he'll never learn!"
Lost in thought, Jack barely noticed that Sam had joined him at the door, having just returned from a makeshift mountaintop observatory. "What sir? Some sort of danger?" Sam asked, quite puzzled.
"Hey! Whadda ya say we join Daniel around the fire and warm up a bit before we head home?" Jack asked Sam, ignoring her prior question.
"Sounds great, sir!" was Sam's immediate reply. She too had felt that Daniel seemed to belong in a place such as this. A fleeting thought really, and she dismissed it just as quickly. Daniel, after all, was just as committed as the rest of SGC to exploring the newly opened Gate universe and fighting the enemy who had stolen away his source of security and love. It was in large part because he could fit in with a new group of people, learn and communicate so easily, that he was so valued by the SG-1 team. "Nothing new to report, Colonel," Sam offered as she peeled off her frost-encrusted gloves. She enjoyed the fire and the people were friendly, but the mission lacked anything of interest to her and she felt drained, ready for a break. "The planet appears to offer little of strategic or scientific benefit to us. Teal'c should be along shortly. He was packing up the last of our computers. Odd though, he did say he needed to rest for awhile! I don’t think I've ever seen him get tired. Ever!"
Only now did Daniel notice the others talking at the entryway. "Come in! Get warm! You have to eat some of this!" he called to them, as if inviting them to his house for Sunday supper. "I know General Hammond won’t care to hear what I've learned from these people, Jack, but they have the most interesting myths! Do you want to know how they explain having only two months of summer?" Jack's wince and turn of his head told Daniel he really did not care to hear the story. Undaunted, Daniel turned to Sam with a questioning look.
Sam answered his gaze "Has anyone spoken of the Goa'uld? Have they been here recently?"
Annoyed at everyone's apparent disinterest, Daniel could only shake his head no. Almost to himself he muttered "You know, if we would only listen and learn what these other cultures offer to us, we could bring back information that could *truly* make a difference on Earth, but we probably never will. Funny, it's kind of like learning from Earth's own past...we don't."
"Come on, Danny," Jack ordered. "Let's pack up. I hear Teal'c coming now, and it's time to say your good byes."
Obediently, Jackson bid farewell to his friends. He had composed an individual good bye for each person, and as he did so he handed him or her a parting gift. Some SGC stationary and pencils for some, Kleenex for others and gloves for the children. To one especially bright-eyed and attentive young woman, he gave a lingering hug and a leather bound book. It was a blank diary. He instructed her to write down all that happens in the days they are apart, and that he would return one day to read it. His eyes betrayed him, however, and she sensed it. He would never return, but she accepted the book and allowed herself, for the moment, to believe that he might come back.
Daniel put on his army-issue cold weather survival gear and trudged toward the Gate. Little was spoken between them; each preoccupied with their own thoughts. After a while, Jack spoke up "Daniel, we really need to talk when we get home."
"About what?" Daniel answered.
Hesitantly, Jack continued "The way you...jump off the deep end all the time...it sucks!"
Sam interpreted for Jack, trying to smooth things out "The Colonel means the way you jump into these cultures we meet - so open - so willing to go along with their ways..."
"Yeah," Daniel interrupted defensively, "Well...I learn a lot that way!"
Jack proceeded "Yes...but...it is tactically dangerous, and I think you've learned that in the past!"
Sam tried to soften the message, "But I also think it must be difficult for you to open up like that, then leave."
Jack pushed on "Someone is gonna get inside your head one of these days, and you aren't gonna want to leave! What does the team do then?"
Daniel thought about this as they walked along. He couldn't deny what Jack and Sam were saying, hell...there were already a few worlds he didn't want to leave! Yet he knew he couldn't look on these cultures, these different beings and wondrous discoveries with a cold military eye. It never made any sense to him to only look at what Earth could strategically get out of people and places. He knew his way was different, and he couldn't change if he wanted to. "Jack, we just have different ways of looking at things! Hey, it's worked out great so far! Don’t worry about me. Fact is, you're stuck with me! I'm along for the ride as long as it takes!" Daniel finished confidently.
He looked to Jack for affirmation, but Jack only responded with an ominous prediction "If you keep this up, it's only a matter of time before we lose you forever to one of those worlds," gesturing up to the night sky, "just be certain it’s what *you* want!"
Teal'c spoke up, putting voice to a feeling they all were experiencing, "O'Neill! The journey to this world has been most difficult for me, and I do not understand why. I am feeling weak to the point of needing to sleep. I have never before experienced such a thing."
"Well," Jack responded in an almost offhand way "maybe we all need some R&R."
"This "R&R"" Teal'c questioned "will it restore my energy and well being?"
"I'm betting on it! In fact I'm putting us down for mandatory shore leave as soon as we return to SGC!" Jack enthusiastically replied.
Teal'c was not at all sure he understood what this "shore leave" was, but he was certain it would help him if Jack said so.
Sam noticed Daniel had not yet begun to dial home. He stood in front of the DHD, appearing confused, reading and rereading the symbols. "What's wrong, Daniel?" Sam asked, her voice filled with concern.
Daniel didn't respond at first, he just remained staring at the DHD. Slowly he answered, "I'm having trouble concentrating...I know the sequence...well, I knew the sequence...I just can't remember clearly." After a seemingly endless series of attempted symbols, all the chevrons locked, engaged and the Gate whirred to life.
Jack quipped to an obviously relieved Daniel, "That was a close one! You are *definitely* taking some vacation, like it or not!" then he disappeared into the Gatelight.
Back at SGC, Dr. Frasier began to examine the returning travelers. "Col. O'Neill! You aren't being at all cooperative! You all have symptoms of extreme fatigue and stress. Now, it could be a form of Gate burnout, or maybe it's viral, or...who knows? One thing is for sure, I'm *never* going to find out if you don’t cooperate with the testing!"
Throughout this lecture, Jack was removing probes, cuffs, shifting monitors and restlessly moving about on the exam table so as to be practically impossible to examine. Finally, Jack explained his reluctance to Dr. Frasier "Look Doc, I probably appreciate what you do here more than anyone else at SGC. You've pulled me and my team out of the fire more times than I can count! It's just that I've never been good with this whole patient - doctor thing! I think we're all fine, just in need of a change of scene. Everyone needs a break now and then!"
As Dr. Frasier gently pushed Jack down onto the pillow and resumed her exam, Teal'c began to react from the next bed. "Colonel O'Neill, what the Doctor has said about Gate burnout has caused me to remember stories I heard of the "Healing", and I do not believe we are all fine!" Dr. Frasier, curious, came closer to hear Teal'c speak. "As First Prime of Apophis, I would travel through the Gate with him only when absolutely necessary. Most of the time, I was leading his armed contingent on Chulak or serving on his vessel. Those who traveled through the Gate more often talked of a "Place of Healing" if they became weak or ill. This was required after many trips through the Stargate. I was told the body becomes weakened from the stresses of traveling, and requires renewal in order to continue. Even the Goa'uld within me does not protect from such a process."
"I don’t know, Teal'c" Dr. Frasier responded shaking her head. "All the tests have come up negative. I find myself agreeing with Col. O'Neill, there seems to be nothing physically wrong with any of you!"
"Nothing you can *detect* at any rate," added Sam as she entered the room near the end of the conversation. "What if it is on the molecular level? If Teal'c is right, we should try Gating to this "Place of Healing".
Teal'c is now became more insistent, "I know that I am correct, Captain Carter, however I do not possess the knowledge of the symbols for the Place of Healing. There is a chance you might know them from Jolinar's memories. All beings...Goa'uld... Tok'Ra...it doesn’t matter. The Healer repairs them all."
"What will happen to us if we are not - repaired?" Sam asked of Teal'c.
"Further Gate travel becomes impossible." Teal'c answered.
"FINE! JUST FINE!" Jack despaired as he abandoned his examining table. "I was hoping for somewhere, oh, I don't know, Tahiti maybe? You're telling me we should go off chasing yet another MYTH, in hopes for an uncertain cure to a condition that doesn't even EXIST?" Turning to Dr. Frasier he continued "Doctor! Let me know if anything *real* turns up. I'll be relaxing in the weight room!" Jack strode out the door, not focusing on where he is going, forcing Daniel to sidestep him in order to avoid a collision.
"Guess he didn’t like your bedside manner?" Daniel joked to Dr. Frasier. Smiling in return, she motioned to the exam table and Daniel obediently hopped up.
"It would be quite the understatement to say that our Colonel is feeling - tense," she replied. "As for yourself, Dr. Jackson, how are you feeling? You mentioned trouble concentrating?"
"I think I'm OK," Daniel replied "maybe just a little tired out from too much Gate travel!" Sam and Teal'c exchanged glances and began to fill Daniel in on their latest theory.
Everyone was assembled in the briefing room, the air charged with excitement. Sam and Dr. Frasier were talking about the results of Sam's latest relaxation and memory retrieval experiments. "We may have finally done it, General!" Sam announced. "During the last week, Dr. Frasier and I have committed ourselves to biofeedback training. I think it's finally working! I can voluntarily retrieve memories that Jolinar left behind, as long as I can identify specific topics. I started with memories of Martouf, figuring they'd be among the strongest. It was incredible when they came to me at will!"
"What about the current situation. Have you discovered anything about Gate illness?" asked General Hammond.
"Yes, sir, I believe I have. The name of the healing world is Karykeion..."
"That's the Greek word that the modern term 'caduceus' is derived from! You know, the symbol a doctor uses? They put it on license plates, the AMA..." Daniel was excitedly rambling.
O'Neill interrupted, "You 'remembered' this place? Symbols and all?"
"Colonel, my memories confirm what Teal'c was told. If the SGC intends to continue Gate travel, we need to check out this healing place, and I do know the symbols." Sam responded.
Jack knew he was going to be outvoted, and if a trip to one more world was all that stood between him and a relaxing vacation, well..."Guess we just have to see if the doctor is in!"
End of part 1
Go to Part Two
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