As Long As It's You (3/8)
Part 2
For the first time in nearly a week, they slept in relative comfort on a level floor, and when the sun rose the next morning, they were almost eager to get started on preparing their new shelter. After a quick breakfast of the crackers and spread from the previous evening's meals, Daniel and Vala packed up only what they needed for the trip back to the tel'tac, and left everything else tucked beneath the tarp at the back of the cave, in case they had another storm.
Unfortunately, the saturated ground made it impossible to safely descend the same steep slope they'd climbed up the day before, but Daniel had a solution. After tying several knots into a length of rope, he fastened it around a tree and dangled it over the edge of the cliff, which gave them a pretty good climbing rope for descending at one of the rockier portions of the cliff. Leaving the rope in place for their return, they shouldered their packs, and sipping from the spring water they'd boiled clean at supper, set off on the three-mile hike around the lake and back to the cargo ship.
One unforeseen consequence of the storm was the softening of the ground around the wrecked vessel itself. The pile of dirt they typically used as a ramp into and out of the shattered canopy was now a slippery, muddy slope, and the floor at the bottom was covered in a few inches of murky brown water. Realizing it would be difficult and dangerous to try to carry items out of the cargo hold and try to climb out of the ship with them, Daniel and Vala quickly worked out a system.
Barefooted for better traction on the wet, sloping floor, Vala loaded up Daniel's duffle bag with the remainder of their SGC gear. Next, she dug out a length of rope and a nasty-looking hook-shaped thing from what Daniel sarcastically called the "toybox", and tied the handled hook to one end of the rope. Then she carried the rope and duffle to the pel'tac and tossed the free end of the rope up through the gap in the canopy.
Daniel was standing on the roof, and while he missed the rope on the first toss, he caught it on the second. When he called down that he was ready, Vala looped the duffle's handles around the hook and gave the rope a tug to let Daniel know he could start pulling. When the heavy bag began to slowly rise, she returned to the cargo hold and gathered up the next items on their must-have list-the mallet and the metal pegs-and secured those in a square of garish cloth by tying up the corners. A few of the silver and gold vessels went into a similarly-made bag, and she carried both items back to the pel'tac and hooked them onto the rope when it was lowered again. As she turned back to retrieve more supplies, her foot slipped on a patch of mud, and Vala crashed to the floor gracelessly, sending water flying into the air.
"Are you okay?" Daniel called out, peering through the hole in the canopy.
"I'm fine!" she called out, flinging filthy water off her arms and hands. "Drenched and covered in mud, but fine." Reaching out to the remains of the console to help get her balance, Vala pulled herself to her feet and made an exaggerated gagging noise when she realized what a terrible mess she was now. Five days with only military bath wipes could do only so much to make a girl feel clean, and now that she'd thoroughly soaked her last clean uniform, she found herself craving a real bath.
Taking a step forward, the same traitorous foot that found the patch of mud discovered something sharp beneath the water. Yelping in pain, she cursed the stupid ship, the storm the night before, the Oranians, the Lucian Alliance in general, Daniel, and anything and anyone else she could think of on short notice. Fighting tears of pain and frustration, she leaned against the console and cradled her poor wounded foot.
"Vala, you're bleeding!" Daniel exclaimed. "I'm coming down there."
"I'm going to need you to get me out," she reminded him, swearing again and biting her lower lip. "Pass me the healing device, instead."
"Where is it?"
"In my-" she began, then cursed again. "Damn it, I left my toiletry bag back at the cave!"
Daniel blinked down at her. "You what?"
"I'm such an idiot! I left the healing device in my toiletry bag, which I left in the cave. Of all the-"
The rope dropped down in front of her, sans hook. "Grab hold; we're heading back."
"No, no, we're all the way here, we might as well finish getting what we came to get."
He rolled his eyes. "From the looks of that cut, that foot is going to be painful to walk on even after we bandage it. You won't be carrying any supplies on the way back, and I've got enough to carry for now. We'll get the rest of it later... it's okay."
Gritting her teeth, Vala dug out her gloves and grabbed hold of the rope. As soon as she was able to, she grabbed hold of the edge of the hole in the roof, taking her weight off the rope so Daniel could let go of it. In seconds, his hands were wrapped around the shoulder straps of her tactical vest, and he was hoisting her the rest of the way out of the tel'tac.
"Let me see that," he ordered gently, digging out the first aid kit and his canteen. Vala flinched and hissed as he washed and probed the cut to make sure nothing was in the wound, then handed her two pain killers and urged her to take them. Giving a few moments for the medicine to kick in, Daniel rinsed the wound again and packed it with antibiotic cream before snugly bandaging the foot. Then, mischievously, he lightly ran his fingers down the uninjured portion of her sole, causing her to gasp and yank the appendage away from the tickling sensation.
Vala glared at him, then sighed out a thank you. While he packed up the medical supplies, she cleaned off her other foot and pulled on her socks and boots, wincing at the pressure on her injury.
Daniel obviously noticed her grimace. "Do you think you can walk?"
"I'll be fine," she promised. beginning to get as annoyed with him as she was herself. The only thing worse than a dismissive Daniel was a concerned one!
After he finished strapping, tying, or otherwise fastening the retrieved bags onto his person, Daniel held out a hand to help Vala to her feet, then they began the careful walk back to the lake. The bandage made her boot a little tighter than usual, but the well-cushioned soles were up to the task of absorbing the shock from each step. Reflecting on the quality of Tau'ri shoemasonry, she was grateful she currently wasn't wearing the less-practical heeled boots she'd been wearing the day she and Daniel were abducted. Three miles in those lovely but poorly-padded boots would have been excrutiating.
As it was, those three miles started off uncomfortable, graduated to a throbbing pain, and her foot was working its way up to nauseatingly painful when Daniel called a halt. Seeing that he was sweating profusely and looked about ready to keel over, Vala asked if he was okay.
"Fine..." he puffed, laying two of the bags he carried on the ground. "Just carrying too much... and it's hot today. But there's no way you'll be able to climb the cliff with that foot. Wait here and I'll get your bag, okay?"
"Hurry back," she smiled, nodding her agreement. "And Daniel? Don't peek in my bag... private girl stuff."
He snorted. "Rrrrright."
Settling back against a tree and propping her throbbing foot up on one of the discarded bags, Vala fanned herself with the front of her t-shirt. As Daniel had said, it was rather hot today, and the exertion from hobbling along with a wounded foot had left her feeling sticky and flushed. Add to that the muck coating her skin, hair, and clothing, and the lake she could just barely see through the trees was looking very inviting.
With Daniel gone, the sounds of the woods were louder and more alien, though Vala forced herself to remember that they had yet to discover anything threatening. So far, the largest animal they'd seen was a small deer, and Daniel had said he hadn't seen signs of any large predators. Still, she kept her zat within reach, and listened for Daniel to return.
A few minutes-and a whole lot of strange bird sounds-later, footsteps crunched through the undergrowth, telling her of Daniel's return. "Got it!" he called out, making sure Vala knew it was him. Moments later, he was presenting her toiletry bag to her with a flourish. "Milady's 'private girl stuff'."
Vala grinned. "You peeked, didn't you?"
"Only just a little," he admitted, shrugging. "I'd hate to have gone all that way and it not be in the bag after all."
"Find anything interesting?" she teased, unzipping the small duffle and pulling out her healing device. The device went into her lap, and she brought her injured foot up to rest on the opposite knee.
"Well, I doubt you'll find any outlets offworld to plug in your hair dryer and curling iron, but it's cute that you pack them anyway."
Wriggling a little to sit more comfortably, Vala untied her boot laces, yanked the shoe off, and began to strip the bandages. "You never know... Samantha's pretty good at coming up with power adapters." She slipped the healing device over her hand and held it out above the puffy-edged gash in her foot. "So you think it's 'cute'?"
"I... uh... well, it's very you."
"Oh, so you think I'm cute."
Daniel's mouth fell open, then he shook his head. "I walked right into that one," he muttered.
Vala grinned at him, then turned her concentration on the Goa'uld device in her hand. It flared to life, bathing her foot in its healing warmth, and she let out a sigh of relief as the beam dulled the raw nerves in the area. Through the device, she was able to sense the tear itself, and willed the flesh to grow back together from the inside out, forcing any foreign substances out as the gap closed.
When all that remained was new pink skin and a smear of blood and antibiotic ointment, Vala shut the healing device off and leaned back against the tree to rest. "All better," she sighed, wiping the ointment away with her thumb. "Though I could definitely use a bath."
Daniel's mouth curved in a half-smile. "I dunno... the bedraggled mud puppy look you have going is kind of cute."
Vala gaped. "You... you jerk!" Grabbing up her discarded sock, she walloped him in the face with it. "I'll show you 'cute'!"
Throwing up his hands to block the assault, Daniel shifted out of Vala's reach and grabbed up the two bags he'd discarded earlier. "Hurry up, mud puppy... we have a lot of work to do still!"
"Jerk!" Vala called after his retreating back side, unwilling to let him get in the last word. Shaking her head, she muttered "mud puppy" to herself, then set about putting her boot back on to catch up to him.
A playful Daniel? This was new... and very interesting.
* * *
They broke for lunch after returning to the ship, and this time, they dropped a large stone they'd found into the cargo ship for Vala to stand on, rather than risking any more hidden surprises in the murky water. Once one of the shipping crates was emptied, Vala tugged it to the gap, and together, they managed to squeeze the sturdy chest through the hole in the canopy. The crate was then refilled with everything they had retrieved on this trip, including the spices, the remainder of the native plants they'd gathered, and the rest of the dishes.
Although the box was now a little too bulky and heavy for Daniel to carry alone, it wasn't too much for them to move together. Ropes lashed around the container and through its handles were then threaded through the D-rings on their tactical vests, and though it wasn't very comfortable for such a long trek, it got the job done. Raising the supplies up to their cave's terrace was perfomed in a manner similar to their method for recovering the items from the cargo hold, and Daniel collapsed against the cave wall once the crate was safely against the rear wall of the cave.
"I'm beat," he moaned, panting from the exertion. "Let's save the other crates two for tomorrow."
Vala nodded. "They'll be mostly empty, though, so not as bad as this one. Still, I won't object to taking the rest of the day off."
"Much as I'd love to slack off for the rest of the day, we still have a lot we need to do. I need to get our temporary front wall up, and we need more food supplies." Stripping off his field jacket, he glanced over at Vala. "How do you feel about doing a little hunting and gathering while I hammer the tarp in place?"
"Roast goose?" Vala asked, perking up.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "What is it with you and roasted geese?"
"I think they taste good. Why?"
"That's at least the third time you've mentioned it."
"Oh. Well, I like it a lot." She shrugged. "That and it was one of the few dishes I didn't ruin when I first started cooking for Tomin. He once told me I was the only girl he knew who could manage to burn bread and leave it soggy in the middle." She chuckled at the memory, and Daniel took that as permission to smile, too.
"Well, unless we find any edible grains, we can rule out bread for the time being," he teased. Pushing himself to his feet, he walked over to the stack of supplies and removed the tarp, stretching it across the cave floor in order to find the widest possible point at which to hang it. It was, unfortunately several feet still from the mouth of the cave, but it was better than nothing. Meanwhile, Vala emptied two tied-cloth bags, tucked them into her pack, and disappeared from the cave in search of food.
It took an hour of hard work and a bit of creativity, but eventually Daniel had two stakes driven into the walls near the top of the cave, and the tarp was threaded onto a rope strung between them. The cave was only about seven feet tall at this point, so there was a little gap at the floor where the tarp didn't cover. Locating two sizable rocks not far from the springhead, Daniel lugged them back to the cave, tied a rope around each, and left them to use as anchors when the tarp was unrolled. Finally, he looped another rope around the middle of the tarp and fastened it with a simple slip-knot, which could be tightened or loosened to raise and lower the "door".
He was sorting and counting their supplies when Vala made her return. "Scrambled? Or over-easy?" she asked, holding out one of her bags.
"You found some eggs?"
"Found a goose, first, and would have zatted the honker except he-or rather she-decided to fly off over the trees. As it turned out, she had been sitting on a nest, so I hope the eggs are fresh."
"Only one way to find out." Accepting the bundle, Daniel laid it down carefully and untied the knots. Nestled inside a pile of spinach leaves and fuzzberries were five sizable eggs, each with a shiny pink shell. "Nice."
"Thanks. You know, I find it rather endearing that we've swapped traditional gender-roles."
Daniel's brow furrowed. "Huh?"
Vala grinned. "Well, I went out and brought home the proverbial bacon, while you stayed here as the good little homemaker."
"Oh, funny." He rolled his eyes, but busied himself adding the new leaves and berries to their existing supply. The older produce was shuffled to the top of the new items, and he frowned as he realized he still had a few samples of a plant he had yet to test. "Looks like we can go searching for new plants in a day or two," he announced, gesturing toward the wilted samples. "Last ones."
"Really?" Vala asked, disingenuously. "You mean we can spend another entire day scraping in the dirt and sniffing plant sap? My, I can hardly wait."
Daniel stripped a leaf from one of the untested plants, tore it in half, and rubbed the raw edge against the softer underside of his forearm. "Don't forget all the sketching and scribbling that goes into ensuring we have a decent guide to the local flora."
"Oh, I think I did fine just now without a decent guide to the local flora." Vala tapped herself on the side of the head. "I'm pretty sure I can remember what's edible and what's not."
"While we know only four plants, sure. But what if that number grows to a hundred? Two hundred?"
Vala raised her chin. "Yes."
"Oh, well then I'll leave you to do all the remembering. Meanwhile, I'll keep on writing and drawing." Rolling his eyes, Daniel turned away and continued stripping leaves from the plant.
"Bo-ring," she sing-songed. "Incredibly, vitally important, I know, but still... bo-ring."
"Well," Daniel began, gesturing toward her recently-injured foot, "I'll leave all the excitement to you, then."
"Ha!" Digging out their supply of antiseptic wipes, she waved the package at him meaningfully.
Leaving her to her much-needed bath, Daniel dumped his pile of leaves into any empty silver urn and headed for the spring. Once there, he knelt next to the stream, then began to carefully wash the leaves to ensure they were free of dirt. Then, after verifying that his skin had had no allergic reaction to the leaf's juices-only a tingling sensation, like a mild astringent-he tore off a small piece of leaf and stuck it between his cheek and gums. The taste was sour-akin to lemon or sorrel-but not unpleasant, and he gathered up the washed leaves and turned back for the cave.
There was a loud whoop, then a pale figure streaked for the edge of the terrace and leapt off. Startled, Daniel dropped the pot and ran to the precipice, clutching at a slender tree trunk for balance as he looked down at the rippling lake surface. Seconds later, his teammate broke through the surface, letting out a loud gasp.
"Vala!" Daniel shouted, more in surprise than anything else.
"Daniel!" she grinned, treading water as she looked up at him. "Come on in, darling, the water's fine! A little brisk, perhaps, maybe even a bit chilly, but it's wet and it's wonderful, so what are you waiting for?"
His jaw dropped, and his blood pressure soared. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"
"It's water, Daniel, we've been drinking this stuff for over a week."
"That's not what I meant. There could have been rocks beneath the surface... you could have hurt yourself very badly just jumping in like that."
Vala spluttered, swiped her hair out of her face, and glared. "Look down, Daniel. See how dark the water is here? That's because it's deep here, and I jumped out far enough away from the cliff to avoid any rocks. See? No problem."
"Are you naked?"
"Well, I could hardly go skinny-dipping otherwise, now could I?"
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "And when you're done swimming, then what? You going to climb the cliff here free-handed? Swim all the way to the edge of the lake and climb up the rope, then hike back to wherever you left your clothes... naked and shoeless?"
"Well, I was hoping you'd be kind enough to drop a rope over the edge here, and join me."
"Oh, you were hoping?" He rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Vala, you need to start being more careful! It won't kill you to think ahead a little, and just might keep you from killing yourself doing something stupid."
"Killing myself doing something stupid?" Vala echoed. "Well at least I'm living, which is more than I can say for you. Life's too short to waste it all with your nose stuck in a book, Daniel."
"With my-?" Daniel spluttered. "People used to say I was impulsive, but I've got nothing on you, Miss Leap-Before-You-Look. You're damn right life's too short, especially when you keep doing stupid things that could end it prematurely."
"Says the man who's died... what? A half-dozen times already?"
Daniel threw his hands in the air. "You know what? Fine, go ahead. Have your fun. And when you're sick and starving, don't come to me for help."
"Fine! And don't come to me next time you need healing!"
"Fine!"
Turning away from the cliff, Daniel marched back the cave, fists clenched in anger. Every time he thought Vala was finally starting to think of someone other than herself, she proved him wrong. Every time he was starting to think there was more to her than a capricious kleptomaniac, she went and got herself into trouble by impulsively doing instead of thinking about it first. If she'd had any common sense at all, she'd have known better than to just jump into the lake like that!
Fisting his hands in his hair, Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His pulse was racing and he had the beginnings of a headache, and he was certain he could credit both to the argument with Vala. Her childish antics aside, he still had work to do, and that meant gathering more food and firewood, and building a better shelter than just a tarp strung across a cave.
Looking around the cave, he realized he'd dropped the urn of just-washed leaves when Vala startled him, and in his surprise and anger, had forgotten to retrieve them. Sighing with frustration, he left the cave and walked back toward the spring, glancing occasionally through the sparse trees, as though expecting to see a familiar figure enjoying her swim in the lake below the terrace.
Uncharitable though it was, he half-hoped she'd get a cramp. He'd rescue her, of course, but then he'd never let her forget her impulsiveness had nearly killed her.
Only a few dozen feet from the spring, he found the slightly-dented silver urn, but its contents had been spilled out across the ground as it rolled. Cursing under his breath, Daniel swiped at the sweat beading his forehead, then knelt and began to gather the soggy leaves back into the pot.
Upon attempting to stand, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he nearly fell. He blinked furiously and shook his head, then tried once more to get to his feet. This time, he managed to get half-way upright before being assailed by nausea, and he just as quickly staggered toward the cliff wall before falling to his knees and gagging, though nothing came up but bile and mucus. Cramps assailed his stomach and his pulse began to race, and it was only then that he realized that at one point before or during his shouting match with Vala, he'd accidentally swallowed the piece of leaf he'd been holding in his cheek.
"Vala," he croaked, feeling his mouth and throat beginning to burn. "Vala!"
There was no way she could hear him from here. Crawling on his hands and knees, Daniel tried to reach the edge of the terrace, but his movements were uncoordinated, and his heart was pounding. Spots were dancing at the edge of his vision and his lungs were wheezing. Gasping his teammate's name one last time, darkness claimed him.
* * *
Wringing the water out of her hair, Vala waded out of the lake. Though she was tempted to sprawl in the grass and let the sun dry her naturally, she'd hate to end up with a sunburn and give Daniel a reason to say "I told you so." Grumbling under her breath about uptight anthropologists, she stalked toward the climbing rope and began to haul herself up the wall. Admittedly, it was slow-going and a little uncomfortable to be scaling the bluff in the buff, but she toughed it out, and soon was walking toward the cave.
She expected a confrontation when she arrived, but to her surprise, Daniel wasn't in the cave at all. Grabbing one of her cleaner uniforms-not that any of them was pristine-she quickly dressed, then sat down to wait for her errant archaeologist. To pass the time, she dug out her rail pistol and began to clean it, all the while planning out pithy retorts she could make to whatever opening rant he might launch into upon his return.
An hour later, her gun, Daniel's M9, and both MP5s were cleaned, and Daniel still hadn't shown up. Sure, he could throw hissy fits with the best of them, but the length of this particular snit was a bit excessive even for him. Furthermore, she was beginning to get the nagging feeling that something was wrong.
"Probably has his nose stuffed in a book," she muttered to herself, but a quick glance at the supply crate showed his journal was still lying on top of it, just where he'd left it.
A few more minutes passed, and her misgivings were only strengthening. Daniel was armed with a zat, sure, but what if he'd encountered something that was immune to the energy weapon? It wasn't likely, of course, but it also wasn't impossible.
Worrying at her lower lip, Vala finally decided to go looking for him. Slipping her vest on and strapping a zat to her thigh, she hefted her MP5 and nodded grimly to herself. As she reached the entrance to the cave, she paused, then returned and slipped the healing device into her vest pocket.
Just in case.
Heading toward the little ledge she'd jumped from earlier, she looked around nervously, half-expecting something to leap out at her from the sparse woods. The sounds of the day were beginning to give over to evening, but so far, there was nothing to explain the growing dread forming a leaden weight in her stomach. If she found Daniel and it turned out he'd merely stomped off in a huff, she was going to kill him herself.
The trees parted to reveal her impromptu diving platform, but only a short distance away, a black-and-green lump lay sprawled on the ground, a pair of familiar-looking eyeglasses lying to one side. Heart leaping into her throat, Vala ran forward and fell to her knees at Daniel's side. His skin was clammy and he was soaked in sweat, but most frightening of all was the dusky hue to his lips.
"No, no, no... wake up, damn you!" she swore, turning him over and slapping at his cheeks. He was still breathing, but in short, wheezy gasps that weren't doing much for him. A quick check at his wrist showed his pulse was far too erratic, and it was obvious to even her untrained eye that whatever was happening to him could quickly become fatal.
Fortunately, she had thought to grab her healing device. Laying her rifle aside, she dug out the Goa'uld tool and slipped it onto her hand. It took a few precious seconds of concentration to activate the beam, but very soon, Daniel's forehead was bathed in the warm healing glow, and she swept the beam over his chest, which seemed to be the source of his discomfort. To her surprise, his lungs "felt" perfectly healthy, if a little oxygen-starved, so she trailed the beam back up to his throat. Very quickly, she discovered the insides of his mouth and throat were inflamed, and the subsequent swelling had all-but closed off his windpipe.
After healing the irritated tissues, Vala moved on toward Daniel's heart, which seemed to be struggling even after his breathing had improved. Willing the muscles there to strengthen, she finally shut off the beam and sat back on her heels.
"Okay, Daniel, wake up and tell me what you did to yourself," she chided, shaking his shoulder.
Daniel moaned, and to her relief, his eyelids fluttered. "Zhaaaaack?" he slurred.
"Try again, darling."
"Vala?"
"There you go." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Do you remember what happened?"
He winced and closed his eyes. "Hurts."
She froze, confused. "Daniel, I just healed you. What hurts?"
"Stomach... head... chest..."
"Okay, I'll give it another go, then, since I didn't heal your head or stomach." Activating the device again, she started at his chest and worked her way down his esophagus, reducing inflammation as she went. She was surprised she'd missed this earlier, but then again, she'd been a lot more concerned with helping his breathing and his struggling heart Further irritation was noted in other digestive organs, and she quickly healed that as well. Finally, she gave a quick pass over his head, but there wasn't really anything wrong there that she could fix.
"How's that?"
Daniel shifted and cracked an eye open. "Better. What happened?"
"I was hoping you could tell me."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Um, we were arguing."
"I know that part, what next?"
"I went back to the cave... I remembered I'd forgotten the leaves I'd finished washing, so I came back... oh, crap."
Vala arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"I accidentally swallowed a piece of leaf while we were arguing." Groaning, he sat up, rubbing at his temples. "Based on the fact that I got sick really fast, I'd say it was poisonous."
"Oookay, so I guess we're striking that plant from your book."
He shook his head. "The leaves may be poisonous, but that doesn't mean the whole plant is."
"Daniel, when I found you, you were unconscious and barely breathing. You know that whole tirade you just went through about thinking before I act? Well, I'm thinking on this one now, my friend, and you are not going to put yourself at risk for a stupid plant. Mark it down as poisonous and move on."
His mouth closed with an audible snap. "Yes, ma'am," he agreed, somewhat contritely. "So, uh... where are my glasses?"
Stretching out across the ground, Vala picked up the discarded eyewear and handed them over. As Daniel slipped them on, she pushed herself to her feet, scooped up her rifle, and walked over to inspect the silver urn sitting nearby. "These the leaves?"
"Um, yeah. We should probably dump them somewhere, then sterilize the pot by boiling water in it for a few minutes."
"Think that'll be enough?"
"Should be, yeah. Why are you carrying an MP5?"
Vala turned around and rolled her eyes skyward. "Well, you were gone a terribly long time, and I was worried something big and nasty may have come after you and your zat didn't work. You know... thinking ahead again."
Daniel sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"What? You were right. Daniel, I knew you were testing a new plant; I saw you rub the juice on your arm before you left for the spring. See, if I'd been where I was supposed to be instead of off swimming, you might not have gotten so sick. You certainly wouldn't have accidentally swallowed a piece of leaf while yelling at me, either." She closed her eyes, recalling the panic she'd felt when she first spotted his unconscious body sprawled on the ground. "You could have died, and I was off sulking because I wasn't having enough 'fun'."
A sympathetic look crossed his face, and he gave her a nod. "It's getting dark... we should probably head back."
Nodding in agreement, Vala scooped up the urn, then emptied its contents out near the base of a cedar-like tree. Daniel retook possession of the pot, and they began their trek back to the cave.
Halfway there, Daniel staggered and groaned. "Oh, crap."
"What?"
"Hold this," he gasped, thrusting the urn into her arms and dashing into the trees. Moments later, she heard evidence that he definitely was not well still, but she was hoping to respect his privacy and let him finish in peace.
"I'll be right back!" she called, setting the urn down so she'd remember the spot. She ran all the way back to the cave, set her rifle down with the other weapons, then snatched up their dwindling supply of toilet paper. On an impulse, she also grabbed the package of sanitary wipes, then jogged back to the area she'd left Daniel. Calling out so that he would know she had returned, she made her way through the trees, then tried to hand the items to him without actually looking at him.
"Thanks," he murmured, then let out a creative string of expletives which made Vala's eyebrows aim for her hairline.
"Look, I might have missed something while healing you... again. As soon as you can, meet me back at the trail and I'll give it another shot, okay?"
"Yeah."
Returning back to the path the planet's version of deer had worn to the stream and back, Vala paced while waiting for Daniel to finish. Eventually, he came stumbling out of the trees, clutching the wipes in one hand, the roll of paper tucked under his arm, and his free hand clutching desperately to the trees as he moved. His skin was pallid and he was once again drenched in sweat and looking ready to fall over at any time.
"I take it back... I definitely missed something. Sit down before you fall down."
"Not sure I'll be able to get back up," he admitted, swiping his palm across his forehead. "Probably ought to camp out by the latrine."
"Ew," Vala grimaced.
"Exactly." He held out his arm. "Help me?"
With Vala there to steady him, Daniel was able to make it back to the entrance to their cave without falling, as well as the twenty feet past it to the latrine they'd dug near the terrace wall. While Daniel was... occupied... Vala busied herself mixing a powdered energy drink in one of the canteens, knowing that Daniel needed the electrolytes as much as he needed the liquid itself.
When she emerged from the cave again, Daniel was sitting down with his back against a tree, knees drawn up and his head resting on his arms. It struck her as both amusing and sad that a tall man could make himself so small, but she realized the defensive pose was indicative of his misery. Tapping him with the canteen, she waited until he'd sipped a little of the energy drink before putting the healing device on her hand again.
This time, she worked slowly and methodically, concentrating her efforts on his stomach and intestines. It was exhausting work, and Vala soon found herself drenched in sweat and shaking.
"Stop," Daniel blurted, putting his hand on Vala's and breaking her concentration. "I don't think it's working."
Vala seized her lower lip between her teeth. "I must be doing something wrong."
"I don't think you are." When she looked askance at him, he explained, "Look, all the other times you've used the healing device, it's been for things like cuts, concussions, and broken bones, right?"
"Except for that time-"
"Yeah, the Prior plague," Daniel finished. "But those people just got sick again, so what if there was a reason for it?"
"Besides the Prior hanging around, re-infecting them all?"
"Yes... no. I mean, what if the healing device isn't able to heal stuff like that?" He leaned back against the tree, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't pretend to know anything about how those things work, but what if it can't be used to treat causes, only symptoms?"
Vala frowned. "That doesn't make sense, Daniel. A few weeks ago, you had a headache from a concussion. I healed the concussion, and the headache went away, correct?"
"True, but healing the concussion meant treating an injury that had already been caused. The swelling of the brain tissues which manifested as a headache were symptoms of getting smacked on the head by an Oranian."
"Okay, I see what you mean there, but I'm not sure why it's not working here."
Daniel patted his abdomen. "You're healing the reaction my body had to the poison I ingested, but you can't take the poison itself out of my bloodstream. You could treat the symptoms of the Prior plague, but you couldn't eliminate the virus itself."
Vala's mouth snapped shut, and she felt her forehead squish downward as she frowned. "So... the only way you're going to get better is to wait for your body to eliminate the poison on its own?"
He smiled grimly. "Lucky me."
Part 4