Jack was bored.
He'd read the comic book that had been sitting on Simon's bed, which had turned out to be far more interesting than he'd thought it could have. Normally a firm believer in the privacy of others, Jack nevertheless snooped through Simon's bag and pulled out the rest of the stash, telling himself that the boy had told him he could read them. He'd carried them all to his bunk and had read them. Then had looked in vain for some he might have missed. Reconciled to the fact that he wasn't going to find any more, Jack had sighed and repacked Simon's bag, refolding the shirts and jeans, and putting the comic books back where he'd found them. Then he'd left the cabin, which was far too quiet, and went out to find something to do.
Almost immediately, the camp nurse had found him. Jack scowled as the woman came up to him, wondering if people in the medical profession had some sort of radar that let them know when a patient of theirs was in the process of doing something against doctor's orders.
"Mr. O'Neill? How are you feeling?" She asked, her keen eyes checking his pupils in the late afternoon sun.
"I'm fine," he told her, holding still so she could see whatever it was she was looking for. "And call me Jack, please."
"You're not dizzy? No blurry vision?"
"Nope."
"Then I suppose you can join your boys for their activities tomorrow. Just be careful not to do too much, and come to me if you start feeling poorly."
He promised her that he would, and made his escape, heading for the cafeteria where he hoped he'd find a cup of coffee and no one to wince at him. He was out of luck. Not only was the coffee pot not turned on, but Jean was sitting at a table in the cafeteria, talking to one of her girls, who looked to be in the middle of some kind of tantrum.
Both females looked at him as he came into the room. And both winced at the bruising on his face. Luckily, the girl was far more interested in her own bad mood than she was in Jack's injuries, and she went back to her glowering, forcing Jean to focus on her instead of Jack. Giving the coffee pot the same look Jack would give a traitor, he sighed and walked back outside, hoping to avoid whatever was going on with Sam's kids. And again, he was out of luck.
Carter was standing with another girl behind the main building. This girl was in tears, and Sam was obviously trying to calm her down. O'Neill tried to walk away unobserved, but Carter beckoned him over.
"Jack! Come here a moment, will you, please?"
He groaned, inwardly, and walked over. The little girl was too upset to even wince at him, although Sam did. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder, but addressed the Colonel.
"Do you think Gina looks nice in this shirt?" Sam asked.
Wondering briefly if the answer was supposed to be yes or no, Jack went out on a limb and nodded, forcing an uncomfortable smile.
"She looks great in it, Sam." He said, and then looked at the girl, trying for a more sincere smile. "You look beautiful."
"See?" Sam said, flashing O'Neill a look that told him he'd chosen properly. "Jack thinks you're pretty. Why would you worry what Shelly thinks? She probably wishes she had a shirt like yours."
Fairly certain that Shelly was the little girl in the cafeteria with Jean, Jack was grateful that he was counseling boys. He couldn't imagine Shawn coming up to him crying because one of the others had said his shirt was ugly.
However, he wasn't completely immune to the tears of a little girl, and found himself kneeling down in front of her.
"Sam's right," he assured her, reaching out and drying her cheeks with his hands. "Your shirt is wonderful, and I bet everyone in your cabin wishes they had one."
Gina didn't look entirely convinced, but she did stop crying.
"Really?"
"Yup."
"My sister made it for me at school," Gina said. "I got to pick out the color and everything."
"She did good," Jack guaranteed her.
"Shelly said it's ugly."
"She probably wishes her sister had made her one."
"She doesn't have a sister."
"Then she probably wishes she had your sister."
"You think so?"
"Probably."
The girl looked up at Sam, who was watching the conversation with interest, seeing a side of Jack that he normally didn't show anyone.
"So she's probably jealous?"
Carter nodded, "Maybe." She knelt down next to Jack in front of the girl. "Jealousy can make people say things they don't mean, Gina. I know you and Shelly like each other and that Shelly doesn't want to hurt your feelings. She's probably very sorry."
She hadn't looked all that sorry to Jack, but he didn't say anything. Most likely, by the time Jean was done with her, she'd be more than ready to apologize.
Gina sniffed, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, looking from Jack to Sam and back again as though trying to decide if they were right or not. Eventually she must have decided they were, because she threw her arms around Jack happily, much to Carter's amusement.
"That means she'll have to be extra nice to me to make up for being so mean, doesn't it?"
Jack hesitantly patted the girl's back, looking at Sam for an assist, but Carter was quiet, waiting for the Colonel to answer. The Colonel who had absolutely no idea what went on in the minds of little girls, and didn't know if she were entitled to extra niceness or not.
"Uh... yeah, I think so..." he said, uncertainly, giving Carter a look that plainly said she was going to pay for her silence. "You wait and see. She'll come around."
With that assurance, Gina let go of Jack, who stood up quickly, eager to be gone.
"I'll go find her," the girl said.
"Actually," Sam said, standing up as well. "Why don't you wait until she finds you?"
"Even better."
Gina looked up at Jack, as though asking his opinion, and he nodded his agreement, even though he had no idea why she should wait. Probably another girl thing.
"Come on, Gina," Sam said, taking the little girl's hand. "Let's go and find everyone else and see what they're doing. We don't want to waste any of our day being upset, do we?"
"No." Flashing Jack a brilliant smile that would someday break a million hearts, the little girl turned and left with her counselor, who looked over her shoulder and gave Jack a smile as well.
"Where are my boys?" Jack groaned, wanting more than anything to get himself back on solid footing that he understood.
He'd read the comic book that had been sitting on Simon's bed, which had turned out to be far more interesting than he'd thought it could have. Normally a firm believer in the privacy of others, Jack nevertheless snooped through Simon's bag and pulled out the rest of the stash, telling himself that the boy had told him he could read them. He'd carried them all to his bunk and had read them. Then had looked in vain for some he might have missed. Reconciled to the fact that he wasn't going to find any more, Jack had sighed and repacked Simon's bag, refolding the shirts and jeans, and putting the comic books back where he'd found them. Then he'd left the cabin, which was far too quiet, and went out to find something to do.
Almost immediately, the camp nurse had found him. Jack scowled as the woman came up to him, wondering if people in the medical profession had some sort of radar that let them know when a patient of theirs was in the process of doing something against doctor's orders.
"Mr. O'Neill? How are you feeling?" She asked, her keen eyes checking his pupils in the late afternoon sun.
"I'm fine," he told her, holding still so she could see whatever it was she was looking for. "And call me Jack, please."
"You're not dizzy? No blurry vision?"
"Nope."
"Then I suppose you can join your boys for their activities tomorrow. Just be careful not to do too much, and come to me if you start feeling poorly."
He promised her that he would, and made his escape, heading for the cafeteria where he hoped he'd find a cup of coffee and no one to wince at him. He was out of luck. Not only was the coffee pot not turned on, but Jean was sitting at a table in the cafeteria, talking to one of her girls, who looked to be in the middle of some kind of tantrum.
Both females looked at him as he came into the room. And both winced at the bruising on his face. Luckily, the girl was far more interested in her own bad mood than she was in Jack's injuries, and she went back to her glowering, forcing Jean to focus on her instead of Jack. Giving the coffee pot the same look Jack would give a traitor, he sighed and walked back outside, hoping to avoid whatever was going on with Sam's kids. And again, he was out of luck.
Carter was standing with another girl behind the main building. This girl was in tears, and Sam was obviously trying to calm her down. O'Neill tried to walk away unobserved, but Carter beckoned him over.
"Jack! Come here a moment, will you, please?"
He groaned, inwardly, and walked over. The little girl was too upset to even wince at him, although Sam did. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder, but addressed the Colonel.
"Do you think Gina looks nice in this shirt?" Sam asked.
Wondering briefly if the answer was supposed to be yes or no, Jack went out on a limb and nodded, forcing an uncomfortable smile.
"She looks great in it, Sam." He said, and then looked at the girl, trying for a more sincere smile. "You look beautiful."
"See?" Sam said, flashing O'Neill a look that told him he'd chosen properly. "Jack thinks you're pretty. Why would you worry what Shelly thinks? She probably wishes she had a shirt like yours."
Fairly certain that Shelly was the little girl in the cafeteria with Jean, Jack was grateful that he was counseling boys. He couldn't imagine Shawn coming up to him crying because one of the others had said his shirt was ugly.
However, he wasn't completely immune to the tears of a little girl, and found himself kneeling down in front of her.
"Sam's right," he assured her, reaching out and drying her cheeks with his hands. "Your shirt is wonderful, and I bet everyone in your cabin wishes they had one."
Gina didn't look entirely convinced, but she did stop crying.
"Really?"
"Yup."
"My sister made it for me at school," Gina said. "I got to pick out the color and everything."
"She did good," Jack guaranteed her.
"Shelly said it's ugly."
"She probably wishes her sister had made her one."
"She doesn't have a sister."
"Then she probably wishes she had your sister."
"You think so?"
"Probably."
The girl looked up at Sam, who was watching the conversation with interest, seeing a side of Jack that he normally didn't show anyone.
"So she's probably jealous?"
Carter nodded, "Maybe." She knelt down next to Jack in front of the girl. "Jealousy can make people say things they don't mean, Gina. I know you and Shelly like each other and that Shelly doesn't want to hurt your feelings. She's probably very sorry."
She hadn't looked all that sorry to Jack, but he didn't say anything. Most likely, by the time Jean was done with her, she'd be more than ready to apologize.
Gina sniffed, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, looking from Jack to Sam and back again as though trying to decide if they were right or not. Eventually she must have decided they were, because she threw her arms around Jack happily, much to Carter's amusement.
"That means she'll have to be extra nice to me to make up for being so mean, doesn't it?"
Jack hesitantly patted the girl's back, looking at Sam for an assist, but Carter was quiet, waiting for the Colonel to answer. The Colonel who had absolutely no idea what went on in the minds of little girls, and didn't know if she were entitled to extra niceness or not.
"Uh... yeah, I think so..." he said, uncertainly, giving Carter a look that plainly said she was going to pay for her silence. "You wait and see. She'll come around."
With that assurance, Gina let go of Jack, who stood up quickly, eager to be gone.
"I'll go find her," the girl said.
"Actually," Sam said, standing up as well. "Why don't you wait until she finds you?"
"Even better."
Gina looked up at Jack, as though asking his opinion, and he nodded his agreement, even though he had no idea why she should wait. Probably another girl thing.
"Come on, Gina," Sam said, taking the little girl's hand. "Let's go and find everyone else and see what they're doing. We don't want to waste any of our day being upset, do we?"
"No." Flashing Jack a brilliant smile that would someday break a million hearts, the little girl turned and left with her counselor, who looked over her shoulder and gave Jack a smile as well.
"Where are my boys?" Jack groaned, wanting more than anything to get himself back on solid footing that he understood.