Jack already knew Carter was a genius. How many times had he seen her agile
mind in action, after all? But he had to admit that this time, she was even
more of a genius. As he watched the game progressing, blowing his whistle
every now and then when he saw kids were getting tired and needing to be
substituted, he saw that the kids were really meshing. And they probably
didn't even realize they were doing it. The boys were cheering just as
loudly for the girls on their team as they were the other boys, and the
girls were even giving out high-fives to boys after particularly impressive
plays. It couldn't have worked out better.
They all were good kids, and there was really very little rough play, so there was little need for him to do any refereeing. Mostly, he stood on the sidelines with his whistle, watching the game and chatting with whoever was out of the game for either team. Usually it was one of the other counselors, but occasionally one of the kids would come over for a pat on the back, too. Which O'Neill was happy to give them.
Teal'c was especially fun to watch. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing at first, and when Andrew threw him the basketball for the first time, he'd studied it closely, as though trying to figure out how it worked.
"Dribble it, Murray!" Andrew called, miming with his hand what to do.
Teal'c had bounced the ball, and jammed his fingers when it came right back up to him. It was far from a debilitating injury, though, and he'd bounced it several more times before he risked moving with the ball while he bounced it.
"Maybe we should have given him a quick lesson?" Sam murmured to O'Neill.
"Nah. He's quick. He'll figure it out."
He had figured it out, too. The dribbling, anyways. He walked the ball up the court, admiring the way he could walk and bounce it at the same time.
"Shoot it, Murray!" Gina called from the other side.
So he had. And he missed completely.
"That's okay, Murray," Andrew said as the two went running back to defend their basket. "I wasn't very good my first try, either. It just takes practice."
And so the game progressed. Daniel, it turned out, wasn't the liability he could have been. Even with his cast, he could still shoot left-handed, and with a decent success rate. Teal'c was the same. He was given plenty of opportunity to shoot, and eventually figured out the proper angle to arc the ball to make it go in. It helped that no one was any higher than his belly, and the girls on the other team were a little leery about guarding him, anyways. He tended to have free access to the hoop when the ball was thrown to him. The girls who were on his team, though, were starting to loosen up around him, and a few had even dared to slap him on the back when he made a shot.
All in all, it was a lot more fun than the kids had expected it to be. Even when Jack waited for the score to be tied before he called an end to the game so that there wouldn't be a winner. They were all laughing and whooping it up when they pulled off the jerseys and handed them to Carter so she could put them away.
"Ball, Murray!" Jack called, holding up his hand.
In retrospect, it wasn't Teal'c's fault. He hadn't actually passed the ball to anyone in the game. They'd passed to him and he'd tried for a shot. Jack should have known that. He'd been watching the game, after all. The big Jaffa looked at O'Neill, realized he was asking for the ball to be thrown to him, and then threw the ball to him. Well. Threw the ball AT him was more precise. He hadn't realized that the ball would fly so much faster without the arc that a shot gave it, and the velocity wasn't something Jack was ready for. He'd also aimed for Jack's hand, which was raised up to about the same level as his head. And the colonel's hand missed the ball completely.
The ball hit him in the face, and Jack dropped.
"Jack!"
"Are you okay?"
"Right in the face!"
"O'Neill?" Teal'c came over as Jack was levering himself into a sitting position, his boys surrounding him, all kneeling next to him and watching him with concern.
"I'm okay." There was more resignation in Jack's voice than actual pain, although he hurt.
"Bet that hurt," Daniel whispered to Sally, who was wincing.
"What happened?" Carter asked as she walked up to the crowd. Now her girls were kneeling near Jack as well, looking just as worried as his boys did.
"Murray accidentally hit Jack with the ball," Gina said. The little girl was near tears, Sam could see. She had a true love for O'Neill that only a little girl could possess, and he'd just been hurt. Sam gathered her in her arms, smiling softly.
"He's fine, Gina. Look at him. He's sitting up."
Jack didn't feel fine, but he wasn't about to undo all the good that the game had done just by getting his kids and Sam's all upset. He smiled, even though his eyes were definitely watering from the shot he'd just taken, and struggled to his feet.
"I'm okay, you guys," he told them, still holding his nose, hoping it wasn't broken. At least he wasn't spattered with blood like he'd been with the boom. They didn't look at all convinced, but he smiled anyways, and reached down for the ball and handed it to Carter.
"Good game, you guys."
"Yeah, it was," Daniel agreed, nodding. He smiled at the girls who'd been on his team, and they smiled back, their attention already off O'Neill.
"We did pretty good," Shawn agreed as well. He looked at Shelly, who'd been his co-captain for his team. "Good job."
"Thanks."
Sam grinned, and set Gina down, and the little girl ran over to Jack, who picked her up in one arm while he still nursed his aching face with the other.
"It's about lunchtime. Shall we go see what we're having?"
"Yeah!"
"I'm starving!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
"Me four!"
It dragged on a bit from there, but as the boys and girls all tore off up the stairs to head back to the cafeteria, Jack felt that they'd accomplished at least something with their game. Maybe a whole hour of no arguing? Who could ask for more than that?"
"Are you injured, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked silently as he walked up the stairs beside Jack, who was still carrying Gina.
"Nah, nothing's broken. We'll have to work on your passing skills, though, Murray."
"Indeed."
They all were good kids, and there was really very little rough play, so there was little need for him to do any refereeing. Mostly, he stood on the sidelines with his whistle, watching the game and chatting with whoever was out of the game for either team. Usually it was one of the other counselors, but occasionally one of the kids would come over for a pat on the back, too. Which O'Neill was happy to give them.
Teal'c was especially fun to watch. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing at first, and when Andrew threw him the basketball for the first time, he'd studied it closely, as though trying to figure out how it worked.
"Dribble it, Murray!" Andrew called, miming with his hand what to do.
Teal'c had bounced the ball, and jammed his fingers when it came right back up to him. It was far from a debilitating injury, though, and he'd bounced it several more times before he risked moving with the ball while he bounced it.
"Maybe we should have given him a quick lesson?" Sam murmured to O'Neill.
"Nah. He's quick. He'll figure it out."
He had figured it out, too. The dribbling, anyways. He walked the ball up the court, admiring the way he could walk and bounce it at the same time.
"Shoot it, Murray!" Gina called from the other side.
So he had. And he missed completely.
"That's okay, Murray," Andrew said as the two went running back to defend their basket. "I wasn't very good my first try, either. It just takes practice."
And so the game progressed. Daniel, it turned out, wasn't the liability he could have been. Even with his cast, he could still shoot left-handed, and with a decent success rate. Teal'c was the same. He was given plenty of opportunity to shoot, and eventually figured out the proper angle to arc the ball to make it go in. It helped that no one was any higher than his belly, and the girls on the other team were a little leery about guarding him, anyways. He tended to have free access to the hoop when the ball was thrown to him. The girls who were on his team, though, were starting to loosen up around him, and a few had even dared to slap him on the back when he made a shot.
All in all, it was a lot more fun than the kids had expected it to be. Even when Jack waited for the score to be tied before he called an end to the game so that there wouldn't be a winner. They were all laughing and whooping it up when they pulled off the jerseys and handed them to Carter so she could put them away.
"Ball, Murray!" Jack called, holding up his hand.
In retrospect, it wasn't Teal'c's fault. He hadn't actually passed the ball to anyone in the game. They'd passed to him and he'd tried for a shot. Jack should have known that. He'd been watching the game, after all. The big Jaffa looked at O'Neill, realized he was asking for the ball to be thrown to him, and then threw the ball to him. Well. Threw the ball AT him was more precise. He hadn't realized that the ball would fly so much faster without the arc that a shot gave it, and the velocity wasn't something Jack was ready for. He'd also aimed for Jack's hand, which was raised up to about the same level as his head. And the colonel's hand missed the ball completely.
The ball hit him in the face, and Jack dropped.
"Jack!"
"Are you okay?"
"Right in the face!"
"O'Neill?" Teal'c came over as Jack was levering himself into a sitting position, his boys surrounding him, all kneeling next to him and watching him with concern.
"I'm okay." There was more resignation in Jack's voice than actual pain, although he hurt.
"Bet that hurt," Daniel whispered to Sally, who was wincing.
"What happened?" Carter asked as she walked up to the crowd. Now her girls were kneeling near Jack as well, looking just as worried as his boys did.
"Murray accidentally hit Jack with the ball," Gina said. The little girl was near tears, Sam could see. She had a true love for O'Neill that only a little girl could possess, and he'd just been hurt. Sam gathered her in her arms, smiling softly.
"He's fine, Gina. Look at him. He's sitting up."
Jack didn't feel fine, but he wasn't about to undo all the good that the game had done just by getting his kids and Sam's all upset. He smiled, even though his eyes were definitely watering from the shot he'd just taken, and struggled to his feet.
"I'm okay, you guys," he told them, still holding his nose, hoping it wasn't broken. At least he wasn't spattered with blood like he'd been with the boom. They didn't look at all convinced, but he smiled anyways, and reached down for the ball and handed it to Carter.
"Good game, you guys."
"Yeah, it was," Daniel agreed, nodding. He smiled at the girls who'd been on his team, and they smiled back, their attention already off O'Neill.
"We did pretty good," Shawn agreed as well. He looked at Shelly, who'd been his co-captain for his team. "Good job."
"Thanks."
Sam grinned, and set Gina down, and the little girl ran over to Jack, who picked her up in one arm while he still nursed his aching face with the other.
"It's about lunchtime. Shall we go see what we're having?"
"Yeah!"
"I'm starving!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
"Me four!"
It dragged on a bit from there, but as the boys and girls all tore off up the stairs to head back to the cafeteria, Jack felt that they'd accomplished at least something with their game. Maybe a whole hour of no arguing? Who could ask for more than that?"
"Are you injured, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked silently as he walked up the stairs beside Jack, who was still carrying Gina.
"Nah, nothing's broken. We'll have to work on your passing skills, though, Murray."
"Indeed."