"Jack!"
He and Carter walked into the dining room, which was bustling and noisy with kids yelling each other about their day, and counselors not all that concerned with trying to quell a tide that was as natural as the one that moved the oceans. Kids were noisy. That was their job. And it wasn't hurting anything to let them be. All conversation stopped when Jack and Sam walked through the door, though. They weren't holding each other, of course, but Jack was the center of attention as counselors and campers alike tried to judge if he had any more bruises than he'd had that morning at breakfast. Shawn had been the one to break the silence, by calling his name and gesturing to the seat he'd saved next to his own.
O'Neill grinned a little self-consciously, and walked over to sit down, nodding at the people who stopped him to ask if he was all right. He held Sam's chair out for her, then sat in his, and ruffled Shawn's hair as he greeted his other boys.
"How are you, Jack?"
"Did Sam wake you up?"
"She said she was going to, Stupid."
"He might have been awake before she got there."
"Sam woke me up," Jack assured them before they could start arguing. "She even brought me dinner."
"That was nice of her."
"Yes, it was." Jack looked at Teal'c, who was sitting across the table from him, and next to Daniel. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel much better, O'Neill. Thank you." He looked like he felt much better.
"How do you feel, Jack?" Shawn asked.
"Much better. Thanks, guys, for letting me sleep. I was tired."
"We were pretty quiet, huh Daniel?"
"Yes, you did great."
They were interrupted by the arrival of Gary Hines at the table. He looked at Jack's face, which didn't look any worse than it had at lunch, and shook his head.
"How are you feeling, Jack?"
"I'm fine. Just a bit bruised."
"And cut? Kim said you'd been sliced a little." Kim was the Nurse, as Jack was getting to know from first hand experience.
"Just little ones. Nothing serious. I'm fine. Murray's fine. Kids are fine." Thank God.
"Good." He smiled, "I just had to make sure, you know? I don't think we've ever had a counselor get more battered than you have."
"Lucky me." Jack knew it was sarcastic, but he couldn't help himself. It was his nature. Luckily, Gary didn't take it personally. He smiled.
"Camp games tonight, Jack. You're excused from them, of course." Probably because he didn't want O'Neill anywhere near anything that might get him hurt again. "That'll give you a little time to relax."
"I'm fine," Jack said. "I'll come and watch the games, at least." He looked at his boys. "Gotta cheer on my kids, you know?"
The boys smiled, en mass, and Gary nodded.
"I'd better go get things set up. I'll see you all down in the gym in ten minutes." He went around to the other tables to tell the other counselors to bring their kids down to the gym as well, then left.
"Are you really okay, Jack?" This was from one of the girls at Sam's table, and he turned to them, ignoring the sharp pain as he moved his injured shoulder. Nine sets of very worried eyes were looking at him. Sally and Jean weren't so worried, since they knew Sam would have told them if he was hurt badly.
"I'm fine, you guys. A little rock isn't going to hurt me or Murray!"
They smiled, almost as relieved as the boys had been, and Jack couldn't help but feel warm and squishy inside. That was a whole lot of love for one man to have coming at him all at once. He cleared his throat, aware that at any moment he might just have to start crying. And that would never do.
"You guys done with your dinner?"
The boys all nodded, although Andrew had just stuffed an entire piece of cake into his mouth.
"Good! Let's get to the gym and see what we're going to be playing."
"We're going to be playing. You're going to be watching," Simon reminded him as they all pushed their chairs out and got up.
"Yeah. That's what I meant."
Jack was surrounded by his guys, and then Sam's girls as France was dismissed to the gym as well. They chatted about the ropes course, telling the boys from China all about it, and how scary it was to be so high up.
"We were high up, too."
"Yeah, then we went rappelling down, it was great."
"We jumped at a bar hanging from a tree," One of Sam's girls said.
"Yeah, it was great!"
"Did you catch it?"
"Yup, but then I had to let go."
"Why?"
"Otherwise I'd still be hanging there."
"Oh. Are we going to be doing the ropes course soon, Jack?"
"Tomorrow or the next day." He had seen it on the schedule, but he hadn't memorized the damned thing, and didn't feel like pulling it out and looking at it. He grinned, putting his hand on Andrew's shoulder as they walked down the stairs. "You'll be first one up the rope, won't you?"
"You know it, Jack." The little boy said, grinning. "I'm small, but I'm scrappy."
He and Carter walked into the dining room, which was bustling and noisy with kids yelling each other about their day, and counselors not all that concerned with trying to quell a tide that was as natural as the one that moved the oceans. Kids were noisy. That was their job. And it wasn't hurting anything to let them be. All conversation stopped when Jack and Sam walked through the door, though. They weren't holding each other, of course, but Jack was the center of attention as counselors and campers alike tried to judge if he had any more bruises than he'd had that morning at breakfast. Shawn had been the one to break the silence, by calling his name and gesturing to the seat he'd saved next to his own.
O'Neill grinned a little self-consciously, and walked over to sit down, nodding at the people who stopped him to ask if he was all right. He held Sam's chair out for her, then sat in his, and ruffled Shawn's hair as he greeted his other boys.
"How are you, Jack?"
"Did Sam wake you up?"
"She said she was going to, Stupid."
"He might have been awake before she got there."
"Sam woke me up," Jack assured them before they could start arguing. "She even brought me dinner."
"That was nice of her."
"Yes, it was." Jack looked at Teal'c, who was sitting across the table from him, and next to Daniel. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel much better, O'Neill. Thank you." He looked like he felt much better.
"How do you feel, Jack?" Shawn asked.
"Much better. Thanks, guys, for letting me sleep. I was tired."
"We were pretty quiet, huh Daniel?"
"Yes, you did great."
They were interrupted by the arrival of Gary Hines at the table. He looked at Jack's face, which didn't look any worse than it had at lunch, and shook his head.
"How are you feeling, Jack?"
"I'm fine. Just a bit bruised."
"And cut? Kim said you'd been sliced a little." Kim was the Nurse, as Jack was getting to know from first hand experience.
"Just little ones. Nothing serious. I'm fine. Murray's fine. Kids are fine." Thank God.
"Good." He smiled, "I just had to make sure, you know? I don't think we've ever had a counselor get more battered than you have."
"Lucky me." Jack knew it was sarcastic, but he couldn't help himself. It was his nature. Luckily, Gary didn't take it personally. He smiled.
"Camp games tonight, Jack. You're excused from them, of course." Probably because he didn't want O'Neill anywhere near anything that might get him hurt again. "That'll give you a little time to relax."
"I'm fine," Jack said. "I'll come and watch the games, at least." He looked at his boys. "Gotta cheer on my kids, you know?"
The boys smiled, en mass, and Gary nodded.
"I'd better go get things set up. I'll see you all down in the gym in ten minutes." He went around to the other tables to tell the other counselors to bring their kids down to the gym as well, then left.
"Are you really okay, Jack?" This was from one of the girls at Sam's table, and he turned to them, ignoring the sharp pain as he moved his injured shoulder. Nine sets of very worried eyes were looking at him. Sally and Jean weren't so worried, since they knew Sam would have told them if he was hurt badly.
"I'm fine, you guys. A little rock isn't going to hurt me or Murray!"
They smiled, almost as relieved as the boys had been, and Jack couldn't help but feel warm and squishy inside. That was a whole lot of love for one man to have coming at him all at once. He cleared his throat, aware that at any moment he might just have to start crying. And that would never do.
"You guys done with your dinner?"
The boys all nodded, although Andrew had just stuffed an entire piece of cake into his mouth.
"Good! Let's get to the gym and see what we're going to be playing."
"We're going to be playing. You're going to be watching," Simon reminded him as they all pushed their chairs out and got up.
"Yeah. That's what I meant."
Jack was surrounded by his guys, and then Sam's girls as France was dismissed to the gym as well. They chatted about the ropes course, telling the boys from China all about it, and how scary it was to be so high up.
"We were high up, too."
"Yeah, then we went rappelling down, it was great."
"We jumped at a bar hanging from a tree," One of Sam's girls said.
"Yeah, it was great!"
"Did you catch it?"
"Yup, but then I had to let go."
"Why?"
"Otherwise I'd still be hanging there."
"Oh. Are we going to be doing the ropes course soon, Jack?"
"Tomorrow or the next day." He had seen it on the schedule, but he hadn't memorized the damned thing, and didn't feel like pulling it out and looking at it. He grinned, putting his hand on Andrew's shoulder as they walked down the stairs. "You'll be first one up the rope, won't you?"
"You know it, Jack." The little boy said, grinning. "I'm small, but I'm scrappy."