"Hey Jack?"
They were walking back to their cabin after Archery, and Shawn had managed to get his counselor alone. At least a little alone.
"Yeah?"
"How long have you been in the Air Force?"
"Most of my life. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Jack looked down at the boy walking beside him as he rubbed his aching chest. The muscles were sorer than he thought they'd be. Probably because he hadn't stopped when they began to ache. He'd been too caught up in the competition with Teal'c and Sam to stop. And now he was paying for it.
Shawn met his gaze.
"Do you like it?"
"The Air Force?"
"Yeah."
"Most of the time. I like the people I work with."
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"No." Jack lied. He didn't know where that question had come from, but he wasn't going to answer it truthfully. It wasn't a conversation he wanted to get in to.
"You fly?"
There didn't seem to be any pattern to the questions.
"Yeah, I can fly."
"That must be fun."
"It definitely has its moments."
"Does Sam fly?"
"Sometimes."
"Murray?"
"Yup."
"So is that what you do in the Air Force? Fly?"
"Sometimes. It depends on if that's what they need me to do." Jack tried to think of a different topic, unsure where this one was going.
"What's your favorite subject in school?"
"Math." Shawn realized immediately that Jack was changing the subject again, but he didn't press. "My least favorite is English."
"Ah."
"I'm pretty good at science, too, I guess."
They continued talking about his school as they walked into the cabin, Shawn telling Jack about his teacher and his friends, and Jack congratulating himself on the subject change.
"Free time for an hour, guys," Jack told the kids once they were all gathered in the cabin, along with Daniel and Teal'c. "When the horn sounds, it's dinner time, and I want you all there on time."
They all ran off, then. Some went to change into shorts so they could swim for a while; others rushed to see if there were any free sailboats. Shawn asked Jack what they were doing for their evening activity that night, and O'Neill pulled out his battered copy of the schedule.
"Looks like outdoor games, again."
"Capture the flag?" Shawn asked eagerly.
"I'm not sure," Jack told him, grinning at his enthusiasm. "Probably not, since we already played it. But maybe something similar."
"I hope so."
"What are you going to do now?" Jack asked the boy. He, himself, wanted nothing more than to relax and maybe take a nap.
"I'm going to go swimming. You coming?"
"Can't get my bandages wet," he reminded Shawn. "You go on without me, and I'll see you at dinner."
"Okay." Shawn changed into shorts and went running out the door with his towel in his hand, and Jack sighed and sat down on his bunk, fully intending to take a nap.
"Hi Sam!" He heard Shawn call from outside.
Jack stood up, deciding that a nap could wait.
They were walking back to their cabin after Archery, and Shawn had managed to get his counselor alone. At least a little alone.
"Yeah?"
"How long have you been in the Air Force?"
"Most of my life. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Jack looked down at the boy walking beside him as he rubbed his aching chest. The muscles were sorer than he thought they'd be. Probably because he hadn't stopped when they began to ache. He'd been too caught up in the competition with Teal'c and Sam to stop. And now he was paying for it.
Shawn met his gaze.
"Do you like it?"
"The Air Force?"
"Yeah."
"Most of the time. I like the people I work with."
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"No." Jack lied. He didn't know where that question had come from, but he wasn't going to answer it truthfully. It wasn't a conversation he wanted to get in to.
"You fly?"
There didn't seem to be any pattern to the questions.
"Yeah, I can fly."
"That must be fun."
"It definitely has its moments."
"Does Sam fly?"
"Sometimes."
"Murray?"
"Yup."
"So is that what you do in the Air Force? Fly?"
"Sometimes. It depends on if that's what they need me to do." Jack tried to think of a different topic, unsure where this one was going.
"What's your favorite subject in school?"
"Math." Shawn realized immediately that Jack was changing the subject again, but he didn't press. "My least favorite is English."
"Ah."
"I'm pretty good at science, too, I guess."
They continued talking about his school as they walked into the cabin, Shawn telling Jack about his teacher and his friends, and Jack congratulating himself on the subject change.
"Free time for an hour, guys," Jack told the kids once they were all gathered in the cabin, along with Daniel and Teal'c. "When the horn sounds, it's dinner time, and I want you all there on time."
They all ran off, then. Some went to change into shorts so they could swim for a while; others rushed to see if there were any free sailboats. Shawn asked Jack what they were doing for their evening activity that night, and O'Neill pulled out his battered copy of the schedule.
"Looks like outdoor games, again."
"Capture the flag?" Shawn asked eagerly.
"I'm not sure," Jack told him, grinning at his enthusiasm. "Probably not, since we already played it. But maybe something similar."
"I hope so."
"What are you going to do now?" Jack asked the boy. He, himself, wanted nothing more than to relax and maybe take a nap.
"I'm going to go swimming. You coming?"
"Can't get my bandages wet," he reminded Shawn. "You go on without me, and I'll see you at dinner."
"Okay." Shawn changed into shorts and went running out the door with his towel in his hand, and Jack sighed and sat down on his bunk, fully intending to take a nap.
"Hi Sam!" He heard Shawn call from outside.
Jack stood up, deciding that a nap could wait.