Author's note: Sorry about the cliffhanger, guys. At least I don't make you
wait until next week to see what happens!
~*~
"Tell me agai-"
"General Hammond orde-"
"Oh, yeah."
"Jack! Daniel!"
Realizing he was still partially sprawled on Daniel, Jack rolled over on his side and bit back another curse as he felt a stab of white-hot pain lance through his entire right arm.
"Daniel?"
"I hurt, but I'm okay. I think. You?"
"Hurt sounds right."
"Are you guys all right?" Rick had come rushing up to them, and was kneeling at their sides.
"Something broke," Jack said, trying to force himself up into a sitting position so he could get a better look at Daniel. God, that hurt.
Teal'c was there instantly, kneeling behind O'Neill, bracing him.
"Thanks, Teal'c."
"Daniel?"
The boys were gathered around anxiously, and James sent one of them off to get Kim. Which made Daniel and Jack both groan.
Daniel struggled himself up into a sitting position, as well, and looked up at Jack's empty harness that was still swinging above him, then over at Jack. There was a cut on Daniel's forehead that was bleeding freely, and he had a pained look in his eyes that told Jack he was about as miserable as he could be. But he was alive and had managed to avoid serious injury.
"I'm okay."
Jack shook his head, which made him dizzy.
"You don't look okay."
"Well, if you could have aimed anywhere but at me when you were falling..."
"Oh yeah, way to drop the ball on the catch, by the way..."
The two men grinned.
"You're both lucky." James said, coming over and looking up at the harness.
"I gotta tell ya," Jack said, wincing as he shifted slightly, still holding his right arm tenderly. "I don't feel all that lucky."
"It could have been a lot worse."
Jack looked at Daniel, and realized that was true.
"How's the head?"
"Considering you landed on it, you mean?"
"I was looking for the softest spot I could find."
"It hurts, but I didn't lose consciousness." Since that was the first question Fraiser would have asked, it was the first question Daniel answered.
"Good."
"You hurt your arm?"
"Oh, yeah."
Jack looked into the worried faces of the boys, and shook his head. "Don't worry, guys. We're not hurt-"
The camp station wagon pulled up only a moment later, and Kim and Simon both got out and rushed to the crowd around Daniel and O'Neill. The nurse ordered the boys to step back a little, but didn't say anything to Teal'c, who wouldn't have moved if she had. He was concerned about his friends, and wanted to help.
"Simon told me what happened," She said, pulling a bandage out of her first aid kit and pressing it against Daniel's bleeding forehead. "Hold that, there, Daniel."
"Jack fell." Daniel said, trying to turn her attention to Jack.
"On Daniel." Jack said, wincing when she took his arm in gentle hands.
"On Daniel's cast, I bet," Kim said, looking at his arm, which was obviously broken. He was lucky it wasn't a compound fracture, as hard as he'd landed. The bone could have just as easily broken though the skin.
"Maybe."
Jack hadn't actually looked to see.
Kim sent Simon back to her car to get the air splint off her back seat, then splinted Jack's entire arm, since she wasn't positive there wasn't more than one break. While she did that, she had James touch various places on Daniel's legs and arms, making sure Daniel had feeling in all his extremities. Which he did. Then repeated the process with Jack, who was leaning heavily against Teal'c, now.
"We'd better get them to the hospital," Kim said, once she'd made sure neither had taken a spinal or neck injury, and that neither seemed to have injured their legs. Miracle after miracle.
"I will accompany you," Teal'c said, rising to his feet and pulling Jack up carefully.
"You need to stay with the boys," Jack said.
"Don't worry, Murray," James said, hauling Daniel to his feet as effortlessly as Teal'c had done Jack. "I'll go with them."
Teal'c didn't look happy, but he looked down at the group of boys that were gathered around him, and realized that he did, indeed, need to stay with them. They were his responsibility with O'Neill and Daniel leaving.
"Very well."
The boys were silent as they watched Daniel and Jack being loaded into the station wagon, and when the car had moved off down the faint dirt road, Shawn looked up at Teal'c.
"Murray?"
"Yes, Shawn?"
"Why did Jack call you Teal'c?"
"It is a nickname that O'Neill has for me." Teal'c said as he turned and gestured for the boys to walk back to the cabin with him.
"What kind of nickname is it?"
"My dad calls me Sparky sometimes."
"My mom calls me Bubbles."
"Bubbles?"
"Yeah. I don't know why. She won't tell me. She just laughs."
Shawn wasn't going to be distracted by his friends, though, and he watched Teal'c, waiting for an explanation.
"It is just another name for me, Shawn. Sometimes, he uses Murray. Sometimes he uses Teal'c."
"Which do you like best?"
"Teal'c."
"Can we call you Teal'c?"
"If you wish." He couldn't see any harm in it.
"Teal'c?"
"Yes, Andrew?"
"Do you think Jack and Daniel will be okay?"
"I am certain of it." He changed the subject, hoping to make them forget about their concerns for a while. "Come. Let us go get cleaned up, then we will play Rummy while we wait for them to return."
Feeling a little better, since Teal'c wasn't concerned at all about Jack or Daniel, the boys' faces lightened a little, and there was a less mournful beat to their steps as they made their way back to the cabin.
~*~
"Tell me agai-"
"General Hammond orde-"
"Oh, yeah."
"Jack! Daniel!"
Realizing he was still partially sprawled on Daniel, Jack rolled over on his side and bit back another curse as he felt a stab of white-hot pain lance through his entire right arm.
"Daniel?"
"I hurt, but I'm okay. I think. You?"
"Hurt sounds right."
"Are you guys all right?" Rick had come rushing up to them, and was kneeling at their sides.
"Something broke," Jack said, trying to force himself up into a sitting position so he could get a better look at Daniel. God, that hurt.
Teal'c was there instantly, kneeling behind O'Neill, bracing him.
"Thanks, Teal'c."
"Daniel?"
The boys were gathered around anxiously, and James sent one of them off to get Kim. Which made Daniel and Jack both groan.
Daniel struggled himself up into a sitting position, as well, and looked up at Jack's empty harness that was still swinging above him, then over at Jack. There was a cut on Daniel's forehead that was bleeding freely, and he had a pained look in his eyes that told Jack he was about as miserable as he could be. But he was alive and had managed to avoid serious injury.
"I'm okay."
Jack shook his head, which made him dizzy.
"You don't look okay."
"Well, if you could have aimed anywhere but at me when you were falling..."
"Oh yeah, way to drop the ball on the catch, by the way..."
The two men grinned.
"You're both lucky." James said, coming over and looking up at the harness.
"I gotta tell ya," Jack said, wincing as he shifted slightly, still holding his right arm tenderly. "I don't feel all that lucky."
"It could have been a lot worse."
Jack looked at Daniel, and realized that was true.
"How's the head?"
"Considering you landed on it, you mean?"
"I was looking for the softest spot I could find."
"It hurts, but I didn't lose consciousness." Since that was the first question Fraiser would have asked, it was the first question Daniel answered.
"Good."
"You hurt your arm?"
"Oh, yeah."
Jack looked into the worried faces of the boys, and shook his head. "Don't worry, guys. We're not hurt-"
The camp station wagon pulled up only a moment later, and Kim and Simon both got out and rushed to the crowd around Daniel and O'Neill. The nurse ordered the boys to step back a little, but didn't say anything to Teal'c, who wouldn't have moved if she had. He was concerned about his friends, and wanted to help.
"Simon told me what happened," She said, pulling a bandage out of her first aid kit and pressing it against Daniel's bleeding forehead. "Hold that, there, Daniel."
"Jack fell." Daniel said, trying to turn her attention to Jack.
"On Daniel." Jack said, wincing when she took his arm in gentle hands.
"On Daniel's cast, I bet," Kim said, looking at his arm, which was obviously broken. He was lucky it wasn't a compound fracture, as hard as he'd landed. The bone could have just as easily broken though the skin.
"Maybe."
Jack hadn't actually looked to see.
Kim sent Simon back to her car to get the air splint off her back seat, then splinted Jack's entire arm, since she wasn't positive there wasn't more than one break. While she did that, she had James touch various places on Daniel's legs and arms, making sure Daniel had feeling in all his extremities. Which he did. Then repeated the process with Jack, who was leaning heavily against Teal'c, now.
"We'd better get them to the hospital," Kim said, once she'd made sure neither had taken a spinal or neck injury, and that neither seemed to have injured their legs. Miracle after miracle.
"I will accompany you," Teal'c said, rising to his feet and pulling Jack up carefully.
"You need to stay with the boys," Jack said.
"Don't worry, Murray," James said, hauling Daniel to his feet as effortlessly as Teal'c had done Jack. "I'll go with them."
Teal'c didn't look happy, but he looked down at the group of boys that were gathered around him, and realized that he did, indeed, need to stay with them. They were his responsibility with O'Neill and Daniel leaving.
"Very well."
The boys were silent as they watched Daniel and Jack being loaded into the station wagon, and when the car had moved off down the faint dirt road, Shawn looked up at Teal'c.
"Murray?"
"Yes, Shawn?"
"Why did Jack call you Teal'c?"
"It is a nickname that O'Neill has for me." Teal'c said as he turned and gestured for the boys to walk back to the cabin with him.
"What kind of nickname is it?"
"My dad calls me Sparky sometimes."
"My mom calls me Bubbles."
"Bubbles?"
"Yeah. I don't know why. She won't tell me. She just laughs."
Shawn wasn't going to be distracted by his friends, though, and he watched Teal'c, waiting for an explanation.
"It is just another name for me, Shawn. Sometimes, he uses Murray. Sometimes he uses Teal'c."
"Which do you like best?"
"Teal'c."
"Can we call you Teal'c?"
"If you wish." He couldn't see any harm in it.
"Teal'c?"
"Yes, Andrew?"
"Do you think Jack and Daniel will be okay?"
"I am certain of it." He changed the subject, hoping to make them forget about their concerns for a while. "Come. Let us go get cleaned up, then we will play Rummy while we wait for them to return."
Feeling a little better, since Teal'c wasn't concerned at all about Jack or Daniel, the boys' faces lightened a little, and there was a less mournful beat to their steps as they made their way back to the cabin.