Author's note: Yes, I fell off the ropes course, and right out of my
harness... luckily, I was fairly close to the ground and only fell about 15
feet. I miss my camping experiences...
~*~
The kids were all still in the cafeteria finishing dinner, but Sam walked with Jack and Daniel down to the gym, where they'd be square dancing. It had taken a little longer to get Jack ready than it had Daniel, mainly because he'd stubbornly insisted that he didn't need any help, and kept insisting even as Sam had helped him into his shoes. It didn't matter, though. The campers would have a chance to go up to their cabins and change, which would give the injured men a chance to get settled in a couple chairs off in a corner where they could watch and still be out of the way.
They walked slowly, mainly because Jack was limping painfully on his right leg. The muscle was so bruised from the rope that Sam winced every time he took a step, and he leaned on her more heavily than Daniel did. She didn't mind, though. She was just glad they'd neither one hurt themselves too seriously. It really could have been much worse. Although she was sure Jack and Daniel felt it was bad enough.
Gary was in the gym setting up a table of refreshments off to one side, and he smiled warmly when Sam, Jack and Daniel all walked in. The gym had been decorated for the dance, and there were bales of straw in various places, as well as dried cornstalks, and a couple saddles here and there just to add an authentic Western flair to the dance. It looked pretty good, Sam thought. Gary pointed at a couple of upholstered chairs that had been brought down from his office. These were sitting off on the sidelines, and out of the way, but in a good spot to see the activities.
"Take them over to the chairs, Sam, if you would? I'll be over in a second." He moved off to talk to a man that had arrived the same time. This man was wearing a straw cowboy hat and was dressed in western clothes that actually looked authentic on him, so Sam figured he had something to do with the square dance.
"Come on, guys," She said to Jack and Daniel, who were looking around at the decorations in the gym.
"Square dancing, huh?" Jack asked, looking down for squares.
"I'm almost glad you fell on me, Jack," Daniel said as Sam settled him in a chair.
"Hey, whatever I can do to help."
Carter shook her head, and just hoped they'd lose the attitude before the kids arrived.
Gary walked over just then, with the man he'd been talking to.
"Jack, Daniel, Sam, I'd like you to meet Roy Gramble. He'll be doing the calling tonight." Gramble stuck his hand out, and Sam shook it, smiling warmly. Jack and Daniel both started to put out their hands, but the casts would make shaking impossible anyways. They nodded, instead, and tried to ignore the look that Roy was giving them.
"Wow, what happened to you two?" He asked.
"Jack fell on me."
"From a trapeze bar." Jack added, smiling with absolutely no sincerity. He was already tired of being winced at. Things weren't getting any better. "I thought I saw a Snickers bar in his shirt pocket."
"Ah. I see."
"Jack! Daniel!"
The adults turned at the sound of the first campers to arrive, and Sam wasn't surprised to see that it was a small group of the boys from China. Shawn, Andrew, William and Simon came rushing up and stopped in front of the two chairs that their counselors were sitting in, grinning at Jack and Daniel, who smiled back. Sam was glad to see that the smiles were genuine this time. It was one thing for Jack to be an ass with some stranger. Quite another for him to be one with his boys.
"Hey, guys, how was dinner?"
"It was okay. Spaghetti."
"How are you doing?"
"Wow! You have a cast, too."
"Can I sign it?"
"Sure. Go find a pen, okay?"
"Sam should sign it first. She's Jack's girlfriend."
"Okay, but I get to sign it after that."
"Then me!"
"You guys will have to resign Daniel's cast, too. They took off the old one and gave him a new one."
"Did you rebreak it, Daniel?"
"No, they just needed to x-ray my hand, and they couldn't with the cast on it."
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. The boys would do what she couldn't. Get Jack and Daniel out of their medication induced eccentricity. Roy Gramble reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a blue felt tipped pen, which he handed to Carter. She smiled at him as she took it.
"They're on medication."
"I understand." The man smiled warmly. "I need to go get set up. I'll come by and get my pen back later."
Sam signed her name on Jack's cast, and then signed Daniel's as well, then handed the pen to the boys.
"I need to go make sure the girls are getting ready. Will you guys keep an eye on Daniel and Jack for me while I'm gone?"
"Sure, Sam."
Shawn rested his hand on Jack's shoulder possessively as the other boys crowded around to start signing the casts, and O'Neill smiled at the boy, and pulled him up against his uninjured side, hugging him closely while he held his hand still for the boys.
"Make sure you save some room for everyone else," he warned them, remembering how Daniel's first cast had looked. "And no bad words."
~*~
The kids were all still in the cafeteria finishing dinner, but Sam walked with Jack and Daniel down to the gym, where they'd be square dancing. It had taken a little longer to get Jack ready than it had Daniel, mainly because he'd stubbornly insisted that he didn't need any help, and kept insisting even as Sam had helped him into his shoes. It didn't matter, though. The campers would have a chance to go up to their cabins and change, which would give the injured men a chance to get settled in a couple chairs off in a corner where they could watch and still be out of the way.
They walked slowly, mainly because Jack was limping painfully on his right leg. The muscle was so bruised from the rope that Sam winced every time he took a step, and he leaned on her more heavily than Daniel did. She didn't mind, though. She was just glad they'd neither one hurt themselves too seriously. It really could have been much worse. Although she was sure Jack and Daniel felt it was bad enough.
Gary was in the gym setting up a table of refreshments off to one side, and he smiled warmly when Sam, Jack and Daniel all walked in. The gym had been decorated for the dance, and there were bales of straw in various places, as well as dried cornstalks, and a couple saddles here and there just to add an authentic Western flair to the dance. It looked pretty good, Sam thought. Gary pointed at a couple of upholstered chairs that had been brought down from his office. These were sitting off on the sidelines, and out of the way, but in a good spot to see the activities.
"Take them over to the chairs, Sam, if you would? I'll be over in a second." He moved off to talk to a man that had arrived the same time. This man was wearing a straw cowboy hat and was dressed in western clothes that actually looked authentic on him, so Sam figured he had something to do with the square dance.
"Come on, guys," She said to Jack and Daniel, who were looking around at the decorations in the gym.
"Square dancing, huh?" Jack asked, looking down for squares.
"I'm almost glad you fell on me, Jack," Daniel said as Sam settled him in a chair.
"Hey, whatever I can do to help."
Carter shook her head, and just hoped they'd lose the attitude before the kids arrived.
Gary walked over just then, with the man he'd been talking to.
"Jack, Daniel, Sam, I'd like you to meet Roy Gramble. He'll be doing the calling tonight." Gramble stuck his hand out, and Sam shook it, smiling warmly. Jack and Daniel both started to put out their hands, but the casts would make shaking impossible anyways. They nodded, instead, and tried to ignore the look that Roy was giving them.
"Wow, what happened to you two?" He asked.
"Jack fell on me."
"From a trapeze bar." Jack added, smiling with absolutely no sincerity. He was already tired of being winced at. Things weren't getting any better. "I thought I saw a Snickers bar in his shirt pocket."
"Ah. I see."
"Jack! Daniel!"
The adults turned at the sound of the first campers to arrive, and Sam wasn't surprised to see that it was a small group of the boys from China. Shawn, Andrew, William and Simon came rushing up and stopped in front of the two chairs that their counselors were sitting in, grinning at Jack and Daniel, who smiled back. Sam was glad to see that the smiles were genuine this time. It was one thing for Jack to be an ass with some stranger. Quite another for him to be one with his boys.
"Hey, guys, how was dinner?"
"It was okay. Spaghetti."
"How are you doing?"
"Wow! You have a cast, too."
"Can I sign it?"
"Sure. Go find a pen, okay?"
"Sam should sign it first. She's Jack's girlfriend."
"Okay, but I get to sign it after that."
"Then me!"
"You guys will have to resign Daniel's cast, too. They took off the old one and gave him a new one."
"Did you rebreak it, Daniel?"
"No, they just needed to x-ray my hand, and they couldn't with the cast on it."
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. The boys would do what she couldn't. Get Jack and Daniel out of their medication induced eccentricity. Roy Gramble reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a blue felt tipped pen, which he handed to Carter. She smiled at him as she took it.
"They're on medication."
"I understand." The man smiled warmly. "I need to go get set up. I'll come by and get my pen back later."
Sam signed her name on Jack's cast, and then signed Daniel's as well, then handed the pen to the boys.
"I need to go make sure the girls are getting ready. Will you guys keep an eye on Daniel and Jack for me while I'm gone?"
"Sure, Sam."
Shawn rested his hand on Jack's shoulder possessively as the other boys crowded around to start signing the casts, and O'Neill smiled at the boy, and pulled him up against his uninjured side, hugging him closely while he held his hand still for the boys.
"Make sure you save some room for everyone else," he warned them, remembering how Daniel's first cast had looked. "And no bad words."