Author's note: I don't really know all that much about square dancing... We
did do it at camp, but I was recovering in the infirmary from my fall, so I
didn't have to do it... therefore, I won't be describing it as well as I've
described everything else.
~*~
The dance wasn't all that much fun for Jack and Daniel. True, they weren't allowed a chance to become bored. The campers and various counselors all came by at one point or another to see how they were doing or to sign their casts, but this wasn't fun. Jack had already had his fill of sympathetic looks, and he was getting them left and right that night. Daniel had it even worse, since Gina had come up to Jack and scrambled up into his lap. (An act that almost killed him when her knee burrowed into the bruised muscles of his leg) Once she was firmly ensconced in Jack's lap, she leaned back against him and watched as the rest of the campers danced, the boys reluctant at first to partner with the girls, and vice versa, but finally everyone meshing fairly well. Once the France girls had seen that Jack was willing to let one of their own into his lap, it was a scramble for the rest of them to try to get into Daniel's. The result was amusing for Jack, and painful for Daniel.
Sally had come to Daniel's rescue, pulling Shelly off Daniel and sending her back out to dance with her partner. The rest of the girls were shooed away as well, except Gina, who stayed where she was. Jack shook his head when Sally asked him if she wanted her to take the little girl. He figured if she got off him, she'd just want back up in a few minutes, and it was less painful for him to have her climb up only once. Besides, she was a quiet kid and wasn't wriggling around on him, so she wasn't hurting him.
"Let me know if you change your mind," Sally had told him, and then had went off to dance with Teal'c, who was finding square dancing to be almost as fun as Twister. Jack had nodded, and watched his boys as they were paired up with mostly the France girls, and had briefly wished that he were out there so he could dance with Sam. But only for a moment. Then he saw one of the boys from UK get tripped up by one of the girls from Switzerland when they made a misstep and knew the last thing he needed was to be in that mess of kids.
"Do you want something to drink, Jack? Daniel?"
Shawn had stopped by to check on them. Jack shook his head. He wanted a beer, and that just wasn't going to happen. Daniel asked for a glass of water, though, and Gina asked for a rice crispy treat. Shawn was about to tell her where to stuff her rice crispy treat when he caught the look on Jack's face, and sighed. Fine, he'd be the gofer for Gina, but only because Jack wanted him to be. Jack just didn't want her trying to get back into his lap after getting down. Shawn stumped off to get the requested items and even managed a smile when Gina told him thank you.
"How much longer is this going to go on?" Daniel asked about a half an hour later.
"No clue, but I think I'm about done." Jack leaned his head down and blew a raspberry against Gina's bare neck, causing the girl to giggle. More importantly, it got her attention.
"Honey? Would you go get Gary for me, please?"
"Sure, Jack."
She jumped off his lap and ran across the room, and Jack looked over at Daniel. "You ready to leave?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Act tired and hurt."
"Well... that ought to be hard..." Ah the sarcasm was oozing. Jack grinned, then wilted when he saw Gary coming over with Gina.
"Jack? Everything okay?"
"It's fine, but Daniel and I are starting to get tired. I was thinking we should probably head up tp the cabin, if you don't mind?"
"No, not at all. Want me to get you someone to help you?"
"No, we're okay. Wouldn't want to pull people from their fun." Besides, if he picked Sam, she might try to convince them to stay a little longer. "We'll just head up at our own speed."
"Okay, then. I'll see the two of you in the morning."
"Yeah."
Jack gave Gina a goodnight hug, then waited while she got one from Daniel, then the two stood up, slowly, and made their escape while the camp was dancing to "oh Johnny oh Johnny oh!" which was fast enough to hide their movements.
"Remind me why –"
"General Ha-"
"He didn't really want me to square dance on my vacation, did he?"
"Who knows?"
"I feel like crap," Jack complained as the two of them walked around the side of the building and started through the parking lot and up the hill.
"Me too."
"Jack! Daniel!"
They both groaned in unison as the Nurse hailed them from her cabin. It was almost as though she'd been waiting for them to pass her by. They turned towards her, waiting for her to come up to them.
"You'll both need to take your medication when you get back to your cabin," she said. "And you need to eat something. Would you like me to get you something from the kitchen?"
"No, thanks," Jack told her, forcing a smile. "I have a couple of granola bars in my bag. We can eat those."
"Very well. I'll see you in the morning, then. If you have trouble sleeping, just send a camper down to me, and we'll see if we can figure out a way to make you more comfortable."
"Thanks."
"Goodnight."
Daniel's good night was a bit less forced than Jack's.
"You don't really have granola bars in your bag, do you?"
"No, I just didn't want her coming up and hovering over us."
"You know, Jack," Daniel said as they started walking up the hill again. "You're not as dumb as you look."
"I know. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"
~*~
The dance wasn't all that much fun for Jack and Daniel. True, they weren't allowed a chance to become bored. The campers and various counselors all came by at one point or another to see how they were doing or to sign their casts, but this wasn't fun. Jack had already had his fill of sympathetic looks, and he was getting them left and right that night. Daniel had it even worse, since Gina had come up to Jack and scrambled up into his lap. (An act that almost killed him when her knee burrowed into the bruised muscles of his leg) Once she was firmly ensconced in Jack's lap, she leaned back against him and watched as the rest of the campers danced, the boys reluctant at first to partner with the girls, and vice versa, but finally everyone meshing fairly well. Once the France girls had seen that Jack was willing to let one of their own into his lap, it was a scramble for the rest of them to try to get into Daniel's. The result was amusing for Jack, and painful for Daniel.
Sally had come to Daniel's rescue, pulling Shelly off Daniel and sending her back out to dance with her partner. The rest of the girls were shooed away as well, except Gina, who stayed where she was. Jack shook his head when Sally asked him if she wanted her to take the little girl. He figured if she got off him, she'd just want back up in a few minutes, and it was less painful for him to have her climb up only once. Besides, she was a quiet kid and wasn't wriggling around on him, so she wasn't hurting him.
"Let me know if you change your mind," Sally had told him, and then had went off to dance with Teal'c, who was finding square dancing to be almost as fun as Twister. Jack had nodded, and watched his boys as they were paired up with mostly the France girls, and had briefly wished that he were out there so he could dance with Sam. But only for a moment. Then he saw one of the boys from UK get tripped up by one of the girls from Switzerland when they made a misstep and knew the last thing he needed was to be in that mess of kids.
"Do you want something to drink, Jack? Daniel?"
Shawn had stopped by to check on them. Jack shook his head. He wanted a beer, and that just wasn't going to happen. Daniel asked for a glass of water, though, and Gina asked for a rice crispy treat. Shawn was about to tell her where to stuff her rice crispy treat when he caught the look on Jack's face, and sighed. Fine, he'd be the gofer for Gina, but only because Jack wanted him to be. Jack just didn't want her trying to get back into his lap after getting down. Shawn stumped off to get the requested items and even managed a smile when Gina told him thank you.
"How much longer is this going to go on?" Daniel asked about a half an hour later.
"No clue, but I think I'm about done." Jack leaned his head down and blew a raspberry against Gina's bare neck, causing the girl to giggle. More importantly, it got her attention.
"Honey? Would you go get Gary for me, please?"
"Sure, Jack."
She jumped off his lap and ran across the room, and Jack looked over at Daniel. "You ready to leave?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Act tired and hurt."
"Well... that ought to be hard..." Ah the sarcasm was oozing. Jack grinned, then wilted when he saw Gary coming over with Gina.
"Jack? Everything okay?"
"It's fine, but Daniel and I are starting to get tired. I was thinking we should probably head up tp the cabin, if you don't mind?"
"No, not at all. Want me to get you someone to help you?"
"No, we're okay. Wouldn't want to pull people from their fun." Besides, if he picked Sam, she might try to convince them to stay a little longer. "We'll just head up at our own speed."
"Okay, then. I'll see the two of you in the morning."
"Yeah."
Jack gave Gina a goodnight hug, then waited while she got one from Daniel, then the two stood up, slowly, and made their escape while the camp was dancing to "oh Johnny oh Johnny oh!" which was fast enough to hide their movements.
"Remind me why –"
"General Ha-"
"He didn't really want me to square dance on my vacation, did he?"
"Who knows?"
"I feel like crap," Jack complained as the two of them walked around the side of the building and started through the parking lot and up the hill.
"Me too."
"Jack! Daniel!"
They both groaned in unison as the Nurse hailed them from her cabin. It was almost as though she'd been waiting for them to pass her by. They turned towards her, waiting for her to come up to them.
"You'll both need to take your medication when you get back to your cabin," she said. "And you need to eat something. Would you like me to get you something from the kitchen?"
"No, thanks," Jack told her, forcing a smile. "I have a couple of granola bars in my bag. We can eat those."
"Very well. I'll see you in the morning, then. If you have trouble sleeping, just send a camper down to me, and we'll see if we can figure out a way to make you more comfortable."
"Thanks."
"Goodnight."
Daniel's good night was a bit less forced than Jack's.
"You don't really have granola bars in your bag, do you?"
"No, I just didn't want her coming up and hovering over us."
"You know, Jack," Daniel said as they started walking up the hill again. "You're not as dumb as you look."
"I know. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"