The next morning started badly. Jack hadn't slept the night before -
something he was getting used to – and was stiff and sore from being in the
same potion for so many hours. The fun thing was that Daniel was just as
miserable as Jack, and had been awake all night as well. Jack found out
that misery truly does love company, because he found that he felt a little
better knowing that Daniel was just as miserable as he was.
Long before the horn sounded to wake them up, Jack was already struggling to get into a sitting position, biting back curse after curse. Hearing the commotion from O'Neill's bed, Daniel gave up on trying to sleep as well, and started his morning with just as much difficulty.
Neither of them had bothered to change out of their square dancing clothes that night, so getting dressed wasn't going to be a problem. Once they managed to get on their feet, quietly so they didn't wake the kids so early, it was a simple matter of slipping feet into shoes and staggering out the door and down to the cafeteria. Both men wanted coffee, and both men left their painkillers in their pockets. Jack wasn't exactly a fan of hurting, but he had missed an entire night of enjoying time with his boys because he'd been too out of it to concentrate on what was going on, and he didn't want to miss another day – their last full day at camp – for the same reason. Daniel felt the same way, and they decided that they'd take aspirin for the aches, and hope it would be enough.
The entire camp was silent, as Jack had known it would be. His watch said 4:30, and the sun hadn't started to do much more than cause a faint light in the eastern sky. They turned on the lights in the main building as they made their way to the dining hall, and Jack told Daniel to go sit down, he'd make the coffee.
"Please tell me that we're not doing anything strenuous today," Daniel said as he made his way over to China's table and sat down in the chair he normally ate his meals in.
"No clue." Jack was having trouble opening the coffee filters with one hand, and was too busy concentrating on trying not to drop the whole package to dig out his schedule. "It can't be that bad. Whatever it is, I'm sure we don't have to do it."
"They probably wouldn't let us do it if we wanted to," Daniel said, watching as O'Neill finally managed to free one filter and put it in the machine.
"Good point."
"You're going to spill that if you try to open it that way," Daniel told Jack, who was holding the can of coffee grounds under his arm – the arm with the cast – and was trying to open the plastic lid with his good hand.
"No, I'm no- Damn it."
O'Neill managed to catch a handful of grounds as they poured onto the dining room floor, and he put them in the filter along with the scant amount he'd managed to catch with the plastic lid, and then started the machine.
"Told you."
"Yeah, well... the lid wasn't made right."
"Uh huh."
Jack looked into the kitchen door and found a broom, and swept up the grounds he'd spilled. He hadn't found a dustpan, and didn't feel like bending over anyways, so he just sort of swept them into a pile and swept the pile against the wall out of the way.
"Smooth."
"Yeah, well. I'll clean it up later."
O'Neill picked up a couple of clean coffee cups and took them over and sat at the table with Daniel, sliding one of them over to him. Then he fished his schedule out of his pocket, and looked at it.
"Last day..." he read, mostly to himself, but aloud so Daniel could hear, too. "Wake up... breakfast... clean cabins... hey, it's a free day."
"The whole day?"
"Yup, looks like it. Until evening activities, anyways."
"What's the evening activity?"
"I'm not sure. My schedule is ripped, and that part's too tattered to read." Jack handed the paper over to Daniel, and watched the coffee as it started to brew.
"Just think, you'll probably add to your bracelet collection this morning."
"Weee..."
Jack smiled, and looked down into his empty cup. "Maybe I'll go fishing. You want to come fishing?"
"What? Right now?"
"No, this morning, during free time. Have Sally send the little girls away, and you and I can have a peaceful morning on the dock. As long as we don't catch anything – or Sam doesn't try to reel it in – we'll be fine."
Daniel was looking speculative, a look Jack knew well.
"If we don't bait the hooks, we won't catch anything."
"There you go."
"This schedule really is beat up, Jack." Daniel said, looking at the paper once more. "Why didn't you get another copy?"
"So? You want to go fishing with me? We could send the girls sailing, the boys riding or on another nature walk with Teal'c, and that would leave us free." He gave Daniel a speculative look of his own. "We could invite Sally to come fishing with us."
Daniel brought his head back up to give Jack a sharp look, and O'Neill's face took on instant innocence.
"What? It's just a thought."
"Uh huh. Is Sam coming?"
"She might. If you promise to keep her away from the fishing poles."
"Why?"
"Just trust me on that one."
Long before the horn sounded to wake them up, Jack was already struggling to get into a sitting position, biting back curse after curse. Hearing the commotion from O'Neill's bed, Daniel gave up on trying to sleep as well, and started his morning with just as much difficulty.
Neither of them had bothered to change out of their square dancing clothes that night, so getting dressed wasn't going to be a problem. Once they managed to get on their feet, quietly so they didn't wake the kids so early, it was a simple matter of slipping feet into shoes and staggering out the door and down to the cafeteria. Both men wanted coffee, and both men left their painkillers in their pockets. Jack wasn't exactly a fan of hurting, but he had missed an entire night of enjoying time with his boys because he'd been too out of it to concentrate on what was going on, and he didn't want to miss another day – their last full day at camp – for the same reason. Daniel felt the same way, and they decided that they'd take aspirin for the aches, and hope it would be enough.
The entire camp was silent, as Jack had known it would be. His watch said 4:30, and the sun hadn't started to do much more than cause a faint light in the eastern sky. They turned on the lights in the main building as they made their way to the dining hall, and Jack told Daniel to go sit down, he'd make the coffee.
"Please tell me that we're not doing anything strenuous today," Daniel said as he made his way over to China's table and sat down in the chair he normally ate his meals in.
"No clue." Jack was having trouble opening the coffee filters with one hand, and was too busy concentrating on trying not to drop the whole package to dig out his schedule. "It can't be that bad. Whatever it is, I'm sure we don't have to do it."
"They probably wouldn't let us do it if we wanted to," Daniel said, watching as O'Neill finally managed to free one filter and put it in the machine.
"Good point."
"You're going to spill that if you try to open it that way," Daniel told Jack, who was holding the can of coffee grounds under his arm – the arm with the cast – and was trying to open the plastic lid with his good hand.
"No, I'm no- Damn it."
O'Neill managed to catch a handful of grounds as they poured onto the dining room floor, and he put them in the filter along with the scant amount he'd managed to catch with the plastic lid, and then started the machine.
"Told you."
"Yeah, well... the lid wasn't made right."
"Uh huh."
Jack looked into the kitchen door and found a broom, and swept up the grounds he'd spilled. He hadn't found a dustpan, and didn't feel like bending over anyways, so he just sort of swept them into a pile and swept the pile against the wall out of the way.
"Smooth."
"Yeah, well. I'll clean it up later."
O'Neill picked up a couple of clean coffee cups and took them over and sat at the table with Daniel, sliding one of them over to him. Then he fished his schedule out of his pocket, and looked at it.
"Last day..." he read, mostly to himself, but aloud so Daniel could hear, too. "Wake up... breakfast... clean cabins... hey, it's a free day."
"The whole day?"
"Yup, looks like it. Until evening activities, anyways."
"What's the evening activity?"
"I'm not sure. My schedule is ripped, and that part's too tattered to read." Jack handed the paper over to Daniel, and watched the coffee as it started to brew.
"Just think, you'll probably add to your bracelet collection this morning."
"Weee..."
Jack smiled, and looked down into his empty cup. "Maybe I'll go fishing. You want to come fishing?"
"What? Right now?"
"No, this morning, during free time. Have Sally send the little girls away, and you and I can have a peaceful morning on the dock. As long as we don't catch anything – or Sam doesn't try to reel it in – we'll be fine."
Daniel was looking speculative, a look Jack knew well.
"If we don't bait the hooks, we won't catch anything."
"There you go."
"This schedule really is beat up, Jack." Daniel said, looking at the paper once more. "Why didn't you get another copy?"
"So? You want to go fishing with me? We could send the girls sailing, the boys riding or on another nature walk with Teal'c, and that would leave us free." He gave Daniel a speculative look of his own. "We could invite Sally to come fishing with us."
Daniel brought his head back up to give Jack a sharp look, and O'Neill's face took on instant innocence.
"What? It's just a thought."
"Uh huh. Is Sam coming?"
"She might. If you promise to keep her away from the fishing poles."
"Why?"
"Just trust me on that one."