Lunch was normally the noisiest meal of the day. This was something Jack
had observed in the days he'd been at camp. Today, however, the noise level
was even higher. Campers were telling each other what they'd done that
morning, but they were also talking about the Talent night that was coming
up that night. A few were giving examples of what they were going to be
doing, and others were being secretive.
"What are you going to do, Jack?" Gina asked from the other table.
Jack shook his head, "Nothing. I'm not very talented."
"You can't do anything?" She asked, dubiously.
"Not with only one hand," he told her, holding up his right hand to show her the cast.
"Oh." She was silent for a minute, and then said, "How about dancing? You don't need hands to dance."
Sam snorted, spewing her iced tea across her plate.
"Ewwww!"
Jack gave her a mock scowl, knowing what had caused her little accident, and handed her a napkin, which she accepted with a twinkle in her blue eyes that made his heart skip a beat. God, she was pretty.
"I don't dance all that well, Gina," Jack told the little girl, smiling despite himself.
"You could dance with me." She offered.
"My leg is pretty sore, honey." He was running out of excuses. How many more suggestions could the kid make? "Daniel might want to dance with you."
"What?" Daniel had only been paying half attention to what was being said around him. The continuous noise was starting to make his head hurt and he wasn't really concentrating on anything but the four aspirin that he'd just dug out of his pocket.
"Want to dance with me tonight?" Gina asked.
"Um... I would, but..." Daniel wasn't as quick on the uptake as Jack was this time, and he was floundering. Luckily, Sam had cleared her nose of iced tea and came to his rescue.
"Daniel and Jack are hurt, Gina. They probably don't feel well enough to dance with you. Or do much of anything, I imagine."
Daniel could have kissed her for that, and Sam smiled. Gina accepted that answer better than she'd accepted anything that Jack had said, and the two men breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Perhaps I could be persuaded to dance with you," Teal'c said out of the blue. Jack's jaw dropped, and Daniel just stared, but Gina beamed.
~*~
"Seriously, Jack," Daniel said as the kids cleared out for their afternoon activities. "How are you going to take a shower?" Daniel was desperate to feel clean. He hadn't taken a shower since he'd fallen off the horse.
The two of them were still sitting at their table, but everyone else was gone. Teal'c had gone off with Gina, who was going to try and teach him how to dance with her, and Sam and Shelly had been convinced by their girls to go horseback riding with them.
"Come with me, Daniel," Jack said, standing up slowly, and heading for the kitchen. Daniel practically jumped out of his chair in his haste to follow.
"Jared?" Jack asked the cook when he saw there was a lull in activity in the kitchen. "Do you have a few garbage bags that Daniel and I could talk out of you?"
"Sure, Jack."
A minute later, armed with a stack of garbage bags, Jack and Daniel walked back up the hill.
"The trick is to keep your cast from getting wet." Jack said as he struggled out of his shirt once they were in the cabin. He pulled off the leather necklace that Shawn had made him, but left his dogtags on, since he was used to showering in them. Then he stuck his casted right hand into one of the garbage bags. "See? Like that."
He looked at the bandage on Daniel's forehead. "You're really probably going to want to keep that dry, though, which means you won't be able to wash your hair in the shower. We might be able to do it in the sink later. Just stick a garbage bag over your head like a bandana and it'll keep your bandage dry. Or try to keep your head out of the spray. Whichever works best for you."
"Have I told you you're a genius?" Daniel asked.
Jack shrugged, which hurt, and he smiled. "I've broken bones before Daniel. I'm an old pro at this." He reached into his bag for his towel, and headed for the bathroom, carrying a bag. "And since it was my idea, I get to shower first."
"Fine, just don't be all day. And don't use all the hot water." Daniel needed time to get undressed anyways.
~*~*
The shower took a while, even for Jack who was an old pro. The cuts on his chest still hurt when he washed himself, and the bruises screamed at him under the spray of the water. But he was clean. He'd showered and washed his hair, then had shaved at the sink so that Daniel wouldn't have to wait any longer than necessary. Aside from hurting everywhere imaginable, and having a headache that wouldn't go away, once Jack dressed himself in the cleanest clothes he could find, he was feeling pretty much human again.
A feeling Daniel shared.
"What are you going to do, Jack?" Gina asked from the other table.
Jack shook his head, "Nothing. I'm not very talented."
"You can't do anything?" She asked, dubiously.
"Not with only one hand," he told her, holding up his right hand to show her the cast.
"Oh." She was silent for a minute, and then said, "How about dancing? You don't need hands to dance."
Sam snorted, spewing her iced tea across her plate.
"Ewwww!"
Jack gave her a mock scowl, knowing what had caused her little accident, and handed her a napkin, which she accepted with a twinkle in her blue eyes that made his heart skip a beat. God, she was pretty.
"I don't dance all that well, Gina," Jack told the little girl, smiling despite himself.
"You could dance with me." She offered.
"My leg is pretty sore, honey." He was running out of excuses. How many more suggestions could the kid make? "Daniel might want to dance with you."
"What?" Daniel had only been paying half attention to what was being said around him. The continuous noise was starting to make his head hurt and he wasn't really concentrating on anything but the four aspirin that he'd just dug out of his pocket.
"Want to dance with me tonight?" Gina asked.
"Um... I would, but..." Daniel wasn't as quick on the uptake as Jack was this time, and he was floundering. Luckily, Sam had cleared her nose of iced tea and came to his rescue.
"Daniel and Jack are hurt, Gina. They probably don't feel well enough to dance with you. Or do much of anything, I imagine."
Daniel could have kissed her for that, and Sam smiled. Gina accepted that answer better than she'd accepted anything that Jack had said, and the two men breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Perhaps I could be persuaded to dance with you," Teal'c said out of the blue. Jack's jaw dropped, and Daniel just stared, but Gina beamed.
~*~
"Seriously, Jack," Daniel said as the kids cleared out for their afternoon activities. "How are you going to take a shower?" Daniel was desperate to feel clean. He hadn't taken a shower since he'd fallen off the horse.
The two of them were still sitting at their table, but everyone else was gone. Teal'c had gone off with Gina, who was going to try and teach him how to dance with her, and Sam and Shelly had been convinced by their girls to go horseback riding with them.
"Come with me, Daniel," Jack said, standing up slowly, and heading for the kitchen. Daniel practically jumped out of his chair in his haste to follow.
"Jared?" Jack asked the cook when he saw there was a lull in activity in the kitchen. "Do you have a few garbage bags that Daniel and I could talk out of you?"
"Sure, Jack."
A minute later, armed with a stack of garbage bags, Jack and Daniel walked back up the hill.
"The trick is to keep your cast from getting wet." Jack said as he struggled out of his shirt once they were in the cabin. He pulled off the leather necklace that Shawn had made him, but left his dogtags on, since he was used to showering in them. Then he stuck his casted right hand into one of the garbage bags. "See? Like that."
He looked at the bandage on Daniel's forehead. "You're really probably going to want to keep that dry, though, which means you won't be able to wash your hair in the shower. We might be able to do it in the sink later. Just stick a garbage bag over your head like a bandana and it'll keep your bandage dry. Or try to keep your head out of the spray. Whichever works best for you."
"Have I told you you're a genius?" Daniel asked.
Jack shrugged, which hurt, and he smiled. "I've broken bones before Daniel. I'm an old pro at this." He reached into his bag for his towel, and headed for the bathroom, carrying a bag. "And since it was my idea, I get to shower first."
"Fine, just don't be all day. And don't use all the hot water." Daniel needed time to get undressed anyways.
~*~*
The shower took a while, even for Jack who was an old pro. The cuts on his chest still hurt when he washed himself, and the bruises screamed at him under the spray of the water. But he was clean. He'd showered and washed his hair, then had shaved at the sink so that Daniel wouldn't have to wait any longer than necessary. Aside from hurting everywhere imaginable, and having a headache that wouldn't go away, once Jack dressed himself in the cleanest clothes he could find, he was feeling pretty much human again.
A feeling Daniel shared.