They were the last ones into the dining room this time. It was Jack's
fault, since it had taken her so long to get him up and moving, and then
he'd been slow on the walk, since his leg had stiffened up on him while he
was sleeping, but neither of them really cared. The boys had saved Jack his
seat, and the France girls had saved Sam hers, so they ended up sitting
where they had all week anyways.
"Hi Jack!"
"Hey Jack!"
"Hi Sam!"
They smiled hello to all the kids, and Jack eased himself into his chair, looking over at Daniel as he did so.
"How are you feeling?" He asked. "Headache gone?"
"It's manageable. Thanks."
Daniel looked better, anyways. The shower had done wonders for his spirits, and the nap had added on to that. Aside from the bruises and the bandages and the cast, he looked almost normal. The girls must have thought so, too, because they were back to whispering and looking at him over their hands. And he was back to ignoring the looks.
"How do you feel, Jack?" Asked Shawn.
"I'm okay, buddy. Thanks." Jack's head was a little sore, his arm was throbbing, and his back and leg were killing him, but he felt about as good as Daniel looked. Which meant he'd at least live through the day and into the next, most likely. "You guys ready for your Talent Night?"
"Yeah!"
"You'll see, Jack! We're going to be great!"
They weren't all doing acts, from the looks of it, but more than half the boys at the table mentioned doing something, and that was about the same amount as the girls from France. Jack wondered briefly how long this Talent Night thing lasted.
He pulled out his schedule, but it wasn't any help. The page – as he'd already known – was too battered to read, and it didn't tell him when it started, or when it finished. Damn. The one time he didn't want to be going blind.
Gary stepped up from the kitchen door, and got everyone's attention.
"I have a few announcements," he said, holding up his hands for quiet, which he got immediately. "First of all, as soon as dinner is over tonight, and the tables are cleared, I want all of you to grab whatever you need for your part in the Talent show, and then go straight down to the gym. Second, if you're not performing in the Talent show, we could use your help carrying chairs down to the gym after dinner." He looked over at Jack and Daniel, and the look plainly said they were not expected to help. Jack scowled. Daniel had learned better, and kept his annoyance to himself. Scowling just hurt.
"Any questions?"
There weren't any, and the kitchen crew opened the serving windows, and the Runners were sent up to get the food.
Dinner was a fiasco. At least for Jack and Daniel.
They were having baked chicken, which was great as far as O'Neill was concerned. He liked chicken. But chicken is a very difficult thing to eat one-handed. And it's even harder to eat when it's too hot to hold. Daniel tried stripping the meat off the bones with his fork, but he was having the same problems that Jack was having, and the chicken grease made the handle of his fork too slippery to hold, causing him to drop it on the table more than once.
Greasy hands also made holding his water glass impossible, and Daniel managed to spill his entire glass in his lap, which was better than O'Neill had managed, since Shawn ended up wearing Jack's water when his own glass slipped out of his hand.
"Damn, sorry Shawn."
"It's okay, Jack." The boy grinned, and reached for his napkin to dry off with. Jack had reached for his at the same time, and his hand knocked over the carton of milk that was placed on the table for the boys. Milk went everywhere, and all the boys hurriedly reached for napkins to stop the flow.
"Gah."
"Um, Jack? Why don't you let me pour you some more water?" Carter offered.
"I can do it, Sam."
"I really think-"
"Gah."
The boys were running out of dry napkins, and the girls from France started throwing them theirs.
Daniel snickered, and reached for the coffee pot to pour himself a cup of coffee, and the thing slipped right out of his hand.
"Da-"
"It's okay, Daniel." Andrew said, pushing his chair back as hot coffee started pouring off the table. Sam stepped in, then, as Teal'c went to the kitchen to get a few towels from the kitchen staff.
"Jack, Daniel. Stop." She looked at Daniel. "What do you want to drink?"
"Coffee."
Sam poured him a cup, and handed him a towel to wipe his hand off with.
"Jack?"
Jack sighed. "Coffee, too."
Sam repeated the process and handed O'Neill a cup of coffee and a towel for his hand. Then she took Jack's plate, and Daniel's plate, and handed Daniel's to Sally who was laughing so hard she had tears running down her cheeks.
"Cut that for him, will you, Sally?"
"Uh huh."
Sam took care of Jack's. She stripped the meat from the chicken, and piled it neatly, then handed the plate back to O'Neill. "If you want more, let me know. Think you can handle the potatoes on your own?"
"They're mashed, Carter," Jack said, scowling. 'I think I'll be okay."
"Daniel?"
Daniel couldn't help it. He scowled, too.
"Hi Jack!"
"Hey Jack!"
"Hi Sam!"
They smiled hello to all the kids, and Jack eased himself into his chair, looking over at Daniel as he did so.
"How are you feeling?" He asked. "Headache gone?"
"It's manageable. Thanks."
Daniel looked better, anyways. The shower had done wonders for his spirits, and the nap had added on to that. Aside from the bruises and the bandages and the cast, he looked almost normal. The girls must have thought so, too, because they were back to whispering and looking at him over their hands. And he was back to ignoring the looks.
"How do you feel, Jack?" Asked Shawn.
"I'm okay, buddy. Thanks." Jack's head was a little sore, his arm was throbbing, and his back and leg were killing him, but he felt about as good as Daniel looked. Which meant he'd at least live through the day and into the next, most likely. "You guys ready for your Talent Night?"
"Yeah!"
"You'll see, Jack! We're going to be great!"
They weren't all doing acts, from the looks of it, but more than half the boys at the table mentioned doing something, and that was about the same amount as the girls from France. Jack wondered briefly how long this Talent Night thing lasted.
He pulled out his schedule, but it wasn't any help. The page – as he'd already known – was too battered to read, and it didn't tell him when it started, or when it finished. Damn. The one time he didn't want to be going blind.
Gary stepped up from the kitchen door, and got everyone's attention.
"I have a few announcements," he said, holding up his hands for quiet, which he got immediately. "First of all, as soon as dinner is over tonight, and the tables are cleared, I want all of you to grab whatever you need for your part in the Talent show, and then go straight down to the gym. Second, if you're not performing in the Talent show, we could use your help carrying chairs down to the gym after dinner." He looked over at Jack and Daniel, and the look plainly said they were not expected to help. Jack scowled. Daniel had learned better, and kept his annoyance to himself. Scowling just hurt.
"Any questions?"
There weren't any, and the kitchen crew opened the serving windows, and the Runners were sent up to get the food.
Dinner was a fiasco. At least for Jack and Daniel.
They were having baked chicken, which was great as far as O'Neill was concerned. He liked chicken. But chicken is a very difficult thing to eat one-handed. And it's even harder to eat when it's too hot to hold. Daniel tried stripping the meat off the bones with his fork, but he was having the same problems that Jack was having, and the chicken grease made the handle of his fork too slippery to hold, causing him to drop it on the table more than once.
Greasy hands also made holding his water glass impossible, and Daniel managed to spill his entire glass in his lap, which was better than O'Neill had managed, since Shawn ended up wearing Jack's water when his own glass slipped out of his hand.
"Damn, sorry Shawn."
"It's okay, Jack." The boy grinned, and reached for his napkin to dry off with. Jack had reached for his at the same time, and his hand knocked over the carton of milk that was placed on the table for the boys. Milk went everywhere, and all the boys hurriedly reached for napkins to stop the flow.
"Gah."
"Um, Jack? Why don't you let me pour you some more water?" Carter offered.
"I can do it, Sam."
"I really think-"
"Gah."
The boys were running out of dry napkins, and the girls from France started throwing them theirs.
Daniel snickered, and reached for the coffee pot to pour himself a cup of coffee, and the thing slipped right out of his hand.
"Da-"
"It's okay, Daniel." Andrew said, pushing his chair back as hot coffee started pouring off the table. Sam stepped in, then, as Teal'c went to the kitchen to get a few towels from the kitchen staff.
"Jack, Daniel. Stop." She looked at Daniel. "What do you want to drink?"
"Coffee."
Sam poured him a cup, and handed him a towel to wipe his hand off with.
"Jack?"
Jack sighed. "Coffee, too."
Sam repeated the process and handed O'Neill a cup of coffee and a towel for his hand. Then she took Jack's plate, and Daniel's plate, and handed Daniel's to Sally who was laughing so hard she had tears running down her cheeks.
"Cut that for him, will you, Sally?"
"Uh huh."
Sam took care of Jack's. She stripped the meat from the chicken, and piled it neatly, then handed the plate back to O'Neill. "If you want more, let me know. Think you can handle the potatoes on your own?"
"They're mashed, Carter," Jack said, scowling. 'I think I'll be okay."
"Daniel?"
Daniel couldn't help it. He scowled, too.