The horn sounded, pulling Jack from the soundest sleep he'd had all week.
Either he was exhausted, or he was getting used to sleeping on the thin
mattress. Or maybe it was just that he and the rest of China had stayed up
extremely late the night before, talking about the best part of the Talent
Night, and the week in general. Whatever it was, Jack wasn't at all happy
to be waking up. But he knew he had to.
He groaned, and dragged himself painfully out of bed. Nudging Teal'c awake, he went through the now familiar motion of putting Andrew into his bunk so Teal'c could get up, then he went into the bathroom. He wanted to have a chance to shave before the boys got up, and shaving took a bit longer when he only had one hand. Besides, they had a few extra things they had to do this morning. According to the schedule, they were supposed to have all their stuff packed and ready to go before breakfast. Among other things.
Once he'd shaved, Jack went back out into the main room and started waking up the boys. They weren't as easy to wake as Teal'c, but he was pretty good at it by now, and soon they were all sitting up in their bunks watching Jack to see what he wanted them to do first.
"Good morning, boys," Jack said, smiling at the sleepy looks.
"Morning Jack."
"Teal'c's in the bathroom. When he comes out, I want you guys to get dressed and ready for breakfast. We're supposed to get all our stuff packed up, so when you're dressed pack everything up and double check to make sure you have everything."
There were groans and a little complaining. The boys didn't really want to go home. Something Jack could sympathize with.
He ignored them, since there wasn't anything he could do about it. Smiling, he pointed at the beds.
"We're supposed to strip all the beds, pile all the blankets on Shawn's bed, pile all the sheets and pillowcases on Andrew's, so they can find them easily. Okay?"
"Okay, Jack."
"Okay."
"Daniel? You awake?"
Daniel was the only one that wasn't actually sitting up and paying attention to Jack.
"Yeah, I'm listening, just haven't managed to get up enough oomph to sit up yet."
Jack could understand that. Perfectly. But they had things to do, and he couldn't have his coffee until they were done, which gave him a certain incentive to get them started.
"Come on, guys, let's get this done, so we can have the rest of the morning to hang out."
The boys all jumped off their bunks and found clothes to wear. Clothes that were, for the most part, fairly grubby, but that was all that any of them had left. Jack waited until the last of the boys were moving, then went over to Daniel's bunk and looked down at his friend.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just ache."
"Shawn? Bring me that bottle of water that's under my bunk, please?"
The boy did as he was asked, and Jack fished out a bottle of aspirin from his pocket and worried the bottle open. Which wasn't easy with one hand.
"Here, Daniel, take a couple of these. If nothing else, it'll make some of the aching go away."
"Thanks, Jack." Daniel took the pills from Jack, and washed them down with the water Shawn handed him, then flopped back down in his bed and closed his eyes tightly.
"Is he okay?" Shawn asked Jack.
"Yeah. Just let him rest a little longer. We can pack his stuff up for him, right?"
"Sure."
Jack gathered all his things together and stuffed them into his bag, then stripped his bed down and piled the bedding on various bunks. Then he and Shawn packed up all of Daniel's stuff – except a change of clothes – and Jack and Teal'c got the boys organized to clean the cabin. One swept, one held the dustpan, two did a patrol in the bathroom to make sure no one had left a toothbrush or shampoo or anything, and the others tried to organize the blankets and sheets a little better.
"I'm not sure if we're supposed to leave our stuff here, or not," Jack told the boys when everything was as cleaned as nine year olds could make it. "I guess we can always come back for it."
"Are we going down to the dining room now?"
"Yeah. You guys go with Teal'c, I'll stay and get Daniel up."
There was a bustling as they all went rushing out the door, shouting and laughing as they raced each other. Teal'c followed at a calmer pace, and left Jack alone with Daniel in the cabin that was so empty now it seemed to echo the silence back at him.
"I don't want to get up, Jack," Daniel told him without opening his eyes.
"Too bad. I had to. You have to."
"I'm comfortable." Now he was just sounding petulant.
"I could ask Sam's girls to come help you..."
"I'm getting up."
Daniel sat up in his bed, groaning and holding his head in his hands. He ached, but it wasn't quite as bad as earlier. The aspirin Jack had given him had helped. He looked around the cabin, seeing the piled up bags and bedding, and sighed.
"I'm almost sad to see it end."
"Yeah, me too."
"It wasn't all that bad, was it?"
"Most of it was okay. Not something I'd have done on my own, though."
"Yeah."
"How do you feel?"
"If I'm sitting up and talking to you, I must feel okay. I guess."
"Good." Jack handed Daniel the stack of friendship bracelets that he'd collected over the week from the various girls in the camp. "Put those on and wear them today. And look suitably friendly, no matter how much you don't want to."
"That's cruel."
"It's only for the morning, and it's not going to kill you. A few more hours, Daniel. How hard can it be?"
"You're just saying that because it's not you that has to do it."
"True." Jack grinned, and despite himself, Daniel smiled as well and slid the bracelets over his hand.
"Let's go get some coffee."
He groaned, and dragged himself painfully out of bed. Nudging Teal'c awake, he went through the now familiar motion of putting Andrew into his bunk so Teal'c could get up, then he went into the bathroom. He wanted to have a chance to shave before the boys got up, and shaving took a bit longer when he only had one hand. Besides, they had a few extra things they had to do this morning. According to the schedule, they were supposed to have all their stuff packed and ready to go before breakfast. Among other things.
Once he'd shaved, Jack went back out into the main room and started waking up the boys. They weren't as easy to wake as Teal'c, but he was pretty good at it by now, and soon they were all sitting up in their bunks watching Jack to see what he wanted them to do first.
"Good morning, boys," Jack said, smiling at the sleepy looks.
"Morning Jack."
"Teal'c's in the bathroom. When he comes out, I want you guys to get dressed and ready for breakfast. We're supposed to get all our stuff packed up, so when you're dressed pack everything up and double check to make sure you have everything."
There were groans and a little complaining. The boys didn't really want to go home. Something Jack could sympathize with.
He ignored them, since there wasn't anything he could do about it. Smiling, he pointed at the beds.
"We're supposed to strip all the beds, pile all the blankets on Shawn's bed, pile all the sheets and pillowcases on Andrew's, so they can find them easily. Okay?"
"Okay, Jack."
"Okay."
"Daniel? You awake?"
Daniel was the only one that wasn't actually sitting up and paying attention to Jack.
"Yeah, I'm listening, just haven't managed to get up enough oomph to sit up yet."
Jack could understand that. Perfectly. But they had things to do, and he couldn't have his coffee until they were done, which gave him a certain incentive to get them started.
"Come on, guys, let's get this done, so we can have the rest of the morning to hang out."
The boys all jumped off their bunks and found clothes to wear. Clothes that were, for the most part, fairly grubby, but that was all that any of them had left. Jack waited until the last of the boys were moving, then went over to Daniel's bunk and looked down at his friend.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just ache."
"Shawn? Bring me that bottle of water that's under my bunk, please?"
The boy did as he was asked, and Jack fished out a bottle of aspirin from his pocket and worried the bottle open. Which wasn't easy with one hand.
"Here, Daniel, take a couple of these. If nothing else, it'll make some of the aching go away."
"Thanks, Jack." Daniel took the pills from Jack, and washed them down with the water Shawn handed him, then flopped back down in his bed and closed his eyes tightly.
"Is he okay?" Shawn asked Jack.
"Yeah. Just let him rest a little longer. We can pack his stuff up for him, right?"
"Sure."
Jack gathered all his things together and stuffed them into his bag, then stripped his bed down and piled the bedding on various bunks. Then he and Shawn packed up all of Daniel's stuff – except a change of clothes – and Jack and Teal'c got the boys organized to clean the cabin. One swept, one held the dustpan, two did a patrol in the bathroom to make sure no one had left a toothbrush or shampoo or anything, and the others tried to organize the blankets and sheets a little better.
"I'm not sure if we're supposed to leave our stuff here, or not," Jack told the boys when everything was as cleaned as nine year olds could make it. "I guess we can always come back for it."
"Are we going down to the dining room now?"
"Yeah. You guys go with Teal'c, I'll stay and get Daniel up."
There was a bustling as they all went rushing out the door, shouting and laughing as they raced each other. Teal'c followed at a calmer pace, and left Jack alone with Daniel in the cabin that was so empty now it seemed to echo the silence back at him.
"I don't want to get up, Jack," Daniel told him without opening his eyes.
"Too bad. I had to. You have to."
"I'm comfortable." Now he was just sounding petulant.
"I could ask Sam's girls to come help you..."
"I'm getting up."
Daniel sat up in his bed, groaning and holding his head in his hands. He ached, but it wasn't quite as bad as earlier. The aspirin Jack had given him had helped. He looked around the cabin, seeing the piled up bags and bedding, and sighed.
"I'm almost sad to see it end."
"Yeah, me too."
"It wasn't all that bad, was it?"
"Most of it was okay. Not something I'd have done on my own, though."
"Yeah."
"How do you feel?"
"If I'm sitting up and talking to you, I must feel okay. I guess."
"Good." Jack handed Daniel the stack of friendship bracelets that he'd collected over the week from the various girls in the camp. "Put those on and wear them today. And look suitably friendly, no matter how much you don't want to."
"That's cruel."
"It's only for the morning, and it's not going to kill you. A few more hours, Daniel. How hard can it be?"
"You're just saying that because it's not you that has to do it."
"True." Jack grinned, and despite himself, Daniel smiled as well and slid the bracelets over his hand.
"Let's go get some coffee."