The parents started arriving.
The boys of China had gone up to their cabin to get their stuff. Jack and Daniel didn't go help them, since they were too sore to be of much use. Teal'c on the other hand, was more than enough to make up for the lack of the other two. He came down loaded with whatever the boys couldn't carry, although he told Daniel and Jack that he'd left their stuff in their cabin, since there was no hurry for them to pick it up.
Almost predictably, Andrew's mom and dad were the first to arrive of all the boys from China. The boy had yelled excitedly when he saw their car pull up into the lot, and Jack knew that he was glad to be going home. Camp was fun and all, but Andrew just plain missed his family.
Mrs. Stephens hugged her son tightly, and looked at Teal'c, smiling with far less trepidation than she had when she and her husband had dropped the boy off.
"Mr. Murray! How are you?"
"I am quite well, thank you." Teal'c replied, handing Andrew's bag over to his father.
"Did Andrew behave for you?"
"I could not have asked for a better cabin mate than your son." Andrew beamed, and so did his dad. Then Jack and Daniel walked over to say their final good-byes to the boy, and both parents winced. Jack didn't even bother to scowl. He had a feeling he was going to see far more of that in the next hour. It wasn't worth the effort.
"What happened to you?" Andrew's dad asked.
"I'll tell you all about it on the way home, dad," Andrew said, anxious to be the one to tell of all the misfortunes of the China counselors.
He gave Jack and Daniel both hugs, then clung tightly to Teal'c, promising over and over that he'd write him every day. Teal'c held the boy a little longer than he might have, then released him and stepped back and watched him leave with his folks. The rest of the China boys waved as hard as they could, but they'd already promised to write, so they didn't yell any more promises to him. Jack felt like he was giving away a puppy.
One by one, the rest of the parents showed up as well. All of them were anxious to see their boys after a whole week without them, and all of them were greeted just as excitedly by their sons. But their counselors weren't quite so happy to see them, and not just because they winced every time they looked at Jack and Daniel. One by one the parents came, and one by one the boys left. Until it was just Shawn who was sitting on the porch of the main building, looking up the road and waiting for his parents to show.
"They probably got a late start," he said, smiling when Jack limped out to sit next to him while he waited. "My dad says my mom will be late for her own funeral."
Jack smiled and put his arm around Shawn's shoulder, taking a minute to be with him a little longer. Privately, he was thinking that if Shawn were his son, he'd have shown up early to take him home.
"We're not in any hurry," Jack told him. "If all else fails, you can always sleep on my couch."
Shawn laughed, although a part of him definitely loved that idea, and the little boy leaned in close to Jack's embrace.
"We're okay, right Jack?"
O'Neill knew immediately what the boy was talking about, and nodded, leaning down and nuzzling his face into Shawn's dark hair.
"We're better than okay."
Shawn nodded, and the two sat together quietly for a long moment. Then a dark Pontiac came around the turn at the top of the road, and Shawn pointed.
"That's them."
Jack didn't think it would hurt so badly. For God's sake, he'd only known the kid a week! He greeted Shawn's folks, who apologized for being late, and ignored the winces as they took a tally of his injuries. Then he gave Shawn another hug, before stepping back. And the entire time, he felt like crying.
"Bye, Sam!" Shawn called, running past Jack to give Sam another hug. She'd come up behind the two of them without Jack noticing, and her arms squeezed the little boy tightly for a minute before she let him go.
"You take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will. You take care of Jack, okay?"
"You bet."
Jack smiled, and Sam came over to stand next to him as Shawn got into the car. Another wave, and he was gone.
Carter slipped her arm around Jack's waist, and he turned to her, and Sam saw the saddened look in his eyes. She smiled softly, and leaned closer to him to comfort him, knowing that he was going to miss his boys.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
He sighed, and turned his back on the parking lot and the rapidly disappearing car, and with his arm around her, he went back inside.
The boys of China had gone up to their cabin to get their stuff. Jack and Daniel didn't go help them, since they were too sore to be of much use. Teal'c on the other hand, was more than enough to make up for the lack of the other two. He came down loaded with whatever the boys couldn't carry, although he told Daniel and Jack that he'd left their stuff in their cabin, since there was no hurry for them to pick it up.
Almost predictably, Andrew's mom and dad were the first to arrive of all the boys from China. The boy had yelled excitedly when he saw their car pull up into the lot, and Jack knew that he was glad to be going home. Camp was fun and all, but Andrew just plain missed his family.
Mrs. Stephens hugged her son tightly, and looked at Teal'c, smiling with far less trepidation than she had when she and her husband had dropped the boy off.
"Mr. Murray! How are you?"
"I am quite well, thank you." Teal'c replied, handing Andrew's bag over to his father.
"Did Andrew behave for you?"
"I could not have asked for a better cabin mate than your son." Andrew beamed, and so did his dad. Then Jack and Daniel walked over to say their final good-byes to the boy, and both parents winced. Jack didn't even bother to scowl. He had a feeling he was going to see far more of that in the next hour. It wasn't worth the effort.
"What happened to you?" Andrew's dad asked.
"I'll tell you all about it on the way home, dad," Andrew said, anxious to be the one to tell of all the misfortunes of the China counselors.
He gave Jack and Daniel both hugs, then clung tightly to Teal'c, promising over and over that he'd write him every day. Teal'c held the boy a little longer than he might have, then released him and stepped back and watched him leave with his folks. The rest of the China boys waved as hard as they could, but they'd already promised to write, so they didn't yell any more promises to him. Jack felt like he was giving away a puppy.
One by one, the rest of the parents showed up as well. All of them were anxious to see their boys after a whole week without them, and all of them were greeted just as excitedly by their sons. But their counselors weren't quite so happy to see them, and not just because they winced every time they looked at Jack and Daniel. One by one the parents came, and one by one the boys left. Until it was just Shawn who was sitting on the porch of the main building, looking up the road and waiting for his parents to show.
"They probably got a late start," he said, smiling when Jack limped out to sit next to him while he waited. "My dad says my mom will be late for her own funeral."
Jack smiled and put his arm around Shawn's shoulder, taking a minute to be with him a little longer. Privately, he was thinking that if Shawn were his son, he'd have shown up early to take him home.
"We're not in any hurry," Jack told him. "If all else fails, you can always sleep on my couch."
Shawn laughed, although a part of him definitely loved that idea, and the little boy leaned in close to Jack's embrace.
"We're okay, right Jack?"
O'Neill knew immediately what the boy was talking about, and nodded, leaning down and nuzzling his face into Shawn's dark hair.
"We're better than okay."
Shawn nodded, and the two sat together quietly for a long moment. Then a dark Pontiac came around the turn at the top of the road, and Shawn pointed.
"That's them."
Jack didn't think it would hurt so badly. For God's sake, he'd only known the kid a week! He greeted Shawn's folks, who apologized for being late, and ignored the winces as they took a tally of his injuries. Then he gave Shawn another hug, before stepping back. And the entire time, he felt like crying.
"Bye, Sam!" Shawn called, running past Jack to give Sam another hug. She'd come up behind the two of them without Jack noticing, and her arms squeezed the little boy tightly for a minute before she let him go.
"You take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will. You take care of Jack, okay?"
"You bet."
Jack smiled, and Sam came over to stand next to him as Shawn got into the car. Another wave, and he was gone.
Carter slipped her arm around Jack's waist, and he turned to her, and Sam saw the saddened look in his eyes. She smiled softly, and leaned closer to him to comfort him, knowing that he was going to miss his boys.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
He sighed, and turned his back on the parking lot and the rapidly disappearing car, and with his arm around her, he went back inside.