It was dark when Shawn opened his eyes. He lay still, trying to figure out
where he was. His head was pounding so badly that he was having trouble
focusing his thoughts, much less his eyes. It took him far longer than it
should have to realize that the sun had gone down, and it was nighttime on
the planet. He sat up, whimpering softly at the increasing throbbing in his
head, and realized that to make matters even worse, it was raining. Hard.
The rain was cold, and he was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and he'd been soaked before he even woke up. Now that he was more aware of what was going on around him, and of his own situation, he realized he was pretty cold. And thirsty. And hungry. And his head was going to fall off at any minute.
He had to get out of the rain. That much was obvious, even to him. He struggled to get to his feet, and whimpered again. He'd sprained his ankle when he'd slid down the attacker's fuselage to the ground, and was only just now realizing it. Leaning heavily against the wall, he staggered along it, hoping to find one of the buildings that still had a ceiling on it. He wasn't afraid of a ceiling falling on him, although if he'd thought it through he might have been. He just wanted out of the rain. Away from the cold. He tripped over something in the dark – most likely a rock or piece of rubble, and fell, but got right back up. Walking, even though it hurt, was warming him up a little.
Tripping and stumbling countless times in the dark, Shawn came to an opening in the ruin and tried to see what was beyond it. In the darkness all he could see was a looming form, maybe a wall... maybe something else. He didn't know. But it gave him a goal, and that was the direction he headed. Never had he wished more for a flashlight. Never had he feared the dark as much as he did then. The rain made loud splatting noises on the stone around him, and softer thumping noises on the grass that was outside the ruins. He couldn't really hear either over the booming in his own head.
He reached his goal, and found it was another wall, which he sagged against gratefully. He looked up, catching some of the rain in his mouth. Rain that had seemed to be coming down so hard only a moment before now wasn't coming down hard enough to satisfy him. He barely had enough touch his tongue to relieve the parched tissue, and definitely didn't get enough to slake his thirst. Shivering, still, he forced himself to continue walking. He needed to get out of the rain more than he needed a drink.
"Jack!"
He called for help, but even as he called frantically, he knew help wasn't coming. Jack wasn't here. He was on Earth. Shawn choked back a sob, and forced himself onward, looking for a way into the ruin in the dark, feeling his way along the water-slick wall.
"Jack!"
He stumbled and fell. Inward. Shawn lay still, sobbing and trying to catch his breath at the same time. He felt the rain on his legs but not on his back, and somewhere in his mind he knew that he had found a roof to protect him. He dragged his feet inside, and curled against the wall, shivering and crying, finally breaking down and losing any semblance of the control that had managed to get him this far.
"Jack!"
~*~
"Jack?"
O'Neill looked up. He was once again in his office, and again surrounded by the rest of his team. It was well into the afternoon, and none of them had had any sleep for well over a day, but none would leave. They stayed close to the Command center. Waiting. Sam and Daniel had the chairs by Jack's desk. Daniel was looking glumly through the binder that Shawn had sent him only a few months before, pretending to be studying the language, but really just looking at the handwriting. The sloppy little kid handwriting. Sam was holding Jack's arrowhead necklace, the leather one that Shawn had given the Colonel that summer at camp. The leather had long since been rubbed smooth. Jack wore it as often as he could, and when he wasn't wearing it, it was almost always in a pocket. Teal'c was standing, leaning against the far wall. He wasn't even pretending to do anything; he was just looking off into space, worrying. They all looked up at the voice. It was Hammond.
"Yes, Sir?"
"The Sergeant of the Guard at the main gate is calling for you. Line 3. It's important."
"Yes, Sir."
Jack looked at the phone on his desk, and saw that it was blinking. How had he missed that? He picked up the receiver.
"O'Neill."
"No. I'll be right there. Make her comfortable."
He hung up the phone, and stood up.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Shawn's mother is at the gate."
"Really?"
"I can't imagine they'd make it up, Carter." He headed for the door, followed by the others.
"No, wait here. I can't have you all with me."
Teal'c and Sam stopped, but Daniel went with him. Jack didn't argue.
~*~
"Jack!"
Dotty Adams smiled. She was sitting in the large guard station with a glass mug of coffee, and beside her on the couch were a few papers and Shawn's flight Jacket.
Jack forced a smile.
"Are you all right, Jack? You look tired."
"I'm fine, Dotty. How are you? Is everything okay?"
"Hello, Dotty." Daniel said.
"Hi, Daniel. You look tired, too. Is Shawn being good? Not driving you to distraction is he?"
"Nah," Jack's smile was more forced, but it was a little better. "He's great."
"Your Black Ops people forgot to kidnap his jacket, and I knew he'd want it." Dotty said, handing the garment over to Daniel. "And I'm afraid his teacher has assigned him some homework, so you'll need to force him to take some time and get it done, please?"
Jack took the homework and nodded. "I'll take care of it, Dotty."
"Thank you, Jack. I'd better get going, then. I don't want him to think I'm checking on him." She smiled, because she really was checking on him, in a way, knowing that if something was going wrong, Jack would have told her.
"I'll tell him you came by," Daniel said.
The rain was cold, and he was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and he'd been soaked before he even woke up. Now that he was more aware of what was going on around him, and of his own situation, he realized he was pretty cold. And thirsty. And hungry. And his head was going to fall off at any minute.
He had to get out of the rain. That much was obvious, even to him. He struggled to get to his feet, and whimpered again. He'd sprained his ankle when he'd slid down the attacker's fuselage to the ground, and was only just now realizing it. Leaning heavily against the wall, he staggered along it, hoping to find one of the buildings that still had a ceiling on it. He wasn't afraid of a ceiling falling on him, although if he'd thought it through he might have been. He just wanted out of the rain. Away from the cold. He tripped over something in the dark – most likely a rock or piece of rubble, and fell, but got right back up. Walking, even though it hurt, was warming him up a little.
Tripping and stumbling countless times in the dark, Shawn came to an opening in the ruin and tried to see what was beyond it. In the darkness all he could see was a looming form, maybe a wall... maybe something else. He didn't know. But it gave him a goal, and that was the direction he headed. Never had he wished more for a flashlight. Never had he feared the dark as much as he did then. The rain made loud splatting noises on the stone around him, and softer thumping noises on the grass that was outside the ruins. He couldn't really hear either over the booming in his own head.
He reached his goal, and found it was another wall, which he sagged against gratefully. He looked up, catching some of the rain in his mouth. Rain that had seemed to be coming down so hard only a moment before now wasn't coming down hard enough to satisfy him. He barely had enough touch his tongue to relieve the parched tissue, and definitely didn't get enough to slake his thirst. Shivering, still, he forced himself to continue walking. He needed to get out of the rain more than he needed a drink.
"Jack!"
He called for help, but even as he called frantically, he knew help wasn't coming. Jack wasn't here. He was on Earth. Shawn choked back a sob, and forced himself onward, looking for a way into the ruin in the dark, feeling his way along the water-slick wall.
"Jack!"
He stumbled and fell. Inward. Shawn lay still, sobbing and trying to catch his breath at the same time. He felt the rain on his legs but not on his back, and somewhere in his mind he knew that he had found a roof to protect him. He dragged his feet inside, and curled against the wall, shivering and crying, finally breaking down and losing any semblance of the control that had managed to get him this far.
"Jack!"
~*~
"Jack?"
O'Neill looked up. He was once again in his office, and again surrounded by the rest of his team. It was well into the afternoon, and none of them had had any sleep for well over a day, but none would leave. They stayed close to the Command center. Waiting. Sam and Daniel had the chairs by Jack's desk. Daniel was looking glumly through the binder that Shawn had sent him only a few months before, pretending to be studying the language, but really just looking at the handwriting. The sloppy little kid handwriting. Sam was holding Jack's arrowhead necklace, the leather one that Shawn had given the Colonel that summer at camp. The leather had long since been rubbed smooth. Jack wore it as often as he could, and when he wasn't wearing it, it was almost always in a pocket. Teal'c was standing, leaning against the far wall. He wasn't even pretending to do anything; he was just looking off into space, worrying. They all looked up at the voice. It was Hammond.
"Yes, Sir?"
"The Sergeant of the Guard at the main gate is calling for you. Line 3. It's important."
"Yes, Sir."
Jack looked at the phone on his desk, and saw that it was blinking. How had he missed that? He picked up the receiver.
"O'Neill."
"No. I'll be right there. Make her comfortable."
He hung up the phone, and stood up.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Shawn's mother is at the gate."
"Really?"
"I can't imagine they'd make it up, Carter." He headed for the door, followed by the others.
"No, wait here. I can't have you all with me."
Teal'c and Sam stopped, but Daniel went with him. Jack didn't argue.
~*~
"Jack!"
Dotty Adams smiled. She was sitting in the large guard station with a glass mug of coffee, and beside her on the couch were a few papers and Shawn's flight Jacket.
Jack forced a smile.
"Are you all right, Jack? You look tired."
"I'm fine, Dotty. How are you? Is everything okay?"
"Hello, Dotty." Daniel said.
"Hi, Daniel. You look tired, too. Is Shawn being good? Not driving you to distraction is he?"
"Nah," Jack's smile was more forced, but it was a little better. "He's great."
"Your Black Ops people forgot to kidnap his jacket, and I knew he'd want it." Dotty said, handing the garment over to Daniel. "And I'm afraid his teacher has assigned him some homework, so you'll need to force him to take some time and get it done, please?"
Jack took the homework and nodded. "I'll take care of it, Dotty."
"Thank you, Jack. I'd better get going, then. I don't want him to think I'm checking on him." She smiled, because she really was checking on him, in a way, knowing that if something was going wrong, Jack would have told her.
"I'll tell him you came by," Daniel said.
