Shelby didn't forget him. Neither did Lucille. Only a few moments after the
two older women had seen the others out the door, they returned to the main
living room, Lucille carrying Micah, who was still clutching Jack's dog
tags in his little fist.
"So, Jack," Lucille said, smiling as she sat down next to him. "What do you do in the Military?"
Such began the morning. Shelby and Lucille were charming, and they were very good at making conversation. So good, in fact, that Jack found himself telling them far more about himself than he normally told anyone he'd just met. Far more than most of the people at the SGC knew about him. He didn't tell them what he did exactly, of course, but he did tell them a lot about his daily routine, and all the paperwork he always seemed to be behind on, and about Hammond. Basically, if it was safe to let them know, they knew it.
Then they started asking him about Sam. And where Jack would have normally clammed up tighter than a shell under ordinary circumstances, he found himself telling them all about her. What she was like, what he loved most about her, all her personality quirks. Everything. He couldn't believe he was telling them, even as he pulled out the one thing that even Sam didn't know he had. A picture of her.
He'd carefully cut the picture out of a brochure of a lecture she'd given at the Air Force academy the year before, and had stored it in his wallet. Since no one ever went through his wallet, it was an ideal place to keep it. It was a military picture, and it wasn't the best one he'd ever seen, but it was wallet sized, and it was all he needed. And the two women passed it between them like it was the treasure it was.
"She's very pretty, Jack," Shelby had said.
Jack had smiled and agreed, and the women went on with their questioning. The Goa'uld had nothing in interrogation tactics when compared to these two. When one ran out of questions, the other simply took over. None of the questions were invasive enough that he felt uncomfortable with them, and the information they extracted from him was almost entirely from his own desire to elaborate on the answers he'd already given. He didn't even realize what he was doing.
They occasionally would pause in their questioning. Sometimes it was to remind Jack to bend his leg, once it was to get fresh ice packs, once or twice for them to get tea for them and more coffee for Jack. Every time they picked right back up where they left off, and Jack found that he enjoyed the morning far more than he could have hoped for.
~*~
It was close to lunchtime when he heard the commotion in the far hall. Actually Lucille heard it first, and when she looked up, Jack and Shelby looked up as well. Just in time to see Shawn and Andrew running into the room, trailed by the rest of the boys, all of whom were soaking wet, and still wearing their snow clothes.
"Daniel's been hurt!" Andrew called as soon as he saw them all together.
Shelby was on her feet immediately, handing Micah over to Jack, who took that as a message to stay where he was and not get in the way.
"Is it bad?" Jack asked, worried.
"He hit a tree."
"Hard."
"He cracked his helmet!"
At least he'd been wearing one, Jack thought. Smart!
"He's bleed-"
They were interrupted by the arrival of everyone else. Teal'c and David were supporting Daniel between the two of them, and they more or less carried him over to the sofa Jack was on, and settled him next to O'Neill, who took a careful look, even as Shelby was obviously doing the same thing.
"What happened?" Lucille asked.
"He was doing great, Grandma," Carol said, taking off her snowcap. "He's a natural."
"Only he got off course, and didn't stop..."
"I panicked and forgot how," Daniel said, holding his head, which was bleeding freely. Since David was carefully pulling off his snow pants, Jack assumed there was something else wrong with Daniel as well. Which was confirmed a moment later as his friend yelped with pain when Shelby ran her hand along his knee.
"Broken?" Asked Jenny, taking Micah from Jack. The toddler wasn't happy with all that was going on around him, but wasn't sure whether to cry or scream, so he was just starting to look fussy. A look his mother knew well.
"I'm not sure." Shelby answered. "Darrin, get me the scissors." She looked at Daniel. "We're going to cut your jeans off at mid thigh, so I can take a look, all right?"
"Fine..." Daniel didn't look like he cared what they did. Jack could relate to that.
She realized that everyone was hovering, and shooed them away. "You're all dripping on the floor. Go get the boys out of them wet clothes, and start a fire in the fireplace. Daniel's done skiing, I think."
She took the scissors Darrin brought her, and cut away Daniel's pant leg, revealing a bump on the side of his knee that was swelling drastically and already bruising a brilliant purple.
"Ouch." Jack was impressed. You don't see bruises like that every day.
Shelby obviously agreed.
"David, you'd better get your car and take him into town and get it checked. It's pretty bad, even if it's not broken."
"I shall accompany you," Teal'c said.
David nodded. "I'll go pull the car around."
"So, you're a natural, huh?" Jack asked Daniel, unable to help himself.
"At least I got past the towrope." Daniel said, defensively. He didn't grin, but Jack knew that if he wasn't in so much pain, he'd be enjoying the banter.
"Yes, and look where that got you."
Shelby laughed, and told Jack to hush. He obeyed instantly, but even Teal'c knew that it wasn't the end of the conversation. Just the end for now.
David returned only a moment later, and he and Teal'c pulled Daniel up to his feet, although Teal'c took all the weight from his side, so Daniel's foot didn't even touch the floor.
"We'll be back soon," David said as they turned and slowly walked out of the room.
"Save me a spot on the couch," Daniel called over his shoulder, trying to make light of the circumstances, even though it was obvious he was in more and more pain as the minutes passed.
"Bring me back a surprise," Jack told him.
"So, Jack," Lucille said, smiling as she sat down next to him. "What do you do in the Military?"
Such began the morning. Shelby and Lucille were charming, and they were very good at making conversation. So good, in fact, that Jack found himself telling them far more about himself than he normally told anyone he'd just met. Far more than most of the people at the SGC knew about him. He didn't tell them what he did exactly, of course, but he did tell them a lot about his daily routine, and all the paperwork he always seemed to be behind on, and about Hammond. Basically, if it was safe to let them know, they knew it.
Then they started asking him about Sam. And where Jack would have normally clammed up tighter than a shell under ordinary circumstances, he found himself telling them all about her. What she was like, what he loved most about her, all her personality quirks. Everything. He couldn't believe he was telling them, even as he pulled out the one thing that even Sam didn't know he had. A picture of her.
He'd carefully cut the picture out of a brochure of a lecture she'd given at the Air Force academy the year before, and had stored it in his wallet. Since no one ever went through his wallet, it was an ideal place to keep it. It was a military picture, and it wasn't the best one he'd ever seen, but it was wallet sized, and it was all he needed. And the two women passed it between them like it was the treasure it was.
"She's very pretty, Jack," Shelby had said.
Jack had smiled and agreed, and the women went on with their questioning. The Goa'uld had nothing in interrogation tactics when compared to these two. When one ran out of questions, the other simply took over. None of the questions were invasive enough that he felt uncomfortable with them, and the information they extracted from him was almost entirely from his own desire to elaborate on the answers he'd already given. He didn't even realize what he was doing.
They occasionally would pause in their questioning. Sometimes it was to remind Jack to bend his leg, once it was to get fresh ice packs, once or twice for them to get tea for them and more coffee for Jack. Every time they picked right back up where they left off, and Jack found that he enjoyed the morning far more than he could have hoped for.
~*~
It was close to lunchtime when he heard the commotion in the far hall. Actually Lucille heard it first, and when she looked up, Jack and Shelby looked up as well. Just in time to see Shawn and Andrew running into the room, trailed by the rest of the boys, all of whom were soaking wet, and still wearing their snow clothes.
"Daniel's been hurt!" Andrew called as soon as he saw them all together.
Shelby was on her feet immediately, handing Micah over to Jack, who took that as a message to stay where he was and not get in the way.
"Is it bad?" Jack asked, worried.
"He hit a tree."
"Hard."
"He cracked his helmet!"
At least he'd been wearing one, Jack thought. Smart!
"He's bleed-"
They were interrupted by the arrival of everyone else. Teal'c and David were supporting Daniel between the two of them, and they more or less carried him over to the sofa Jack was on, and settled him next to O'Neill, who took a careful look, even as Shelby was obviously doing the same thing.
"What happened?" Lucille asked.
"He was doing great, Grandma," Carol said, taking off her snowcap. "He's a natural."
"Only he got off course, and didn't stop..."
"I panicked and forgot how," Daniel said, holding his head, which was bleeding freely. Since David was carefully pulling off his snow pants, Jack assumed there was something else wrong with Daniel as well. Which was confirmed a moment later as his friend yelped with pain when Shelby ran her hand along his knee.
"Broken?" Asked Jenny, taking Micah from Jack. The toddler wasn't happy with all that was going on around him, but wasn't sure whether to cry or scream, so he was just starting to look fussy. A look his mother knew well.
"I'm not sure." Shelby answered. "Darrin, get me the scissors." She looked at Daniel. "We're going to cut your jeans off at mid thigh, so I can take a look, all right?"
"Fine..." Daniel didn't look like he cared what they did. Jack could relate to that.
She realized that everyone was hovering, and shooed them away. "You're all dripping on the floor. Go get the boys out of them wet clothes, and start a fire in the fireplace. Daniel's done skiing, I think."
She took the scissors Darrin brought her, and cut away Daniel's pant leg, revealing a bump on the side of his knee that was swelling drastically and already bruising a brilliant purple.
"Ouch." Jack was impressed. You don't see bruises like that every day.
Shelby obviously agreed.
"David, you'd better get your car and take him into town and get it checked. It's pretty bad, even if it's not broken."
"I shall accompany you," Teal'c said.
David nodded. "I'll go pull the car around."
"So, you're a natural, huh?" Jack asked Daniel, unable to help himself.
"At least I got past the towrope." Daniel said, defensively. He didn't grin, but Jack knew that if he wasn't in so much pain, he'd be enjoying the banter.
"Yes, and look where that got you."
Shelby laughed, and told Jack to hush. He obeyed instantly, but even Teal'c knew that it wasn't the end of the conversation. Just the end for now.
David returned only a moment later, and he and Teal'c pulled Daniel up to his feet, although Teal'c took all the weight from his side, so Daniel's foot didn't even touch the floor.
"We'll be back soon," David said as they turned and slowly walked out of the room.
"Save me a spot on the couch," Daniel called over his shoulder, trying to make light of the circumstances, even though it was obvious he was in more and more pain as the minutes passed.
"Bring me back a surprise," Jack told him.
