Author's Note: Sorry this wasn't up sooner, but I had a full morning, and
couldn't get any writing in... darn it!
~*~
"Thor?" Carter watched as Jack and Teal'c left, then turned to look at the little gray alien. "Is there any way you could help Doctor Fraiser with the man she's operating on? Use that medical thing you used on Shawn that one time to heal his ankle, I mean?"
"The healing devices do not work so well on humans, Major Carter. They are not really designed for-"
"It worked on his ankle."
"The ankle injury was not as traumatic as the injuries this man has obtained. I am not certain how much good it will-"
"Could it hurt him if it doesn't work?"
"No."
"Then could we try?"
"Of course."
He vanished, and a moment later returned, carrying the small device he'd once used before. Sam had been tempted to try the Goa'uld healing device, but her control over the thing was minimal at the best of times, and she didn't want to risk something that might not work. If Thor was willing, then it was better to go with what they knew would work.
"I'll take you to the operating room," Hammond offered. He turned to Carter, "Think of a good cover story for O'Neill."
~*~
Carter was good at making split-second decisions. Most military personnel who reached any advanced rank with any kind of combat experience were, but Jack personally believed Sam was one of the most levelheaded thinkers when it came to an emergency that there was. Unfortunately, she was terrible at making up cover stories. He wondered if it was just that her brilliant mind was too filled with theories and speculations and equations that there was no room for wasted imagination, or if it was just that she was a terrible liar. Whatever it was, he was shaking his head by the time he turned off his cell phone.
"What is the cover story, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. The Jaffa was sitting beside Jack in his truck, and there was a military Corpsman in the jump seat behind him, holding a small bag of medical equipment on his lap.
"They need a blood sample from Shawn for his pre-entrance physical into the Air force Academy. One now, one in two years, and another right before he goes in. Carter told the school administrators that it was a new program the military was doing. Some kind of anti-steroid thing."
"That's dumb," The corpsman said from the back seat.
"It could happen." O'Neill was quick to jump to Carter's defense, even though he personally agreed with the man. Of course, it was an automatic thing to do. The corpsman shrugged, but didn't say anything else as they all got out of the truck.
"Carter said that the school administrators will have him waiting for us in the nurse's office."
Jack had been to Shawn's school a few times before, and knew his way around pretty well, so it didn't take them long before they were signing in at the main office, and then heading to the nurse's office which was just down the hall.
"Jack!"
Shawn was all smiles when he saw the three of them walk in, and O'Neill grinned and ruffled his hair fondly, feeling the same gooey feeling in his stomach he always felt when he saw the boy. Still a boy, but he was growing like a weed.
"Hey buddy, sorry about taking you out of class."
"It's okay, I never do anything in class anyways, you know."
He did know. They were seriously considering talking to Shawn's parents about skipping him a few years in school. The classes he was taking in school were nothing for him compared to what the Asgard were teaching him, and Jack was worried he was going to get bored and do something dumb. Again. More advanced classes – maybe even high school level ones – would keep him occupied far more than the ones he was taking now.
"It is good to see you, Shawn," Teal'c said, smiling at the boy as well.
"Hey Murray." Shawn wasn't going to hug either of his friends in front of the school nurse, but Jack and Teal'c both knew if there were no one around, he would have been eager for one.
"This is..." Jack looked over at the corpsman. He didn't know the guy's first name, only his last. "Corporal Dasani. He's going to take a blood sample, okay?"
"It won't hurt," the corpsman assured the boy, opening his bag and pulling out the equipment he was going to need. Including a needle that looked far too long to Jack, who wasn't all that fond of needles anyways. But who was?
Shawn rolled up his sleeve and held still for the man.
"What are you doing this weekend, Shawn?" Jack asked, more to keep his mind off the needle.
"Dad's taking me fishing. Want to come?"
"I'd love to, you know that." Jack grinned, and shook his head. "But I can't. Murray and I might have to go out of town."
Shawn looked at him with interest, knowing that out of town usually meant off-world, but Jack didn't elaborate, and Shawn knew he wasn't going to. Especially with the nurse in the room watching.
"Want me to watch Jaffer and Jack?" He offered.
"Not if you're going fishing." Jack had been to the vet's with Jaffer more times than he cared to think about when it came to fishing accidents. The black lab had grown up around fishing poles and STILL hadn't managed to figure out that the hook thing at the end of line was not meant for him. The two of them were a running joke at the vet's. Especially since the bright Saturday afternoon that they'd shown up at the office with two hooks in Jaffer's upper lip, and another buried deep in Jack's bleeding forearm.
"All finished," the corpsman said, smiling and wrapping a bandage around the boy's arm. He had a small vial of blood in one hand, which he put into his bag.
"Okay, buddy. Guess you have to go back to class, huh?"
"Unless you want to sign me out of school for the rest of the day?" Shawn asked, smiling. He put a hand to his forehead, and gave his best miserable look. "I feel faint from all the blood I've lost. I should probably go home and sit on the couch and play video games to recuperate."
"Or you should go and finish your math test," The school nurse said, laughing as she came over and made sure the corpsman had bandaged him properly and that it wasn't going to slip off during school and get blood all over everything.
Jack smiled, and walked to the door with Teal'c and Dasani. "If I don't see you before your weekend fishing trip, have fun and tell your dad hi for me, okay?"
"Okay, Jack. Tell Sam and Daniel hi for me, okay?"
"Will do."
~*~
"Thor?" Carter watched as Jack and Teal'c left, then turned to look at the little gray alien. "Is there any way you could help Doctor Fraiser with the man she's operating on? Use that medical thing you used on Shawn that one time to heal his ankle, I mean?"
"The healing devices do not work so well on humans, Major Carter. They are not really designed for-"
"It worked on his ankle."
"The ankle injury was not as traumatic as the injuries this man has obtained. I am not certain how much good it will-"
"Could it hurt him if it doesn't work?"
"No."
"Then could we try?"
"Of course."
He vanished, and a moment later returned, carrying the small device he'd once used before. Sam had been tempted to try the Goa'uld healing device, but her control over the thing was minimal at the best of times, and she didn't want to risk something that might not work. If Thor was willing, then it was better to go with what they knew would work.
"I'll take you to the operating room," Hammond offered. He turned to Carter, "Think of a good cover story for O'Neill."
~*~
Carter was good at making split-second decisions. Most military personnel who reached any advanced rank with any kind of combat experience were, but Jack personally believed Sam was one of the most levelheaded thinkers when it came to an emergency that there was. Unfortunately, she was terrible at making up cover stories. He wondered if it was just that her brilliant mind was too filled with theories and speculations and equations that there was no room for wasted imagination, or if it was just that she was a terrible liar. Whatever it was, he was shaking his head by the time he turned off his cell phone.
"What is the cover story, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. The Jaffa was sitting beside Jack in his truck, and there was a military Corpsman in the jump seat behind him, holding a small bag of medical equipment on his lap.
"They need a blood sample from Shawn for his pre-entrance physical into the Air force Academy. One now, one in two years, and another right before he goes in. Carter told the school administrators that it was a new program the military was doing. Some kind of anti-steroid thing."
"That's dumb," The corpsman said from the back seat.
"It could happen." O'Neill was quick to jump to Carter's defense, even though he personally agreed with the man. Of course, it was an automatic thing to do. The corpsman shrugged, but didn't say anything else as they all got out of the truck.
"Carter said that the school administrators will have him waiting for us in the nurse's office."
Jack had been to Shawn's school a few times before, and knew his way around pretty well, so it didn't take them long before they were signing in at the main office, and then heading to the nurse's office which was just down the hall.
"Jack!"
Shawn was all smiles when he saw the three of them walk in, and O'Neill grinned and ruffled his hair fondly, feeling the same gooey feeling in his stomach he always felt when he saw the boy. Still a boy, but he was growing like a weed.
"Hey buddy, sorry about taking you out of class."
"It's okay, I never do anything in class anyways, you know."
He did know. They were seriously considering talking to Shawn's parents about skipping him a few years in school. The classes he was taking in school were nothing for him compared to what the Asgard were teaching him, and Jack was worried he was going to get bored and do something dumb. Again. More advanced classes – maybe even high school level ones – would keep him occupied far more than the ones he was taking now.
"It is good to see you, Shawn," Teal'c said, smiling at the boy as well.
"Hey Murray." Shawn wasn't going to hug either of his friends in front of the school nurse, but Jack and Teal'c both knew if there were no one around, he would have been eager for one.
"This is..." Jack looked over at the corpsman. He didn't know the guy's first name, only his last. "Corporal Dasani. He's going to take a blood sample, okay?"
"It won't hurt," the corpsman assured the boy, opening his bag and pulling out the equipment he was going to need. Including a needle that looked far too long to Jack, who wasn't all that fond of needles anyways. But who was?
Shawn rolled up his sleeve and held still for the man.
"What are you doing this weekend, Shawn?" Jack asked, more to keep his mind off the needle.
"Dad's taking me fishing. Want to come?"
"I'd love to, you know that." Jack grinned, and shook his head. "But I can't. Murray and I might have to go out of town."
Shawn looked at him with interest, knowing that out of town usually meant off-world, but Jack didn't elaborate, and Shawn knew he wasn't going to. Especially with the nurse in the room watching.
"Want me to watch Jaffer and Jack?" He offered.
"Not if you're going fishing." Jack had been to the vet's with Jaffer more times than he cared to think about when it came to fishing accidents. The black lab had grown up around fishing poles and STILL hadn't managed to figure out that the hook thing at the end of line was not meant for him. The two of them were a running joke at the vet's. Especially since the bright Saturday afternoon that they'd shown up at the office with two hooks in Jaffer's upper lip, and another buried deep in Jack's bleeding forearm.
"All finished," the corpsman said, smiling and wrapping a bandage around the boy's arm. He had a small vial of blood in one hand, which he put into his bag.
"Okay, buddy. Guess you have to go back to class, huh?"
"Unless you want to sign me out of school for the rest of the day?" Shawn asked, smiling. He put a hand to his forehead, and gave his best miserable look. "I feel faint from all the blood I've lost. I should probably go home and sit on the couch and play video games to recuperate."
"Or you should go and finish your math test," The school nurse said, laughing as she came over and made sure the corpsman had bandaged him properly and that it wasn't going to slip off during school and get blood all over everything.
Jack smiled, and walked to the door with Teal'c and Dasani. "If I don't see you before your weekend fishing trip, have fun and tell your dad hi for me, okay?"
"Okay, Jack. Tell Sam and Daniel hi for me, okay?"
"Will do."