They'd done a good job of cleaning him up. The blood that Sam had noticed
matting the dark brown hair was gone, and his smooth face was no longer
smeared with crimson. They'd swathed him in bandages, from his armpits down
his entire body where they disappeared under the blanket that were drawn up
to about the middle of his stomach. Monitors were beeping in time with his
heartbeat and another was tracking his breathing, and he had a tangle of
wires running from him to the machines, but Jack ignored all that as he
walked over and looked down at him.
The face was so familiar that Jack knew immediately he'd seen it before. Even with the eyes closed, and a pained wrinkle to the brow that was a sign that the young man was distressed even in his sleep. The hair was short, and maybe a little darker than Shawn's was, now, but when Jack reached out and lightly brushed it back from the forehead, he nodded. There was the scar he'd been looking for. A thin, almost unnoticeable pale line that ran from the up under the hairline and down toward the center of the forehead. Jack remembered when Shawn got that scar quite well, and knew it for what it was.
"Shawn?" Jack whispered softly. It was so unbelievable, but Jack had seen so many other things that were equally unbelievable. Sam had been right. Somehow this was his Shawn. An older version of the boy he'd seen only hours before. He ran a gentle hand down the man's cheek, feeling the square jaw that had just the beginning of a 5 o'clock shadow. Stubble! He smiled despite himself. It would be a few more years before his Shawn had to worry about shaving.
"Colonel?"
Jack turned and saw Fraiser had walked up beside him, even though the others were still at the door, watching.
"It's him," Jack said, shaking his head.
"You're that sure?" She raised an eyebrow. Jack was normally the most difficult to prove anything to. He was a cynic by nature, and when you added in the fact that he was also fairly inflexible when it came to changing his mind once it was made up, it was no surprise that Janet was a little surprised at his ready acceptance that this person was, indeed, who they thought it was.
"It's him," Jack said. "I'd know him anywhere. Anytime, too, I suppose." He shook his head again. "I need to talk to him, Doc."
"He's not going to wake up any time soon, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He needs rest before we start interrogating him."
"I'm not going to interrogate him," Jack said as Hammond and the rest of them walked over as well, wanting to hear what O'Neill was saying. "I need to know where he came from. When he came from."
"I can't force him to wake up, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He's exhausted. Let him rest while we try to sort out everything else."
Jack scowled, but it wasn't aimed at the doctor. It was his 'I'm thinking' scowl. He turned to Thor, who was standing beside Teal'c.
"You swear that you didn't do anything to Shawn? My Shawn, I mean?"
"We have done nothing that can explain this, O'Neill." The Asgard told him.
"Someone has to know."
"The tests could be wrong," Fraiser said.
"They are not." Thor replied.
"They could be."
"Why don't you take Doctor Fraiser and let her run her own tests, Thor?" Hammond said. "I'll want a full report as soon as possible, Doctor."
Fraiser barely had time to nod before there was a flash of light and Thor and Fraiser both vanished from the infirmary. Hammond turned to Jack.
"You're sure it's him?"
Jack nodded.
"I wonder how old he is," Daniel said from the other side of the bed.
"Early twenties?" Carter speculated.
"Doesn't look much like an alien." Jack said.
"Neither does Teal'c, really," Sam said, gesturing to the big Jaffa who was looking down at the young man on the bed as well. Teal'c looked up, and Carter shrugged. "We hide his biggest differences fairly easily, after all."
"I'm pretty sure Janet would have noticed a pouch, Sam." Daniel said.
"I wonder what Dotty and James know about this," Carter said, ignoring Daniel's sarcasm. She was good at ignoring sarcasm. After all, she dealt with Jack all the time.
"About him traveling through time?" Jack asked.
"About the whole alien thing," Sam clarified.
"We don't know for sure he's an alien. It could have been a mix up in Thor's lab."
"I doubt that, Sir," Sam said, shaking her head. "The Asgard are probably pretty good at not making dumb little mistakes like that."
"They've made their fair share of dumb-"
"Enough." Hammond said. He was getting a headache just listening to all this. "Let's leave him to his rest, and go wait in the briefing room for Doctor Fraiser's report. I'm sure it won't take too long. We'll decide from there what we should do next."
The face was so familiar that Jack knew immediately he'd seen it before. Even with the eyes closed, and a pained wrinkle to the brow that was a sign that the young man was distressed even in his sleep. The hair was short, and maybe a little darker than Shawn's was, now, but when Jack reached out and lightly brushed it back from the forehead, he nodded. There was the scar he'd been looking for. A thin, almost unnoticeable pale line that ran from the up under the hairline and down toward the center of the forehead. Jack remembered when Shawn got that scar quite well, and knew it for what it was.
"Shawn?" Jack whispered softly. It was so unbelievable, but Jack had seen so many other things that were equally unbelievable. Sam had been right. Somehow this was his Shawn. An older version of the boy he'd seen only hours before. He ran a gentle hand down the man's cheek, feeling the square jaw that had just the beginning of a 5 o'clock shadow. Stubble! He smiled despite himself. It would be a few more years before his Shawn had to worry about shaving.
"Colonel?"
Jack turned and saw Fraiser had walked up beside him, even though the others were still at the door, watching.
"It's him," Jack said, shaking his head.
"You're that sure?" She raised an eyebrow. Jack was normally the most difficult to prove anything to. He was a cynic by nature, and when you added in the fact that he was also fairly inflexible when it came to changing his mind once it was made up, it was no surprise that Janet was a little surprised at his ready acceptance that this person was, indeed, who they thought it was.
"It's him," Jack said. "I'd know him anywhere. Anytime, too, I suppose." He shook his head again. "I need to talk to him, Doc."
"He's not going to wake up any time soon, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He needs rest before we start interrogating him."
"I'm not going to interrogate him," Jack said as Hammond and the rest of them walked over as well, wanting to hear what O'Neill was saying. "I need to know where he came from. When he came from."
"I can't force him to wake up, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He's exhausted. Let him rest while we try to sort out everything else."
Jack scowled, but it wasn't aimed at the doctor. It was his 'I'm thinking' scowl. He turned to Thor, who was standing beside Teal'c.
"You swear that you didn't do anything to Shawn? My Shawn, I mean?"
"We have done nothing that can explain this, O'Neill." The Asgard told him.
"Someone has to know."
"The tests could be wrong," Fraiser said.
"They are not." Thor replied.
"They could be."
"Why don't you take Doctor Fraiser and let her run her own tests, Thor?" Hammond said. "I'll want a full report as soon as possible, Doctor."
Fraiser barely had time to nod before there was a flash of light and Thor and Fraiser both vanished from the infirmary. Hammond turned to Jack.
"You're sure it's him?"
Jack nodded.
"I wonder how old he is," Daniel said from the other side of the bed.
"Early twenties?" Carter speculated.
"Doesn't look much like an alien." Jack said.
"Neither does Teal'c, really," Sam said, gesturing to the big Jaffa who was looking down at the young man on the bed as well. Teal'c looked up, and Carter shrugged. "We hide his biggest differences fairly easily, after all."
"I'm pretty sure Janet would have noticed a pouch, Sam." Daniel said.
"I wonder what Dotty and James know about this," Carter said, ignoring Daniel's sarcasm. She was good at ignoring sarcasm. After all, she dealt with Jack all the time.
"About him traveling through time?" Jack asked.
"About the whole alien thing," Sam clarified.
"We don't know for sure he's an alien. It could have been a mix up in Thor's lab."
"I doubt that, Sir," Sam said, shaking her head. "The Asgard are probably pretty good at not making dumb little mistakes like that."
"They've made their fair share of dumb-"
"Enough." Hammond said. He was getting a headache just listening to all this. "Let's leave him to his rest, and go wait in the briefing room for Doctor Fraiser's report. I'm sure it won't take too long. We'll decide from there what we should do next."