"Excuse me?"
Jack's dumb look would have been comical, if not for the fact that everyone else was wearing the same expression.
"You're his father." She repeated, handing over the papers. Jack ignored them.
"Um... I don't know if you paid attention in Health class, Doc, but I did. I know where babies come from, and I know-"
"Colonel, you're his father. I checked it more than once."
"Is this some kind of joke?" Jack asked, scowling. "Did Thor put-"
"I didn't tell the Asgard. With something like this, I thought it'd be better to tell you, first."
Everyone in the room was staring at Jack. None of them seemed to know what to say. He scowled at them, en mass.
"I'm not his father, guys! I know where I was 12 years ago, and it wasn't with Dotty Adams!"
"Your positive of your results, Doctor?" Hammond asked, breaking in.
"Yes, Sir. The match is 99.7 percent. Which is as good as I can get on my equipment."
"There ya go!" Jack said. "It's that .3 percent error. It's gotta be, because as much as I like Shawn – and I do – I can't be his father. I only met him a couple years ago. And his mom."
"Maybe Dotty isn't Shawn's mother," Daniel said, still looking at Jack speculatively.
"What?"
"Well, think about it. If Shawn's half human and half... something else, and you're the human half, is Dotty James a 'something else'? Or is she just a foster parent?"
"Perhaps we should go find out," Teal'c said.
"Oh, that'd be an interesting conversation," Jack grumbled. "Hi, Dotty. Is Shawn home? No? Well... um... are you an alien? Or just a surrogate for one?"
"It poses an interesting question," Sam said, reaching for the papers that Jack had ignored and looking at them.
"How would we find out?" Hammond asked. "Colonel O'Neill is right; we can't just ask."
"This is ridiculous," Jack said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "You guys aren't listening to me. I. Am. Not. His. Father."
"According to this, you are," Sam said, holding up the papers.
"It's wrong." Jack couldn't believe he was even having this conversation.
"No-"
"There is another concern that should be dealt with," Teal'c said, breaking in on the argument before it could begin.
Everyone looked at him.
"What's that, Teal'c?"
"If Shawn Adams' parentage has been kept a secret for his entire life, what happens when those who having been keeping the secret find out it is common knowledge?"
"What?"
"He's right, Sir," Sam said, suddenly worried. "Someone has to know that Shawn's part alien. If they'd wanted us to know, they would have told us already, which means that they might not be happy when they find out we know. Which means-"
"They might do something to conceal the evidence." Teal said.
"Or destroy it completely." Jack agreed, standing up and looking at his watch. Shawn was still in school, although not for much longer. Jack wondered if he could get there before the final bell rang. Better yet, he'd call the school and tell them to hold Shawn in the office or something until he showed up to get him.
"Call the school, Colonel," Hammond said, pointing the open door to his office, which held the closest phone. "Tell them we'll be sending someone to pick up the boy, and to keep him there until they arrive."
Jack went into the office, pulled a phone number out of his wallet and dialed. The others watched from their spots at the table as he conversed with someone on the phone for a few moments, and then he hung up. He walked out of the room, looking worried and a little pale himself.
"Shawn's not at school. Apparently his mother came by and picked him up about an hour ago. She told the attendance office he wouldn't be in school tomorrow, either."
"They're sure it was his mother?" Sam asked, standing up as well.
"They wouldn't have let him go with someone unless they were sure. And Shawn never would have went with a stranger."
"We have to find him," Daniel said.
"I'm going to go to his house and see if they're there. Or if James is."
"I'll come with you," Sam told him.
Teal'c and Daniel stood as well, but Jack paused, looking at them, troubled.
"We have more than one Shawn, here, now. What are the odds that they know that?"
"No one knows it."
"Thor knows it. As do any other Asgard who might be around. If there was a communication between ships, there is a chance that if another alien entity was listening in, they too, could know."
"Teal'c, I need you to stay here," Jack said. "Shawn – the Shawn in the infirmary – might be in as much danger as the other Shawn, and you're the one who would be able to recognize any alien that might be coming after him." What Jack didn't say – and didn't have to say – was that Teal'c was also more than capable of dealing with anything that might pose a threat to the young man.
"I will stay, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, formally. "No harm will come to your son while I breathe."
That caused Jack to hesitate, but he didn't have time to think of such things just then. His son. It was too unbelievable to be true. He nodded.
"I'll stay, too, Jack,"
O'Neill nodded, and left, with Carter right behind him, concern making them move quickly and without the normal banter that they usually enjoyed.
Jack's dumb look would have been comical, if not for the fact that everyone else was wearing the same expression.
"You're his father." She repeated, handing over the papers. Jack ignored them.
"Um... I don't know if you paid attention in Health class, Doc, but I did. I know where babies come from, and I know-"
"Colonel, you're his father. I checked it more than once."
"Is this some kind of joke?" Jack asked, scowling. "Did Thor put-"
"I didn't tell the Asgard. With something like this, I thought it'd be better to tell you, first."
Everyone in the room was staring at Jack. None of them seemed to know what to say. He scowled at them, en mass.
"I'm not his father, guys! I know where I was 12 years ago, and it wasn't with Dotty Adams!"
"Your positive of your results, Doctor?" Hammond asked, breaking in.
"Yes, Sir. The match is 99.7 percent. Which is as good as I can get on my equipment."
"There ya go!" Jack said. "It's that .3 percent error. It's gotta be, because as much as I like Shawn – and I do – I can't be his father. I only met him a couple years ago. And his mom."
"Maybe Dotty isn't Shawn's mother," Daniel said, still looking at Jack speculatively.
"What?"
"Well, think about it. If Shawn's half human and half... something else, and you're the human half, is Dotty James a 'something else'? Or is she just a foster parent?"
"Perhaps we should go find out," Teal'c said.
"Oh, that'd be an interesting conversation," Jack grumbled. "Hi, Dotty. Is Shawn home? No? Well... um... are you an alien? Or just a surrogate for one?"
"It poses an interesting question," Sam said, reaching for the papers that Jack had ignored and looking at them.
"How would we find out?" Hammond asked. "Colonel O'Neill is right; we can't just ask."
"This is ridiculous," Jack said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "You guys aren't listening to me. I. Am. Not. His. Father."
"According to this, you are," Sam said, holding up the papers.
"It's wrong." Jack couldn't believe he was even having this conversation.
"No-"
"There is another concern that should be dealt with," Teal'c said, breaking in on the argument before it could begin.
Everyone looked at him.
"What's that, Teal'c?"
"If Shawn Adams' parentage has been kept a secret for his entire life, what happens when those who having been keeping the secret find out it is common knowledge?"
"What?"
"He's right, Sir," Sam said, suddenly worried. "Someone has to know that Shawn's part alien. If they'd wanted us to know, they would have told us already, which means that they might not be happy when they find out we know. Which means-"
"They might do something to conceal the evidence." Teal said.
"Or destroy it completely." Jack agreed, standing up and looking at his watch. Shawn was still in school, although not for much longer. Jack wondered if he could get there before the final bell rang. Better yet, he'd call the school and tell them to hold Shawn in the office or something until he showed up to get him.
"Call the school, Colonel," Hammond said, pointing the open door to his office, which held the closest phone. "Tell them we'll be sending someone to pick up the boy, and to keep him there until they arrive."
Jack went into the office, pulled a phone number out of his wallet and dialed. The others watched from their spots at the table as he conversed with someone on the phone for a few moments, and then he hung up. He walked out of the room, looking worried and a little pale himself.
"Shawn's not at school. Apparently his mother came by and picked him up about an hour ago. She told the attendance office he wouldn't be in school tomorrow, either."
"They're sure it was his mother?" Sam asked, standing up as well.
"They wouldn't have let him go with someone unless they were sure. And Shawn never would have went with a stranger."
"We have to find him," Daniel said.
"I'm going to go to his house and see if they're there. Or if James is."
"I'll come with you," Sam told him.
Teal'c and Daniel stood as well, but Jack paused, looking at them, troubled.
"We have more than one Shawn, here, now. What are the odds that they know that?"
"No one knows it."
"Thor knows it. As do any other Asgard who might be around. If there was a communication between ships, there is a chance that if another alien entity was listening in, they too, could know."
"Teal'c, I need you to stay here," Jack said. "Shawn – the Shawn in the infirmary – might be in as much danger as the other Shawn, and you're the one who would be able to recognize any alien that might be coming after him." What Jack didn't say – and didn't have to say – was that Teal'c was also more than capable of dealing with anything that might pose a threat to the young man.
"I will stay, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, formally. "No harm will come to your son while I breathe."
That caused Jack to hesitate, but he didn't have time to think of such things just then. His son. It was too unbelievable to be true. He nodded.
"I'll stay, too, Jack,"
O'Neill nodded, and left, with Carter right behind him, concern making them move quickly and without the normal banter that they usually enjoyed.