O'Neill and Jaffer went up to get some fresh air, but they didn't stay
outside long. Long enough for Jaffer to take care of some business and for
Jack to decide it wasn't much fun standing in the dark waiting for your dog
to poop. Of course, this was hardly the first time Jack had decided that.
He briefly debated taking Jaffer back to the kennels, so he could do a little running, but decided to keep him with him. For one thing, he was good company that never talked about things Jack didn't understand, nor did he ever try to make Jack have conversations when he just wanted to be quiet. For another, Jack wasn't sure what was going on, and Teal'c had obviously thought the dogs were a good idea or he wouldn't have brought them down in the first place. Teal'c had good sense when it came to this sort of thing – better than Jack, even, so Jack decided he'd keep the dog close.
They went back inside, and back down to the elevators.
The Marines guarding the door of the infirmary were stoic men, very much aware of their duty, and who had put them there, and as such, they were constantly watching everyone who passed them, warily making sure that everyone there belonged there. When they saw Jaffer coming to the door without O'Neill, it got their attention immediately. The big black lab went right up to them, and sat down in front of them, looking up at one, then the other. They looked down at him, confused, then looked around for Colonel O'Neill. Jaffer woofed, softly, and stood up and walked down the hall, and around the corner, both men watching him.
Jack's head came out from behind the corner only a second after the black tail vanished, and he gave the two men a questioning look and a gesture towards the door. Figuring it out, one of the Marines grinned and shook his head, no. Jack came walking around the corner and up to the door, looking for all the world like he hadn't just been kicked out of the area twenty minutes ago.
"SG-12 just came in and she's giving them all a quick check up, Colonel," the Marine on the right said.
"She's in the Gate Room." The Marine on the left told him.
"Thanks, guys. If she asks, you didn't see me."
"She outranks us, Sir."
"Yeah, okay... UNLESS she asks, you didn't see me."
Jack opened the door, gestured Jaffer in, and then walked in behind him and closed the door again. Fraiser would never know he was back. He went over to the chair Daniel had long since abandoned, and sat down, turning the chair a little and putting his feet carefully up on the edge of the bed somewhere near Shawn's knees. Jaffer came and settled beside Jack's chair, lying down with a contented sigh.
~*~
A hand touching his cheek woke him up much later. Jack jerked awake, unaware that he'd fallen asleep, and saw that the young man who'd been sleeping so peacefully was now sitting up on the edge of the bed, a sheet around his waist and nothing more. He was looking curiously at Jack, and Jaffer was on his feet, tail wagging a mile a minute as he waited for his share of attention.
Shawn drew his hand back, and smiled apologetically for startling him.
"You're different..." He said, softly.
"Have you looked in a mirror, lately?" Jack asked, sitting up completely, and studying his face. "You're a lot older than the little boy I checked on at school today."
"What?" There was obvious confusion, now, and a look that Sam would have recognized as being the same one Jack gave whenever he was confused.
"Apparently, you're from the future," Jack said, standing up and coming over to sit beside the boy – man on his bed. It was easier to talk to someone when you weren't looking up at them. Jaffer stuck his nose in Shawn's hand, unwilling to wait any longer to be petted. Even if Jack had believed nothing else, he would have known then that this was Shawn, because Jaffer obviously knew it was, and accepted it quite readily.
"Excuse me?"
"I know, I was pretty skeptical, too." Jack said. "First of all, how do you feel?"
"Tired and a bit stiff."
"You were pretty hurt when you came flying through the Gate this morning."
"I was..." He paused, trying to think around the haze of the events of the past day. "I was..." He looked at Jack, then down at Jaffer, then back at Jack. "I'm in the past?"
"Oh yeah."
"What year is it?"
"What year are you from?"
"How old are you?"
"How old are you?"
"I asked first."
"I outrank you."
"Damn. I'm 24."
"Here, you're 12."
"12? Really?"
"Oh, yeah."
"No wonder you looked so different." He looked down at Jaffer, stroking the big head fondly. "You do, too, little man."
"So, what are-"
The door opened, and Fraiser walked in, and instantly bristled to see her patient sitting up in bed, touching a dog that wasn't sanitary and talking to a Colonel that wasn't supposed to be there.
"He woke up on his own," Jack said immediately. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Doctor Fraiser?" Shawn's eyes widened in surprise, and he grinned, broadly. "God, you're beautiful!"
Fraiser was clearly taken back, but she smiled, because the man had an infectious grin, and she knew immediately whom he'd inherited that from. She'd seen it a million times, after all.
"You're forgiven."
Jack looked over at her, surprised. "That's it?"
"What?"
"No 'Get back in bed! What are you doing out of bed? Don't touch that dog, you don't know where he's been!'?"
"He's in bed, Colonel." Janet said, just a little defensively, aware that she had just been bowled over with the charming smile and compliment. She walked over to the bed and gave Shawn a quick physical. "How do you feel?"
"Fine."
"You told me you were stiff and sore."
"You can't keep me in bed," Shawn told Jack. "She can."
"He's your son, all right," Janet said, grinning despite herself.
He briefly debated taking Jaffer back to the kennels, so he could do a little running, but decided to keep him with him. For one thing, he was good company that never talked about things Jack didn't understand, nor did he ever try to make Jack have conversations when he just wanted to be quiet. For another, Jack wasn't sure what was going on, and Teal'c had obviously thought the dogs were a good idea or he wouldn't have brought them down in the first place. Teal'c had good sense when it came to this sort of thing – better than Jack, even, so Jack decided he'd keep the dog close.
They went back inside, and back down to the elevators.
The Marines guarding the door of the infirmary were stoic men, very much aware of their duty, and who had put them there, and as such, they were constantly watching everyone who passed them, warily making sure that everyone there belonged there. When they saw Jaffer coming to the door without O'Neill, it got their attention immediately. The big black lab went right up to them, and sat down in front of them, looking up at one, then the other. They looked down at him, confused, then looked around for Colonel O'Neill. Jaffer woofed, softly, and stood up and walked down the hall, and around the corner, both men watching him.
Jack's head came out from behind the corner only a second after the black tail vanished, and he gave the two men a questioning look and a gesture towards the door. Figuring it out, one of the Marines grinned and shook his head, no. Jack came walking around the corner and up to the door, looking for all the world like he hadn't just been kicked out of the area twenty minutes ago.
"SG-12 just came in and she's giving them all a quick check up, Colonel," the Marine on the right said.
"She's in the Gate Room." The Marine on the left told him.
"Thanks, guys. If she asks, you didn't see me."
"She outranks us, Sir."
"Yeah, okay... UNLESS she asks, you didn't see me."
Jack opened the door, gestured Jaffer in, and then walked in behind him and closed the door again. Fraiser would never know he was back. He went over to the chair Daniel had long since abandoned, and sat down, turning the chair a little and putting his feet carefully up on the edge of the bed somewhere near Shawn's knees. Jaffer came and settled beside Jack's chair, lying down with a contented sigh.
~*~
A hand touching his cheek woke him up much later. Jack jerked awake, unaware that he'd fallen asleep, and saw that the young man who'd been sleeping so peacefully was now sitting up on the edge of the bed, a sheet around his waist and nothing more. He was looking curiously at Jack, and Jaffer was on his feet, tail wagging a mile a minute as he waited for his share of attention.
Shawn drew his hand back, and smiled apologetically for startling him.
"You're different..." He said, softly.
"Have you looked in a mirror, lately?" Jack asked, sitting up completely, and studying his face. "You're a lot older than the little boy I checked on at school today."
"What?" There was obvious confusion, now, and a look that Sam would have recognized as being the same one Jack gave whenever he was confused.
"Apparently, you're from the future," Jack said, standing up and coming over to sit beside the boy – man on his bed. It was easier to talk to someone when you weren't looking up at them. Jaffer stuck his nose in Shawn's hand, unwilling to wait any longer to be petted. Even if Jack had believed nothing else, he would have known then that this was Shawn, because Jaffer obviously knew it was, and accepted it quite readily.
"Excuse me?"
"I know, I was pretty skeptical, too." Jack said. "First of all, how do you feel?"
"Tired and a bit stiff."
"You were pretty hurt when you came flying through the Gate this morning."
"I was..." He paused, trying to think around the haze of the events of the past day. "I was..." He looked at Jack, then down at Jaffer, then back at Jack. "I'm in the past?"
"Oh yeah."
"What year is it?"
"What year are you from?"
"How old are you?"
"How old are you?"
"I asked first."
"I outrank you."
"Damn. I'm 24."
"Here, you're 12."
"12? Really?"
"Oh, yeah."
"No wonder you looked so different." He looked down at Jaffer, stroking the big head fondly. "You do, too, little man."
"So, what are-"
The door opened, and Fraiser walked in, and instantly bristled to see her patient sitting up in bed, touching a dog that wasn't sanitary and talking to a Colonel that wasn't supposed to be there.
"He woke up on his own," Jack said immediately. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Doctor Fraiser?" Shawn's eyes widened in surprise, and he grinned, broadly. "God, you're beautiful!"
Fraiser was clearly taken back, but she smiled, because the man had an infectious grin, and she knew immediately whom he'd inherited that from. She'd seen it a million times, after all.
"You're forgiven."
Jack looked over at her, surprised. "That's it?"
"What?"
"No 'Get back in bed! What are you doing out of bed? Don't touch that dog, you don't know where he's been!'?"
"He's in bed, Colonel." Janet said, just a little defensively, aware that she had just been bowled over with the charming smile and compliment. She walked over to the bed and gave Shawn a quick physical. "How do you feel?"
"Fine."
"You told me you were stiff and sore."
"You can't keep me in bed," Shawn told Jack. "She can."
"He's your son, all right," Janet said, grinning despite herself.