Monica Ray sent them home just a few minutes after Jaffer came out of
surgery. The vet was exhausted, and she didn't want anyone hovering around
her waiting room for no reason. And there wasn't any reason for Samantha
Carter and Daniel Jackson to be there.
"He's not out of the woods, but I've managed to put everything back together that was torn apart, and we'll just have to wait and see if he can recover." There was a good chance of it, of course. Jaffer was young and, thanks to Jack's over protectiveness, he was in better shape than pretty much any dog in the world. If a dog could recover from those kinds of nasty injuries, it would be a young healthy one like Jaffer.
Sam left her cell phone number, and Daniel's, and the number to her office, and the number to Jack's office – although she doubted she'd be there, but you never knew – and then gave the Vet her home phone number, just in case. Monica took them all, understanding completely what she was going through – Sam Carter wasn't the first worried dog owner the veterinarian had seen, after all – and then walked Carter and Daniel out to Fraiser's car.
"I'll call you the moment anything happens," She promised them both. They'd have a constant watch on the young lab the rest of the day and that evening. By the next morning he should be responding – or they'd know he wasn't going to and could call in Jack to discuss what the next step would be. Assuming Jack O'Neill was in any condition to discuss anything.
Sam nodded, and Daniel thanked Dr. Ray, and pulled the wagon out of the parking lot, and into traffic.
"I'm hungry, Sam," He said to her. He knew she was anxious to get to the base and check and see how Jack was doing – they hadn't heard anything from Janet all day – but it was well into the afternoon, and Daniel hadn't eaten, and he knew Carter hadn't either.
"Stop somewhere." She wasn't going to eat, but it wasn't fair to keep Daniel from eating. Sam's stomach was one big tangled knot, and she was certain she couldn't hold anything down, and didn't dare try. She looked over at her friend, and reached out and put her hand on his knee.
"Thank you, Daniel."
He looked over at her, surprised, then looked back at the road so he didn't crash them into something.
"For what, Sam?"
"For staying with me."
Daniel smiled. A small, almost sad smile, and he put his hand over hers on his knee, not for the first time thinking that Jack was a very lucky guy.
"You're welcome."
~*~
Janet Fraiser leaned over her patient, one hand opening his eyelids, while the other held a penlight, which she shined into his eyes to check his pupils. They weren't responding as well as she might have wished, but there was far more reaction than there had been before, and it was a hopeful sign.
"How is he, Doctor?"
She turned and saw Hammond standing at the doorway, and shrugged.
"I've stitched him back together, Sir, but he's lost a lot of blood, and the head wound is a pretty nasty one. Any lower and he would probably have been killed instantly. His shoulder was dislocated, but it went back into the socket with very little trouble, and he's got horrific bruising on his entire left side." Where the Buick had slammed into his truck. "The worst is the leg injury, though, and I might need to put him under the knife again, and re-stitch it if the sutures don't hold, or if it swells too much and pulls them out."
"Will he recover?"
She nodded.
"Yes, Sir. But he's going to have a nasty headache, and he can't move for a while. I don't want to risk that leg coming open."
Hammond nodded, and looked like he wanted to keep asking questions, but he didn't. For one thing, he knew Jack was going to be all right, and that was really good enough news for him. For another, Janet Fraiser looked exhausted, and Hammond didn't want to bother her any more than necessary.
"Go take a break, Doctor, if you can." He ordered. "Good job."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm going to call Sam and tell her he's out of surgery, then I'll go get something to eat."
She pulled her cell phone out of her white lab coat, and walked out into the hallway. Teal'c was standing there, along with Cassie. The big Jaffa had volunteered to go get Fraiser's daughter from school, so she wouldn't be stuck in the house alone. Originally Janet had planned to have the afternoon off to work with Cassie on a school project, but that wasn't going to happen, now.
She dialed Sam's number, and was surprised to hear the phone ringing. Not the other end of the line ringing, but the actual ring of Carter's phone. She looked up and saw Sam and Daniel both walk around the corner, Daniel holding bags of take out food, and Sam reaching for her ringing cell.
"Don't bother," Janet said, hanging up. "That was me."
"How is he?"
"I just got out of surgery. He's asleep, and I don't know for how long. He's lost a lot of blood and he's really pale, and I don't want you to stay in there too long, understand?"
"I just want to see him..."
"I know, Sam." She gestured to the door of the infirmary. "I'm going to have him transferred to a room, with a more comfortable bed, and a bit more privacy, because he's going to be here for a while."
"How's Jaffer?" Cassandra asked.
"He just got out of surgery, too. Broken leg, a lot of cuts and bruises, and a few cracked ribs. The vet said she'd call if there was any change."
"Will he be all right?" Janet asked. If something happened and Jaffer didn't recover, it was going to affect Jack's own recovery, certainly. Everyone knew how he felt about his half-grown puppy.
"I think so. She made it sound like he had a good chance of being okay, since he's young and healthy." Sam turned her head to the door of the infirmary. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to see Jack. Fraiser understood, and stopped her questioning.
"Only a few minutes, Sam. He needs to be left alone."
"Then you can come eat with us," Daniel said, holding up the bag of food. "By the time dinner's done, he might be better able to chat."
Sam nodded her agreement to both of them, and went silently through the door of the infirmary.
"He's not out of the woods, but I've managed to put everything back together that was torn apart, and we'll just have to wait and see if he can recover." There was a good chance of it, of course. Jaffer was young and, thanks to Jack's over protectiveness, he was in better shape than pretty much any dog in the world. If a dog could recover from those kinds of nasty injuries, it would be a young healthy one like Jaffer.
Sam left her cell phone number, and Daniel's, and the number to her office, and the number to Jack's office – although she doubted she'd be there, but you never knew – and then gave the Vet her home phone number, just in case. Monica took them all, understanding completely what she was going through – Sam Carter wasn't the first worried dog owner the veterinarian had seen, after all – and then walked Carter and Daniel out to Fraiser's car.
"I'll call you the moment anything happens," She promised them both. They'd have a constant watch on the young lab the rest of the day and that evening. By the next morning he should be responding – or they'd know he wasn't going to and could call in Jack to discuss what the next step would be. Assuming Jack O'Neill was in any condition to discuss anything.
Sam nodded, and Daniel thanked Dr. Ray, and pulled the wagon out of the parking lot, and into traffic.
"I'm hungry, Sam," He said to her. He knew she was anxious to get to the base and check and see how Jack was doing – they hadn't heard anything from Janet all day – but it was well into the afternoon, and Daniel hadn't eaten, and he knew Carter hadn't either.
"Stop somewhere." She wasn't going to eat, but it wasn't fair to keep Daniel from eating. Sam's stomach was one big tangled knot, and she was certain she couldn't hold anything down, and didn't dare try. She looked over at her friend, and reached out and put her hand on his knee.
"Thank you, Daniel."
He looked over at her, surprised, then looked back at the road so he didn't crash them into something.
"For what, Sam?"
"For staying with me."
Daniel smiled. A small, almost sad smile, and he put his hand over hers on his knee, not for the first time thinking that Jack was a very lucky guy.
"You're welcome."
~*~
Janet Fraiser leaned over her patient, one hand opening his eyelids, while the other held a penlight, which she shined into his eyes to check his pupils. They weren't responding as well as she might have wished, but there was far more reaction than there had been before, and it was a hopeful sign.
"How is he, Doctor?"
She turned and saw Hammond standing at the doorway, and shrugged.
"I've stitched him back together, Sir, but he's lost a lot of blood, and the head wound is a pretty nasty one. Any lower and he would probably have been killed instantly. His shoulder was dislocated, but it went back into the socket with very little trouble, and he's got horrific bruising on his entire left side." Where the Buick had slammed into his truck. "The worst is the leg injury, though, and I might need to put him under the knife again, and re-stitch it if the sutures don't hold, or if it swells too much and pulls them out."
"Will he recover?"
She nodded.
"Yes, Sir. But he's going to have a nasty headache, and he can't move for a while. I don't want to risk that leg coming open."
Hammond nodded, and looked like he wanted to keep asking questions, but he didn't. For one thing, he knew Jack was going to be all right, and that was really good enough news for him. For another, Janet Fraiser looked exhausted, and Hammond didn't want to bother her any more than necessary.
"Go take a break, Doctor, if you can." He ordered. "Good job."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm going to call Sam and tell her he's out of surgery, then I'll go get something to eat."
She pulled her cell phone out of her white lab coat, and walked out into the hallway. Teal'c was standing there, along with Cassie. The big Jaffa had volunteered to go get Fraiser's daughter from school, so she wouldn't be stuck in the house alone. Originally Janet had planned to have the afternoon off to work with Cassie on a school project, but that wasn't going to happen, now.
She dialed Sam's number, and was surprised to hear the phone ringing. Not the other end of the line ringing, but the actual ring of Carter's phone. She looked up and saw Sam and Daniel both walk around the corner, Daniel holding bags of take out food, and Sam reaching for her ringing cell.
"Don't bother," Janet said, hanging up. "That was me."
"How is he?"
"I just got out of surgery. He's asleep, and I don't know for how long. He's lost a lot of blood and he's really pale, and I don't want you to stay in there too long, understand?"
"I just want to see him..."
"I know, Sam." She gestured to the door of the infirmary. "I'm going to have him transferred to a room, with a more comfortable bed, and a bit more privacy, because he's going to be here for a while."
"How's Jaffer?" Cassandra asked.
"He just got out of surgery, too. Broken leg, a lot of cuts and bruises, and a few cracked ribs. The vet said she'd call if there was any change."
"Will he be all right?" Janet asked. If something happened and Jaffer didn't recover, it was going to affect Jack's own recovery, certainly. Everyone knew how he felt about his half-grown puppy.
"I think so. She made it sound like he had a good chance of being okay, since he's young and healthy." Sam turned her head to the door of the infirmary. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to see Jack. Fraiser understood, and stopped her questioning.
"Only a few minutes, Sam. He needs to be left alone."
"Then you can come eat with us," Daniel said, holding up the bag of food. "By the time dinner's done, he might be better able to chat."
Sam nodded her agreement to both of them, and went silently through the door of the infirmary.