O'Neill didn't wake up that night. Fraiser's staff checked on him
frequently, and the doctor herself called every few hours to see what kind
of progress had been made – although she'd never let Sam know – but nothing
changed over night, which troubled Janet a little. Of course, Jack had been
badly hurt, and was still reeling from blood loss and shock, but he should
have at least opened his eyes, Fraiser knew, even if it was only for a few
minutes.
Of course, it was possible that he'd woken and went right back to sleep before anyone had noticed, but that was unlikely. Jack O'Neill was a fairly bad patient, and he would have made sure her staff knew that he was awake and wanted to be released. He would have asked someone for Sam, Fraiser knew, and that hadn't happened. Which caused her to leave her house quite a bit earlier than she normally did the next morning so she could get in and check on him.
Jaffer woke around midnight that evening, and for the first time in his life, the young lab was alone and caged. Both of which were bad, as far as he was concerned. Add to that the fact that he was feeling a bit of pain – nothing serious, but more than he was used to – and he wasn't happy. And Jaffer had never been one to hide his feelings. He started howling at 12:02, and didn't stop all night. Even when the veterinarian staff tried to calm him with petting, and food, and by covering the cage completely with the blanket, he still howled. He didn't want food, he didn't want petted, and he didn't want to be in the dark all alone. He wanted his Jack, and he wanted him now.
When Monica Ray walked into her animal clinic the next morning, the first thing she heard was the howls, and she knew immediately who they were coming from. She went into the recovery room, and took the blanket off the cage that held the black lab, and saw that he was sitting up, his eyes alert and clear, obviously feeling better physically, but very much unhappy to be where he was, and making sure that someone knew it.
"How long has this been going on?" She asked the vet-tech.
"All night. Since about midnight." He looked like he'd spent the night listening to the mournful howling, too. His eyes were bleary, and he looked a little jittery. "He won't stop. I've tried everything short of sedating him."
"We don't want to sedate him," She said, quickly.
"I know." The man sighed. "He won't eat anything, he won't drink anything, and he won't stop howling."
Monica sat on the floor next to the opening of Jaffer's cage, and the black lab stopped his howling to watch her and see what she was up to. She opened his cage and he tried to bolt for the door, but she was expecting it, and she blocked the way expertly.
"No, Jaffer." She put her hand on his chest, right below his neck where none of the injured ribs were, so she wouldn't hurt him by touching him there. "You can't get out, yet, little man," She told him. "Let me check you okay?"
He ignored her and tried to shoulder past her, but she was good at her job, and knew how to keep a restless dog from getting his way. Even one as used to getting his way as Jaffer was. Holding him with one hand, she used the other to check his heart, his lungs and abdomen. Everything sounded good, and she decided that he was going to be fine.
He obviously didn't feel that way, because the minute the vet closed the door of the cage, and Jaffer realized he was still on the wrong side of the door, he set to howling again, and this time it was even louder than it had been the night before. Much to the chagrin of the veterinarian staff, who were going to have to listen to it.
"Maybe we can let him out for a while?" One asked.
"Not a chance." Ray knew just how hard it was to control Jaffer, and since she didn't have Colonel O'Neill here to do it for her, she wasn't going to risk it. The howls would stop, eventually, when Jaffer realized they weren't going to help. "I need to make a couple calls."
Sam had spent the night sleeping on her sofa. She hadn't planned on sleeping there, but after getting out of the tub – and the bath had felt good, she had to admit – she dressed in a pair of warm lounge pants and a sweatshirt and had went out to her living room to be with Daniel and Teal'c. She didn't feel sleepy, which meant she wasn't ready to go to bed and lay there staring at the ceiling. Instead, she'd went to the living room where Daniel and Teal'c were sitting on the couch waiting for her.
She'd plopped down between the two of them and they'd spent the evening talking about nothing, and then watching TV. Daniel had dozed off – his day had been as long and troubling as Sam's had, after all – and Carter had about decided that she should get to bed, when she'd dozed off as well. With her head resting lightly on Teal'c's muscular leg, the Jaffa was pretty much stuck where he was as well, since he'd rather have chopped his leg off than disturb her sleep after such a hard day. So he watched old movies on TV while the other two slept.
The phone ringing woke her up, and Sam opened her eyes with a start, wondering where she was. She recognized her living room immediately – once she opened her eyes and actually looked around – and grimaced when she realized that the three of them had slept on the couch together. Some hostess she was, making her guests put up with such uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. She would have apologized, but the phone was still ringing insistently, and Sam grabbed it, hoping it wouldn't wake up Daniel, who was curled in a ball at the other end of the couch.
"Hello?"
She immediately heard howling in the background.
"Major Carter?"
"Doctor Ray?"
The howling continued in the background.
"Yes. I'm sorry to call you so early..."
"It's fine. How's Jaffer doing?"
She could barely hear anything over the howling.
"He's awake. In case you can't hear him." Even the howling couldn't drown out the exasperation in her voice.
"That's him making all that noise?" That had to be a good sign. "Is he okay?"
"He won't eat anything for us, and he's not too happy about being in the cage. I was hoping I could prevail upon you to come and see if you can get him to calm down. We could sedate him, but there's no sense in doing that just because he's making noise. Not if we don't have to."
"Can we bring him home?"
There was a hesitation there, and Sam smiled when she heard the howling grow even louder in the background.
"We'll see. He's stable and seems fairly alert, but if we can't get him to eat, or take fluids, then I'm not sure I'll release him."
"I'll be right there." As soon as she called Janet to check on Jack. She looked at Daniel, who was awake, now, and listening in on the conversation as well as he could. "We'll be right there." She corrected. She had no idea where her car was, after all, so Daniel would have to drive her.
Of course, it was possible that he'd woken and went right back to sleep before anyone had noticed, but that was unlikely. Jack O'Neill was a fairly bad patient, and he would have made sure her staff knew that he was awake and wanted to be released. He would have asked someone for Sam, Fraiser knew, and that hadn't happened. Which caused her to leave her house quite a bit earlier than she normally did the next morning so she could get in and check on him.
Jaffer woke around midnight that evening, and for the first time in his life, the young lab was alone and caged. Both of which were bad, as far as he was concerned. Add to that the fact that he was feeling a bit of pain – nothing serious, but more than he was used to – and he wasn't happy. And Jaffer had never been one to hide his feelings. He started howling at 12:02, and didn't stop all night. Even when the veterinarian staff tried to calm him with petting, and food, and by covering the cage completely with the blanket, he still howled. He didn't want food, he didn't want petted, and he didn't want to be in the dark all alone. He wanted his Jack, and he wanted him now.
When Monica Ray walked into her animal clinic the next morning, the first thing she heard was the howls, and she knew immediately who they were coming from. She went into the recovery room, and took the blanket off the cage that held the black lab, and saw that he was sitting up, his eyes alert and clear, obviously feeling better physically, but very much unhappy to be where he was, and making sure that someone knew it.
"How long has this been going on?" She asked the vet-tech.
"All night. Since about midnight." He looked like he'd spent the night listening to the mournful howling, too. His eyes were bleary, and he looked a little jittery. "He won't stop. I've tried everything short of sedating him."
"We don't want to sedate him," She said, quickly.
"I know." The man sighed. "He won't eat anything, he won't drink anything, and he won't stop howling."
Monica sat on the floor next to the opening of Jaffer's cage, and the black lab stopped his howling to watch her and see what she was up to. She opened his cage and he tried to bolt for the door, but she was expecting it, and she blocked the way expertly.
"No, Jaffer." She put her hand on his chest, right below his neck where none of the injured ribs were, so she wouldn't hurt him by touching him there. "You can't get out, yet, little man," She told him. "Let me check you okay?"
He ignored her and tried to shoulder past her, but she was good at her job, and knew how to keep a restless dog from getting his way. Even one as used to getting his way as Jaffer was. Holding him with one hand, she used the other to check his heart, his lungs and abdomen. Everything sounded good, and she decided that he was going to be fine.
He obviously didn't feel that way, because the minute the vet closed the door of the cage, and Jaffer realized he was still on the wrong side of the door, he set to howling again, and this time it was even louder than it had been the night before. Much to the chagrin of the veterinarian staff, who were going to have to listen to it.
"Maybe we can let him out for a while?" One asked.
"Not a chance." Ray knew just how hard it was to control Jaffer, and since she didn't have Colonel O'Neill here to do it for her, she wasn't going to risk it. The howls would stop, eventually, when Jaffer realized they weren't going to help. "I need to make a couple calls."
Sam had spent the night sleeping on her sofa. She hadn't planned on sleeping there, but after getting out of the tub – and the bath had felt good, she had to admit – she dressed in a pair of warm lounge pants and a sweatshirt and had went out to her living room to be with Daniel and Teal'c. She didn't feel sleepy, which meant she wasn't ready to go to bed and lay there staring at the ceiling. Instead, she'd went to the living room where Daniel and Teal'c were sitting on the couch waiting for her.
She'd plopped down between the two of them and they'd spent the evening talking about nothing, and then watching TV. Daniel had dozed off – his day had been as long and troubling as Sam's had, after all – and Carter had about decided that she should get to bed, when she'd dozed off as well. With her head resting lightly on Teal'c's muscular leg, the Jaffa was pretty much stuck where he was as well, since he'd rather have chopped his leg off than disturb her sleep after such a hard day. So he watched old movies on TV while the other two slept.
The phone ringing woke her up, and Sam opened her eyes with a start, wondering where she was. She recognized her living room immediately – once she opened her eyes and actually looked around – and grimaced when she realized that the three of them had slept on the couch together. Some hostess she was, making her guests put up with such uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. She would have apologized, but the phone was still ringing insistently, and Sam grabbed it, hoping it wouldn't wake up Daniel, who was curled in a ball at the other end of the couch.
"Hello?"
She immediately heard howling in the background.
"Major Carter?"
"Doctor Ray?"
The howling continued in the background.
"Yes. I'm sorry to call you so early..."
"It's fine. How's Jaffer doing?"
She could barely hear anything over the howling.
"He's awake. In case you can't hear him." Even the howling couldn't drown out the exasperation in her voice.
"That's him making all that noise?" That had to be a good sign. "Is he okay?"
"He won't eat anything for us, and he's not too happy about being in the cage. I was hoping I could prevail upon you to come and see if you can get him to calm down. We could sedate him, but there's no sense in doing that just because he's making noise. Not if we don't have to."
"Can we bring him home?"
There was a hesitation there, and Sam smiled when she heard the howling grow even louder in the background.
"We'll see. He's stable and seems fairly alert, but if we can't get him to eat, or take fluids, then I'm not sure I'll release him."
"I'll be right there." As soon as she called Janet to check on Jack. She looked at Daniel, who was awake, now, and listening in on the conversation as well as he could. "We'll be right there." She corrected. She had no idea where her car was, after all, so Daniel would have to drive her.