Something wet and slobbery was dragged along his face. Jack felt it,
vaguely, and tried to ignore it. He was tired, and wasn't ready to wake up.
The wet... towel?... was dragged along his face again, this time across his
mouth. That was annoying, but still Jack tried to ignore it. Again on his
mouth, and then he felt it sliding into one nostril. That wasn't just
annoying, it was a little painful. Who was washing out his nose so roughly?
"Stop..." He turned his head, eyes tightly closed. He was going to stay asleep, damn it! He was tired.
The towel followed, and Jack felt a familiar weight pressing against his chest, and realized even in his half-asleep state what was going on.
"Jaffer..." He opened his eyes, and turned his head. Sure enough, the black lab was sprawled on him, brown eyes looking down at him cheerfully, even as the long – wet – tongue snaked out and took another swipe at Jack's face, catching him right in the open mouth. Jack sputtered.
"Jaffer, stop..."
He brought his hand up, and tried to push the dog off his chest and saw the brilliant white bandages wrapped around the lab's jet-black chest, and stopped.
"What?"
"Colonel!"
Sam's voice made him turn his head, and Jaffer took advantage of the distraction and took another swipe at Jack with his tongue. This time catching him in the ear.
"Jaffer!"
Sam was walking through the door to his room – no, this wasn't his room... carrying a bowl of something. She smiled, and came over to the bed, setting the bowl down on the stand next to it.
"You're awake."
"Yeah." Jack scowled, and turned his head to look at Jaffer, who was still sprawled on him.
"What happened? Why's he bandaged like that?"
"He's got a few cracked ribs. And a broken leg."
"What?"
Jack rolled over, sat up and caught Jaffer up in his arms, realizing for the first time that he had an IV tube attached to himself. Jaffer wagged his tail and tried to lick O'Neill again, but Jack held him still as he ran a hand along the young lab's body, looking for injuries. Jaffer shifted, and the casted leg came down in the vicinity of Jack's crotch, which caused him to wince.
"He's okay," Sam assured him, quickly. "The vet said he'd make a full recovery, and the break was a clean one."
"What happened, Sam?"
"What do you remember?"
Jack rested his chin on Jaffer's big head, and tried to think back. Then he shook his head with another scowl.
"Nothing."
"There was an accident." Sam said, sitting on the edge of his bed and reaching her hand out and touching his cheek. "We were on our way to take your truck to the shop, and a car ran a light and slammed into you."
"Are you okay?" Jack asked quickly.
"I wasn't in the truck, Jack," Sam told him, gently. He still seemed to be a little out of it. "I was following in my car."
"And you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Jack."
"I don't remember getting hit by anything, Sam." Jack said, a tad irritated.
"It was a bad accident." As if that explained everything. "We were getting worried about you, though."
"Why?" He looked down at Jaffer again, who had settled in Jack's lap, although the look he gave O'Neill plainly said that he was going to lick him again the minute his attention was elsewhere.
"We just were." Sam said, shrugging. She didn't want to get into a list of his injuries, just then. She wanted to just look at him. He seemed to be fairly lucid, and there was more color in hi face, now. And a lot of slobber on his stubbled chin. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"A little tired, maybe."
"I should let you sleep. Janet will want to know you woke up. She's been worried."
Jack nodded, and it was a measure of just how tired he felt that he didn't argue with her. "Maybe a little more sleep..." He said, sinking back down onto the bed, and moving Jaffer carefully off his lap, keeping a close eye on the position of the dog's cast. The black lab took the new position calmly, and rested his head on his Colonel's belly.
Sam reached over and stroked Jaffer's head, wondering if she could trust the dog to let Jack sleep. Obviously she couldn't trust him to let him sleep while she went and got a bowl of water, after all. Jaffer's eyes closed under Sam's gentle touch, and she smiled. Her smile grew when Jack voiced a complaint.
"How come he's getting all the attention?"
"Want me to rub your belly?" God, she was so glad he was well enough to tease!
"No, I want you to call Teal'c in here and have him do it." Jack reached out and caught her hand, and Sam gripped it as tightly as she dared.
"Don't ever do that again, okay?" She said, leaning over and kissing him gently.
"Do what?"
"Worry me."
"Who me?" Jack brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "I can't imagine why you'd worry about me, Sam."
"Me either." She smiled, and then sat next to him silently, watching as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.
"Stop..." He turned his head, eyes tightly closed. He was going to stay asleep, damn it! He was tired.
The towel followed, and Jack felt a familiar weight pressing against his chest, and realized even in his half-asleep state what was going on.
"Jaffer..." He opened his eyes, and turned his head. Sure enough, the black lab was sprawled on him, brown eyes looking down at him cheerfully, even as the long – wet – tongue snaked out and took another swipe at Jack's face, catching him right in the open mouth. Jack sputtered.
"Jaffer, stop..."
He brought his hand up, and tried to push the dog off his chest and saw the brilliant white bandages wrapped around the lab's jet-black chest, and stopped.
"What?"
"Colonel!"
Sam's voice made him turn his head, and Jaffer took advantage of the distraction and took another swipe at Jack with his tongue. This time catching him in the ear.
"Jaffer!"
Sam was walking through the door to his room – no, this wasn't his room... carrying a bowl of something. She smiled, and came over to the bed, setting the bowl down on the stand next to it.
"You're awake."
"Yeah." Jack scowled, and turned his head to look at Jaffer, who was still sprawled on him.
"What happened? Why's he bandaged like that?"
"He's got a few cracked ribs. And a broken leg."
"What?"
Jack rolled over, sat up and caught Jaffer up in his arms, realizing for the first time that he had an IV tube attached to himself. Jaffer wagged his tail and tried to lick O'Neill again, but Jack held him still as he ran a hand along the young lab's body, looking for injuries. Jaffer shifted, and the casted leg came down in the vicinity of Jack's crotch, which caused him to wince.
"He's okay," Sam assured him, quickly. "The vet said he'd make a full recovery, and the break was a clean one."
"What happened, Sam?"
"What do you remember?"
Jack rested his chin on Jaffer's big head, and tried to think back. Then he shook his head with another scowl.
"Nothing."
"There was an accident." Sam said, sitting on the edge of his bed and reaching her hand out and touching his cheek. "We were on our way to take your truck to the shop, and a car ran a light and slammed into you."
"Are you okay?" Jack asked quickly.
"I wasn't in the truck, Jack," Sam told him, gently. He still seemed to be a little out of it. "I was following in my car."
"And you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Jack."
"I don't remember getting hit by anything, Sam." Jack said, a tad irritated.
"It was a bad accident." As if that explained everything. "We were getting worried about you, though."
"Why?" He looked down at Jaffer again, who had settled in Jack's lap, although the look he gave O'Neill plainly said that he was going to lick him again the minute his attention was elsewhere.
"We just were." Sam said, shrugging. She didn't want to get into a list of his injuries, just then. She wanted to just look at him. He seemed to be fairly lucid, and there was more color in hi face, now. And a lot of slobber on his stubbled chin. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"A little tired, maybe."
"I should let you sleep. Janet will want to know you woke up. She's been worried."
Jack nodded, and it was a measure of just how tired he felt that he didn't argue with her. "Maybe a little more sleep..." He said, sinking back down onto the bed, and moving Jaffer carefully off his lap, keeping a close eye on the position of the dog's cast. The black lab took the new position calmly, and rested his head on his Colonel's belly.
Sam reached over and stroked Jaffer's head, wondering if she could trust the dog to let Jack sleep. Obviously she couldn't trust him to let him sleep while she went and got a bowl of water, after all. Jaffer's eyes closed under Sam's gentle touch, and she smiled. Her smile grew when Jack voiced a complaint.
"How come he's getting all the attention?"
"Want me to rub your belly?" God, she was so glad he was well enough to tease!
"No, I want you to call Teal'c in here and have him do it." Jack reached out and caught her hand, and Sam gripped it as tightly as she dared.
"Don't ever do that again, okay?" She said, leaning over and kissing him gently.
"Do what?"
"Worry me."
"Who me?" Jack brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "I can't imagine why you'd worry about me, Sam."
"Me either." She smiled, and then sat next to him silently, watching as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.