They met in the briefing room an hour later. By then Jack had had a chance
to wake up a bit more, and take Jaffer – who had been put into bed with
O'Neill the night before by Sam – back up to the kennels where the puppy
could play with his brother all day and keep out of trouble. He'd also had
a chance to eat some breakfast, and have his ribs checked by Fraiser, who
wrapped them tightly in preparation for the busy day O'Neill had ahead of
him. (Jack needed to have his wits about him, so there was no way he was
going to take any more of the potent painkillers anytime soon, and Janet
knew that)
Hammond waited until everyone was seated, and was glad to see that Jack looked far more capable of carrying on a conversation today.
"So? We've all seen the journal, and heard what Teal'c could tell us about what Andrew's told him. What do we do about it?"
"We should talk to him, Sir," Jack said. He'd actually had a chance to think this through, now, and had a few suggestions. "Find out a little more about what I told him... See what we can salvage. If he makes it sound like I was making it up, then I'll tell him it's a sci-fi book I'm working on – a private project I don't want anyone else to know about because I don't want them to make fun of me."
"Think he'd buy that after the reaction Teal'c gave?" Daniel asked.
"He might, if we told him Teal'c knew about it, and I'd sworn him to secrecy."
"Which would explain why you said it was secret stuff," Sam said to Teal'c, who nodded.
"And if it doesn't come off sounding like you were making it up...?" Hammond asked.
"Then we're screwed." Jack said, shrugging. "Andrew's a smart kid. And he's pretty good at picking up on things going on around him. If Teal'c and I can't convince him it was a dream of mine, then I'm not sure what to do."
The book idea was a good one, Hammond thought. Much better than anything that Jack had come up with the night before. Of course, there was always the chance it wouldn't work, but they'd have to hope for the best.
"Well, then, you need to give a good performance, Colonel."
"Yes, Sir."
"If it doesn't work – or you think he's still suspicious – or, for that matter, he doesn't even give you the chance to tell him that none of what you told him is more than a fantasy of yours, then I want you to call in and let me know, and hopefully we'll have come up with something better by then."
"Yes, Sir."
"I'll stick around here until it's time to get Shawn, Colonel," Sam said. "If we come up with something better between then and now, I'll let you know when you get home."
Jack nodded, and looked at Teal'c.
"You want to call Miyra and see if we can have Andrew?"
"I will, O'Neill."
Hammond looked around, waiting to see if any of them had anything to add, but there was nothing.
"Very well. We'll see what happens, and hope for the best."
...
They had other things they had to do, although this was obviously the most pressing concern – but it was also something they couldn't do anything about just then, so Hammond dismissed them to their regular duties – which for Jack was nothing but paperwork because of his ribs. So Daniel went off to is office, Jack went to his – to pretend to do paperwork, Sam went to her lab, and Hammond went to his office, leaving Teal'c to go find a phone and call Miyra Stephens.
....
Teal'c and Jack were waiting for Andrew at his school when the final bell rang. Miyra and David Stephens had agreed willingly to Teal'c's request that he take their son for the weekend – made even easier since Teal'c told them that Jack was going to have Shawn, so the boy's parents assumed it was simply going to be a slumber party type thing, and had agreed immediately. Miyra had called the school to warn them that a couple friends of the family were going to be picking Andrew up – Air Force officers, whom she described for the school secretary. Then she'd packed a bag for Andrew, smiling because the boy was going to be so surprised to find Jack and Murray waiting for him!
Jack had checked in at the office when he and Teal'c arrived, and had shown the woman at the attendance office his ID so she'd know he wasn't some freak who got his kicks kidnapping kids, and the woman had given him directions to Andrew's class, where the two stood at a distance waiting for the final bell but still trying to stay out of the way of the few people that were roaming the halls.
The hall filled amazingly fast the moment the bell rang. Of course, most of these young people didn't come up to Teal'c's waist, so they had no trouble spotting Andrew when he left his classroom, and Andrew spotted Teal'c and Jack just as easily.
"Teal'c! Jack!"
He went against the current of the majority of kids and hurried over to greet them, the smile on his face infectious. Jack smiled.
"Hey, Andrew."
"Hi, Jack. How are your ribs? Teal'c said you hurt them again?"
"Yeah. They're pretty sore. But I'm a tough guy, you know."
"Yeah." He looked up at Teal'c; ready to ask what they were doing there, and then he figured it out on his own. He wasn't dumb, after all. "You're here to talk to me about the journal?"
Jack looked uncomfortable, but he nodded and forced a smile.
"Actually, we're here for that, but we're also here to take you to my house for the weekend."
"Really?" Andrew grinned.
"Yup. Shawn'll be there."
"Awesome!"
"I thought you'd like that."
"Did you bring Jack and Jaffer?" The boy asked as they walked towards Jack's truck.
"No, we'll have to stop at the base and pick them up. Sam was going to take them when she went to get Shawn, but she forgot them." He couldn't imagine how anyone could have forgotten his precious baby, but if there was one person he'd forgive, it was Sam. Of course, she'd also forgotten the journal, so he was going to stop and grab that while they were on the base, too, but Andrew didn't need to know that.
Andrew nodded, smiling, as he waved goodbye to the attendance woman – who'd come to watch Jack and Teal'c meet Andrew (just to make sure he really knew them, since they were a sort of suspicious looking pair, even with their ID s).
"We have to go home so I can get some clothes."
"Nah, your mom packed you some."
"Really?"
"Yup."
He unlocked his truck, and Andrew hopped into the jump seat, while Teal'c got into the passenger seat, and they pulled out of the parking lot, Jack mulling over in his mind the story that he was preparing.
Hammond waited until everyone was seated, and was glad to see that Jack looked far more capable of carrying on a conversation today.
"So? We've all seen the journal, and heard what Teal'c could tell us about what Andrew's told him. What do we do about it?"
"We should talk to him, Sir," Jack said. He'd actually had a chance to think this through, now, and had a few suggestions. "Find out a little more about what I told him... See what we can salvage. If he makes it sound like I was making it up, then I'll tell him it's a sci-fi book I'm working on – a private project I don't want anyone else to know about because I don't want them to make fun of me."
"Think he'd buy that after the reaction Teal'c gave?" Daniel asked.
"He might, if we told him Teal'c knew about it, and I'd sworn him to secrecy."
"Which would explain why you said it was secret stuff," Sam said to Teal'c, who nodded.
"And if it doesn't come off sounding like you were making it up...?" Hammond asked.
"Then we're screwed." Jack said, shrugging. "Andrew's a smart kid. And he's pretty good at picking up on things going on around him. If Teal'c and I can't convince him it was a dream of mine, then I'm not sure what to do."
The book idea was a good one, Hammond thought. Much better than anything that Jack had come up with the night before. Of course, there was always the chance it wouldn't work, but they'd have to hope for the best.
"Well, then, you need to give a good performance, Colonel."
"Yes, Sir."
"If it doesn't work – or you think he's still suspicious – or, for that matter, he doesn't even give you the chance to tell him that none of what you told him is more than a fantasy of yours, then I want you to call in and let me know, and hopefully we'll have come up with something better by then."
"Yes, Sir."
"I'll stick around here until it's time to get Shawn, Colonel," Sam said. "If we come up with something better between then and now, I'll let you know when you get home."
Jack nodded, and looked at Teal'c.
"You want to call Miyra and see if we can have Andrew?"
"I will, O'Neill."
Hammond looked around, waiting to see if any of them had anything to add, but there was nothing.
"Very well. We'll see what happens, and hope for the best."
...
They had other things they had to do, although this was obviously the most pressing concern – but it was also something they couldn't do anything about just then, so Hammond dismissed them to their regular duties – which for Jack was nothing but paperwork because of his ribs. So Daniel went off to is office, Jack went to his – to pretend to do paperwork, Sam went to her lab, and Hammond went to his office, leaving Teal'c to go find a phone and call Miyra Stephens.
....
Teal'c and Jack were waiting for Andrew at his school when the final bell rang. Miyra and David Stephens had agreed willingly to Teal'c's request that he take their son for the weekend – made even easier since Teal'c told them that Jack was going to have Shawn, so the boy's parents assumed it was simply going to be a slumber party type thing, and had agreed immediately. Miyra had called the school to warn them that a couple friends of the family were going to be picking Andrew up – Air Force officers, whom she described for the school secretary. Then she'd packed a bag for Andrew, smiling because the boy was going to be so surprised to find Jack and Murray waiting for him!
Jack had checked in at the office when he and Teal'c arrived, and had shown the woman at the attendance office his ID so she'd know he wasn't some freak who got his kicks kidnapping kids, and the woman had given him directions to Andrew's class, where the two stood at a distance waiting for the final bell but still trying to stay out of the way of the few people that were roaming the halls.
The hall filled amazingly fast the moment the bell rang. Of course, most of these young people didn't come up to Teal'c's waist, so they had no trouble spotting Andrew when he left his classroom, and Andrew spotted Teal'c and Jack just as easily.
"Teal'c! Jack!"
He went against the current of the majority of kids and hurried over to greet them, the smile on his face infectious. Jack smiled.
"Hey, Andrew."
"Hi, Jack. How are your ribs? Teal'c said you hurt them again?"
"Yeah. They're pretty sore. But I'm a tough guy, you know."
"Yeah." He looked up at Teal'c; ready to ask what they were doing there, and then he figured it out on his own. He wasn't dumb, after all. "You're here to talk to me about the journal?"
Jack looked uncomfortable, but he nodded and forced a smile.
"Actually, we're here for that, but we're also here to take you to my house for the weekend."
"Really?" Andrew grinned.
"Yup. Shawn'll be there."
"Awesome!"
"I thought you'd like that."
"Did you bring Jack and Jaffer?" The boy asked as they walked towards Jack's truck.
"No, we'll have to stop at the base and pick them up. Sam was going to take them when she went to get Shawn, but she forgot them." He couldn't imagine how anyone could have forgotten his precious baby, but if there was one person he'd forgive, it was Sam. Of course, she'd also forgotten the journal, so he was going to stop and grab that while they were on the base, too, but Andrew didn't need to know that.
Andrew nodded, smiling, as he waved goodbye to the attendance woman – who'd come to watch Jack and Teal'c meet Andrew (just to make sure he really knew them, since they were a sort of suspicious looking pair, even with their ID s).
"We have to go home so I can get some clothes."
"Nah, your mom packed you some."
"Really?"
"Yup."
He unlocked his truck, and Andrew hopped into the jump seat, while Teal'c got into the passenger seat, and they pulled out of the parking lot, Jack mulling over in his mind the story that he was preparing.