He didn't give the police much information. Mainly because he really wasn't all that sure what had happened. He told the dispatcher he had three men in his house who had broken in – that much he was sure of – and they needed to come get them. After giving them his address he hung up, looked over at Sam to make sure she was still okay, nudged the still unconscious Gene with one foot, and called the base infirmary.
"Yeah, this is O'Neill. I need to talk to Janet Fraiser."
Someone said something, and Sam could tell from the scowl on Jack's face he didn't like it.
"Interrupt her meeting, Lieutenant. I need her at my house as soon as possible."
He hung up, the sound of sirens in the distance already, and walked over to stand by the couch.
"Did he hurt you?"
The look he gave her was one of concern. The look he gave Tom told him quite clearly that if she said the wrong thing, the bigger man was going to get another ass-kicking.
Sam shook her head, still clutching her ribs.
"Jaffer didn't give him a chance to."
Jack looked over at his dog, who was still holding Jim motionless on the floor. The man was bleeding freely, but it didn't look like anything life- threatening. Jaffer was bleeding as well, and Jack was worried, but he wasn't showing any signs of too much discomfort, so they'd have to wait until the police showed up before Jack could get him taken care of.
"What happened?"
"Holy shit, what happened...?"
The first officer had arrived. This one was one that Jack knew well, since he was the one that was assigned to Jack's neighborhood, and they'd frequently chatted about dogs – the cop had a German shepherd who he doted on as much as Jack doted on Jaffer. Maybe even more. Well... no... probably not. But it was close.
O'Neill gestured towards the three men.
"They broke in."
"Damn, Colonel. What did you do to them?"
"I wasn't here," Jack said. "Not until the end of it."
"What happened?" The officer asked again, kneeling down next to Gene, and checking for a pulse, then calling for an ambulance.
"Sam will have to tell you." Jack said as two more police cruisers pulled up onto the street, and more officers arrived to deal with Tom and Jim. Both men were bloody, but Tom was obviously more battered. His eyes were both swelling shut, and there were bruises on his face that Jaffer couldn't have given him.
"That one was attacking Sam when I showed up..." Jack said, pointing at Tom, who was being handcuffed, despite the chunk of flesh missing from his forearm. He didn't say anything, he was just glad to be out of there. Jail was better than this place, where every time O'Neill looked at him he was sure the man was going to jump him again and finish what he'd started.
"Ah."
The officers all looked at Sam, who was bruised already from her fall a couple of days before. They were experienced investigators, though, and knew the bruising wasn't fresh.
"Don't worry, guys," She told them, still holding her ribs. They were throbbing something awful from having Tom on her. Sam thought he might have put a knee into them or something. "The bruises are from a fall I took a few days ago."
"Broke her leg, too." Jack said, feeling a fresh surge of anger that someone would dare attack her. Especially when she was already hurt.
"Colonel."
Jack turned when one of the police called him, distracted from his fury for a moment.
"Call off the dog, will ya?"
Jaffer was still guarding Jim, and while he wasn't making any threatening moves towards the police officers, he wasn't exactly allowing them to get all that close to the man, either. He'd been told to guard him, after all.
"Jaffer. Come here."
Jaffer's hackles were still raised a bit, but they were going down rapidly now that there was a lot less tension in the room. He walked over to Jack, placing his body between O'Neill's knees and sitting down, looking up to see what Jack wanted him to do now.
"Good boy."
Jack slid his hands along Jaffer, looking down at his black lab with love and affection. Jaffer was one of the few things that would always be able to calm Jack, although at the moment he felt more anger than anything else. But also a surge of pride when he thought of the way Jaffer had fought. What a display!
"Did they break in through this window?" One of the officers asked as another handcuffed Jim.
"No, Jaffer came through the window," Sam told them, explaining how the men had thrown him out the door and he'd come back for more the only way he could.
As she was explaining this, paramedics arrived and split up to check on the people involved. Jack waved them off when they came to him. He was sore, but he didn't want anyone near him just then but Jaffer. Running his hands along the dog's sides while Sam told the police what happened, he watched as the paramedics checked Carter for any new injuries and he checked Jaffer for anything serious enough that would warrant an emergency visit to the vet. A couple deep scratches (probably caused by the window) were going to need looked at, but the black lab had had worse, so Jack wasn't desperate to get him to Monica. It could wait a little while. Not too long, of course, but a little while.
About a half an hour later, Fraiser came into the room, taking in the broken door, the bloodstains on the floor, the broken glass, the broken coffee table, and the other obvious signs of a big struggle. The police had gotten what information they needed and most of them had left, but there were still a couple taking pictures. Sam was on the couch, and Janet didn't miss the look of pain in her eyes. And she definitely didn't miss the smoldering look in Jack's. Fraiser didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was, O'Neill was still livid about it, even as he stroked Jaffer's sides with hands that were bloody and bruised.
"What on Earth happened?" Janet asked, coming over and sitting next to Sam, instantly beginning to look her over. The paramedics hadn't found anything too wrong with her, but Jack was glad to see Janet there. She knew Sam well enough to know if there were any new injuries.
"Some guys tried to break in while Jack was away..." Sam said, looking over at O'Neill, worriedly. He was still angry, she knew. His entire body was tense, and his eyes were so cold. Sam remembered how furious he'd been when he'd been attacking the man that had pinned her down.
"Colonel?" Jack looked from Jaffer over to Janet.
"Hmm?"
"Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"Why don't you take Jaffer to the clinic and have Monica make sure that he's-"
"I don't want to leave you, Sam."
"I'll stay with her, Sir." Janet told him.
Jack looked at Sam, who nodded. She wanted him out of the house so he'd have a chance to cool off a bit. He wasn't hurt so badly that he needed immediate attention, and by telling him to get Jaffer looked at, she could pretty much guarantee that he'd leave to take his dog to the vet. It worked.
"You'll stay?" He asked Janet.
She nodded.
"We'll call someone to come out and get started on the door and window, too," Sam told him. It was getting pretty chilly in the house with the open window, and there was no way he'd leave the door broken for any longer than necessary.
"You don't need me?"
"Of course I do," Sam said, smiling softly. She'd always need him. "But I'm fine, and Jaffer's bleeding."
Jack looked down at his lab, who was still snugly between his knees, his head resting on Jack's thigh. Jaffer wasn't going to complain about being hurt, but Jack wasn't going to let him be hurt for any longer than he needed.
"Okay. We'll be right back."
He stood up, wincing slightly, and Jaffer stood as well, watching to see where Jack was going and to see if he was going to get to come, too.
"Come on, little man..." Jack said, slipping Jaffer's collar on. "Let's go have a chat with Monica, shall we?"
Jaffer wagged his tail and headed for the door, bloody streaks in his flanks and sides shining in the late morning sun. He heard go!
Jack stopped a minute to have a chat with the police officer by the door, but Sam couldn't hear what was being said. By the nods and glances the officer made her way, though, she was pretty sure O'Neill was making sure that someone was going to stick around, or at least be close at hand if Sam needed something.
She wanted to gripe about it, but she didn't. She wouldn't have changed him if she could have.
"Yeah, this is O'Neill. I need to talk to Janet Fraiser."
Someone said something, and Sam could tell from the scowl on Jack's face he didn't like it.
"Interrupt her meeting, Lieutenant. I need her at my house as soon as possible."
He hung up, the sound of sirens in the distance already, and walked over to stand by the couch.
"Did he hurt you?"
The look he gave her was one of concern. The look he gave Tom told him quite clearly that if she said the wrong thing, the bigger man was going to get another ass-kicking.
Sam shook her head, still clutching her ribs.
"Jaffer didn't give him a chance to."
Jack looked over at his dog, who was still holding Jim motionless on the floor. The man was bleeding freely, but it didn't look like anything life- threatening. Jaffer was bleeding as well, and Jack was worried, but he wasn't showing any signs of too much discomfort, so they'd have to wait until the police showed up before Jack could get him taken care of.
"What happened?"
"Holy shit, what happened...?"
The first officer had arrived. This one was one that Jack knew well, since he was the one that was assigned to Jack's neighborhood, and they'd frequently chatted about dogs – the cop had a German shepherd who he doted on as much as Jack doted on Jaffer. Maybe even more. Well... no... probably not. But it was close.
O'Neill gestured towards the three men.
"They broke in."
"Damn, Colonel. What did you do to them?"
"I wasn't here," Jack said. "Not until the end of it."
"What happened?" The officer asked again, kneeling down next to Gene, and checking for a pulse, then calling for an ambulance.
"Sam will have to tell you." Jack said as two more police cruisers pulled up onto the street, and more officers arrived to deal with Tom and Jim. Both men were bloody, but Tom was obviously more battered. His eyes were both swelling shut, and there were bruises on his face that Jaffer couldn't have given him.
"That one was attacking Sam when I showed up..." Jack said, pointing at Tom, who was being handcuffed, despite the chunk of flesh missing from his forearm. He didn't say anything, he was just glad to be out of there. Jail was better than this place, where every time O'Neill looked at him he was sure the man was going to jump him again and finish what he'd started.
"Ah."
The officers all looked at Sam, who was bruised already from her fall a couple of days before. They were experienced investigators, though, and knew the bruising wasn't fresh.
"Don't worry, guys," She told them, still holding her ribs. They were throbbing something awful from having Tom on her. Sam thought he might have put a knee into them or something. "The bruises are from a fall I took a few days ago."
"Broke her leg, too." Jack said, feeling a fresh surge of anger that someone would dare attack her. Especially when she was already hurt.
"Colonel."
Jack turned when one of the police called him, distracted from his fury for a moment.
"Call off the dog, will ya?"
Jaffer was still guarding Jim, and while he wasn't making any threatening moves towards the police officers, he wasn't exactly allowing them to get all that close to the man, either. He'd been told to guard him, after all.
"Jaffer. Come here."
Jaffer's hackles were still raised a bit, but they were going down rapidly now that there was a lot less tension in the room. He walked over to Jack, placing his body between O'Neill's knees and sitting down, looking up to see what Jack wanted him to do now.
"Good boy."
Jack slid his hands along Jaffer, looking down at his black lab with love and affection. Jaffer was one of the few things that would always be able to calm Jack, although at the moment he felt more anger than anything else. But also a surge of pride when he thought of the way Jaffer had fought. What a display!
"Did they break in through this window?" One of the officers asked as another handcuffed Jim.
"No, Jaffer came through the window," Sam told them, explaining how the men had thrown him out the door and he'd come back for more the only way he could.
As she was explaining this, paramedics arrived and split up to check on the people involved. Jack waved them off when they came to him. He was sore, but he didn't want anyone near him just then but Jaffer. Running his hands along the dog's sides while Sam told the police what happened, he watched as the paramedics checked Carter for any new injuries and he checked Jaffer for anything serious enough that would warrant an emergency visit to the vet. A couple deep scratches (probably caused by the window) were going to need looked at, but the black lab had had worse, so Jack wasn't desperate to get him to Monica. It could wait a little while. Not too long, of course, but a little while.
About a half an hour later, Fraiser came into the room, taking in the broken door, the bloodstains on the floor, the broken glass, the broken coffee table, and the other obvious signs of a big struggle. The police had gotten what information they needed and most of them had left, but there were still a couple taking pictures. Sam was on the couch, and Janet didn't miss the look of pain in her eyes. And she definitely didn't miss the smoldering look in Jack's. Fraiser didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was, O'Neill was still livid about it, even as he stroked Jaffer's sides with hands that were bloody and bruised.
"What on Earth happened?" Janet asked, coming over and sitting next to Sam, instantly beginning to look her over. The paramedics hadn't found anything too wrong with her, but Jack was glad to see Janet there. She knew Sam well enough to know if there were any new injuries.
"Some guys tried to break in while Jack was away..." Sam said, looking over at O'Neill, worriedly. He was still angry, she knew. His entire body was tense, and his eyes were so cold. Sam remembered how furious he'd been when he'd been attacking the man that had pinned her down.
"Colonel?" Jack looked from Jaffer over to Janet.
"Hmm?"
"Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"Why don't you take Jaffer to the clinic and have Monica make sure that he's-"
"I don't want to leave you, Sam."
"I'll stay with her, Sir." Janet told him.
Jack looked at Sam, who nodded. She wanted him out of the house so he'd have a chance to cool off a bit. He wasn't hurt so badly that he needed immediate attention, and by telling him to get Jaffer looked at, she could pretty much guarantee that he'd leave to take his dog to the vet. It worked.
"You'll stay?" He asked Janet.
She nodded.
"We'll call someone to come out and get started on the door and window, too," Sam told him. It was getting pretty chilly in the house with the open window, and there was no way he'd leave the door broken for any longer than necessary.
"You don't need me?"
"Of course I do," Sam said, smiling softly. She'd always need him. "But I'm fine, and Jaffer's bleeding."
Jack looked down at his lab, who was still snugly between his knees, his head resting on Jack's thigh. Jaffer wasn't going to complain about being hurt, but Jack wasn't going to let him be hurt for any longer than he needed.
"Okay. We'll be right back."
He stood up, wincing slightly, and Jaffer stood as well, watching to see where Jack was going and to see if he was going to get to come, too.
"Come on, little man..." Jack said, slipping Jaffer's collar on. "Let's go have a chat with Monica, shall we?"
Jaffer wagged his tail and headed for the door, bloody streaks in his flanks and sides shining in the late morning sun. He heard go!
Jack stopped a minute to have a chat with the police officer by the door, but Sam couldn't hear what was being said. By the nods and glances the officer made her way, though, she was pretty sure O'Neill was making sure that someone was going to stick around, or at least be close at hand if Sam needed something.
She wanted to gripe about it, but she didn't. She wouldn't have changed him if she could have.