It was almost 3:00 by the time Jack and Jaffer made it back to the house. Monica had made sure Jaffer's coat was dry before she'd let the lab leave her clinic – something about him catching a cold, although Jack knew she just wanted a reason to cuddle with him and make a big deal of him for a little while longer. He'd called Sam to make sure she was okay, and asked her what she wanted for lunch, telling her he'd stop and get it. She requested chicken, so they'd hit up the closest KFC on their way home, and had ordered a huge meal, just in case Janet stayed for lunch.
There was a van in the driveway when Jack pulled up, and a truck parked on the street. Apparently the van belonged to the guy who was fixing the door – putting a new one on, actually – and the truck must belong to the window guy, to judge by all the glass that he had stacked neatly in holders on the sides of it. Jack walked past the door guy, who had to suffer a moment of thorough sniffing by Jaffer, who repeated the process with the window guy. These two didn't smell like they belonged, either, but they didn't have that fear smell, either, and they weren't doing anything threatening. For that matter, the window guy whistled, impressed, when he saw Jaffer, and knelt down, more than happy to give the beautiful dog a little attention. A good way to make friends with Jaffer was to give him attention.
Jack walked over to the couch and looked at the two women. Sam looked okay. Not as pale as she'd been when he'd left, and Janet didn't look concerned at all, which told him Sam was probably fine.
"Everything okay?"
Carter nodded, looking up at him and glad to see that he didn't look angry anymore. The trip out had done what she'd hoped it would.
"We're fine."
"Is she okay, Doc?"
"Yes." Janet motioned for him to sit down. "Now, let me have a look at those hands."
Jack scowled.
"And take off your shirt, Colonel I want to look at that shoulder."
How did she do that?
"I want to look at your big muscles," Sam said, smiling. He snorted, and pulled his shirt off, wincing at the motion, but able to hide it in his shirt.
"How's Jaffer?"
"Some stitches, but nothing that won't heal perfectly."
The lab heard his name and came over. He'd been guarding the chicken from escaping once the window guy had returned to his framing. Sam stroked him gently, looking for the stitches so she'd know where to be careful when she touched him.
"Your hands are going to be bruised and sore for a few days, but nothing that won't heal, as well." Fraiser told him. "You might ice that shoulder, too. At least once or twice tonight."
"Yeah..."
He'd do no such thing.
"I'll make sure he does, Janet." Sam promised.
Jack scowled. Sam smiled. Jack sighed, and smiled, too.
"Did you bring home lunch?"
He nodded. "Are you ready to eat?"
She nodded.
"Janet? You hungry?"
Fraiser shook her head, and stood up. "I have to get back to the base. Your call pulled me out of a meeting with my surgical staff, and I'd better get back to it before they go home for the day."
"I'm sor-"
"Don't be. I'm glad you called me. I would have been furious if you hadn't."
"Take care of her, Colonel," She said, smiling. "If you need anything, call me."
"Thanks, Doc."
Jack walked her out, passing the man who was almost finished with the door, and out to her car. Jaffer eyed the spot next to Sam, obviously debating whether there was room for him and decided there was. He hopped up onto the couch, and Sam leaned against him, once more enjoying the sturdy warmth of the lab.
"She's really going to be okay?" Jack asked Fraiser when he had her alone by her car.
Janet nodded.
"They didn't hurt her, Colonel. Feed her some dinner, and put her to bed."
He nodded, and opened her door for her, then watched her start the car and drive off.
............
Jaffer wasn't allowed to eat chicken. Not chicken with bones in it, anyways. It was one of Jack's biggest phobias that Jaffer would get a chicken bone stuck in his throat and choke, and as such, chicken – on the bone – wasn't something that was served with any regularity in his house. Only when Sam wanted it, which wasn't all that often. He dished Sam a plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and then made a plate of mashed potatoes and diced roast beef for Jaffer so the big lab wouldn't feel left out. He, personally, didn't eat. He wasn't hungry, he said, and Sam accepted that.
There was plenty left, so Jack sent the rest of it home with the window and door guy, who were finished fairly quickly. The door guy gave Jack a couple sets of keys to his new door, and the window guy made sure all the glass from the broken window had been cleaned up, then with chicken and all the extras in hand, the two men left.
Jack looked at his demolished coffee table, and while Sam finished her piece of pie – which she shared with Jaffer, who gave her a look that said if he didn't have any pie he was absolutely going to die this very minute – O'Neill picked up the pieces of the coffee table and took them out to the deck. He'd throw it away properly in the morning, and maybe go buy a new one as soon as Sam was able to get around on her crutches.
"Come have some pie, Jack," Sam said, watching him as she fed the last bite of her pie to Jaffer. He was showing signs of being restless, and she knew that meant something was bothering him. Which probably meant he was allowing himself to think about what might have been if Jaffer hadn't been around. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day thinking of such things. She wanted to spend the day with him, smiling and teasing as they had that morning. Nothing had changed, after all.
He walked over, and sat down next to her, picking up the plate that held the piece of pie she'd cut for him. Jaffer eyed it speculatively. Such an unsuspecting piece of pie... so innocent... so yummy...
Sam took the plate from Jack, and took his fork, taking a small piece and putting it on the fork and brandishing it at Jack with a soft smile.
"Take a bite. It's good."
"I'm not really hungry, Sam."
"If I rub it on my body will you eat it?"
Jack grinned, despite himself.
"I could probably be convinced."
"If Jaffer didn't beat you to it..."
He laughed, as she'd hoped he would. They didn't play with food in bed too often. Jaffer didn't care if they wanted alone time or not when it came to food, and the first time they'd tried something like that it had ended badly, and it wasn't something either of them cared to repeat. But it was funny every time either of them referred to it.
"Take a bite, Jack."
"Is that an order, Major?"
His eyes were alive with his love for her, now, and Sam smiled.
"Of course."
He took the bite, and then handed the saucer the rest of the pie was on down to Jaffer, who ate it greedily.
"You're going to make him fat," Sam told him.
"He needs his energy. He's a growing baby..."
"If he grows anymore he's going to need his own couch."
He smiled again, restlessness and bad mood forgotten in their banter.
"Janet said I should give you a pain pill and put you to bed. Are you tired?"
"A little. Will you stay with me while I sleep and cuddle with me?"
"Mm-hmmm... but I have something else in mind first."
He picked her up, and carried her down the hall, leaving Jaffer alone with the remainder of the pie sitting on the end table of the couch. The black lab looked down the hall. Then at the pie. Hmmmm... pie... it would probably try to take over the world if he didn't do something to stop it before it made its plans...
There was a van in the driveway when Jack pulled up, and a truck parked on the street. Apparently the van belonged to the guy who was fixing the door – putting a new one on, actually – and the truck must belong to the window guy, to judge by all the glass that he had stacked neatly in holders on the sides of it. Jack walked past the door guy, who had to suffer a moment of thorough sniffing by Jaffer, who repeated the process with the window guy. These two didn't smell like they belonged, either, but they didn't have that fear smell, either, and they weren't doing anything threatening. For that matter, the window guy whistled, impressed, when he saw Jaffer, and knelt down, more than happy to give the beautiful dog a little attention. A good way to make friends with Jaffer was to give him attention.
Jack walked over to the couch and looked at the two women. Sam looked okay. Not as pale as she'd been when he'd left, and Janet didn't look concerned at all, which told him Sam was probably fine.
"Everything okay?"
Carter nodded, looking up at him and glad to see that he didn't look angry anymore. The trip out had done what she'd hoped it would.
"We're fine."
"Is she okay, Doc?"
"Yes." Janet motioned for him to sit down. "Now, let me have a look at those hands."
Jack scowled.
"And take off your shirt, Colonel I want to look at that shoulder."
How did she do that?
"I want to look at your big muscles," Sam said, smiling. He snorted, and pulled his shirt off, wincing at the motion, but able to hide it in his shirt.
"How's Jaffer?"
"Some stitches, but nothing that won't heal perfectly."
The lab heard his name and came over. He'd been guarding the chicken from escaping once the window guy had returned to his framing. Sam stroked him gently, looking for the stitches so she'd know where to be careful when she touched him.
"Your hands are going to be bruised and sore for a few days, but nothing that won't heal, as well." Fraiser told him. "You might ice that shoulder, too. At least once or twice tonight."
"Yeah..."
He'd do no such thing.
"I'll make sure he does, Janet." Sam promised.
Jack scowled. Sam smiled. Jack sighed, and smiled, too.
"Did you bring home lunch?"
He nodded. "Are you ready to eat?"
She nodded.
"Janet? You hungry?"
Fraiser shook her head, and stood up. "I have to get back to the base. Your call pulled me out of a meeting with my surgical staff, and I'd better get back to it before they go home for the day."
"I'm sor-"
"Don't be. I'm glad you called me. I would have been furious if you hadn't."
"Take care of her, Colonel," She said, smiling. "If you need anything, call me."
"Thanks, Doc."
Jack walked her out, passing the man who was almost finished with the door, and out to her car. Jaffer eyed the spot next to Sam, obviously debating whether there was room for him and decided there was. He hopped up onto the couch, and Sam leaned against him, once more enjoying the sturdy warmth of the lab.
"She's really going to be okay?" Jack asked Fraiser when he had her alone by her car.
Janet nodded.
"They didn't hurt her, Colonel. Feed her some dinner, and put her to bed."
He nodded, and opened her door for her, then watched her start the car and drive off.
............
Jaffer wasn't allowed to eat chicken. Not chicken with bones in it, anyways. It was one of Jack's biggest phobias that Jaffer would get a chicken bone stuck in his throat and choke, and as such, chicken – on the bone – wasn't something that was served with any regularity in his house. Only when Sam wanted it, which wasn't all that often. He dished Sam a plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and then made a plate of mashed potatoes and diced roast beef for Jaffer so the big lab wouldn't feel left out. He, personally, didn't eat. He wasn't hungry, he said, and Sam accepted that.
There was plenty left, so Jack sent the rest of it home with the window and door guy, who were finished fairly quickly. The door guy gave Jack a couple sets of keys to his new door, and the window guy made sure all the glass from the broken window had been cleaned up, then with chicken and all the extras in hand, the two men left.
Jack looked at his demolished coffee table, and while Sam finished her piece of pie – which she shared with Jaffer, who gave her a look that said if he didn't have any pie he was absolutely going to die this very minute – O'Neill picked up the pieces of the coffee table and took them out to the deck. He'd throw it away properly in the morning, and maybe go buy a new one as soon as Sam was able to get around on her crutches.
"Come have some pie, Jack," Sam said, watching him as she fed the last bite of her pie to Jaffer. He was showing signs of being restless, and she knew that meant something was bothering him. Which probably meant he was allowing himself to think about what might have been if Jaffer hadn't been around. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day thinking of such things. She wanted to spend the day with him, smiling and teasing as they had that morning. Nothing had changed, after all.
He walked over, and sat down next to her, picking up the plate that held the piece of pie she'd cut for him. Jaffer eyed it speculatively. Such an unsuspecting piece of pie... so innocent... so yummy...
Sam took the plate from Jack, and took his fork, taking a small piece and putting it on the fork and brandishing it at Jack with a soft smile.
"Take a bite. It's good."
"I'm not really hungry, Sam."
"If I rub it on my body will you eat it?"
Jack grinned, despite himself.
"I could probably be convinced."
"If Jaffer didn't beat you to it..."
He laughed, as she'd hoped he would. They didn't play with food in bed too often. Jaffer didn't care if they wanted alone time or not when it came to food, and the first time they'd tried something like that it had ended badly, and it wasn't something either of them cared to repeat. But it was funny every time either of them referred to it.
"Take a bite, Jack."
"Is that an order, Major?"
His eyes were alive with his love for her, now, and Sam smiled.
"Of course."
He took the bite, and then handed the saucer the rest of the pie was on down to Jaffer, who ate it greedily.
"You're going to make him fat," Sam told him.
"He needs his energy. He's a growing baby..."
"If he grows anymore he's going to need his own couch."
He smiled again, restlessness and bad mood forgotten in their banter.
"Janet said I should give you a pain pill and put you to bed. Are you tired?"
"A little. Will you stay with me while I sleep and cuddle with me?"
"Mm-hmmm... but I have something else in mind first."
He picked her up, and carried her down the hall, leaving Jaffer alone with the remainder of the pie sitting on the end table of the couch. The black lab looked down the hall. Then at the pie. Hmmmm... pie... it would probably try to take over the world if he didn't do something to stop it before it made its plans...