Thanks you guys, for that affirmation and the kind words! Sorry this one was so slow getting out, but my twin nephews graduated today, and I had to be there. : P
...............
That's exactly what they did. He waited until the three of them (Daniel, Sam and Teal'c) had returned to the ruined walls and Daniel's translations, then he fed Jaffer and made a meal of an MRE. After that, he and his dog went to the stream, where the water was running cold and clear, and Jack took the leafy bandages of Jaffer and checked him out.
The lab's scratches were nasty, but they were already starting to heal over, and Jack wondered what was in the goo the floating hand people had used on the two of them. His own scratches were also deep and painful, but he had a feeling they'd be a lot worse if not for the doctoring he'd received while he was unconscious. The ones on the back of his neck and his lower back were the least serious of his – as near as he could tell by using a mirror to look – but they were the most painful, so he wondered if maybe the bandages had something to do with the healing as well. Of course, he wasn't a doctor, so he could have been wrong.
"We're going to have to come up with a better name for these people than 'floating hands people'," Jack said to Jaffer as he stripped out of his battered and shredded clothing and slipped into the cool water to soak for a while. It felt wonderful, and the coolness of the water eased his aches – or numbed him to them. Either way, it was a relief.
Jaffer strolled to the edge of the water and took a drink, but he didn't get in. He liked the water and all, but he was all for a nap, and you can't nap in water up to your eyebrows. He found a spot that was grassy and in the shade, but close enough to the edge of the water so that he could keep an eye on Jack and make sure that nothing else injured him while he was in the water.
Jack leaned back against the bank, wincing when he scraped the scratches on his lower back, but ignoring it as well as he could. The water was nice enough to stay in a while; the sun was still warm although it was definitely getting lower in the sky. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
.....................
It was almost dark by the time they finished the translating of the chips. The work was going faster, because of a growing familiarity that Sam and Teal'c were getting with the style of the glyphs. This made finding the picture that Daniel sent them after that much faster, and with the two of them working so willingly, the archeologist actually found himself working faster to keep up with them so they'd have something to help him with.
"That's the last of them," He said in triumph, stuffing the final chip back into the bag they'd come out of.
"So tomorrow you can start trying to read the walls?" Carter asked.
He nodded, and stretched.
"I'd do it tonight, but I'm ready for a break."
He had to be tired, then, Sam thought, hiding her amused smile. Otherwise he never would have admitted the need for a rest.
"Well, let's get something to eat and make an early night of it." She was anxious to check on Jack, anyways.
The three of them headed back to camp, and found that Jack hadn't spent his entire afternoon resting. A hearty meal was simmering in their large cooking pot. Stew, from the smell of it, and there were rolls wrapped in tinfoil and tucked into the warm ashes of the fire to keep warm. He'd even set out their dishes for them. But he and Jaffer weren't sitting by the fire.
"Jack?"
"In here."
The voice came from his tent, and Sam walked over and knelt at the opening, turning aide the flap. He was stretched out on his blankets, on his belly. With no shirt on, she could clearly see the deep scratches that plainly looked like they'd come from a cat of some kind, and they looked red and painful, but not as red as before. Jaffer's tail was wagging as he stood up and ambled over to greet her, and Sam saw that Jack had rebandaged the black lab.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, Sam," he told her, propping himself up on his elbows. "Just a little sore."
"Want me to put some antibiotic cream on those cuts?"
"Yeah, but not until later. Go ahead and get something to eat."
"Are you eating?"
"I already did." Jack pointed at his tin plate, which was wiped clean – almost certainly licked clean, she was sure. "How's the translating thing going?"
"We're done with the bark pieces." She told him, stretching out next to him, but carefully not touching him. "Daniel said he'd start on the walls tomorrow."
"Good." Jack smiled and leaned against her, just for a moment. "Make sure he eats, okay?"
"Of course." She ran her hand along his jaw, which was stubbly and in need of a shave. "Are you up for standing watch tonight? Teal'c and I can cover for you if you want to just sleep."
"I'm fine," He repeated, closing his eyes at her touch, even though it was hardly an erotic one. He just loved having her touch him. "Set me for the last one, and don't forget to wake me." Meaning 'don't ignore my request and leave me to sleep all night, even though I just did it for you'.
"Okay." She looked at his back once more, and winced. "Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"I'm fine. Go get something to eat and get some rest." Knowing that she wouldn't leave him alone if he looked miserable, Jack kissed her gently and smiled. "I'm going to get some sleep."
"I'll leave you alone, then."
"Okay." He watched as she stood up – he loved watching her, after all – and she picked up his plate. "Don't forget to wake me for my watch."
"I won't."
She closed his tent, and Jaffer plopped back down in his spot next to Jack's side, his big head resting on O'Neill's lower back since the thigh he normally would have used for a pillow wasn't available. The two of them drifted off as they listened to the sound of the others eating their meal, then cleaning up, and finally heading off to bed themselves. Eventually, Jack fell asleep as well.
...............
That's exactly what they did. He waited until the three of them (Daniel, Sam and Teal'c) had returned to the ruined walls and Daniel's translations, then he fed Jaffer and made a meal of an MRE. After that, he and his dog went to the stream, where the water was running cold and clear, and Jack took the leafy bandages of Jaffer and checked him out.
The lab's scratches were nasty, but they were already starting to heal over, and Jack wondered what was in the goo the floating hand people had used on the two of them. His own scratches were also deep and painful, but he had a feeling they'd be a lot worse if not for the doctoring he'd received while he was unconscious. The ones on the back of his neck and his lower back were the least serious of his – as near as he could tell by using a mirror to look – but they were the most painful, so he wondered if maybe the bandages had something to do with the healing as well. Of course, he wasn't a doctor, so he could have been wrong.
"We're going to have to come up with a better name for these people than 'floating hands people'," Jack said to Jaffer as he stripped out of his battered and shredded clothing and slipped into the cool water to soak for a while. It felt wonderful, and the coolness of the water eased his aches – or numbed him to them. Either way, it was a relief.
Jaffer strolled to the edge of the water and took a drink, but he didn't get in. He liked the water and all, but he was all for a nap, and you can't nap in water up to your eyebrows. He found a spot that was grassy and in the shade, but close enough to the edge of the water so that he could keep an eye on Jack and make sure that nothing else injured him while he was in the water.
Jack leaned back against the bank, wincing when he scraped the scratches on his lower back, but ignoring it as well as he could. The water was nice enough to stay in a while; the sun was still warm although it was definitely getting lower in the sky. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
.....................
It was almost dark by the time they finished the translating of the chips. The work was going faster, because of a growing familiarity that Sam and Teal'c were getting with the style of the glyphs. This made finding the picture that Daniel sent them after that much faster, and with the two of them working so willingly, the archeologist actually found himself working faster to keep up with them so they'd have something to help him with.
"That's the last of them," He said in triumph, stuffing the final chip back into the bag they'd come out of.
"So tomorrow you can start trying to read the walls?" Carter asked.
He nodded, and stretched.
"I'd do it tonight, but I'm ready for a break."
He had to be tired, then, Sam thought, hiding her amused smile. Otherwise he never would have admitted the need for a rest.
"Well, let's get something to eat and make an early night of it." She was anxious to check on Jack, anyways.
The three of them headed back to camp, and found that Jack hadn't spent his entire afternoon resting. A hearty meal was simmering in their large cooking pot. Stew, from the smell of it, and there were rolls wrapped in tinfoil and tucked into the warm ashes of the fire to keep warm. He'd even set out their dishes for them. But he and Jaffer weren't sitting by the fire.
"Jack?"
"In here."
The voice came from his tent, and Sam walked over and knelt at the opening, turning aide the flap. He was stretched out on his blankets, on his belly. With no shirt on, she could clearly see the deep scratches that plainly looked like they'd come from a cat of some kind, and they looked red and painful, but not as red as before. Jaffer's tail was wagging as he stood up and ambled over to greet her, and Sam saw that Jack had rebandaged the black lab.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, Sam," he told her, propping himself up on his elbows. "Just a little sore."
"Want me to put some antibiotic cream on those cuts?"
"Yeah, but not until later. Go ahead and get something to eat."
"Are you eating?"
"I already did." Jack pointed at his tin plate, which was wiped clean – almost certainly licked clean, she was sure. "How's the translating thing going?"
"We're done with the bark pieces." She told him, stretching out next to him, but carefully not touching him. "Daniel said he'd start on the walls tomorrow."
"Good." Jack smiled and leaned against her, just for a moment. "Make sure he eats, okay?"
"Of course." She ran her hand along his jaw, which was stubbly and in need of a shave. "Are you up for standing watch tonight? Teal'c and I can cover for you if you want to just sleep."
"I'm fine," He repeated, closing his eyes at her touch, even though it was hardly an erotic one. He just loved having her touch him. "Set me for the last one, and don't forget to wake me." Meaning 'don't ignore my request and leave me to sleep all night, even though I just did it for you'.
"Okay." She looked at his back once more, and winced. "Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"I'm fine. Go get something to eat and get some rest." Knowing that she wouldn't leave him alone if he looked miserable, Jack kissed her gently and smiled. "I'm going to get some sleep."
"I'll leave you alone, then."
"Okay." He watched as she stood up – he loved watching her, after all – and she picked up his plate. "Don't forget to wake me for my watch."
"I won't."
She closed his tent, and Jaffer plopped back down in his spot next to Jack's side, his big head resting on O'Neill's lower back since the thigh he normally would have used for a pillow wasn't available. The two of them drifted off as they listened to the sound of the others eating their meal, then cleaning up, and finally heading off to bed themselves. Eventually, Jack fell asleep as well.