Since there were very few people that would come to Jack's house at that time of night, it was a sure bet that Dotty and James Adams were going to be at the door, and sure enough, when Jack opened it, that's who came through.
"Is he okay, Jack?" Dotty asked, immediately, looking over O'Neill's shoulder into his house and seeing Shawn standing next to the couch, his face pale and his eyes red.
Jack nodded, and moved aside so James and Dotty could move past him and into the living room, where they converged on Shawn, both of them asking him if he was all right, but neither scolding him like Jack had. After Dotty had reassured herself that her son hadn't done himself any injury, she left James and Shawn and went back over to O'Neill, who had stayed near the door to give them a little privacy.
"What did he tell you, Jack?" She asked softly, looking over to make sure Shawn was distracted and in conversation with James.
Jack told her what Shawn had told him, and Dotty shook her head. "I honestly didn't think it was going to be so hard to do this." She looked as distraught as Jack had ever seen her. "I don't know how he's going to react to the rest of it."
"What are you going to tell him?"
"Everything."
"What about James?"
"No. I'm not going to let him know." She looked at Jack, doubtfully. "It's not that I don't trust him, it's just that I don't know how to tell-"
"You don't have to justify it to me, Dotty," Jack assured her. "I agree that Shawn needs to know, but beyond that, it's completely your call."
She nodded, looking back at Shawn and James once more, and Jack could see her face cloud with worry once more. No doubt she was thinking about how she was going to tell Shawn the rest of what she'd been planning on telling him. Jack looked over as well, following her gaze, and then he looked back at her.
"Do you want me to give it a shot, Dotty?" He offered. He'd already decided that he should have been with her and hadn't. Because he'd chickened out and left it to her to do alone, instead just sitting by the phone and moping, waiting for her to do all the hard stuff then call and tell him it was done and all was well with the world. This time, he'd have an active role, if she wanted him to.
To judge from the surprised look Dotty gave him, it was obvious she hadn't even considered asking him for help, and Jack realized just how difficult this whole thing was for her. She had to tell her son not only that he wasn't completely human, but that she wasn't human at all. And forget all that and try to explain exactly how Jack fit into the picture. Oh yes, that was a huge burden for one woman to carry alone.
"I couldn't ask you to do that, Jack..."
"Why not?" He shrugged. "I should be involved, since I am involved."
"Are you sure?"
"The worst that can happen is he runs on me," Jack said, softly. "The difference is if he runs from me, I'll have Jaffer drag him down and bring him back like a runaway hamburger."
She smiled, as he'd hoped she would, and Jack smiled as well.
"Leave him with me tonight, Dotty. I'll try to explain it to him."
It was her turn to shrug. Really, what was the worst that could happen? Look how badly she'd messed up what little she'd managed to get out.
"If you're sure..."
"Sure I'm sure." He gave her as confident a look as he could manage. "I could use the company, anyways, since Sam's off-world."
"She left you alone on Father's Day weekend?" Dotty seemed surprised by this.
"It just happened that way," he said, shrugging it off. "I don't think she even realized what day it was." Jack changed the subject, like he tended to do when a topic turned to him. "So do..." he saw Shawn and James walking over, and raised his voice a little, "Can I keep him, then?"
Dotty gave him a slight smile, and shook her head.
"Yes, Jack, if you're sure..."
"Of course I am."
He looked at Shawn, "I was just asking your mom if she minded me keeping you tonight, since Sam's out of town and I'd like the company. Are you interested?"
Shawn smiled, nodding.
Jack turned to Dotty and James, who had come up to stand next to his wife. "I'll bring him home sometime tomorrow, then."
Dotty nodded, looking down at her son, whose clothes were dirty, and hair was messy.
"Do you need me to bring him some clothes and-"?
"Nah, he's left some things over here from other visits. What we don't have, we can improvise." It was only going to be for one night, after all.
She knelt down and pulled Shawn into a hug. Normally the boy would roll his eyes and pretend that he was getting far too old for such affections from his mother, but this time he wrapped his arms around her and murmured something into her ear that only she heard. She nodded, and murmured something back, then let him go and stood up so James could repeat the process.
"We'll see you sometime tomorrow, then," Dotty said as James let Shawn go.
"Not too early." Jack reminded her.
"Yes, Jack, I know. You like to sleep in on Saturday."
He smiled and opened the door for them and he, Shawn and Jaffer walked them to their car, but the smile faded just a bit as they headed back to the house once Shawn's folks were gone. Should he wait? Should he just blurt it out? He understood exactly how Dotty must have felt earlier that day.
"Are you okay, Jack?" Shawn asked, noticing the distracted look.
O'Neill nodded, closing the door behind them.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what I did?"
"No. About why you did it."
"I told my dad I was sorry." Shawn said, looking down at his sneakers. "While you were talking to mom, I mean. I apologized for making such a big deal out of something that isn't."
That was the level-headed kid Jack had come to know and love. Shawn had only needed a small push in the right direction from Jack – in the form of one little question – and he'd managed to figure the rest of it out on his own. Then he'd faced the music, so to speak, and had admitted when he was wrong and had apologized to the person who'd most likely needed to hear it the most and as soon as he could.
"Good." Jack hesitated, looking for the perfect opening to begin their own conversation, but couldn't think of one. "Want some ice cream?"
"Yeah."
"Is he okay, Jack?" Dotty asked, immediately, looking over O'Neill's shoulder into his house and seeing Shawn standing next to the couch, his face pale and his eyes red.
Jack nodded, and moved aside so James and Dotty could move past him and into the living room, where they converged on Shawn, both of them asking him if he was all right, but neither scolding him like Jack had. After Dotty had reassured herself that her son hadn't done himself any injury, she left James and Shawn and went back over to O'Neill, who had stayed near the door to give them a little privacy.
"What did he tell you, Jack?" She asked softly, looking over to make sure Shawn was distracted and in conversation with James.
Jack told her what Shawn had told him, and Dotty shook her head. "I honestly didn't think it was going to be so hard to do this." She looked as distraught as Jack had ever seen her. "I don't know how he's going to react to the rest of it."
"What are you going to tell him?"
"Everything."
"What about James?"
"No. I'm not going to let him know." She looked at Jack, doubtfully. "It's not that I don't trust him, it's just that I don't know how to tell-"
"You don't have to justify it to me, Dotty," Jack assured her. "I agree that Shawn needs to know, but beyond that, it's completely your call."
She nodded, looking back at Shawn and James once more, and Jack could see her face cloud with worry once more. No doubt she was thinking about how she was going to tell Shawn the rest of what she'd been planning on telling him. Jack looked over as well, following her gaze, and then he looked back at her.
"Do you want me to give it a shot, Dotty?" He offered. He'd already decided that he should have been with her and hadn't. Because he'd chickened out and left it to her to do alone, instead just sitting by the phone and moping, waiting for her to do all the hard stuff then call and tell him it was done and all was well with the world. This time, he'd have an active role, if she wanted him to.
To judge from the surprised look Dotty gave him, it was obvious she hadn't even considered asking him for help, and Jack realized just how difficult this whole thing was for her. She had to tell her son not only that he wasn't completely human, but that she wasn't human at all. And forget all that and try to explain exactly how Jack fit into the picture. Oh yes, that was a huge burden for one woman to carry alone.
"I couldn't ask you to do that, Jack..."
"Why not?" He shrugged. "I should be involved, since I am involved."
"Are you sure?"
"The worst that can happen is he runs on me," Jack said, softly. "The difference is if he runs from me, I'll have Jaffer drag him down and bring him back like a runaway hamburger."
She smiled, as he'd hoped she would, and Jack smiled as well.
"Leave him with me tonight, Dotty. I'll try to explain it to him."
It was her turn to shrug. Really, what was the worst that could happen? Look how badly she'd messed up what little she'd managed to get out.
"If you're sure..."
"Sure I'm sure." He gave her as confident a look as he could manage. "I could use the company, anyways, since Sam's off-world."
"She left you alone on Father's Day weekend?" Dotty seemed surprised by this.
"It just happened that way," he said, shrugging it off. "I don't think she even realized what day it was." Jack changed the subject, like he tended to do when a topic turned to him. "So do..." he saw Shawn and James walking over, and raised his voice a little, "Can I keep him, then?"
Dotty gave him a slight smile, and shook her head.
"Yes, Jack, if you're sure..."
"Of course I am."
He looked at Shawn, "I was just asking your mom if she minded me keeping you tonight, since Sam's out of town and I'd like the company. Are you interested?"
Shawn smiled, nodding.
Jack turned to Dotty and James, who had come up to stand next to his wife. "I'll bring him home sometime tomorrow, then."
Dotty nodded, looking down at her son, whose clothes were dirty, and hair was messy.
"Do you need me to bring him some clothes and-"?
"Nah, he's left some things over here from other visits. What we don't have, we can improvise." It was only going to be for one night, after all.
She knelt down and pulled Shawn into a hug. Normally the boy would roll his eyes and pretend that he was getting far too old for such affections from his mother, but this time he wrapped his arms around her and murmured something into her ear that only she heard. She nodded, and murmured something back, then let him go and stood up so James could repeat the process.
"We'll see you sometime tomorrow, then," Dotty said as James let Shawn go.
"Not too early." Jack reminded her.
"Yes, Jack, I know. You like to sleep in on Saturday."
He smiled and opened the door for them and he, Shawn and Jaffer walked them to their car, but the smile faded just a bit as they headed back to the house once Shawn's folks were gone. Should he wait? Should he just blurt it out? He understood exactly how Dotty must have felt earlier that day.
"Are you okay, Jack?" Shawn asked, noticing the distracted look.
O'Neill nodded, closing the door behind them.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what I did?"
"No. About why you did it."
"I told my dad I was sorry." Shawn said, looking down at his sneakers. "While you were talking to mom, I mean. I apologized for making such a big deal out of something that isn't."
That was the level-headed kid Jack had come to know and love. Shawn had only needed a small push in the right direction from Jack – in the form of one little question – and he'd managed to figure the rest of it out on his own. Then he'd faced the music, so to speak, and had admitted when he was wrong and had apologized to the person who'd most likely needed to hear it the most and as soon as he could.
"Good." Jack hesitated, looking for the perfect opening to begin their own conversation, but couldn't think of one. "Want some ice cream?"
"Yeah."