Sally looked around the infirmary as Jack led her into it. It looked like a big hospital room to her, with more than one bed, but large curtains around them – most of them open, and the beds she could see all empty. A woman dressed in a white lab coat walked over to them as Jack led her into the infirmary. She smiled at Sally, but then frowned when she looked down at Jaffer.
"Don't let him up on my beds, Colonel."
It seemed to Sally that there was a note of resignation in her voice, as though this was something she said often.
"Doctor Janet Fraiser, may I introduce Sally Longford? She's... Daniel's..." Jack looked over at Sally, unsure how Sally wanted to be identified.
"I'm his girlfriend," Sally said, holding her hand out to the doctor, who she saw was wearing a uniform under her lab coat. Obviously, she was a military doctor, and Sally wondered if they shook hands, or if she wanted to be saluted. Fraiser took her hand with a smile, though, and shook it.
"I've heard a lot about you, Miss Longford. It's nice to meet you."
"I've heard about you, too, Doctor. And please, call me Sally."
"Call me Janet, then."
Jaffer's nose had already found Sam, and while the two were shaking hands, Jack had drifted over to the bed Carter was resting in, her injured leg hidden by the blanket that was covering her to the waist.
"How are you doing?" Jack asked, reaching down and taking her hand. Jaffer jumped up on the bed beside Sam, and Fraiser scowled as she walked over with Sally to join them.
"Colonel..."
Jack let go of Sam's hand, and looked over at Fraiser. "I'm going to go inform the General that our company's here. I'll be back in a minute."
"Don't forget your dog," Fraiser said.
Jack looked down at Jaffer, who had his head contentedly on Sam's lap, and already had his eyes closed in appreciation of Sam's gentle petting.
"He's comfortable, Doc. I wouldn't want to disturb him, would you?"
"Colonel..."
"I'll be right back."
He walked out the door without looking around, and Jaffer opened his eyes and watched Jack go, obviously debating whether to join him or not.
"You'd better go keep him company, Jaffer," Sam said. The black lab stood up and jumped off the bed far more gracefully than what seemed possible for a dog his size, and trotted out of the room.
"Some day that dog is going to do what I tell him, and the whole world is going to ice over," Fraiser complained, shaking her head.
Sally smiled and looked down at Sam, who was sitting up in her bed with pillows supporting her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What did Jack tell you?"
"That you and Daniel were shot with strange weapons that aren't guns, and that someone was ambushed." She hesitated. "I think I've upset him, Sam... Well, no... I'm sure I upset him."
"What happened?"
"I asked him why he let Daniel get hurt. I didn't even know you were hurt."
Sam nodded. Yup, that explained why Jack didn't look quite as cheerful as he usually did when Jaffer annoyed Janet, and why he didn't stick around. He'd wandered off to get away from Sally. And the reminder of how right he thought she was, since Sam being in bed would have been an instant affirmation of just how Jack had failed to bring his team home safe.
"He'll get over it, Sally." Sam said, patting the edge of her bed. "Sit down for a minute."
She did, looking around. "Is Daniel really going to be all right?"
Sam looked up at Fraiser, drawing Sally's attention there as well. Janet nodded.
"He's unconscious, but I expect he'll wake up anytime, and he's not seriously hurt. It's painful, but not life-threatening."
"And Sam?"
"She took a staff wound to the upper leg." Janet said. "A staff weapon makes a wound a lot like a burn. Painful, but it was only a glancing blow, so she'll be fine, too. I would let her go home tonight, except that she wouldn't get any rest."
"I'd be well taken care of, though." Sam objected.
Janet shrugged.
"Can I see Daniel?"
"Not yet."
"But-"
"Colonel O'Neill argues with me, Sally. You can't. I'll let you see him as soon as General Hammond says it's okay."
"He says it's okay."
They all turned to see that Jack and Jaffer had returned, and Jack was holding a piece of paper in his hand, which he handed to Sally, along with a pen.
"Sign this, Sally, please." He explained to her what it meant, and how by signing it she was giving her word – on the penalty of treason – that she wouldn't share with anyone what she saw or heard on the base. While he explained it, Jaffer hopped back up onto Sam's bed, more than willing to spend a little more time with his second favorite person in the world. Especially since she was in a petting mode.
Sally read the paper carefully, found it to be exactly what Jack said – no more, no less – and put her name at the bottom of it, then dated it.
"So, now do I get to find out what you do, Jack?" She asked, extending an olive branch for her thoughtless question in the elevator.
"Some of it. Maybe." Jack shrugged, but he didn't look quite as upset as he had when he'd left. "We'll see. First, maybe Doctor Fraiser can take you to see Daniel..."
Sally looked at Janet, who nodded. It would also give Jack and Sam a little alone time, something he obviously needed. Hopefully it would clear out the last of his bad mood.
"Sure. Just remember, he's not going to be awake and talking, but he'll be okay."
"Don't let him up on my beds, Colonel."
It seemed to Sally that there was a note of resignation in her voice, as though this was something she said often.
"Doctor Janet Fraiser, may I introduce Sally Longford? She's... Daniel's..." Jack looked over at Sally, unsure how Sally wanted to be identified.
"I'm his girlfriend," Sally said, holding her hand out to the doctor, who she saw was wearing a uniform under her lab coat. Obviously, she was a military doctor, and Sally wondered if they shook hands, or if she wanted to be saluted. Fraiser took her hand with a smile, though, and shook it.
"I've heard a lot about you, Miss Longford. It's nice to meet you."
"I've heard about you, too, Doctor. And please, call me Sally."
"Call me Janet, then."
Jaffer's nose had already found Sam, and while the two were shaking hands, Jack had drifted over to the bed Carter was resting in, her injured leg hidden by the blanket that was covering her to the waist.
"How are you doing?" Jack asked, reaching down and taking her hand. Jaffer jumped up on the bed beside Sam, and Fraiser scowled as she walked over with Sally to join them.
"Colonel..."
Jack let go of Sam's hand, and looked over at Fraiser. "I'm going to go inform the General that our company's here. I'll be back in a minute."
"Don't forget your dog," Fraiser said.
Jack looked down at Jaffer, who had his head contentedly on Sam's lap, and already had his eyes closed in appreciation of Sam's gentle petting.
"He's comfortable, Doc. I wouldn't want to disturb him, would you?"
"Colonel..."
"I'll be right back."
He walked out the door without looking around, and Jaffer opened his eyes and watched Jack go, obviously debating whether to join him or not.
"You'd better go keep him company, Jaffer," Sam said. The black lab stood up and jumped off the bed far more gracefully than what seemed possible for a dog his size, and trotted out of the room.
"Some day that dog is going to do what I tell him, and the whole world is going to ice over," Fraiser complained, shaking her head.
Sally smiled and looked down at Sam, who was sitting up in her bed with pillows supporting her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What did Jack tell you?"
"That you and Daniel were shot with strange weapons that aren't guns, and that someone was ambushed." She hesitated. "I think I've upset him, Sam... Well, no... I'm sure I upset him."
"What happened?"
"I asked him why he let Daniel get hurt. I didn't even know you were hurt."
Sam nodded. Yup, that explained why Jack didn't look quite as cheerful as he usually did when Jaffer annoyed Janet, and why he didn't stick around. He'd wandered off to get away from Sally. And the reminder of how right he thought she was, since Sam being in bed would have been an instant affirmation of just how Jack had failed to bring his team home safe.
"He'll get over it, Sally." Sam said, patting the edge of her bed. "Sit down for a minute."
She did, looking around. "Is Daniel really going to be all right?"
Sam looked up at Fraiser, drawing Sally's attention there as well. Janet nodded.
"He's unconscious, but I expect he'll wake up anytime, and he's not seriously hurt. It's painful, but not life-threatening."
"And Sam?"
"She took a staff wound to the upper leg." Janet said. "A staff weapon makes a wound a lot like a burn. Painful, but it was only a glancing blow, so she'll be fine, too. I would let her go home tonight, except that she wouldn't get any rest."
"I'd be well taken care of, though." Sam objected.
Janet shrugged.
"Can I see Daniel?"
"Not yet."
"But-"
"Colonel O'Neill argues with me, Sally. You can't. I'll let you see him as soon as General Hammond says it's okay."
"He says it's okay."
They all turned to see that Jack and Jaffer had returned, and Jack was holding a piece of paper in his hand, which he handed to Sally, along with a pen.
"Sign this, Sally, please." He explained to her what it meant, and how by signing it she was giving her word – on the penalty of treason – that she wouldn't share with anyone what she saw or heard on the base. While he explained it, Jaffer hopped back up onto Sam's bed, more than willing to spend a little more time with his second favorite person in the world. Especially since she was in a petting mode.
Sally read the paper carefully, found it to be exactly what Jack said – no more, no less – and put her name at the bottom of it, then dated it.
"So, now do I get to find out what you do, Jack?" She asked, extending an olive branch for her thoughtless question in the elevator.
"Some of it. Maybe." Jack shrugged, but he didn't look quite as upset as he had when he'd left. "We'll see. First, maybe Doctor Fraiser can take you to see Daniel..."
Sally looked at Janet, who nodded. It would also give Jack and Sam a little alone time, something he obviously needed. Hopefully it would clear out the last of his bad mood.
"Sure. Just remember, he's not going to be awake and talking, but he'll be okay."