The F-15 Eagle was an awesome aircraft. It was fast, it was about as comfortable as a fighter could be, and it was a machine that could be very forgiving when her pilot wasn't completely paying attention to what was going on around him. Even at Mach 2.5. These were good things, especially since Jack was making good use of all of them. He'd turned on the afterburners immediately after take-off, and had maintained an incredible speed the entire way to Colorado Springs, throwing down one sonic boom after another as he went. He wasn't worried about fuel consumption – not with a short flight like this – and he didn't worry about acquiring any targets, since there was nothing in the air that could go as fast as he was, except for Jacob, who was shadowing Jack in his own F-15. Short of running into a commercial airline, Jack didn't have to worry about anything. Which was a good thing, since he was worried about plenty of other things.
His landing was a bit rough, and he'd barely slowed to a stop when he was already working on unstrapping himself from his restraints and harnesses. He popped the canopy, looked over and saw Jacob doing the same nearby, and jumped down from the wing of his aircraft. And almost fell on his face when his knees buckled in protest at moving so much after not moving at all.
"Damn it..."
Jack limped over to the edge of the tarmac, saluting various air support members, and struggled to find the keys to his truck in his uniform under his flight suit, which he didn't want to take the time to take off.
"Jack! Wait up!"
Jacob came jogging over as O'Neill finally got his keys free, and went to the passenger side of his the truck. Without a word, Jack unlocked both doors, waited just long enough to make sure Jacob was buckled in, and then peeled out of the parking lot at a speed that was well above the posted on- base limit.
"Look... I'm sorry, Jack." Jacob said into the silence in the cab of the truck. "I know this is all my fault, and I-"
"It's not your fault, Jacob," Jack said, stopping at a gate and waiting for it to be opened for him to pass through. "Jaffer eats stuff. He always has. It's not Sam's fault, and it's not yours. I should have been there." Jack was really the only one who could make Jaffer drop something he had in his mouth, and everyone knew it. He'd had a lot of time during the flight to consider these things, and despite the comment he'd made to Jacob, it wasn't the older man's fault.
"If I wouldn't have come-"
"Jacob, it's not your fault, Goddamn it." The gate opened finally and Jack drove through, barely returning the salute of the Captain in charge of the Air base. "No matter what I said... you're not to blame, any more than Sam is."
"Is he going to be all right, do you think?"
"Hammond said Doctor Ray was coming in. She's Jaffer's regular vet, and if anyone can pull him through something, it's her. She's done miracles before." He'd thought a lot about that, as well.
Jacob didn't say anything else, somehow knowing that Jack didn't want to talk about it further. They pulled up to the main gate just a few minutes later, and Jack was waved right through, instead of being stopped for a cursory look to make sure he was really him.
"Pull up, Jack and go on in," Jacob said. "I'll park your truck for you."
Jack did what he was told, and got out without even turning off the engine. He headed for the entrance at a dead run, and only stopped long enough to wait for the elevator – and only because the stairs were only accessible if there was an emergency and the base was under lockdown.
"Come on you piece of-"
The door opened, and he couldn't get in fast enough.
..............
Daniel sighed, and ran his hand along the silken black fur that covered Jaffer's shoulder. The black lab didn't acknowledge the touch – he was still out – but Sam reached over and put her hand over Daniel's, causing the archeologist to look over at her. The two of them had been in the same positions since the others had left them alone – more than an hour ago.
"Why don't you go get some coffee, Daniel?" Sam whispered. "You could probably use a break..." There was nothing more depressing than watching a hurt or sick dog.
"No, Sam," Daniel shook his head. "I'm..." He looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar figure coming through the door, still wearing a flight suit, and looking about as concerned as Daniel had ever seen him. "Maybe I will... get some coffee..." He smiled, gently, and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
He nodded to Jack as they passed each other, but O'Neill barely acknowledged him. His mind was elsewhere. Daniel didn't take it personally. He went to find Hammond and inform him that Jack was back.
"Sam..." Carter jumped when Jack touched her shoulder, and whirled around so quickly that she would have fallen if not for him grabbing her around the waist and supporting her.
"Jack!" She wrapped her arms around him and burst into tears, unable to help herself. "I'm so sorry..."
He hugged her close, his gaze going to Jaffer's still form as he guided her head to his shoulder.
"Shhh... It's not your fault..." He murmured, running his hand through the hair on the back of her head. "He's always getting into trouble."
"You..." She sniffed, and tried again. "You can keep him out of trouble..." she whispered brokenly. "I... I..."
"I don't keep him out of trouble, love," Jack whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her tear-smeared cheek. "I usually just share it with him, which keeps it from seeming to be so bad."
Sam chuckled despite her tears, and Jack squeezed her tightly.
"Is Monica here?"
She nodded.
"What did she say?"
Sam pulled away from his protective embrace, and moved so Jack could go to Jaffer's side. "She pumped his stomach and gave him some charcoal. It's-"
"Liquid charcoal bonds with chemicals and other bad stuff," Jack finished, nodding. "I know what it does, Sam." He smiled, sadly, and she looked into his tired, troubled eyes for the first time since he'd arrived. "We've had to use it on him before."
"She thinks he'll be okay... she said she would just have to wait and see how he was when he woke up."
"How long will that be?"
"She didn't say."
"Then it's time he wakes up," Jack said, softly, leaning over the table and resting his head down next to Jaffer's and blowing softly on the black nose. Sam watched as O'Neill ran gentle fingers along the black snout, and then smiled softly when he whispered his baby's name.
"Jaffer..."
There wasn't a response, but Jack didn't seem at all concerned by that, and Sam wondered why he didn't look as worried as he had when he first entered the room. O'Neill looked about as calm as she'd ever seen him. Far calmer than Sam felt.
Jack ran his fingers along the nose again; unsure how he knew Jaffer was going to be okay, but absolutely certain that once he got those brown eyes opened, the black lab would be fine.
"Hey, little man..." Jack whispered. "You need to wake up. I need you too much for you to be sleeping right now."
The words tore at Sam's heart, but she smiled, knowing that they were as true as anything Jack had ever said.
"Monica said that he might be a little snappy when he wakes up, Jack..." She warned.
"He won't bite, Sam." Jack assured her, running his fingers along the snout again, and pressing his cheek right up against Jaffer's. "He loves me... don't you, little man?"
There was a slight motion at the touch, and the black tail moved just a little as Jaffer was dragged out of his sleep by the voice of the one person he loved more than anyone in the world. The voice he'd unconsciously been waiting to hear.
"That's it, boy..." Jack turned his head, smiling, and watched as the tail thumped weakly against the sheet. A brown eye opened and looked at Jack reproachfully, as if wondering why he was waking him up, or maybe asking why he felt so lousy and why Jack had allowed it, but O'Neill smiled and planted a wet kiss on the top of the lab's head, and Jaffer's reproachful look turned into a cheerful one, even though he really felt awful. He couldn't be mad at Jack. Jack was his baby, after all.
"How'd you do that, Jack?" Sam asked him, amazed.
"He was ready to wake up, Sam," Jack said, smiling as Jaffer licked his face, tiredly. "I just reminded him he needed to."
His landing was a bit rough, and he'd barely slowed to a stop when he was already working on unstrapping himself from his restraints and harnesses. He popped the canopy, looked over and saw Jacob doing the same nearby, and jumped down from the wing of his aircraft. And almost fell on his face when his knees buckled in protest at moving so much after not moving at all.
"Damn it..."
Jack limped over to the edge of the tarmac, saluting various air support members, and struggled to find the keys to his truck in his uniform under his flight suit, which he didn't want to take the time to take off.
"Jack! Wait up!"
Jacob came jogging over as O'Neill finally got his keys free, and went to the passenger side of his the truck. Without a word, Jack unlocked both doors, waited just long enough to make sure Jacob was buckled in, and then peeled out of the parking lot at a speed that was well above the posted on- base limit.
"Look... I'm sorry, Jack." Jacob said into the silence in the cab of the truck. "I know this is all my fault, and I-"
"It's not your fault, Jacob," Jack said, stopping at a gate and waiting for it to be opened for him to pass through. "Jaffer eats stuff. He always has. It's not Sam's fault, and it's not yours. I should have been there." Jack was really the only one who could make Jaffer drop something he had in his mouth, and everyone knew it. He'd had a lot of time during the flight to consider these things, and despite the comment he'd made to Jacob, it wasn't the older man's fault.
"If I wouldn't have come-"
"Jacob, it's not your fault, Goddamn it." The gate opened finally and Jack drove through, barely returning the salute of the Captain in charge of the Air base. "No matter what I said... you're not to blame, any more than Sam is."
"Is he going to be all right, do you think?"
"Hammond said Doctor Ray was coming in. She's Jaffer's regular vet, and if anyone can pull him through something, it's her. She's done miracles before." He'd thought a lot about that, as well.
Jacob didn't say anything else, somehow knowing that Jack didn't want to talk about it further. They pulled up to the main gate just a few minutes later, and Jack was waved right through, instead of being stopped for a cursory look to make sure he was really him.
"Pull up, Jack and go on in," Jacob said. "I'll park your truck for you."
Jack did what he was told, and got out without even turning off the engine. He headed for the entrance at a dead run, and only stopped long enough to wait for the elevator – and only because the stairs were only accessible if there was an emergency and the base was under lockdown.
"Come on you piece of-"
The door opened, and he couldn't get in fast enough.
..............
Daniel sighed, and ran his hand along the silken black fur that covered Jaffer's shoulder. The black lab didn't acknowledge the touch – he was still out – but Sam reached over and put her hand over Daniel's, causing the archeologist to look over at her. The two of them had been in the same positions since the others had left them alone – more than an hour ago.
"Why don't you go get some coffee, Daniel?" Sam whispered. "You could probably use a break..." There was nothing more depressing than watching a hurt or sick dog.
"No, Sam," Daniel shook his head. "I'm..." He looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar figure coming through the door, still wearing a flight suit, and looking about as concerned as Daniel had ever seen him. "Maybe I will... get some coffee..." He smiled, gently, and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
He nodded to Jack as they passed each other, but O'Neill barely acknowledged him. His mind was elsewhere. Daniel didn't take it personally. He went to find Hammond and inform him that Jack was back.
"Sam..." Carter jumped when Jack touched her shoulder, and whirled around so quickly that she would have fallen if not for him grabbing her around the waist and supporting her.
"Jack!" She wrapped her arms around him and burst into tears, unable to help herself. "I'm so sorry..."
He hugged her close, his gaze going to Jaffer's still form as he guided her head to his shoulder.
"Shhh... It's not your fault..." He murmured, running his hand through the hair on the back of her head. "He's always getting into trouble."
"You..." She sniffed, and tried again. "You can keep him out of trouble..." she whispered brokenly. "I... I..."
"I don't keep him out of trouble, love," Jack whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her tear-smeared cheek. "I usually just share it with him, which keeps it from seeming to be so bad."
Sam chuckled despite her tears, and Jack squeezed her tightly.
"Is Monica here?"
She nodded.
"What did she say?"
Sam pulled away from his protective embrace, and moved so Jack could go to Jaffer's side. "She pumped his stomach and gave him some charcoal. It's-"
"Liquid charcoal bonds with chemicals and other bad stuff," Jack finished, nodding. "I know what it does, Sam." He smiled, sadly, and she looked into his tired, troubled eyes for the first time since he'd arrived. "We've had to use it on him before."
"She thinks he'll be okay... she said she would just have to wait and see how he was when he woke up."
"How long will that be?"
"She didn't say."
"Then it's time he wakes up," Jack said, softly, leaning over the table and resting his head down next to Jaffer's and blowing softly on the black nose. Sam watched as O'Neill ran gentle fingers along the black snout, and then smiled softly when he whispered his baby's name.
"Jaffer..."
There wasn't a response, but Jack didn't seem at all concerned by that, and Sam wondered why he didn't look as worried as he had when he first entered the room. O'Neill looked about as calm as she'd ever seen him. Far calmer than Sam felt.
Jack ran his fingers along the nose again; unsure how he knew Jaffer was going to be okay, but absolutely certain that once he got those brown eyes opened, the black lab would be fine.
"Hey, little man..." Jack whispered. "You need to wake up. I need you too much for you to be sleeping right now."
The words tore at Sam's heart, but she smiled, knowing that they were as true as anything Jack had ever said.
"Monica said that he might be a little snappy when he wakes up, Jack..." She warned.
"He won't bite, Sam." Jack assured her, running his fingers along the snout again, and pressing his cheek right up against Jaffer's. "He loves me... don't you, little man?"
There was a slight motion at the touch, and the black tail moved just a little as Jaffer was dragged out of his sleep by the voice of the one person he loved more than anyone in the world. The voice he'd unconsciously been waiting to hear.
"That's it, boy..." Jack turned his head, smiling, and watched as the tail thumped weakly against the sheet. A brown eye opened and looked at Jack reproachfully, as if wondering why he was waking him up, or maybe asking why he felt so lousy and why Jack had allowed it, but O'Neill smiled and planted a wet kiss on the top of the lab's head, and Jaffer's reproachful look turned into a cheerful one, even though he really felt awful. He couldn't be mad at Jack. Jack was his baby, after all.
"How'd you do that, Jack?" Sam asked him, amazed.
"He was ready to wake up, Sam," Jack said, smiling as Jaffer licked his face, tiredly. "I just reminded him he needed to."