"Jack?"
He opened his eyes, and saw Dotty was with him once more.
"Dotty?"
Jack looked around him, trying to see who had been talking to him before. As promised, the voice hadn't left him when Dotty had. The deep, loving voice had been talking to him nonstop, reminding him that he needed to stay awake, and when he'd faltered and tried to fall asleep anyways, the voice was the only thing that had kept him awake. Dotty herself probably couldn't have brought him back, but the love and aching need that Jack felt intermingled with the masculine voice in his mind was more than even Jack could ignore. He'd responded, although it'd been the hardest thing he'd ever done.
"It's okay, Jack," Dotty told him, coming over and sitting down on the edge of his bed.
"Where is he?"
Dotty knew immediately who Jack was referring to, of course. She smiled down at him.
"He's resting, Jack. You can rest, too, now. It's all right."
Jack found that he wasn't as tired as he'd been before. Sleep sounded good, but he didn't have the overwhelming need to rest now that he'd had before.
"I can't... I have to find Sam."
"Why?"
"To apologize."
"It'll wait, Jack." Dotty's hand rested lightly on his chest, and he felt so tired suddenly that his eyes closed and all thoughts of getting up and finding Sam faded. "Rest, now. Talk to Sam later."
"But..." He trailed off, soothed by her gentle touch. There was something he needed to ask Dotty, but he couldn't remember what it was, and it wasn't long before he was asleep.
Dotty watched him sleep for a moment, and felt the presence that was always with Jack rouse itself.
"You should be resting," She said gently.
"I'm fine." The voice sounded tired, but satisfied.
She smiled. "You sound more and more like him every day."
"It's only natural, I suppose." The voice was tinged with humor, now. "I do spend a lot of time with him."
"You're doing so much better than anyone could have hoped."
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
"It's not flattery if it's the truth."
There was a mental shrug, and Dotty could feel the exhaustion in the other.
"Get some rest. I have things to go do."
"Thank you for coming."
"All you need do is call."
She felt him fall back to sleep, and waited a moment longer, enjoying a chance to be with him like this, and then sighed and left the two of them to their rest.
"I can't find anything wrong with him."
Sam heard Monica Ray's voice as she quietly entered Jack's room. The vet and Janet Fraiser were standing next to O'Neill's bed, but their focus wasn't on the sleeping Colonel, it was on the black lab that was sprawled next to him.
Jaffer's vet looked over at Sam when she entered the room and smiled.
"You okay?"
Sam nodded, echoing the smile. She felt great.
"What's wrong?"
"We're just trying to figure out why Jaffer here looks like a blanket."
"What did you find?"
"Aside from a lot of blood that isn't his, nothing."
"He had a busy morning, Monica. Maybe he's just tired?"
"Maybe." She didn't look all that convinced, but she'd given him as thorough an exam as she could with him cuddled so close to Jack – who looked like shit, Monica thought, although she didn't ask what had happened to him. Janet Fraiser had told her that Jack and his team had run into some trouble on a mission, and while Monica had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, she also knew that whatever it was Jack and the others did, it was top secret, and she didn't press. "When he wakes up, I want you to see if he'll eat, Sam. If he doesn't, then I want you to bring him to my office."
Carter nodded. If Jaffer wasn't eating, it was a sure sign something was wrong.
"And clean the blood off him, too. He looks awful."
"I will, Monica." Sam promised. "As soon as he wakes up."
It was a lot harder to get dried blood out of fur than it was to simply wash it off skin, which was why Jack was cleaned off, and Jaffer looked like he'd been rolling in the stuff.
"How about a cup of coffee?" Janet asked Monica. She had a feeling Sam wanted a little time alone with Jack, even though O'Neill probably wasn't going to wake up any time soon, and from the looks of it Jaffer wasn't, either.
The vet nodded, "Sounds good."
Fraiser turned to Sam. "If he wakes up, have them page me."
"I will."
The two doctors left the room, closing the door behind them, and Sam sat down on the edge of Jack's bed – on the opposite side that Jaffer was on. She rested her hand lightly on his cheek, wishing he'd wake up so she could tell him her good news, but knowing that it was probably better that he get the rest he needed.
She moved her hand from his cheek to Jaffer's head, which was resting heavily on Jack's thigh, but the black lab didn't acknowledge her touch, either. She would have told him, if he'd have woken up to listen.
"Doctor Fraiser says he is going to be fine."
Sam looked up, hardly surprised that Teal'c had managed to enter the room and walk over to the bed without her hearing him. He was far lighter on his feet than he looked. Jack was next to him, the yellow lab still damp from his recent bath. Sam could relate, since her hair was still wet from her shower.
"That's what she told me, too."
She leaned against Teal'c as he sat down on Jack's bed as well, but she didn't tell him her news. Jack was the one she wanted to tell first.
"Did you see Daniel?" She asked him.
"He's sleeping, as well."
Sam nodded. She'd go check on Daniel in a few minutes, just to see for herself that he was resting comfortably, but for now it was comforting to be near Jack, with Teal'c's solid presence close at hand. They'd come so close to disaster that day, and Sam was well aware that Dotty was all that had kept this morning from being the worst in her life.
Jack eyed the space left on the bed, and apparently decided there was enough room, because a moment later the yellow lab jumped up onto the bed, and flopped down on Jack, resting his head near Jaffer's. Sam smiled, thinking that Janet would probably have a fit if she saw that, but she didn't tell the lab to get down. There was no way he could be hurting Jack, since Jaffer had been on him like that, and Jaffer weighed a lot more than his brother did. Besides, she owed Jack far more than that, since the yellow lab had been just as effective as Jaffer had in breaking up the ambush.
He opened his eyes, and saw Dotty was with him once more.
"Dotty?"
Jack looked around him, trying to see who had been talking to him before. As promised, the voice hadn't left him when Dotty had. The deep, loving voice had been talking to him nonstop, reminding him that he needed to stay awake, and when he'd faltered and tried to fall asleep anyways, the voice was the only thing that had kept him awake. Dotty herself probably couldn't have brought him back, but the love and aching need that Jack felt intermingled with the masculine voice in his mind was more than even Jack could ignore. He'd responded, although it'd been the hardest thing he'd ever done.
"It's okay, Jack," Dotty told him, coming over and sitting down on the edge of his bed.
"Where is he?"
Dotty knew immediately who Jack was referring to, of course. She smiled down at him.
"He's resting, Jack. You can rest, too, now. It's all right."
Jack found that he wasn't as tired as he'd been before. Sleep sounded good, but he didn't have the overwhelming need to rest now that he'd had before.
"I can't... I have to find Sam."
"Why?"
"To apologize."
"It'll wait, Jack." Dotty's hand rested lightly on his chest, and he felt so tired suddenly that his eyes closed and all thoughts of getting up and finding Sam faded. "Rest, now. Talk to Sam later."
"But..." He trailed off, soothed by her gentle touch. There was something he needed to ask Dotty, but he couldn't remember what it was, and it wasn't long before he was asleep.
Dotty watched him sleep for a moment, and felt the presence that was always with Jack rouse itself.
"You should be resting," She said gently.
"I'm fine." The voice sounded tired, but satisfied.
She smiled. "You sound more and more like him every day."
"It's only natural, I suppose." The voice was tinged with humor, now. "I do spend a lot of time with him."
"You're doing so much better than anyone could have hoped."
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
"It's not flattery if it's the truth."
There was a mental shrug, and Dotty could feel the exhaustion in the other.
"Get some rest. I have things to go do."
"Thank you for coming."
"All you need do is call."
She felt him fall back to sleep, and waited a moment longer, enjoying a chance to be with him like this, and then sighed and left the two of them to their rest.
"I can't find anything wrong with him."
Sam heard Monica Ray's voice as she quietly entered Jack's room. The vet and Janet Fraiser were standing next to O'Neill's bed, but their focus wasn't on the sleeping Colonel, it was on the black lab that was sprawled next to him.
Jaffer's vet looked over at Sam when she entered the room and smiled.
"You okay?"
Sam nodded, echoing the smile. She felt great.
"What's wrong?"
"We're just trying to figure out why Jaffer here looks like a blanket."
"What did you find?"
"Aside from a lot of blood that isn't his, nothing."
"He had a busy morning, Monica. Maybe he's just tired?"
"Maybe." She didn't look all that convinced, but she'd given him as thorough an exam as she could with him cuddled so close to Jack – who looked like shit, Monica thought, although she didn't ask what had happened to him. Janet Fraiser had told her that Jack and his team had run into some trouble on a mission, and while Monica had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, she also knew that whatever it was Jack and the others did, it was top secret, and she didn't press. "When he wakes up, I want you to see if he'll eat, Sam. If he doesn't, then I want you to bring him to my office."
Carter nodded. If Jaffer wasn't eating, it was a sure sign something was wrong.
"And clean the blood off him, too. He looks awful."
"I will, Monica." Sam promised. "As soon as he wakes up."
It was a lot harder to get dried blood out of fur than it was to simply wash it off skin, which was why Jack was cleaned off, and Jaffer looked like he'd been rolling in the stuff.
"How about a cup of coffee?" Janet asked Monica. She had a feeling Sam wanted a little time alone with Jack, even though O'Neill probably wasn't going to wake up any time soon, and from the looks of it Jaffer wasn't, either.
The vet nodded, "Sounds good."
Fraiser turned to Sam. "If he wakes up, have them page me."
"I will."
The two doctors left the room, closing the door behind them, and Sam sat down on the edge of Jack's bed – on the opposite side that Jaffer was on. She rested her hand lightly on his cheek, wishing he'd wake up so she could tell him her good news, but knowing that it was probably better that he get the rest he needed.
She moved her hand from his cheek to Jaffer's head, which was resting heavily on Jack's thigh, but the black lab didn't acknowledge her touch, either. She would have told him, if he'd have woken up to listen.
"Doctor Fraiser says he is going to be fine."
Sam looked up, hardly surprised that Teal'c had managed to enter the room and walk over to the bed without her hearing him. He was far lighter on his feet than he looked. Jack was next to him, the yellow lab still damp from his recent bath. Sam could relate, since her hair was still wet from her shower.
"That's what she told me, too."
She leaned against Teal'c as he sat down on Jack's bed as well, but she didn't tell him her news. Jack was the one she wanted to tell first.
"Did you see Daniel?" She asked him.
"He's sleeping, as well."
Sam nodded. She'd go check on Daniel in a few minutes, just to see for herself that he was resting comfortably, but for now it was comforting to be near Jack, with Teal'c's solid presence close at hand. They'd come so close to disaster that day, and Sam was well aware that Dotty was all that had kept this morning from being the worst in her life.
Jack eyed the space left on the bed, and apparently decided there was enough room, because a moment later the yellow lab jumped up onto the bed, and flopped down on Jack, resting his head near Jaffer's. Sam smiled, thinking that Janet would probably have a fit if she saw that, but she didn't tell the lab to get down. There was no way he could be hurting Jack, since Jaffer had been on him like that, and Jaffer weighed a lot more than his brother did. Besides, she owed Jack far more than that, since the yellow lab had been just as effective as Jaffer had in breaking up the ambush.