It was Jaffer who woke first. Sam was sitting by herself next to Jack, her hand gently caressing his cheek as she watched him sleep when she suddenly saw the black lab's brown eyes open slowly. He raised his head, and Sam watched as he looked around, first at Jack, who was still sleeping soundly, then up at Sam.
"Hey, little man," Sam whispered softly, smiling in relief to see him awake.
The lab's tail thumped lightly against the blanket as he greeted her with a silent hello, and Sam reached down and ran her hand along his jowls, feeling the stiff blood-encrusted fur there. She smiled again when he turned his head and licked her fingers, tiredly.
"How do you feel?" She murmured, completely unconcerned that the same mouth that was so close to her vulnerable fingers had ripped out a man's throat and had threatened a lot of medical personnel. Sam trusted Jaffer completely.
"You need a bath, mister."
He snorted.
Sam smiled.
"Was that a yes? Or a no?"
Jaffer laid his head back down, this time it was in the vicinity of Jack's bare stomach, and he closed his eyes once more – although his tail continued to wag idly.
"Okay. No bath, yet," Sam conceded. "We'll wait until Jack wakes up, and he can give you one himself." Of course, there was no way she'd make Jack do that, but it was fun to say, anyways, and Sam felt a lot of her worry fading. Jaffer was awake, and seemed to be fine – as far as she could tell. It was only a matter of time until Jack woke as well.
"Can I tell you a secret, Jaffer?" Sam whispered, shifting on the bed until she was stretched out with her head resting lightly on Jack's belly as well, her nose only inches from Jaffer's.
The black lab opened his eyes, again, watching her. Carter took it as a yes, and inched even closer, smiling.
"I can have a baby." She whispered.
Jaffer's tongue lashed out before Sam had a chance to dodge it, and it was devastating. She moved back a little, but the damage was done and she was covered with slobber in an instant.
"Gah... that's cheating."
Jaffer's cheerful eyes looked back at her, completely unrepentant. Yeah, he cheated a lot. He'd learned from the best, after all, when it came to getting the upper hand anyway possible.
"Daniel..."
Both of them turned at the sound of Jack's voice. His eyes were closed, and his face was pinched with pain and worry. Sam wasn't sure if he was awake or not. She reached over and took his hand.
"Jack?"
His grip tightened on her hand, but his eyes didn't open, and he didn't react to her voice beyond the tightening of his grip.
"Daniel!" He sat up so quickly that Sam was actually knocked off the bed. She tumbled to the floor in a heap, her hand releasing his, but his still clutching tightly to hers. He was pulled sideways by her fall and toppled off the bed as well, landing on her upturned knee.
That woke him up, completely and immediately.
"Youch!"
He rolled off her, clutching at his chest, which was bandaged but had very little else to protect the wound from being aggravated. Luckily, Dotty had healed him enough that even the hard landing hadn't reopened the injury, and he sat up, scowling as he rubbed his chest and looked around. Sam was sprawled on the floor next to him, and Jaffer was looking over the edge of the bed at him.
"Carter?" He winced, and closed his eyes for a second.
"Are you all right?" Sam asked, concerned.
"What happened? Where's Daniel?" Last he'd seen, Daniel had been knocked back by a blast from a staff weapon. A staff weapon held by a Jaffa. He opened his eyes, realizing they'd been ambushed, and he couldn't remember coming back to the SGC, which is where he was as far as he could tell. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, standing up and carefully helping him get back onto the bed, where he sat gratefully, reaching his free hand out to Jaffer, idly. He felt the difference in the black lab's coat immediately, of course. Only dead would Jack have missed such an obvious stiffness in what was usually a glossy, silky hide. He looked from Sam over to Jaffer, and frowned in concern.
"Blood?"
"It's not his," Sam reassured him, quickly. "Things got a little... hairy... and Jaffer ended up ripping the throat out of one of the attackers. We just- "
"You did that?" Jack turned to Jaffer once more, his hand resting on the lab's head. "Killed him?" He asked Sam.
She nodded.
"That's my boy!"
Sam decided not to comment on that, but Jack was already turning from Jaffer – even though his hands were running along the big lab's body, looking for injuries, as he was prone to do whenever he thought there might be a hurt on his baby.
"Daniel's okay?"
"He was hit in the leg..." Sam said, sitting down on the other side of Jack. "But he's going to be fine."
"Was it serious?" Jack had finished his chest of Jaffer, and was absently rubbing his chest once more. It seemed to him that he remembered things being... bad... he just couldn't get hold of the elusive memory.
"It was." Sam told him. "It's not, anymore."
"What does that mean, Sam?"
"You were... hurt, seriously, Jack," Carter said, unable to hide the agony in her voice at the remembrance of how it felt to be told he was dying. "Daniel was, too."
"But I'm okay?"
He looked down at himself, and saw the bandage on his chest, but he certainly didn't feel like he'd been hurt all that seriously. If anything, landing on Sam had hurt far worse than anything else.
"Dotty came and healed you – like she did that time you and Jaffer took on that assassin."
"And Daniel?"
Sam nodded.
"She healed him, too."
"I need to see him." He had to make sure he was okay.
"He's sleeping. Janet gave him an injection to make him sleep."
"I need to see him, Sam."
Jack was already getting to his feet, swaying as he tried to gain his equilibrium. He reached for her, and she held his hand tightly, giving him the support he needed. It was obvious to her that he was going to go, one way or the other. Sam stood up as well, and put his arm over her shoulder.
"Only for a minute, though, okay?"
He nodded, and Jaffer hopped off the bed, and stumbled as he landed. Obviously, the black lab was still feeling a bit of a side affect from his own exhausted state. Jack frowned.
"What was that?"
Jaffer wagged his tail, apologetically. He was fine!
"Monica said to feed him when he woke up."
"Have you?"
"He just woke up a minute before you did. I haven't had a chance."
"That'll be the next stop."
It was reassuring that Monica had been to see Jaffer. Jack could believe there was nothing wrong with him if his vet had cleared him, although he didn't like to see his baby coated with blood – no matter how he got it all over him. A bath was definitely in order. But first things first.
"Where's Daniel?"
"Hey, little man," Sam whispered softly, smiling in relief to see him awake.
The lab's tail thumped lightly against the blanket as he greeted her with a silent hello, and Sam reached down and ran her hand along his jowls, feeling the stiff blood-encrusted fur there. She smiled again when he turned his head and licked her fingers, tiredly.
"How do you feel?" She murmured, completely unconcerned that the same mouth that was so close to her vulnerable fingers had ripped out a man's throat and had threatened a lot of medical personnel. Sam trusted Jaffer completely.
"You need a bath, mister."
He snorted.
Sam smiled.
"Was that a yes? Or a no?"
Jaffer laid his head back down, this time it was in the vicinity of Jack's bare stomach, and he closed his eyes once more – although his tail continued to wag idly.
"Okay. No bath, yet," Sam conceded. "We'll wait until Jack wakes up, and he can give you one himself." Of course, there was no way she'd make Jack do that, but it was fun to say, anyways, and Sam felt a lot of her worry fading. Jaffer was awake, and seemed to be fine – as far as she could tell. It was only a matter of time until Jack woke as well.
"Can I tell you a secret, Jaffer?" Sam whispered, shifting on the bed until she was stretched out with her head resting lightly on Jack's belly as well, her nose only inches from Jaffer's.
The black lab opened his eyes, again, watching her. Carter took it as a yes, and inched even closer, smiling.
"I can have a baby." She whispered.
Jaffer's tongue lashed out before Sam had a chance to dodge it, and it was devastating. She moved back a little, but the damage was done and she was covered with slobber in an instant.
"Gah... that's cheating."
Jaffer's cheerful eyes looked back at her, completely unrepentant. Yeah, he cheated a lot. He'd learned from the best, after all, when it came to getting the upper hand anyway possible.
"Daniel..."
Both of them turned at the sound of Jack's voice. His eyes were closed, and his face was pinched with pain and worry. Sam wasn't sure if he was awake or not. She reached over and took his hand.
"Jack?"
His grip tightened on her hand, but his eyes didn't open, and he didn't react to her voice beyond the tightening of his grip.
"Daniel!" He sat up so quickly that Sam was actually knocked off the bed. She tumbled to the floor in a heap, her hand releasing his, but his still clutching tightly to hers. He was pulled sideways by her fall and toppled off the bed as well, landing on her upturned knee.
That woke him up, completely and immediately.
"Youch!"
He rolled off her, clutching at his chest, which was bandaged but had very little else to protect the wound from being aggravated. Luckily, Dotty had healed him enough that even the hard landing hadn't reopened the injury, and he sat up, scowling as he rubbed his chest and looked around. Sam was sprawled on the floor next to him, and Jaffer was looking over the edge of the bed at him.
"Carter?" He winced, and closed his eyes for a second.
"Are you all right?" Sam asked, concerned.
"What happened? Where's Daniel?" Last he'd seen, Daniel had been knocked back by a blast from a staff weapon. A staff weapon held by a Jaffa. He opened his eyes, realizing they'd been ambushed, and he couldn't remember coming back to the SGC, which is where he was as far as he could tell. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, standing up and carefully helping him get back onto the bed, where he sat gratefully, reaching his free hand out to Jaffer, idly. He felt the difference in the black lab's coat immediately, of course. Only dead would Jack have missed such an obvious stiffness in what was usually a glossy, silky hide. He looked from Sam over to Jaffer, and frowned in concern.
"Blood?"
"It's not his," Sam reassured him, quickly. "Things got a little... hairy... and Jaffer ended up ripping the throat out of one of the attackers. We just- "
"You did that?" Jack turned to Jaffer once more, his hand resting on the lab's head. "Killed him?" He asked Sam.
She nodded.
"That's my boy!"
Sam decided not to comment on that, but Jack was already turning from Jaffer – even though his hands were running along the big lab's body, looking for injuries, as he was prone to do whenever he thought there might be a hurt on his baby.
"Daniel's okay?"
"He was hit in the leg..." Sam said, sitting down on the other side of Jack. "But he's going to be fine."
"Was it serious?" Jack had finished his chest of Jaffer, and was absently rubbing his chest once more. It seemed to him that he remembered things being... bad... he just couldn't get hold of the elusive memory.
"It was." Sam told him. "It's not, anymore."
"What does that mean, Sam?"
"You were... hurt, seriously, Jack," Carter said, unable to hide the agony in her voice at the remembrance of how it felt to be told he was dying. "Daniel was, too."
"But I'm okay?"
He looked down at himself, and saw the bandage on his chest, but he certainly didn't feel like he'd been hurt all that seriously. If anything, landing on Sam had hurt far worse than anything else.
"Dotty came and healed you – like she did that time you and Jaffer took on that assassin."
"And Daniel?"
Sam nodded.
"She healed him, too."
"I need to see him." He had to make sure he was okay.
"He's sleeping. Janet gave him an injection to make him sleep."
"I need to see him, Sam."
Jack was already getting to his feet, swaying as he tried to gain his equilibrium. He reached for her, and she held his hand tightly, giving him the support he needed. It was obvious to her that he was going to go, one way or the other. Sam stood up as well, and put his arm over her shoulder.
"Only for a minute, though, okay?"
He nodded, and Jaffer hopped off the bed, and stumbled as he landed. Obviously, the black lab was still feeling a bit of a side affect from his own exhausted state. Jack frowned.
"What was that?"
Jaffer wagged his tail, apologetically. He was fine!
"Monica said to feed him when he woke up."
"Have you?"
"He just woke up a minute before you did. I haven't had a chance."
"That'll be the next stop."
It was reassuring that Monica had been to see Jaffer. Jack could believe there was nothing wrong with him if his vet had cleared him, although he didn't like to see his baby coated with blood – no matter how he got it all over him. A bath was definitely in order. But first things first.
"Where's Daniel?"