Chapter 19 - Acting One's Age
"Sam! Come on, everyone will be there already!" Jack yelled impatiently up the stairs. It was 1750 hours and they were supposed to meeting Daniel, Teal'c, Janet and Cassie for dinner at O'Malleys at 1800 hours. The drive alone was 15 minutes, if they didn't get a move on, it would be later than that. He'd never have put Sam as they type of woman who would always be late for an evening out. Of course, she wasn't exactly a woman right now, was she?
Sam appeared in the living room, looking slightly out of breath and more than a little annoyed. "You don't have to yell you know. I was on my way down. It's not exactly easy to get changed with one arm in a sling."
"I did offer to help, if you'll recall," he reminded her, taking in the outfit she was wearing. She wore the jean skirt and blouse she had purchased at the mall the previous day. The skirt was slightly askew and the shirt didn't look quite right. Upon closer inspection, Jack could see that the bottom two buttons were not done up yet. In fact, she had missed one buttonhole completely. Sam frowned in concentration as she tried to maneuver the small buttons into the equally small holes and tried to fix the mismatch of buttons to holes.
"I know, but I've been dressing myself for over 30 years now. Hopefully I won't need help again with this particular task for at least 50 more years," she responded to his pervious statement. "Damn! Why do they have to make these button holes so small?"
Jack worked hard to keep his smile to himself. "Sam, will you please let me help you? We're going to be late and you know how Daniel rubs it in when I'm late."
"Fine," she sighed, tired of fighting with the buttons. She refused to look at him as he came over and squatted in front of her to button the two remaining buttons. This was so embarrassing! At least she had been spared the experience of Jack helping her with her bath earlier. He had helped he wrap her cast in a plastic bag and tie it tightly. She had been able to get herself undressed and washed with no assistance, although it had taken her quite a bit longer than usual. Sam was extremely grateful that her cast only went halfway up her lower arm; it allowed her to move her arm back and forth freely at the elbow. She had contemplated leaving the sling off tonight; she didn't feel as if she needed it. However, she was sure Jack would say something about it and, if not him, Janet surely would. So she put it back on after she got dressed.
"There, all done," Jack said as he tugged her skirt into place and stood up. "You look very nice tonight Sam. Is that a new outfit?"
"Yep, Cassie and I bought it together. And you paid for it!" Sam replied smugly as she moved toward the door. As he stared after her, she added, "Come on Sir, we don't want to be late!"
Jack grabbed his keys and quickly caught up to her, mumbling something under his breath about 'women'.
Everyone was already seated at a large booth in O'Malley's when Sam and Jack arrived. Sam slid in next to Cassie and Jack sat across from her, next to Janet. Teal'c and Daniel occupied the other spots next to the Frasiers. After greetings all around and concerned questions about her health from Janet, the waiter came to take their drink orders. "And what can I get for you young lady?" he directed to Sam.
Sam, who was engrossed in a conversation with Cassie, absently replied, "I'll take a glass of White Zinfandel please." At her announcement, talk at the table ceased and all eyes turned toward her. Feeling their gazes upon her, Sam looked around the table. "What?"
Jack looked pointedly at her, "I think you'd better reorder your drink Sam." He raised his eyebrows at her, then looked toward the waiter.
Sam flushed slightly, finally realizing what she had said. "Oh, sorry. I'll just have a diet coke please." She gave the waiter her brightest smile, hoping the adorable look would erase the previous aberration. It worked as he smiled back at her.
Janet chose that moment to interrupt. "Sam, honey, you know you shouldn't be having caffeine this late at night." She looked apologetically at her friend.
"A kiddie cocktail perhaps," Jack grinned at her.
"Hardly," she huffily replied.
The waiter, wanting to diffuse what could become an uncomfortable situation, offered, "We serve raspberry lemonade. Perhaps you would like to try that this evening, miss?"
Sam smiled gratefully at him, "That sounds perfect. Thank you so much." He nodded at her polite answer and went to get their drinks.
Cassie leaned toward Sam and said in a loud whisper, "He is so cute isn't he?"
"Yeah, I'm definitely returning to O'Malley's once I'm back to normal!" Sam giggled with Cassie. She had felt her mood lift as soon as they arrived. In fact, she was so glad to be with all of her friends in a setting that wasn't the infirmary that she was feeling excited and restless at the same time.
"Isn't he a little young for you Carter?" Jack put in. He was slightly scowling at her last comment. Everyone looked at him and burst into laughter.
"I don't know if I should be offended by that or not!" Sam replied with a smile. She bounced a bit in her seat, then shifted to her knees so that she could see all the way around the table more comfortably. She began to tell the others about their day, switching rapidly between telling them about the visit from Brain and Chris to working on Jack's computer and other things they had done in the afternoon. She also questioned Daniel and Teal'c on what they had accomplished today.
Daniel looked quizzically at Janet, wondering why Sam was so bouncy and talkative. Yes, she did talk a lot, especially when she was engaged in a scientific topic, but she wasn't usually quite this fidgety! Janet just shrugged her shoulders in response and continued to keep a close eye on Sam.
After the waiter had taken their orders, (Sam had declined his offer to order from the children's menu) Sam turned to Cassie. "Come on Cass, let's go and play some music on the jukebox. Anybody got any quarters?" She kneeled up straight in her chair and held her hand out, her eyebrows raised in question and a slight smile on her face.
Jack shook his head at her but handed her a few quarters nonetheless. Daniel also placed some coins into her outstretched hand. Sam smiled her thanks and jumped down from her chair, practically skipping down the stairs to the recreational area below. Cassie followed more sedately in her wake, looking back at the adults with a puzzled look on her face.
Daniel turned to Jack. "Jack, what's going on with Sam? She's practically bouncing out of her seat!"
Jack just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe she's just glad to see all of you. I for one am glad she's not moping. She was upset before we left; couldn't get her buttons done up right."
Janet watched the girls below as they plugged the Jukebox with quarters and Sam began to sing, slightly off key, to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. She turned back to Jack with a frown. "What exactly did Sam have to eat this afternoon Colonel? Did she happen to have any caffeine or sugar?"
Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, we both had a Mountain Dew this afternoon. We were hot after being outside," he explained. "Then we finished off the ice cream. Oh, and my neighbor brought some cookies by to thank me for helping her out with some yard work last week. I had a few of those; I don't remember how many Sam had. Why do you ask?"
Janet shook her head and cradled it in her hands. "Do you realize how much sugar and caffeine that is? Sam is on a sugar high, that's why she's acting so squirrelly! Kids can't handle all that sugar, it affects their body chemistry. It's not all that great for adults either," she looked pointedly at him.
Jack just shrugged his shoulders. "I feel fine. Fit as a fiddle!" he stated proudly. "Carter's just a little exuberant. It's good to finally see her loosen up a bit," he protested.
"I believe Major Carter is feeling very loose O'Neill." Teal'c nodded his head to the level just below them. Sam had removed her sling and was currently racking up a set of pool balls, all the while trying to convince Cassie to give the game a try. "Should not one of us go down there and watch over these proceedings O'Neill? The gentlemen playing at the adjoining table are giving Major Carter and Cassandra rather disconcerting looks."
"Yeah, I suppose so T. Why don't you go down there, no one will try anything with you standing guard," Jack replied. He still didn't see what the big deal was; it wasn't as if Carter could hurt anyone! She probably couldn't even play with her arm in the cast like that. She'd lose interest soon enough.
Teal'c nodded to the three of them, then made his way down to the pool players.
"You really think it's wise to let Sam play pool Jack? Remember what happened last time she played pool here with us?" Daniel asked.
"If I recall Danny, it was you who started the ruckus, not Sam. She'll be fine. If not, Teal'c will take care of things." Jack had all the confidence in the world in Teal'c and wasn't about to let this ruin their evening. Janet just shook her once again and watched as Sam and her daughter began their game.
Sam had to stand on her tiptoes for most of her shots but her cast didn't deter her at all from playing the game she so loved. She was able to comfortably prop the stick on her cast between her thumb and her first finger and take a good shot. On a few of her shots, she had to pull a chair over to stand on, but most of the time she was fine on her feet. She was aware of Teal'c's presence against the wall. She supposed they were concerned some of the men might get upset about a kid playing pool down here but, so far, no one bothered them. In fact, a small crowd was steadily gathering around the table Cassie and she were playing at.
Sam made a particularly difficult shot and turned to grin at Cassie, surprised by the claps that followed the shot. She smiled in slight embarrassment as she hopped down from her chair. A young man, slightly arrogant in his manner, stepped forward and stated loudly, "How did you do that? You playing some kinda tricks here, girly?"
Teal'c stepped away from the wall at the tone emanating from this man. Sam waved him off, then turned back to the dark haired man. "No tricks mister. I just play well. Wanna try your luck?"
The man snorted, looked at her cast, and laid down a ten. "Got any greenbacks to back your claim, missy?"
Sam turned to Cassie, who dug into her pocket and handed over a ten dollar bill with a smile. She had all the confidence in the world in Sam's abilities; even if she was small! Sam slapped the ten on the table and said, "Rack 'em up!"
One of the guy's friends stepped forward, "Come on Joe, you're not going to take money from a baby. Let's get back to our own game."
Joe shrugged off the arm that was trying to lead him away from the table. "No way man. This little girl needs to be taught a lesson. She shouldn't be playing a man's game and trying to trick good honest folk. Come on, missy, you go first," he said with a bow, looking for all the world as if he were doing her a great favor.
Sam happily obliged, beginning the game by sending two solids into the lower two corners. As the crowd around the game increased, Teal'c moved closer, ever conscious of Sam's presence. From up above, Daniel spoke to Jack. "Uh... Jack, don't you think we should..."
Jack, who had been growing a bit wary at the proceedings himself, quickly got to his feet. "Yeah Danny, we should. Sometimes Sam needs more that one body guard, especially right now! We'll let her finish her game, then she comes back up here with us." He couldn't belive that she was able to play so well in her current state, and with a cast on to boot! She never ceased to amaze him.
The two men made their way down to the game, Janet following on their heels. Sam was giving the guy, Joe, a run for his money. Actually, she was easily beating him. She had two more balls to drop to his five. On her next turn, she split the pair with the cue ball, each ball sinking effortlessly into pockets on opposite sides of the table. The crowd roared its approval as Sam took the money with a smile.
"Double or nothing?" she asked, an impish grin on her face.
Joe scowled at her, upset over being beaten by a kid, and a girl with a cast on at that,. He'd never hear the end of this! He stepped forward and said in a soft, dangerous tone, "What's your game kid? Who put you up to this?"
"No one. I just like to play pool, that's all."
When he had stepped forward, Teal'c, Jack and Daniel had closed ranks behind Sam rather quickly. Joe got the point and took a few steps back. "Well, you were just lucky tonight. Next time you might not be so lucky." He turned around and stalked back to the bar area, but not before he heard, "I don't need luck mister. I've got skill."
"Sam!" Daniel whispered loudly behind her. "Don't antagonize the guy!"
Sam just shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her friends. "I'm just telling him the truth!"
A tall thin blond man made his way over to Sam. "Hey, you up for another game young lady? I'd like to try my luck!"
Jack stepped in front of Sam. "Sorry, her pool playing is over for now. Come on Sam, dinner's about to be served."
Sam peered around Jack to look at the young man, "Sorry, maybe later though!" She gave him a smile and turned to follow the others back to their table. Jack kept his hand on her shoulder as he directed her up the stairs and into her seat. He didn't want to run the risk of her deciding to go back to the tables.
Sam hopped into her seat with a grin. "God, that was fun! Do you realize how much money I could make playing pool like this?" She held her arms out and looked down at her small frame.
"Somehow I don't see you as the pool shark type, Sam," Daniel stated. He had, however, enjoyed watching her beat that smarmy young man and wouldn't mind watching her play again. He didn't think he should encourage it though, none of them did. No telling what could happen!
Jack leaned close to Janet and asked her quietly, "Just how long does a sugar high last? And what's going to happen when she comes down?"
Janet turned to him, glad he was finally taking her seriously. "She'll probably be jittery the rest of the evening. When she comes down, she'll be tired and crabby. I went through this an awful lot when Cassie was young and went to birthday parties. You'll survive; just get her to bed as soon as you can tonight. And ignore any outbursts that may occur; you'll just make things worse if you overreact to them."
"Great, just great," Jack mumbled under his breath. "Maybe you should take her home tonight?" he asked hopefully.
Janet chuckled at him, "No way Colonel. You got her into this, you'll see her through it!"
Jack scowled at her, then looked over at Sam who was watching him intently. "What was that all about?" she asked with a frown.
"Nothing Sam, nothing at all. Oh look, here comes our dinner!" he stated rather too loudly. "I'm famished!"
Sam narrowed her eyes at him but let it drop for the moment. When the waiter set her plate in front of her with an "And here you are princess," she smiled at him and tucked into her meal. Playing pool sure built up an appetite!
Halfway through the meal, as Sam bit into her burger, she let out a startled yelp, dropped her burger, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. All eyes turned toward her, concern evident from the expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong Sam? Are you all right?" Janet asked in her Doctor's voice.
Sam just looked at her with wide eyes, still covering her mouth as she tried to finish chewing before answering.
"Did you bite you tongue or something?" Jack asked in confusion. She was acting rather strange. Well, she had been acting strange all night but somehow he didn't think this had anything to do with her so-called sugar high.
Sam shook her head, then looked down at her plate as her tongue moved around in her mouth. When she looked back at them, she had the weirdest expression on her face. "I think...I think I have a loose tooth!" she stated in complete shock
A/N: I just couldn't help ending it here! For those of you who may have doubts about the ability of Sam to play pool with a cast on, I assure you, as a teacher of 7 and 8 year olds, I have seen them do many amazing things with a cast on. Children are extremely adaptable and heal quickly! I have also seen my share of children on a sugar high and couldn't help but give Sam one! Thanks so much for the reviews from the previous chapter...I had been worrying that people were losing interest and that maybe I was going on too long! I think I have one more rather light-hearted chapter to go. We have to see what happens with this tooth you know!!