It was nearly an hour and a half later when Jaffer gave Sam warning that Jack was home. They'd all been gathered in the living room watching the last of the parade and chatting about how good the house smelled what with all the baking, and the turkey starting to cook when Jaffer headed for the door, his tail wagging furiously.

"What's with him?" Daniel asked Sam.

"Jack's home," Sam said, getting off the couch and heading for the door as well.

Before she reached it, the door opened, and Jack, Janet and Ian walked in. Jack was swamped by Jaffer's greeting, but Janet and Ian managed to get past the two and Sam noticed immediately that Janet looked annoyed – and Ian looked a little glassy-eyed.

"How is he?" Sam asked Janet, knowing that Ian probably wasn't up to answering – besides, this way she could find out what was annoying the doctor.

"Fourteen stitches," Jack said, slapping Jaffer's side a final time and sending the lab back into the living room with a gesture.

"Wow." She looked at Janet. "What's wrong with you?"

"Apparently all the competent doctors at Mercy General are off today." Fraiser said, taking Ian's arm and pulling the cadet into the living room and pushing him down onto the couch beside Sally, who saw a perfect line of stitches almost hidden by the dark hair.

"They look pretty straight," she commented.

"Janet put them in," Jack said, smiling slightly at Fraiser's annoyance. "They had a handful of intern doctors and one attending, and the attending was swamped with more serious injuries and left poor Ian to the mercies of a –"

"Completely incompetent ignoramus," Janet finished. "First she gave him a local – without asking him if he was allergic to anything – and then she gave him a dose of Codeine without taking a history."

Since Sam had no idea what was wrong with that, she didn't say anything, but it didn't matter, because Fraiser wasn't finished.

"And then she was going to shave the entire side of his head to put the stitches in – because she said she couldn't see the wound to stitch it."

"So you took over?"

Janet nodded, still looking annoyed, but the hand that brushed Ian's forehead was gentle. The cadet leaned back to look at her, but Sam could tell he wasn't quite all there.

"Is he okay?"

"He's overmedicated," Janet said. "Apparently he didn't have much of a breakfast – which would have come out if she'd have followed the proper procedure and taken a history – and she gave him way too much for painkillers."

"Should he be here?" Sam asked, worried. She slid her hand along Ian's cheek, and the cadet smiled and closed his eyes, obviously enjoying the attention – which told Sam he definitely wasn't himself, because she knew he'd have been annoyed if he'd been feeling better.

"Better here where I can keep an eye on him," Fraiser said, scowling. It was pretty apparent that Janet was going to have words with the senior staff at that hospital when they came back from their holiday. And for good reason, Sam decided.

"Does he need anything?"

She shook her head.

"He's fine, Sam. It'll wear off in a few hours – maybe sooner. I'd say you should feed him, but I'm not sure if he'd be able to hold anything down, so-"

"I could eat," Ian told them, opening his eyes.

"You sure?" Janet asked.

"Sure."

Sam looked at Janet, who shrugged.

"I'll make him a sandwich," Sam said, taking that as a yes.

"I can make it," Ian said, putting his hand down to push himself off the couch.

"I'll do it," Sam said, putting her hand on his shoulder to hold him down. The last thing she wanted was a doped up Ian in her kitchen. He got into enough trouble when he was at his best – and now he definitely wasn't.

"I got it," Jack said, heading for the kitchen with Jaffer right behind him. Daniel followed him – as did Teal'c.

They watched as Jack put together a quick ham and cheese sandwich.

"You guys shoveled the walk?" Jack asked. The driveway and the sidewalk had both been shoveled when he'd pulled in.

"Yeah," Daniel told him, leaning against the counter, stealing a slice of cheddar. "It didn't take long."

"Thanks."

He shrugged to tell him it was no big deal, and Jack put the sandwich on a saucer and took it back to the living room.

"Never mind," Sam told him, taking the sandwich from him. "He's asleep."

Jack took a quick look, saw that Ian had, indeed, fallen asleep – leaning against Sally, who was smiling to find herself in such a position when she didn't even know the guy – and looked at Janet to make sure she wasn't worried. When he saw that she only looked amused, Jack took the sandwich back from Sam, figuring he'd eat it himself.

"How long is he going to sleep?" He asked.

"Anxious to whack him again?" Sally asked him.

"Smart ass."

Cassie smiled – wishing she'd been seated on the couch. She wouldn't have minded cuddling Ian while he slept.

Janet shrugged.

"It depends on him, Jack. We'll put him to bed so he's out of the way, and when he wakes up he can come join us."

"Teal'c?"

The Jaffa stepped forward and easily scooped the cadet up into his strong arms, and followed Sam to Ian's room. Daniel took the vacated spot next to Sally and looked at Jack.

"You going to share that sandwich?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I shoveled your driveway..."

"I didn't tell you to..."

"Sally did."

Jack smiled at Sally, who had rested her hand lightly on Daniel's thigh.

"Tell him that my deck needs shoveled, too."

Cassie snickered.