Jack didn't even chance it. They didn't go to Mercy General to have Daniel taken care of. It wasn't as close as Providence hospital was – and besides, they didn't have Janet with them to make sure the doctors were doing their job right. They pulled into the emergency entrance and hauled Daniel in and turned him over to a very competent charge nurse, who took a quick look and came up with the same diagnosis that Jack had.

"It looks dislocated," she said, easing Daniel's coat off. "But we'll get it x-rayed to make sure that's all it is. You guys can wait out in the waiting room. We'll call if we need you."

Jack led Ian out to the waiting room and the two sat down. Now that he knew Daniel was in good hands, he could let Sam know what had happened and why they were running late. He would have called her on the way in – and Sally, too, for that matter – but his cell phone had ended up being as dead as Daniel's when he'd pulled it out of the glove box, and he hadn't thought to bring the adapter.

"I'm going to go call Sam," he said to the cadet as Ian sat down on one of the extremely uncomfortable waiting chairs.

"Make sure you tell her I had nothing to do with this."

"I'm going to tell her it was all your fault."

Ian smiled, and leaned back against the wall behind the chair as Jack left. He was beat. A combination of not sleeping the night before – much – and all the running around through the deep snow had pretty much wiped him out. Of course, there was absolutely no way he was going to drift off in a hospital waiting room. Who knew what he'd wake up missing? A kidney, probably... or a lung...

He forced himself up and headed for the pop machine he'd seen out in the hall, and could see Jack at the pay phone, talking to Sam, presumably. O'Neill looked over at him, and Ian gestured to the pop machine, clearly asking him if he wanted one. Jack shook his head, no, and gestured to the coffee dispenser next to the pop machine.

Ugh. Hospital coffee. There was no way Ian would drink that shit. But if that's what Jack wanted... He brought the steaming cup over and handed it to Jack a moment later.

"Thanks, Ian."

He nodded, not wanting to interrupt the phone conversation, and headed back into the waiting room, looking up to see what was playing on the TV.

Jack joined him a few minutes later.

"Sally's going to meet us at Daniel's place when we're done here."

"Cool. Did you talk to Sam?"

"Yup. And to Janet, who was ready to come charging down here to make sure Daniel was all right."

Ian smiled.

"What'd you tell her to stop her?"

"That she could do the same thing once we got him home."

"True enough."

OOOOOOO

"Sally's meeting me at my place?" Daniel asked as they got into the truck over an hour later. The hospital staff at Providence was good, but they were just as slow as anywhere else. It was already dark out by the time they were ready to load Daniel up and take him home. Of course, it had been after 4 by the time they'd managed to get him to the hospital, and it got dark early that time of year.

"She said she was, yes."

Jack rubbed Jaffer's ears – the lab wasn't allowed in the hospital and had been forced to wait out in the truck, although Jack had come out once to take him for a quick potty break while they'd been waiting on Daniel.

"What about her tree?"

"We'll get it later."

Daniel leaned back into the seat, and closed his eyes. He was beat, and despite the fact that the doctor had given him a shot of a painkiller – and another that was a muscle relaxer – his shoulder was throbbing. But it was back in place, and Jack had been proven right when the doctor told him it was a lot safer to put a dislocated shoulder back into place with the help of the medication – which would relax the muscles and avoid tears which would take longer to heal. As it was, Daniel would be in a sling for a week or so – more if Janet said so.

"Don't fall asleep," Jack warned him as they pulled out of the parking lot. "You're a little big to be carried up to your room."

"I'm not going to fall asleep."

He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

OOOOOOOOO

Between Jack and Ian – and a somewhat awake Daniel – they managed to get him out of the truck and up to his apartment. Sally and Janet were both there waiting for them, and the two women took charge of the injured archeologist, putting him on the couch and covering him warmly. Then Janet took a look at Jack's nose – which the nurses at the hospital hadn't even checked – while Ian took a look around Daniel's place, fascinated.

It was like a little museum. There were all sorts of odds and ends – most of it made out of rocks and old-looking metals – although there were a lot of books lining a bookcase that covered an entire wall, and Ian was surprised to see there were several written by Daniel.

"You're a writer, Daniel?"

Since Daniel was already asleep again, he didn't answer, but Sally came over to stand by him.

"He's written a few," she confirmed.

"None of them are interesting, though." Jack said, from the stool he was sitting on while Janet ran her fingers over the bridge of his nose, checking for a break through the slight swelling. Jack knew it wasn't broken, but it was easier to just sit still than to tell her he was fine and argue. "They're all about archeology – not a shoot 'em up Western in the bunch."

Ian grinned, and flipped though one. Sure enough; there were all sorts of pictures from various digs – who knew where?

"He wouldn't care if you borrowed one – or two," Sally said, handing a couple over.

"You don't think so?"

She shook her head.

Ian smiled, and tucked them under his arm – it'd be something to read while he tried to stay awake that night.

"Thanks. Tell him I'll bring them back before the holiday ends."

She nodded.

"Well, you're fine, Colonel," Janet was saying as Ian walked over. "It's a little late to try and keep the swelling down with ice, but if it hurts then ice it for the pain."

"Got it." Jack looked over at Ian. "We'd better get home. Sam's been waiting on us before making dinner."

"We could just stop and get something," Ian suggested as Jack put his coat on. "That way she doesn't have to cook – and doesn't have to worry about you burning her kitchen down."

Sally laughed.

"He knows you so well, Jack."