They broke up the briefing then, because now that he had all the information he needed, Nate was determined to check on Ian – especially once he'd heard about his son being shot at. Hammond, too, had heard enough – at least for the moment. He had enough to tell the President, anyways, and that was his next move, knowing that President Hayes would be waiting for his call. He wasn't sure what Hayes would do when he heard about this whole mess originating with Kinsey, but that wasn't Hammond's call, so he didn't have to worry about that. He'd just present the facts as he'd been given them – along with passing on the information that two more people were in on the secret of the SGC – luckily they were two that were already more or less in the Military loop, so they could be counted on to hold onto the information.

Jack and Sam walked with Nathan down towards the infirmary, while Daniel excused himself to go home. His only real reason for being there had been concern for the boys, and since they were all okay, he was going to go finish the weekend he'd planned out with Sally. Teal'c excused himself as well, but only because he didn't have any real need to accompany the small group to the infirmary. He knew that if something happened and the health of the three cadets changed he would hear about it, even though there wouldn't be anything he'd be able to do to help.

"Shawn's all right, huh?" Nate asked as they headed for the elevator, Jaffer leading them as if he knew where they were going.

Jack nodded.

"Fraiser's going to keep River here overnight, so even though Shawn's healthy enough to go back to the academy, I'm not going to send him back until River's ready to go too."

"I don't blame you," Nathan agreed. "You're keeping him here?"

"I thought about taking him home, but I think he'll be just as well off here, so I'll let him decide. Or Fraiser – in case she decides she wants to keep an eye on him overnight."

Jack was always willing to listen to Janet when it came to the health of those around him. Just not so much when it came to his own.

"And Ian?"

"He was sleeping when I saw him last," Jack said, once more hedging.

"He's had a long week," Sam said, smiling at Nate. It wasn't a lie, after all, and it might make him worry less when he saw Ian sleeping so soundly. "I think he was glad to take advantage of the lull to get a chance to catch some extra sleep."

Nate nodded, seeing the reasoning behind that. He'd learned a long time ago that it was smart to get sleep when you could – especially in his line of work – and was proud that Ian hadn't needed anywhere near as long to learn that lesson.

They entered the infirmary a few minutes later, and found River's curtain wide open and the cadet sitting up in his bed, working his way through a large dinner, while Shawn sat on the edge of his bed, his arm still in its sling. Both looked up when Jack, Sam and Nate walked in, and Nate walked over to stand by the bed, looking down at both of them.

"How are you guys?" He asked.

It really was hard to believe sometimes that Nate was Ian's dad. Ian was so slight and dark, while Nathan was large and blonde, Shawn decided he looked more like River, who was just as blonde and not as large, but still bigger than Ian.

"I'm fine, General Brooks," Shawn said, holding his arm up to show that he really didn't even need the sling but was simply wearing it because Doctor Fraiser had told him he had to. "River's the one who tried to take up flying – without the plane."

Nate smiled at that, and the smile grew just a little broader when he saw River blushing. Another difference between father and son; Nate was far easier to talk to, even when you didn't know him all that well. He was just as imposing, just not as aloof. Ian, of course, would rather chew his arm off than make small talk.

"I couldn't see any reason to let the bastards take me wherever they were going," River said, shrugging. "Better to go through the windshield than end up in some warehouse or something."

"And from what I hear, you took them down with you," Nate said, nodding approvingly. He liked that attitude, and had decided the first time he'd met him that River Hayden was a good prospect for the Air Force. He'd make a good officer some day, as far as Nate was concerned, and the retired general was one of the best when it came to spotting the potential in a raw recruit. "Good job."

River's blush deepened, and he covered it by taking a long drink of his water. He'd normally take the compliments far better, but he was nursing something of a hangover from the medication he'd been on, and Shawn had been telling him of some of the things he'd said while he'd been doped up. And he had a feeling his roommate was leaving some other things out, judging from the amused smiles that pretty much every doctor and nurse in the room was throwing his direction.

"Thank you, Sir."

Nate nodded, and turned to Jack.

"Where's Ian?"

"Over here," Sam said, leading him over towards the curtained area at the end of the room. Not only would she leave Jack free to talk to Shawn and make sure he was alright – again – but she could check on Jake.

Nate moved the curtain out of the way, and Sam saw that neither Ian or Jacob had moved a bit in the hour or so that she'd been gone to the briefing. If anything, Jacob had somehow managed to cuddle even closer to Ian's side, with his back against Ian's belly, and Ian's right arm cradling him protectively even while they slept.

Sam looked over at Nate, wondering what he'd think at seeing Ian in such a deep sleep so early in the evening, but the elder Brooks didn't look concerned at all. Instead, he had a slight smile on his face, and a warmth in his expression that Sam had never seen before – and wondered how long it had been since Ian had. His blue eyes were focused on the sleeping pair, and even when Janet stood up at their entrance, Nate continued to watch his son sleep.

"I haven't seen him look so relaxed in a long time," Nate said, softly, turning his gaze to Fraiser and nodding a hello to her.

"Wait until he wakes up and sees who he's holding," Sam said, smiling. "We kind of put Jake with him just to help him get to sleep. Normally he'd be holding him at arm's length and even then he'd still be too close."

Nate smiled, and reached down, carefully shaking his son's shoulder. He was glad to see Ian was resting, but he wanted a chance to make sure he was okay, and to talk to him.

"Ian?" His voice was soft, but loud enough that it was just above a whisper. "Wake up, son."

Sam and Janet watched as Ian moved his head slightly, turning towards the sound of Nate's voice, his arm tightening just a fraction around Jacob to make sure he wasn't falling. His eyes opened, and although he looked a little groggy, Sam could already tell he was focusing better than he had been.

"Dad?"

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you."

Ian yawned, and looked around a little more, and realized Sam and Janet were both with him as well. Looking down to make sure he was wearing clothes – you never knew with Janet, after all, since it was her favorite way of making sure someone who was supposed to stay in bed actually stayed in bed – he saw that Jake was cuddled up beside him and felt a stab of chagrin, mixed with a little concern that he'd somehow managed to smoosh the baby.

Then he saw how oddly everyone was looking at him, and he scowled. Great, they'd all caught him cuddling with the baby. That was fucking wonderful.

"He must have crawled into bed with me," Ian said, defensively, knowing even as he said it just how lame it sounded.