"Can I ask you a question?"
Ian looked over at Sam, and nodded.
"Sure."
"Do you really have trouble with this?"
They were in his little room, and Sam was sitting on the edge of his bed, Jake cuddled in one arm, drooling all over her as he alternated between gnawing on her forearm and wriggling in her now expert grip. In a matter of only an hour or so, Ian – who was feeling better, and was therefore heartily in need of something to do to keep himself occupied – had managed drive Janet crazy, and she'd suggested that maybe he could use the idle time to get some of his homework from the academy finished.
It had been as good an idea as any, and Ian had started in on his work, only to find that the work that he'd been given for the week was about as complicated as any he'd seen. Of course, he was already doing the same course work that most of the Senior class was doing – only three years ahead of himself – so it wasn't a big surprise, especially when you stopped to consider that the end of the school year was coming and Finals were upon them.
So he'd asked Janet if she'd ask Sam if she had a minute to help him out, and Sam, of course, had been willing. Ten minutes later, she'd entered his room with Jacob in her arms, and had sat down on his bed, easily managing the textbook, a pen, and the baby all at once.
"What do you mean?" Ian asked.
Sam smiled.
"It's not really all that complicated, is it?"
"It's not beginning algebra, Sam," he said, a little defensively, despite himself.
"But you have all the knowledge of the Ancients stuck in your head, Ian," she said, realizing she needed to explain what she'd meant. "They must have known all about bilinear sciences and the-"
He realized what she meant, and shook his head, interrupting her explanation.
"They knew it – and I know some of it, but not all of it. The problem with that, though, is that the Ancients don't know about Einstein, and they don't have the same equations that we have, and they sure as shit don't know who invented which theories here on earth… It's not information that I have, and it's all just as new to me as it is to everyone else in the class."
She hadn't actually thought of it that way, but the more he explained it, the more she realized that it made sense. They probably didn't even think the same way that Earthlings did, for that matter.
"How have you been managing to cope with all of it?" Sam asked, curiously, shifting Jake over to the other arm before he slimed the one he'd been gnawing on so thoroughly that she dropped him. "Earth thinking and Ancient thinking, dealing with the SGC things and the Academy – and all the other stuff that's been going on… it must be an enormous amount of stuff to deal with…"
He blushed, and shrugged, and then looked away – like he always did when he was embarrassed.
"I've had a lot of help with it. Yours, especially. It's made it a bit easier to handle."
She smiled.
"You're a remarkable young man."
By now even his hair was blushing, and Ian looked like he wanted crawl under the blankets and hide. Taking pity on him, Sam changed the subject a little.
"So… what are you getting Cassie for graduation?"
He shook his head.
"I don't have a clue. What did Jack get you for Mother's day?"
That might give him some idea of what he might be able to get Cassie – Mother's Day presents were pretty sappy, after all, and he wanted something sappy for Cassie.
Sam switched Jake over to the other arm again – even though it hadn't dried off yet – and held up her hand, showing off the ring on her finger.
"It's a mother's ring," she explained. "That's my birthstone in what will be the middle, and Jacob's birthstone on the side of it."
"Where's Jack's?" Ian asked, curiously.
Sam smiled.
"It's only for a mother and the kids from what Jack told me."
"Huh." He looked at the ring, and had to admit it was a pretty nice present. "That's a pretty good present…"
"Actually," she said, still smiling. "The ring was from Jacob here. Jack's present was an overnight trip to a bed and breakfast."
Well, that certainly wasn't an option for a present for Cassie, Ian thought wryly. No more than a ring was.
"That's a pretty nice present, too."
Sam nodded.
"We'll have to wait until things are a little more settled before we can go, but it should be."
"You're taking Jake?"
"No. Want to baby sit?"
Ian paled, and Sam chuckled. That was pretty much the response she'd expected.
"I'll take that as a no…"
He looked at the baby in her arm.
"When he's older… like, say… 20… then I'll be happy to watch him."
"Janet already agreed to watch him – although we could use a dog sitter, too."
"I can do that."
Not that he didn't want to help out or anything… he just… well… babies and all… Jaffer would be a lot easier to watch.
"Do what?"
They both looked up as Jack entered the room, looking smug that he was out of bed and Ian was stuck in the infirmary.
"Ian's offered to watch Jaffer when we go out of town next weekend," Sam told him.
"Oh yeah?" Jack walked over and took Jacob from Sam, always more than willing to hold his son when the opportunity presented itself. "But not Jake?"
"Ian's afraid of Jake."
Ian scowled.
"No, I'm not. It's just…"
"That you're afraid of him."
"He smells funny."
"He does not."
A distinctive odor suddenly reached all of them, and Ian made a face, looking at Jack.
"See what I mean?"