OOOOOOOOOOOO
"Couldn't it just be that the ZPM gave the gate too much power and caused it to jump to a different terminus to deposit SG-4?" Jack asked, proving that just because he didn't speak mumbo jumbo it didn't mean that he didn't understand the science behind the gate. He was married to Sam, after all, and had been exposed to her technobabble for even more years than that.
Ian shook his head – as did McKay.
"Not really, Jack," Ian said. "It wouldn't explain why SG-4 returned without any memory of where they've been – or what happened."
"And it's way too much of a coincidence that it was just SG-4 and not us," McKay added.
Ian nodded his agreement.
"The memory loss thing just smacks of the Ancients. Like when Sam couldn't remember what happened after Jake was born…"
"What do you-"
Just then the door to Fraiser's office opened and Nathan walked out, looking annoyed. A look that only faded a little as he walked over to Ian's bed.
"How do you feel?"
Ian shrugged.
"I'm okay."
"Good. Feel up to getting out of bed?"
Since his leg was throbbing, he really didn't feel like doing anything, but he was curious about what his dad wanted.
"Where are we going?"
"To find your mother."
"You might want to ask Fraiser…" Jack offered up, reminding them that Janet really had the final say in things when it came to her patients.
"Ask Fraiser what?" Janet asked, coming over just in time to hear her name.
"I want to take Ian out of here for a while," Nathan said.
She frowned.
"Off base?"
"And face the media circus out there? No way. Just out of here. Maybe get a bite to eat with his mother…"
Janet looked over at Ian.
"How are you feeling?"
He shrugged. A nap would have been nice, but spending time with his mother was a lot more preferable than spending time listening to McKay. Besides, how often had his dad ever really wanted to spend time with him?
"I'm okay."
"Not sore?"
He scowled.
"A little."
"The leg?"
"Yeah."
"We could use a wheelchair," Nate suggested.
Fraiser nodded.
"That would work, as long as you weren't gone too long – and as long as you get him back here if he starts hurting."
Nathan looked at his son.
"Well?"
Ian nodded.
"Okay."
OOOOOOOOOO
"Think she'd change her mind if I ran you into the wall?"
Ian tensed despite the fact that he knew his dad wasn't serious. The last thing he wanted was to have his leg hit a wall just then. They'd just gotten him into the wheelchair and now Nathan was pushing him out of the infirmary – with Fraiser watching them closely, almost as if she was thinking about changing her mind about letting them go.
"I wouldn't appreciate it."
Nate snorted and easily guided the chair around the entrance and out into the corridor.
"Your mom's probably talking to Julian. We'll go look there first."
OOOOOOOOO
Jack watched them go and turned to Fraiser.
"I'm off to find Sam. Why don't you have someone give McKay an enema?"
McKay scowled.
"Very funny."
Fraiser smiled, but took pity on the astrophysicist.
"How about lunch?"
It was amazing how quickly his sour expression brightened.
"Really?"
Jack turned to go.
"I'll be back later."
There was no reason for him to stick around. He didn't even like McKay – and certainly didn't want to watch him eat.
OOOOOOOOOO
"So what did the President want?"
"I'll tell you later."
Ian turned around in the chair to look over his shoulder.
"Was it serious?"
"Not a matter of life or death or anything… I'll tell you about it when we find your mother. That way I don't have to tell you guys twice."
Which made Ian really wonder what it was. But he didn't press the issue.
It didn't take them long to find Maggie. She wasn't with the French Ambassador like Nate thought. She was looking for her husband, certain that he was only moments from an argument with someone. With so many political figures around the base just then, it was an easy assumption to make, after all. She turned a corner just as they were coming around the opposite corner and smiled when she saw her two men coming toward her – together no less!
"What are you two up to?" she asked, coming up to them and brushing her hand gently against Ian's cheek as she smiled a greeting at her husband.
"Looking for you," Nate replied. "Are you hungry?"
"Does Janet know you're out of bed?"
Ian nodded.
"Where do you think we got the wheelchair?"
"She thinks we stole it," Nathan said, which earned him a smile from Maggie – who had pretty much assumed just that. Although she would have used the word liberate – or something similar.
"Where do you want to eat? In the commissary or in our room?"
They'd been given a room on base to make it easier for them to be near Ian – and to allow them to avoid the press of media attention at the entrance to the base.
"Our room," Nathan replied instantly.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
"What's going on, Nathan?" Maggie asked them ten minutes later.
He'd sent her and Ian on to their room while he went to the commissary to get them some lunch, and on the way Ian had told her about the meeting with the President and the fact that he had something he wanted to talk about with them. Which of course was enough to make Maggie curious as well.
He set down the tray he'd been carrying and turned towards Ian.
"Do you know what Hayes is doing with George and Jack?"
Ian scowled.
"I know that Jack's going to be the head of the Homeworld Defense Organization. I don't know what General Hammond's going to do."
"George is going to be the Vice President."
Ian should have been surprised, but he wasn't. He'd been wondering why the President wasn't making Hammond in charge of the HDO instead of Jack – that whole only guy able to use the Ancient weapon bullshit notwithstanding,. Hammond would have been a great choice and Jack could have taken over the SGC. Which wouldn't have been so bad, really.
"So it's true that Vice President Kinsey is resigning?" Maggie asked.
She'd been out of the country almost more than she'd been in the country lately, so she was a little out of the loop. All she really knew was that Ian and Nathan both harbored animosity towards the man.
"The sooner the better," Ian said.
"So who's going to be running things around here?" Maggie asked.
Nathan snorted.
"Funny you should ask…"