Fireman!verse ficlet written for sjhwtolerance, April 4, 2006
When Jack had accepted the promotion to fire chief, he had been notably ignorant of what the job entailed. And while he liked being able to watch out for his men and run things the way he wanted, there was one distinct and notable disadvantage that came with the higher office.
Paperwork.
There were many things O'Neill didn't like in this world, and of them, paperwork probably made the top five most hated list. And because he hated it so much, he found excuses not to do it. Unfortunately, this caused a sort of deathly cycle that seemed to produce only more paperwork. So much, in fact, that Hammond had informed him that until he received all of Jack's paperwork, he would not be getting a day off.
Three days later, Jack was finally nearing the bottom of the pile. Although he still had a stack about an inch thick, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. And God forbid anyone keep him from it—this was a man on a mission.
So when T, normally an always welcome visitor in Jack's office, knocked on the door, there was more than enough reason to growl in displeasure.
"Chief…."
"T, I swear to God. I've spent three days working my way through this mess and I'm finally close, so would you please just…."
The bigger man held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, Chief, sure. I just thought you might wanna know that your wife called to inform you that she's in labor. Somehow, I think if you miss the birth of your first born because of paperwork, Sam's wrath will be a hell of a lot worse than Hammond's."
Jack actually paled at the thought. His wife was way scarier than his boss.
Plus, uh, baby. He was having a baby. Or, okay, Sam was having a baby. His baby. Their baby? Oh hell, he didn't know. Political correctness has never been his forte.
He leapt out of the chair, searching for his keys, his coat, anything and everything. T's big hand on his shoulder finally made him pause. "I can't find my keys," Jack said, a bit dazed.
T smirked. "No prob, Chief. We'll give you a ride."
Jack peered out the door to the bright red fire engine, freshly washed. Now, that was a way to make an entrance. "Excellent."