Fic 5: Acceptance 3a/3
"Hey, Sam," Jack tried through the dim shadows of their bedroom. "Are you awake?"
Rolling to her side, Sam glanced at the notepad on his lap. "How far are you?" Her hair was as flat as her tone. She struggled a minute with the blankets, which he was sitting on top of, oblivious to her distress. "Jack," she warned, "move."
Jack's eyes lifted from the paper to see her aggravated expression. He apologized as he shifted and confessed, "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"Jack, it's a three minute speech to a bunch of third graders," she told him unsympathetically.
"Uh, yeah. And apparently I'm a hero to one of them. Kind puts the pressure on. Come on, Carter, I need your help." Jack wiggled his eyebrows in a way he thought softened her up but only ever irritated her more.
Sam dropped a resigned sigh and turned her bedside lamp on. "You're completely helpless." Leaning over his arm she assessed his progress, which was basically zero. He'd put the correct date in the header. "Really, Jack? What have you been doing this whole time?"
He shrugged sheepishly. Help, his frown read.
"Well, I'd probably start with: Hi, my name is…but that's just me."
"Funny. You think you're so-" he paused with a rather comical expression frozen to his face. Where the hell were these people getting Daniel from? He must've put them up to it, there wasn't any other logical explanation. "Carter, I swear, no more team nights."
*****
"Psst! Rise and shine, kiddo. Mom's gonna take you to school this morning and I'll be in later for our…briefing." The kid looked at him blankly. Jack tapped his exposed feet. "Come on, up, up."
"Do you think it would be okay for me to stay home today?"
"What? Why?" Jack was panicked, not just because the look the boy had given him was absolutely heartbreaking, but mostly because he stayed up until two writing that damn speech and he was gonna give it to somebody.
"I don't feel very good."
"Just the nerves, buddy. You'll be fine. No big deal, remember?" Jack sat on the edge of the small twin bed and pushed blond hair from sleepy eyes.
"'No big deal?' Dad, last night you said you were nervous."
Crap. Crap, crap. Why did this one have to have such a good memory? "I did? Uh, yes, that's right, I did. I'm still gonna go though…so…" He winced. That wasn't supposed to rhyme.
"Fine. Can I have bacon at least?"
Jack grinned, hoping the child meant for breakfast and complied, "Of course. You'll tough it out, then?"
"I guess." The boy tried hard to keep a straight face, but Jack's smile was infectious.
"Good. Come on, last one down let's the dog out."
*****
Jack punched Sam's speed dial and confessed his apprehension.
"Why are you so nervous about this, Jack? You've briefed the president directly," she wondered.
"Yes, but he's my kid, Sam. I just don't want to-"
"Jack. I know he's not always interested in the same things as you and the other boys, but he loves you and he's proud of you. No matter what. Just go in there and tell them who you are. That's all he wants; his dad."
"Damnit, Carter, why aren't you here?"
Okay, Jack, deep breaths. You can do it. Where's the front door again?
The school's shadow filled the parking lot and Jack wondered how any kid could learn behind those intimidating walls. But more importantly, how did they find their way around? He wished he'd paid attention to the boy's directions when he sketched them out on a napkin this morning. Yeah, he definitely left that on the kitchen counter. Crap, he really didn't want to call Carter back, she probably wouldn't answer anyway, so he decided to climb the eight hundred steps to the main entrance and figured he'd find his own way once he got to the top.
"Any questions?"
Spitfire succession:
"Where's the Jaffa, Teal'c?"
"Have you ever seen an Unas?"
"Did you ever drive a tank?" "Well, no. We don't really have tanks in the Air Force."
"What about fighters? The 302?" "Those we have. And yes, I flew the first model, actually."
"Did you ever eat alien bugs?" "Uh, I'm not even sure-" "Okay, class, I think that's enough questions for the General. Let's thank General O'Neill for coming in today."
Rolling to her side, Sam glanced at the notepad on his lap. "How far are you?" Her hair was as flat as her tone. She struggled a minute with the blankets, which he was sitting on top of, oblivious to her distress. "Jack," she warned, "move."
Jack's eyes lifted from the paper to see her aggravated expression. He apologized as he shifted and confessed, "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"Jack, it's a three minute speech to a bunch of third graders," she told him unsympathetically.
"Uh, yeah. And apparently I'm a hero to one of them. Kind puts the pressure on. Come on, Carter, I need your help." Jack wiggled his eyebrows in a way he thought softened her up but only ever irritated her more.
Sam dropped a resigned sigh and turned her bedside lamp on. "You're completely helpless." Leaning over his arm she assessed his progress, which was basically zero. He'd put the correct date in the header. "Really, Jack? What have you been doing this whole time?"
He shrugged sheepishly. Help, his frown read.
"Well, I'd probably start with: Hi, my name is…but that's just me."
"Funny. You think you're so-" he paused with a rather comical expression frozen to his face. Where the hell were these people getting Daniel from? He must've put them up to it, there wasn't any other logical explanation. "Carter, I swear, no more team nights."
*****
"Psst! Rise and shine, kiddo. Mom's gonna take you to school this morning and I'll be in later for our…briefing." The kid looked at him blankly. Jack tapped his exposed feet. "Come on, up, up."
"Do you think it would be okay for me to stay home today?"
"What? Why?" Jack was panicked, not just because the look the boy had given him was absolutely heartbreaking, but mostly because he stayed up until two writing that damn speech and he was gonna give it to somebody.
"I don't feel very good."
"Just the nerves, buddy. You'll be fine. No big deal, remember?" Jack sat on the edge of the small twin bed and pushed blond hair from sleepy eyes.
"'No big deal?' Dad, last night you said you were nervous."
Crap. Crap, crap. Why did this one have to have such a good memory? "I did? Uh, yes, that's right, I did. I'm still gonna go though…so…" He winced. That wasn't supposed to rhyme.
"Fine. Can I have bacon at least?"
Jack grinned, hoping the child meant for breakfast and complied, "Of course. You'll tough it out, then?"
"I guess." The boy tried hard to keep a straight face, but Jack's smile was infectious.
"Good. Come on, last one down let's the dog out."
*****
Jack punched Sam's speed dial and confessed his apprehension.
"Why are you so nervous about this, Jack? You've briefed the president directly," she wondered.
"Yes, but he's my kid, Sam. I just don't want to-"
"Jack. I know he's not always interested in the same things as you and the other boys, but he loves you and he's proud of you. No matter what. Just go in there and tell them who you are. That's all he wants; his dad."
"Damnit, Carter, why aren't you here?"
Okay, Jack, deep breaths. You can do it. Where's the front door again?
The school's shadow filled the parking lot and Jack wondered how any kid could learn behind those intimidating walls. But more importantly, how did they find their way around? He wished he'd paid attention to the boy's directions when he sketched them out on a napkin this morning. Yeah, he definitely left that on the kitchen counter. Crap, he really didn't want to call Carter back, she probably wouldn't answer anyway, so he decided to climb the eight hundred steps to the main entrance and figured he'd find his own way once he got to the top.
"Any questions?"
Spitfire succession:
"Where's the Jaffa, Teal'c?"
"Have you ever seen an Unas?"
"Did you ever drive a tank?" "Well, no. We don't really have tanks in the Air Force."
"What about fighters? The 302?" "Those we have. And yes, I flew the first model, actually."
"Did you ever eat alien bugs?" "Uh, I'm not even sure-" "Okay, class, I think that's enough questions for the General. Let's thank General O'Neill for coming in today."