United We Stand - Part V (Final)
Chapter 9:
"Major....CARTER!"
She jumped as she heard her name called. "Sir..." She choked as her eyes flew open.
"It's time for Christmas dinner." He said, motioning to the kitchen.
"Oh." She said, blinking in surprise. "I thought..."
"You were asleep for two hours. Looks like you needed the sleep."
"I promised to help..." She murmured, sitting up and pulling the blanket from her body. She rolled it onto the couch beside her.
"Yeah, and my mom said to let you sleep. You okay?"
"Fine." She said, pulling herself up. She swayed for a moment, and Jack looked up at her. "Easy there, Carter..."
"I'm fine." She said, blinking for a moment. "Just get a little dizzy sometimes from the extra blood flow of the pregnancy."
"Yeah. That's what I figured. Still...take it easy."
"Yes, sir." She said with a small smile.
He seemed pensive for a moment, and she noticed his look. "What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sam..."
She raised an eyebrow. He rarely called her by her first name. "Yes?"
"I'm...retired now. Call me Jack."
"Are you sure?" She asked after a moment.
His eyes flickered down to her belly, and she felt herself resting a hand on it somewhat protectively as he nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay." She said, inhaling. "Jack."
"What are you two doing in there?" Meg called, looking through the cutout in the wall to where they were in the living room. "I called for dinner ten minutes ago!"
"We're coming," Sam said, looking up.
"You better. It's getting cold!"
Sam smiled as she looked back down at Jack. "After you..."
He maneuvered his chair up the ramp, and she followed closely.
Roast beef was flanked on either side by mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. "This smells delicious, Meg," Sam said, honestly.
"Thank you." The older woman blushed. "And there's cake...for dessert."
Sam smiled at Jack who grinned.
A knock on the door interrupted their festivities, and Sam stood. "I'm closest. I'll get it."
She walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole. "It's Daniel!" She cried, excitedly as she threw open the door. "Daniel!"
"Hey, Sam." He said with a tired smile.
"Danny!" Jack cried. "How ya doin'?"
"Fine. Just got in."
"Yeah. We weren't sure you'd make it in time for Christmas dinner." Sam said, closing the door as Daniel shook snow from his coat.
"Truth be told, neither was I." He said as Sam took his coat from him.
"Murray, the fire died down. Perhaps after dinner you could light another?" Meg asked, looking at Teal'c.
He nodded. "Indeed, Mrs. O'Neill."
"Please. It's Meg."
"Good luck trying to break him of that habit." Daniel said somewhat sarcastically.
"Daniel, this is Colonel O'Neill's mother." Sam introduced. "Meg, this is Daniel Jackson."
"Nice to meet you." Daniel said, extending his hand to the woman, who took it. "And you, Mr. Jackson."
"Actually it's...Doctor..." Daniel murmured.
Sam smiled as she patted his shoulder. "Come in. Sit down. There's a ton of food."
"Yeah, but...Murray's going to eat it all." Daniel said with a small smile.
"I will not, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, raising his eyebrow in protest.
"Ahem," Jack's mother interrupted.
They all looked at the matriarch, and she smiled softly. "If you don't mind, I think we should say grace, and then begin our meal. At that time, I would like to hear about your Christmas traditions."
Sam nodded with a small and supportive smile as Daniel nodded hesitantly.
"Ma, not everyone here has celebrated Christmas all of their lives...probably don't even have traditions..."
"Yeah, but we can share our memories of the ones we have had."
"Indeed," Teal'c said, agreeing with his archaeologist friend.
Meg O'Neill reached for, and grasped Sam's hand with own, and Sam managed a small smile as she accepted Teal'c's hand. Within a matter of moments, they'd grasped one another's hands around the table, and each bowed their head.
"Dear Lord, we thank you for this bounty before us. We thank you for our health, our strength, and our safety." Meg began.
Sam stole a look to Jack, whose head was bowed like everyone else's. It was a miracle he was still in front of them. That he was there at all.
"We thank you for friends and family, who are so good to us. The old whom we've known all our lives, and the new whom we hope to know for a lifetime more."
Sam looked over at Meg who squeezed her hand gently before continuing. "In the end, we thank you for Christmas, and the opportunity we have to share it with one another this year. Despite the challenges placed in our paths, we've been brought together to lift one another up and to help each other out. Bless us with your mercy, Father. Amen."
"Amen." Sam breathed with the others.
"Jonathan?" She asked, looking at Jack. "Would you like to carve the roast?"
Jack shook his head. "Nah. Let Murray do it."
"Thank you, O'Neill." Teal'c said, recognizing the honor it was to carve the roast.
"Samantha, you must have some interesting Christmas memories." Meg said, turning to the other woman.
Sam smiled. "Actually, I do." She admitted.
"By all means, Carter..." Jack said with a twinkle in his eye.
She grinned. "When I was a kid, my mom would start baking at Christmas time. December 1st would come, and suddenly, we'd smell cookies and bread and cake...She'd let my brother, Mark, and me, each have a cookie or two, but the rest, she put in tins or wrapped up in foil." She laughed softly. "Every week, the stack of tins would grow higher, and the loaves of bread would keep multiplying...and I remember when I was...I don't know, eight or nine, I remember sneaking into the kitchen to find my brother doing exactly what I'd been planning on doing..."
"Stealing a cookie from the tins." Jack finished.
She laughed. "Yeah." She paused as she remembered her mother's face for a moment. "My mom was so angry when she caught us. She scolded us and sent us to bed." Sam bit her lip. "But a few hours later...after she thought we'd both gone to sleep, she snuck into our bedrooms and left a cookie on our nightstands."
Sam sat back, absently stroking her belly as her memory became tinged with the pain of losing her mother only a few years later.
"What were they for?"
"Hm?" She asked, pulling herself from her reverie.
"The cookies..." Jack reiterated. "What were they for?"
"Oh. Teachers, coworkers...neighbors..." She said, shaking her head. "Anyone who passed our way that Christmas season, I suppose."
She thought for a moment. "I think she even left some for the mail man..."
"My parents...before they died..." Daniel began. "Got me a...a red fire engine for Christmas. I thought it was so cool. I played with it over and over and over and over again. Up and down the hallway. In the kitchen, on the linoleum, in the living room on the carpet. It didn't matter...I thought that fire engine was...so cool." He said, shaking his head. He bit the inside of his cheek. "It was crushed in the same rubble that killed my parents. It never..." He inhaled, emotionally. "It never drove straight again. The tire was bent, and the metal was twisted." He sighed. "Like how I felt after my parents died. Broken. Misshapen."
Sam offered him a sympathetic smile as Teal'c began. "There was a festival...for the first snowfall. We would gather together and the warriors would walk solemnly down the streets of the village. They had their heads held high and their weapons raised in triumph. My father did march proudly in many such parades until his death."
Sam patted his hand, gently.
They slipped into silence for a few moments as they each ate their food.
"We would decorate the tree on Christmas Eve." Jack began, picking at his food. "Drink egg nog and sing carols...then we'd read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"." He inhaled. "I'd put Charlie to bed, adn Sara would pull out the Santa suit that we hid under our bed, and I'd change so that if Charlie woke up to see Santa..."
"He wouldn't be disappointed," Sam finished.
He nodded, still not looking up.
The baby within Sam kicked softly, and she placed a hand on her stomach at the reminder of the child she carried within her. She felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of losing this child like Jack had lost Charlie. She may not have expected to have a child at this stage of her life, but it would break her heart to lose it.
"Christmas may be a time when one feels loss more poignantly than at other times in the year," Meg murmured, softly. "But perhaps," she said, touching Sam's stomach gently. "It is also a time to look forward with hope. A new year is coming. And with it, new challenges and new opportunities."
Sam exchanged a small smile with Jack's mother.
"Now," she said, pulling away and looking back at the rest of the group. "What do you all want for Christmas?"
-
The snow which had fallen over the course of the evening had begun piling up late into the night. By midnight, all of the cars had been snowed in, and Jack had insisted that Daniel, Teal'c, and Sam stay overnight for their own safety. Now, Sam lay next to Jack in his bed after Teal'c and Daniel had helped him into bed. They were silent as they stared up at the ceiling. Each on opposite sides of the bed.
"Jack?" She whispered softly.
"Hm?"
"This was nice." She said, looking over. "Christmas dinner...with your mom, Daniel, and Teal'c. It was nice."
"Yeah."
She swallowed. "I...I think your mom needs to know..."
"Know what?"
"That this baby is yours and mine. I mean, the look in her eyes when she touched my stomach..."
"Can't tell her without divulging the nature of the assignment..."
"Of course we can," she said, looking over at him. "She obviously doesn't care whether or not we've...defied regulations..."
"I'm not doing that to you."
"Jack, she already likes me. And quite frankly, it's about time that someone was actually excited to see this kid." She protested before she sighed. "I know I haven't been..."
"You don't want kids?"
"Sure. Who doesn't?" She asked after a moment. "And now that this baby's on the way, I couldn't imagine not having one, but...this was never in the cards. Not now. Not like this."
"Like what then?"
"I don't know." She sighed. "I guess I always pictured...a white picket fence, an 8-to-5 job..."
"I can add the fence, and you have an 8-to-5 job."
"It's...it's not the same. It wasn't...planned."
"Some of the best things in life aren't planned."
"Not for me, sir." She whispered.
"You planned to go through the Stargate?"
"Once I knew what it was..."
"You planned to have feelings for me?"
"Whether or not that's a good thing is debateable."
"You planned to have this baby?"
"No."
"Your life is one big lesson in spontaneity." He reasoned. "Now...you can learn the lesson and go with the flow, or you can fight it until you lose everything."
She looked over at him as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You're no happier with spontaneity than I am." She said after a moment.
"Admitted." He said, softly, as he reached over and took her hand. "But...maybe this is a lesson that we have to learn together."
"I can't make any promises." She whispered. "Not yet. It wouldn't be fair to you..."
"Be the mother of my child. Anything else...if there is anything else...can come later..."
She nodded slowly. "You're on."
-
Epilogue:
Four months later:
The sound of drills and construction-related commotion woke Sam with a pounding headache. She opened her eyes only to close them almost instantly at the blinding sunlight which streamed in through the window above her. "Gah..." She groaned, placing her hands over her eyes as she rocked as close as she could to the edge of the pillow in an effort to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Jack said, cheerily, as he wheeled into the bedroom with a tray of breakfast food on his lap.
"Go away." She murmured, waving him away as she tried to bury her face in the pillow.
"I brought breakfast." He said, trying to bribe her out of bed.
"Not hungry."
She could mentally see his eyebrows raise. Who was she kidding? She was always hungry. Insatiable, actually, since she ate for the fraternal twins she carried within her. Twins they'd found out about only a few weeks after Christmas at her monthly check-up.
"I just want sleep." She moaned as she struggled to sit herself up. "But that damn construction crew is making it impossible."
"Sorry," he apologized with a sheepish grin. "But..."
"I know, I know." She sighed. "It was my idea."
"Still, you could go to your place." He admitted. "I'm fine here. Ma's still here, and I can get myself out of bed and into the chair if I need to now."
She didn't say anything, just stood with a grimace as she pushed past him on her way to the bathroom.
He knew almost better than she, that she stayed with him for the emotional support. He'd started seeing a therapist a few days after Christmas about his paralysis and had learned to be a better anchor for her. Then, they'd learned about the twins. A boy and a girl, if Janet Fraiser was right. And she usually was.
Sam had been a wreck, thinking about how to care for not just one baby, but two.
To be honest, the twins were still a touchy subject for her.
He wheeled down the hallway. "Sam..."
He heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water for a few moments before it stopped and she opened the door again. "You two are officially grounded for the first month of your lives." She said, looking down at her stomach. "Kicking my bladder like that...it's unforgiveable..."
A small smile played on Jack's features before she looked up. "What?"
"They're not going to be able to do much for the first month of their lives...grounding is a little...harsh..."
She sighed as she reached down and retrieved the plate from the tray on his legs. "I'm famished."
He bit down a sarcastic comment as he followed her back down the corridor to one of the only two undisturbed rooms in the house. She passed by the mirror on his dresser and looked at her profile in the mirror with a small sigh.
"You'll get your girlish figure back," he said, soberly.
She turned a skeptical eye to him as she crunched on a piece of bacon and lowered herself cautiously to sit on the edge of the bed. "Uh-huh..."
He wheeled closer to her, giving him enough space to touch a tender hand to her knee. "Hey, just a few more weeks, right? Then, the kids will be out of you. Not dancing on your bladder anymore."
She managed a small smile, though Jack could see that she was on the verge of tears.
"What's wrong?"
"I can hardly stand up anymore I'm so enormous. I've been on maternity stand down for the last two weeks, and I'm going more than a little bit crazy just sitting around, doing nothing, and waiting for these babies to make their appearance...which," she gritted her teeth, "As your mother frequently points out...will be on THEIR time table."
"I'm sure they're feeling just as squished as you," he said with a small smile. "Won't be too long now..."
She sighed. "Well, if that, in and of itself, weren't so damn terrifying, I might actually manage to be happy about that."
"What's so terrifying?" He asked, looking over at her.
"The prospect of having kids in general. I mean, what do I do when they start asking questions about what I do..."
"You're a scientist. You do experiments. At first, that's all they have to know." He said, pragmatically.
"And what if I end up going back on SG-1? What then? I mean, do I drop them off at daycare, traipse around the galaxy and come home in time for dinner?"
"You leave them with me, and I take good care of them until you get back."
She opened her mouth to speak before she closed it again.
"What?" He prodded, gently.
"What happens when...you can't chase them anymore? When you can't catch them, and they're able to figure out that there are some things they can do, some places they can go..."
"We'll deal with it." He said, soberly. "I'm not the only one who has had to consider how this disability, this paralysis, is going to affect parenting children."
She nodded, slowly.
"Come on. Your appointment is in an hour, and I want to take that new car for a spin..."
She chuckled softly. "Who knew you'd get so excited about driving..."
"Are you kidding?" He asked, eyes wide. "I can get into it by myself! I can drive! It's AMAZING!"
She smiled. "Good. That's the point."
He patted her knee, affectionately. "Get dressed, and maybe we'll get to go out to eat. And stay as far away from these construction workers as we can."
She laughed as she nodded. "Sounds like the best idea you've had all day."
-
She walked unevenly beside Jack as he rolled over to the car. The twins had kicked her pelvis out of alignment weeks ago, making any walking a slow, awkward and somewhat painful process as she tried to balance the extra frontal weight of her protruding belly and yet move forward at the same time.
"What's your mom doing today?" Sam asked as she struggled to get situated in the front seat of the van.
"Said she was going to go shopping with "Murray"."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Shopping with..."
"I tried to tell her that might not be a good idea, but she insisted." He said, using the wheelchair lift to raise him high enough to get into the backseat. He quickly stored the lift before pressing a button to close the door. Then, he wheeled into the driver's seat from the backseat. "But she's sworn us off going to the mall. At least without a phone call."
"What?" She asked, looking over at him, confused.
"I know...it's weird." He said with a shrug. "And I don't get it anymore than you do."
-
"How are you feeling, Sam?" Dr. Janet Fraiser asked as she entered the exam room.
"Like if I get any bigger, I'll explode." She said with a sardonic smile.
"Well, it won't be too much longer," she said, sympathetically.
Sam managed a tired smile as Janet began the examination, taking her blood pressure and vitals. "I saw Colonel O'Neill outside. He seemed to be adjusting to his paralysis fairly well."
Sam nodded. "He's almost completely independent. His mother's probably going to leave in the next month or two. Though I've heard that she might get an apartment here in Colorado Springs so that she can still be close to him."
"The Colonel must be happy about that," Janet said with a small chuckle.
Sam managed an appreciative laugh. "No, but he's figured if she starts mothering him too much, he'll send her my way."
"Nice way to get some help with the twins..." Janet said, soberly.
Sam inhaled.
"And Cassie's willing to babysit anytime you need it."
"I don't think I'll need an actual babysitter for a little while..."
"She can listen for the twins if you need to take a nap or something every so often."
"And...when they actually get here, I'll be happy to take her up on the offer," Sam said, wryly.
Janet's brow furrowed as she continued her examination. "Sam?"
"Hm?"
"Have you been having discomfort...anything out of the ordinary?"
"Out of the ordinary discomfort?" Sam asked, skeptically.
Janet managed a worried smile. "Contractions...anything like that?"
Sam shook her head. "No..."
"Hm. That's peculiar."
"Why?" Sam asked, looking at her friend, feeling somewhat anxious.
"You're dilated to a four. And given the readings I just took...I think...you might be in early stages of labor."
Sam's brows raised somewhat worriedly.
-
Jack sat outside the exam room, reading a small booklet on dealing with paralysis. Sam had gotten it for him, and he figured that in an effort to show his gratitude for her support, he should at least...try to read it.
Janet walked out of the room, catching one of the nurses. "I need this patient moved to the labor and delivery."
"Yes, doctor."
Jack's ears perked up at the sound of "labor and delivery". "Janet..."
"Sam's in labor." She said, looking over at the Colonel.
His eyes widened. "Really?"
She nodded. "Do you think you can still get through to the SGC? She was asking that someone get a message through to her father."
"I'll call Hammond." He said, nodding.
She turned to leave, and he looked up. "Doc?"
She turned back. "Yes, sir?"
"Is she...okay?" He asked, worriedly.
"She's going to be fine, Colonel." She said, softly.
He nodded, slowly.
"Once you've called General Hammond, and once we've gotten her settled, she might like to see you." Janet sighed softly. "I'm trying to reassure her, but quite frankly, she is understandably anxious about the whole thing."
He nodded. "Right."
"And you've always had a calming effect on any of the members of your team."
"Not my team anymore, Doc." He said, soberly. "But I'll give it a try."
-
She was looking out the window, dressed in a carefully tied hospital gown as he wheeled in.
"Hey," he murmured.
She turned back to look at him, both hands resting gently on her belly as she offered him a faint smile. "Hi, Jack."
"What was that I said about it all being over soon?" He asked with a small smile.
She managed a nervous smile. "Right..."
"You're gonna be fine, Sam." He assured, wheeling closer to her.
She looked back out the window. "I hope so..."
"You don't think you can?" He prodded. "Or you're not sure you want to?"
She inhaled as she offered him an appreciative smile. "A little of both, I suppose."
"But?"
"But maybe it's not as bad as I think..." She said as if offering a counterargument to a solution she'd proposed in saving the world. "Apparently I've been having contractions for a few hours now, and I can't feel a thing."
"Pretty sure that's going to change." He said with a shrug.
"Yeah..." She said, inhaling.
"Carter, you've been shot, you've had broken bones, you've been tortured with a goa'uld hand device and a goa'uld pain stick. I don't think this is going to kill you."
She managed a grateful smile as she looked down at her belly before she turned toward him, still not looking him in the eye. "Then I guess...I'm gonna be a mom."
"Yep." Jack said, nodding. "Now, you should probably get back into bed before Fraiser blames me."
She chuckled softly as she walked slowly back to the bed and got herself situated in the bed. "Were you able to get a message through to my dad?"
"Hammond said he'd try." He said, nodding.
"Mark...I should call Mark..."
"Danny and T are on their way. We can have them call."
"Wasn't Teal'c with your mom?"
"Yeah." He said, nodding. "But I can ask her to go and watch the construction guys if you want.."
"It might be a good idea." She admitted somewhat nervously. "I mean, we never actually told her..."
"It's whatever you're comfortable with. I mean, we could all hang out in the lobby..."
"I...I don't really want to be alone." She sighed with a small grimace as she pressed a hand to her stomach.
"You okay?"
She inhaled slowly before nodding as she exhaled equally slowly. "Yeah..."
"Finally felt that one?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She exhaled noisily.
"Bad?"
"Not...bad...exactly, just worse than the others."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Not likely." She said with a small shrug.
"Want me to get the Doc?"
She shook her head. "No. She'll be in here soon enough, and quite frankly, I can handle this right now." She turned a small chuckle to him. "After all, I have been tortured and all sorts of other horrible things..."
She looked far from relieved, and he sighed, wishing there was something that he could do.
"Look, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I'm sure this is...no picnic for you either."
"Hey, those kids are half-mine. I'm only leaving if you want me to leave."
She offered a small, grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Hey...it's the least I can do. Let you hold my hand and all that jazz..."
She chuckled softly as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "I think I'll catch up on that sleep I wanted this morning."
He smiled somewhat nervously as her breathing deepened slowly. Whether he was ready or not, he was going to be a dad again.
-
Several hours later:
Daniel paced around the waiting room, nervously. "You'd think we'd have heard something by now."
"Major Carter is quite strong." Teal'c said, soberly. "She is fine."
"Women have babies everyday, Daniel." Meg said with a small smile. "She'll be fine."
"Where's Jack? I thought he would be here..." Daniel said, his brow furrowed.
Teal'c raised his eyebrow.
-
"AGH!" Sam cried, breathing heavily as sweat beaded her forehead.
"Keep pushing, Sam..." Janet murmured, encouragingly.
She shook with the effort, and Jack held her hand as tightly as he could to keep from letting it slip from his with the sweat that covered their hands.
"Good job, Sam. Take a minute, and then, give us another push like that one."
She inhaled as deeply as she could as she rested the back of her head against the pillow.
"Hey," Jack whispered, softly. "Good job."
She looked over at him, trying to manage a small smile.
He squeezed her hand supportively as Janet looked back at Sam. "Okay...on the count of three, I want you to push again. One, two, three."
She pulled herself up and began to push again.
-
"Daniel Jackson," Daniel greeted as his phone rang.
"Dr. Jackson, it's General Hammond."
"General!"
"How's Major Carter?"
"Uh...we don't know. We assume someone will tell us if something's going wrong..."
"She's strong, son. I'm sure she's fine." The General assured.
"Yes, sir, I'm sure she is." He agreed. "Now...what can we do for you?"
"I just got word back from the Tok'ra. Apparently, Jacob is on a mission of gravest importance, and cannot be interrupted at this time."
"But, General..."
"I know." He interrupted. "But for now, I've done all I can."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell Sam when I get the chance."
He hung up the phone with a sigh.
"Her dad can't come. At least...not right now."
"He can't?" Meg asked, surprised.
"No, he...can't be reached by phone, apparently."
-
"Sam, I can see the baby's head." Janet said with a smile. "Just one more push, and you'll have one of the twins."
Sam nodded, steeling herself for another push. She gritted her teeth as she pushed, and Jack smiled softly. "Sam...we're almost there..." He said, in wonder.
She released a guttural yell as a smaller cry reached their ears.
"That's it, Sam." Janet cried, somewhat breathlessly as she helped to pull the child from Sam's womb. "You're a mom."
Sam inhaled softly as Janet held the child up for her to see. "It's a girl."
Tears were slipping down her cheeks as she took in the sight of her baby girl.
"Doctor..." One of the nurses murmured.
She wrapped the baby up and offered the baby to Jack. "Hold her for a moment, Colonel."
He looked somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of holding his daughter for the first time. "Support her head." The doctor reminded, gently.
He nodded earnestly as Sam pushed again. A few moments later, another squeal could be heard from the second newborn.
"And...it's a boy." Janet smiled.
Sam was crying as Janet offered her son for her to hold. "Well done, Sam." She said with a small smile as she patted her friend's shoulder.
"Oh, he's so beautiful," she murmured.
"I think the right term is handsome," Jack cut in. "She...she's gorgeous."
"Just wait until we get them all cleaned up." Janet chuckled. "Do you mind?"
"No." Sam said, shaking her head as she returned the baby to the doctor. A nurse retrieved the baby girl from Jack's arms.
"Nice job, Carter."
She managed a tired smile. "Thank you, sir."
-
Daniel knocked softly on the door as he opened it. "Hey," he whispered, flowers and balloons in his hands.
Sam looked up with a serene smile from where she held her daughter in her arms. "Hi, Daniel."
"Jack said she was beautiful, but he didn't say how beautiful," he murmured as he bent over her and looked at the baby.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sam asked, looking over at him.
"Sure."
She gently passed the baby to him. "Watch her head," she said, softly.
"What's her name?"
"Grace Althea Carter," Sam said with a small smile. "After my mother and grandmother."
"Nice names."
She smiled softly as she looked over to where Meg O'Neill, unknowingly, held her grandson. "And that little heartbreaker over there...is Jacob Andrew Carter."
"He looks so much like..." Meg began.
Sam tensed slightly as she looked over. Jack had mentioned shortly after young Jacob's birth that he'd looked much like the newborn Charlie.
"Hey, guys." Jack grinned as he wheeled in.
"What are those?" Meg asked, looking up at her son.
"Just a couple of teddy bears."
"They're enormous!"
Sam chuckled. "The kids can't play with them until they're at least ten!"
"Something to look forward to then." He winked. "Come on, they're teddy bears..."
Sam smiled softly. "Okay, fine. They're teddy bears. Eventually, they'll be able to see over the bears' heads."
He turned an affectionate smile to her.
Meg let her eyes wander from her son to Sam before she gently passed the baby to her son. "Here, Jonathan. Hold the baby. I think I'll go and check on the construction workers."
Daniel took the hint and returned Grace to her mother's arms. "I'll go see if I can find..."Murray"..."
"Daniel..."
"Besides, she likes you better than me." He winked.
Sam chuckled softly as Grace nestled into her arms. She ran a gentle finger over her daughter's cheek. "You are so beautiful," she whispered, absolutely overwhelmed by her motherhood.
Daniel smiled as he gently patted her shoulder. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay." She said with a soft smile as Meg came over and gently kissed her cheek. "Your children are beautiful. And you look radiant."
Sam blushed. "You're lying, but I'm inclined to believe you."
Meg smiled. "Call me if you need any help."
"Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind." She said, gratefully.
"Good." She said with a small nod before she turned to leave.
When they were gone, Jack looked over from where he sat holding baby Jacob. "We do good work, don't we?"
She managed a small smile as she nodded. "Yeah. We do."
"So...what now?"
She bit her lip. "I don't know."
"You're going to need some help with these two. Maybe you should just stay at my house..."
"The nursery was painted in my house..." She laughed softly.
"Maybe we should, uh, change that."
"Change what? Which nursery is painted?" She asked, skeptically. "I don't think that's going to work..."
"That's not really what I meant...I just thought that...maybe we should share my house."
She sobered, pausing for a moment. "What are you saying, Jack?"
"We're parents, Sam. We should...live in the same house...even if we don't actually have a relationship. That way we don't have to ferry them back and forth. That way you can go back to SG-1, and the kids won't have to go anywhere..."
"Jack..."
"You don't have to answer yet, but I...when you were napping, I asked my mom to redecorate one of the rooms. That's...that's what she was doing at the mall yesterday. She was getting all of the furniture and...stuff...for the nursery."
"What?"
"I told my mom the truth."
"Jack..."
"Who's she gonna tell?" He asked with a small smile as he looked down at his newborn son. "I mean, I'm retired. What am I afraid of?"
Sam inhaled. "You're sure about this?"
He nodded. "You can take all the time you need, but I can support you better if we're in the same house. Especially with midnight feedings and the like."
"I'd like that," she admitted.
"Then, I guess..." He said with a small sigh. "I guess it's...settled..."
She pressed her fingers to her lips as she blew a soft kiss his way.
"What was that for?"
"You're retired, aren't you?" She asked with a tender smile. "And the father of my two beautiful babies?"
He smiled softly, pretending to catch the kiss with his fingers, as he looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "Yep, Carter...I thought we did good work when we saved the world, but this...this is perfection."
She swallowed as she looked down at Grace, lying in her arms. "I know just what you mean..." She murmured, softly.
"Major....CARTER!"
She jumped as she heard her name called. "Sir..." She choked as her eyes flew open.
"It's time for Christmas dinner." He said, motioning to the kitchen.
"Oh." She said, blinking in surprise. "I thought..."
"You were asleep for two hours. Looks like you needed the sleep."
"I promised to help..." She murmured, sitting up and pulling the blanket from her body. She rolled it onto the couch beside her.
"Yeah, and my mom said to let you sleep. You okay?"
"Fine." She said, pulling herself up. She swayed for a moment, and Jack looked up at her. "Easy there, Carter..."
"I'm fine." She said, blinking for a moment. "Just get a little dizzy sometimes from the extra blood flow of the pregnancy."
"Yeah. That's what I figured. Still...take it easy."
"Yes, sir." She said with a small smile.
He seemed pensive for a moment, and she noticed his look. "What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sam..."
She raised an eyebrow. He rarely called her by her first name. "Yes?"
"I'm...retired now. Call me Jack."
"Are you sure?" She asked after a moment.
His eyes flickered down to her belly, and she felt herself resting a hand on it somewhat protectively as he nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay." She said, inhaling. "Jack."
"What are you two doing in there?" Meg called, looking through the cutout in the wall to where they were in the living room. "I called for dinner ten minutes ago!"
"We're coming," Sam said, looking up.
"You better. It's getting cold!"
Sam smiled as she looked back down at Jack. "After you..."
He maneuvered his chair up the ramp, and she followed closely.
Roast beef was flanked on either side by mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. "This smells delicious, Meg," Sam said, honestly.
"Thank you." The older woman blushed. "And there's cake...for dessert."
Sam smiled at Jack who grinned.
A knock on the door interrupted their festivities, and Sam stood. "I'm closest. I'll get it."
She walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole. "It's Daniel!" She cried, excitedly as she threw open the door. "Daniel!"
"Hey, Sam." He said with a tired smile.
"Danny!" Jack cried. "How ya doin'?"
"Fine. Just got in."
"Yeah. We weren't sure you'd make it in time for Christmas dinner." Sam said, closing the door as Daniel shook snow from his coat.
"Truth be told, neither was I." He said as Sam took his coat from him.
"Murray, the fire died down. Perhaps after dinner you could light another?" Meg asked, looking at Teal'c.
He nodded. "Indeed, Mrs. O'Neill."
"Please. It's Meg."
"Good luck trying to break him of that habit." Daniel said somewhat sarcastically.
"Daniel, this is Colonel O'Neill's mother." Sam introduced. "Meg, this is Daniel Jackson."
"Nice to meet you." Daniel said, extending his hand to the woman, who took it. "And you, Mr. Jackson."
"Actually it's...Doctor..." Daniel murmured.
Sam smiled as she patted his shoulder. "Come in. Sit down. There's a ton of food."
"Yeah, but...Murray's going to eat it all." Daniel said with a small smile.
"I will not, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, raising his eyebrow in protest.
"Ahem," Jack's mother interrupted.
They all looked at the matriarch, and she smiled softly. "If you don't mind, I think we should say grace, and then begin our meal. At that time, I would like to hear about your Christmas traditions."
Sam nodded with a small and supportive smile as Daniel nodded hesitantly.
"Ma, not everyone here has celebrated Christmas all of their lives...probably don't even have traditions..."
"Yeah, but we can share our memories of the ones we have had."
"Indeed," Teal'c said, agreeing with his archaeologist friend.
Meg O'Neill reached for, and grasped Sam's hand with own, and Sam managed a small smile as she accepted Teal'c's hand. Within a matter of moments, they'd grasped one another's hands around the table, and each bowed their head.
"Dear Lord, we thank you for this bounty before us. We thank you for our health, our strength, and our safety." Meg began.
Sam stole a look to Jack, whose head was bowed like everyone else's. It was a miracle he was still in front of them. That he was there at all.
"We thank you for friends and family, who are so good to us. The old whom we've known all our lives, and the new whom we hope to know for a lifetime more."
Sam looked over at Meg who squeezed her hand gently before continuing. "In the end, we thank you for Christmas, and the opportunity we have to share it with one another this year. Despite the challenges placed in our paths, we've been brought together to lift one another up and to help each other out. Bless us with your mercy, Father. Amen."
"Amen." Sam breathed with the others.
"Jonathan?" She asked, looking at Jack. "Would you like to carve the roast?"
Jack shook his head. "Nah. Let Murray do it."
"Thank you, O'Neill." Teal'c said, recognizing the honor it was to carve the roast.
"Samantha, you must have some interesting Christmas memories." Meg said, turning to the other woman.
Sam smiled. "Actually, I do." She admitted.
"By all means, Carter..." Jack said with a twinkle in his eye.
She grinned. "When I was a kid, my mom would start baking at Christmas time. December 1st would come, and suddenly, we'd smell cookies and bread and cake...She'd let my brother, Mark, and me, each have a cookie or two, but the rest, she put in tins or wrapped up in foil." She laughed softly. "Every week, the stack of tins would grow higher, and the loaves of bread would keep multiplying...and I remember when I was...I don't know, eight or nine, I remember sneaking into the kitchen to find my brother doing exactly what I'd been planning on doing..."
"Stealing a cookie from the tins." Jack finished.
She laughed. "Yeah." She paused as she remembered her mother's face for a moment. "My mom was so angry when she caught us. She scolded us and sent us to bed." Sam bit her lip. "But a few hours later...after she thought we'd both gone to sleep, she snuck into our bedrooms and left a cookie on our nightstands."
Sam sat back, absently stroking her belly as her memory became tinged with the pain of losing her mother only a few years later.
"What were they for?"
"Hm?" She asked, pulling herself from her reverie.
"The cookies..." Jack reiterated. "What were they for?"
"Oh. Teachers, coworkers...neighbors..." She said, shaking her head. "Anyone who passed our way that Christmas season, I suppose."
She thought for a moment. "I think she even left some for the mail man..."
"My parents...before they died..." Daniel began. "Got me a...a red fire engine for Christmas. I thought it was so cool. I played with it over and over and over and over again. Up and down the hallway. In the kitchen, on the linoleum, in the living room on the carpet. It didn't matter...I thought that fire engine was...so cool." He said, shaking his head. He bit the inside of his cheek. "It was crushed in the same rubble that killed my parents. It never..." He inhaled, emotionally. "It never drove straight again. The tire was bent, and the metal was twisted." He sighed. "Like how I felt after my parents died. Broken. Misshapen."
Sam offered him a sympathetic smile as Teal'c began. "There was a festival...for the first snowfall. We would gather together and the warriors would walk solemnly down the streets of the village. They had their heads held high and their weapons raised in triumph. My father did march proudly in many such parades until his death."
Sam patted his hand, gently.
They slipped into silence for a few moments as they each ate their food.
"We would decorate the tree on Christmas Eve." Jack began, picking at his food. "Drink egg nog and sing carols...then we'd read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"." He inhaled. "I'd put Charlie to bed, adn Sara would pull out the Santa suit that we hid under our bed, and I'd change so that if Charlie woke up to see Santa..."
"He wouldn't be disappointed," Sam finished.
He nodded, still not looking up.
The baby within Sam kicked softly, and she placed a hand on her stomach at the reminder of the child she carried within her. She felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of losing this child like Jack had lost Charlie. She may not have expected to have a child at this stage of her life, but it would break her heart to lose it.
"Christmas may be a time when one feels loss more poignantly than at other times in the year," Meg murmured, softly. "But perhaps," she said, touching Sam's stomach gently. "It is also a time to look forward with hope. A new year is coming. And with it, new challenges and new opportunities."
Sam exchanged a small smile with Jack's mother.
"Now," she said, pulling away and looking back at the rest of the group. "What do you all want for Christmas?"
-
The snow which had fallen over the course of the evening had begun piling up late into the night. By midnight, all of the cars had been snowed in, and Jack had insisted that Daniel, Teal'c, and Sam stay overnight for their own safety. Now, Sam lay next to Jack in his bed after Teal'c and Daniel had helped him into bed. They were silent as they stared up at the ceiling. Each on opposite sides of the bed.
"Jack?" She whispered softly.
"Hm?"
"This was nice." She said, looking over. "Christmas dinner...with your mom, Daniel, and Teal'c. It was nice."
"Yeah."
She swallowed. "I...I think your mom needs to know..."
"Know what?"
"That this baby is yours and mine. I mean, the look in her eyes when she touched my stomach..."
"Can't tell her without divulging the nature of the assignment..."
"Of course we can," she said, looking over at him. "She obviously doesn't care whether or not we've...defied regulations..."
"I'm not doing that to you."
"Jack, she already likes me. And quite frankly, it's about time that someone was actually excited to see this kid." She protested before she sighed. "I know I haven't been..."
"You don't want kids?"
"Sure. Who doesn't?" She asked after a moment. "And now that this baby's on the way, I couldn't imagine not having one, but...this was never in the cards. Not now. Not like this."
"Like what then?"
"I don't know." She sighed. "I guess I always pictured...a white picket fence, an 8-to-5 job..."
"I can add the fence, and you have an 8-to-5 job."
"It's...it's not the same. It wasn't...planned."
"Some of the best things in life aren't planned."
"Not for me, sir." She whispered.
"You planned to go through the Stargate?"
"Once I knew what it was..."
"You planned to have feelings for me?"
"Whether or not that's a good thing is debateable."
"You planned to have this baby?"
"No."
"Your life is one big lesson in spontaneity." He reasoned. "Now...you can learn the lesson and go with the flow, or you can fight it until you lose everything."
She looked over at him as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You're no happier with spontaneity than I am." She said after a moment.
"Admitted." He said, softly, as he reached over and took her hand. "But...maybe this is a lesson that we have to learn together."
"I can't make any promises." She whispered. "Not yet. It wouldn't be fair to you..."
"Be the mother of my child. Anything else...if there is anything else...can come later..."
She nodded slowly. "You're on."
-
Epilogue:
Four months later:
The sound of drills and construction-related commotion woke Sam with a pounding headache. She opened her eyes only to close them almost instantly at the blinding sunlight which streamed in through the window above her. "Gah..." She groaned, placing her hands over her eyes as she rocked as close as she could to the edge of the pillow in an effort to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Jack said, cheerily, as he wheeled into the bedroom with a tray of breakfast food on his lap.
"Go away." She murmured, waving him away as she tried to bury her face in the pillow.
"I brought breakfast." He said, trying to bribe her out of bed.
"Not hungry."
She could mentally see his eyebrows raise. Who was she kidding? She was always hungry. Insatiable, actually, since she ate for the fraternal twins she carried within her. Twins they'd found out about only a few weeks after Christmas at her monthly check-up.
"I just want sleep." She moaned as she struggled to sit herself up. "But that damn construction crew is making it impossible."
"Sorry," he apologized with a sheepish grin. "But..."
"I know, I know." She sighed. "It was my idea."
"Still, you could go to your place." He admitted. "I'm fine here. Ma's still here, and I can get myself out of bed and into the chair if I need to now."
She didn't say anything, just stood with a grimace as she pushed past him on her way to the bathroom.
He knew almost better than she, that she stayed with him for the emotional support. He'd started seeing a therapist a few days after Christmas about his paralysis and had learned to be a better anchor for her. Then, they'd learned about the twins. A boy and a girl, if Janet Fraiser was right. And she usually was.
Sam had been a wreck, thinking about how to care for not just one baby, but two.
To be honest, the twins were still a touchy subject for her.
He wheeled down the hallway. "Sam..."
He heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water for a few moments before it stopped and she opened the door again. "You two are officially grounded for the first month of your lives." She said, looking down at her stomach. "Kicking my bladder like that...it's unforgiveable..."
A small smile played on Jack's features before she looked up. "What?"
"They're not going to be able to do much for the first month of their lives...grounding is a little...harsh..."
She sighed as she reached down and retrieved the plate from the tray on his legs. "I'm famished."
He bit down a sarcastic comment as he followed her back down the corridor to one of the only two undisturbed rooms in the house. She passed by the mirror on his dresser and looked at her profile in the mirror with a small sigh.
"You'll get your girlish figure back," he said, soberly.
She turned a skeptical eye to him as she crunched on a piece of bacon and lowered herself cautiously to sit on the edge of the bed. "Uh-huh..."
He wheeled closer to her, giving him enough space to touch a tender hand to her knee. "Hey, just a few more weeks, right? Then, the kids will be out of you. Not dancing on your bladder anymore."
She managed a small smile, though Jack could see that she was on the verge of tears.
"What's wrong?"
"I can hardly stand up anymore I'm so enormous. I've been on maternity stand down for the last two weeks, and I'm going more than a little bit crazy just sitting around, doing nothing, and waiting for these babies to make their appearance...which," she gritted her teeth, "As your mother frequently points out...will be on THEIR time table."
"I'm sure they're feeling just as squished as you," he said with a small smile. "Won't be too long now..."
She sighed. "Well, if that, in and of itself, weren't so damn terrifying, I might actually manage to be happy about that."
"What's so terrifying?" He asked, looking over at her.
"The prospect of having kids in general. I mean, what do I do when they start asking questions about what I do..."
"You're a scientist. You do experiments. At first, that's all they have to know." He said, pragmatically.
"And what if I end up going back on SG-1? What then? I mean, do I drop them off at daycare, traipse around the galaxy and come home in time for dinner?"
"You leave them with me, and I take good care of them until you get back."
She opened her mouth to speak before she closed it again.
"What?" He prodded, gently.
"What happens when...you can't chase them anymore? When you can't catch them, and they're able to figure out that there are some things they can do, some places they can go..."
"We'll deal with it." He said, soberly. "I'm not the only one who has had to consider how this disability, this paralysis, is going to affect parenting children."
She nodded, slowly.
"Come on. Your appointment is in an hour, and I want to take that new car for a spin..."
She chuckled softly. "Who knew you'd get so excited about driving..."
"Are you kidding?" He asked, eyes wide. "I can get into it by myself! I can drive! It's AMAZING!"
She smiled. "Good. That's the point."
He patted her knee, affectionately. "Get dressed, and maybe we'll get to go out to eat. And stay as far away from these construction workers as we can."
She laughed as she nodded. "Sounds like the best idea you've had all day."
-
She walked unevenly beside Jack as he rolled over to the car. The twins had kicked her pelvis out of alignment weeks ago, making any walking a slow, awkward and somewhat painful process as she tried to balance the extra frontal weight of her protruding belly and yet move forward at the same time.
"What's your mom doing today?" Sam asked as she struggled to get situated in the front seat of the van.
"Said she was going to go shopping with "Murray"."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Shopping with..."
"I tried to tell her that might not be a good idea, but she insisted." He said, using the wheelchair lift to raise him high enough to get into the backseat. He quickly stored the lift before pressing a button to close the door. Then, he wheeled into the driver's seat from the backseat. "But she's sworn us off going to the mall. At least without a phone call."
"What?" She asked, looking over at him, confused.
"I know...it's weird." He said with a shrug. "And I don't get it anymore than you do."
-
"How are you feeling, Sam?" Dr. Janet Fraiser asked as she entered the exam room.
"Like if I get any bigger, I'll explode." She said with a sardonic smile.
"Well, it won't be too much longer," she said, sympathetically.
Sam managed a tired smile as Janet began the examination, taking her blood pressure and vitals. "I saw Colonel O'Neill outside. He seemed to be adjusting to his paralysis fairly well."
Sam nodded. "He's almost completely independent. His mother's probably going to leave in the next month or two. Though I've heard that she might get an apartment here in Colorado Springs so that she can still be close to him."
"The Colonel must be happy about that," Janet said with a small chuckle.
Sam managed an appreciative laugh. "No, but he's figured if she starts mothering him too much, he'll send her my way."
"Nice way to get some help with the twins..." Janet said, soberly.
Sam inhaled.
"And Cassie's willing to babysit anytime you need it."
"I don't think I'll need an actual babysitter for a little while..."
"She can listen for the twins if you need to take a nap or something every so often."
"And...when they actually get here, I'll be happy to take her up on the offer," Sam said, wryly.
Janet's brow furrowed as she continued her examination. "Sam?"
"Hm?"
"Have you been having discomfort...anything out of the ordinary?"
"Out of the ordinary discomfort?" Sam asked, skeptically.
Janet managed a worried smile. "Contractions...anything like that?"
Sam shook her head. "No..."
"Hm. That's peculiar."
"Why?" Sam asked, looking at her friend, feeling somewhat anxious.
"You're dilated to a four. And given the readings I just took...I think...you might be in early stages of labor."
Sam's brows raised somewhat worriedly.
-
Jack sat outside the exam room, reading a small booklet on dealing with paralysis. Sam had gotten it for him, and he figured that in an effort to show his gratitude for her support, he should at least...try to read it.
Janet walked out of the room, catching one of the nurses. "I need this patient moved to the labor and delivery."
"Yes, doctor."
Jack's ears perked up at the sound of "labor and delivery". "Janet..."
"Sam's in labor." She said, looking over at the Colonel.
His eyes widened. "Really?"
She nodded. "Do you think you can still get through to the SGC? She was asking that someone get a message through to her father."
"I'll call Hammond." He said, nodding.
She turned to leave, and he looked up. "Doc?"
She turned back. "Yes, sir?"
"Is she...okay?" He asked, worriedly.
"She's going to be fine, Colonel." She said, softly.
He nodded, slowly.
"Once you've called General Hammond, and once we've gotten her settled, she might like to see you." Janet sighed softly. "I'm trying to reassure her, but quite frankly, she is understandably anxious about the whole thing."
He nodded. "Right."
"And you've always had a calming effect on any of the members of your team."
"Not my team anymore, Doc." He said, soberly. "But I'll give it a try."
-
She was looking out the window, dressed in a carefully tied hospital gown as he wheeled in.
"Hey," he murmured.
She turned back to look at him, both hands resting gently on her belly as she offered him a faint smile. "Hi, Jack."
"What was that I said about it all being over soon?" He asked with a small smile.
She managed a nervous smile. "Right..."
"You're gonna be fine, Sam." He assured, wheeling closer to her.
She looked back out the window. "I hope so..."
"You don't think you can?" He prodded. "Or you're not sure you want to?"
She inhaled as she offered him an appreciative smile. "A little of both, I suppose."
"But?"
"But maybe it's not as bad as I think..." She said as if offering a counterargument to a solution she'd proposed in saving the world. "Apparently I've been having contractions for a few hours now, and I can't feel a thing."
"Pretty sure that's going to change." He said with a shrug.
"Yeah..." She said, inhaling.
"Carter, you've been shot, you've had broken bones, you've been tortured with a goa'uld hand device and a goa'uld pain stick. I don't think this is going to kill you."
She managed a grateful smile as she looked down at her belly before she turned toward him, still not looking him in the eye. "Then I guess...I'm gonna be a mom."
"Yep." Jack said, nodding. "Now, you should probably get back into bed before Fraiser blames me."
She chuckled softly as she walked slowly back to the bed and got herself situated in the bed. "Were you able to get a message through to my dad?"
"Hammond said he'd try." He said, nodding.
"Mark...I should call Mark..."
"Danny and T are on their way. We can have them call."
"Wasn't Teal'c with your mom?"
"Yeah." He said, nodding. "But I can ask her to go and watch the construction guys if you want.."
"It might be a good idea." She admitted somewhat nervously. "I mean, we never actually told her..."
"It's whatever you're comfortable with. I mean, we could all hang out in the lobby..."
"I...I don't really want to be alone." She sighed with a small grimace as she pressed a hand to her stomach.
"You okay?"
She inhaled slowly before nodding as she exhaled equally slowly. "Yeah..."
"Finally felt that one?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She exhaled noisily.
"Bad?"
"Not...bad...exactly, just worse than the others."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Not likely." She said with a small shrug.
"Want me to get the Doc?"
She shook her head. "No. She'll be in here soon enough, and quite frankly, I can handle this right now." She turned a small chuckle to him. "After all, I have been tortured and all sorts of other horrible things..."
She looked far from relieved, and he sighed, wishing there was something that he could do.
"Look, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I'm sure this is...no picnic for you either."
"Hey, those kids are half-mine. I'm only leaving if you want me to leave."
She offered a small, grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Hey...it's the least I can do. Let you hold my hand and all that jazz..."
She chuckled softly as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "I think I'll catch up on that sleep I wanted this morning."
He smiled somewhat nervously as her breathing deepened slowly. Whether he was ready or not, he was going to be a dad again.
-
Several hours later:
Daniel paced around the waiting room, nervously. "You'd think we'd have heard something by now."
"Major Carter is quite strong." Teal'c said, soberly. "She is fine."
"Women have babies everyday, Daniel." Meg said with a small smile. "She'll be fine."
"Where's Jack? I thought he would be here..." Daniel said, his brow furrowed.
Teal'c raised his eyebrow.
-
"AGH!" Sam cried, breathing heavily as sweat beaded her forehead.
"Keep pushing, Sam..." Janet murmured, encouragingly.
She shook with the effort, and Jack held her hand as tightly as he could to keep from letting it slip from his with the sweat that covered their hands.
"Good job, Sam. Take a minute, and then, give us another push like that one."
She inhaled as deeply as she could as she rested the back of her head against the pillow.
"Hey," Jack whispered, softly. "Good job."
She looked over at him, trying to manage a small smile.
He squeezed her hand supportively as Janet looked back at Sam. "Okay...on the count of three, I want you to push again. One, two, three."
She pulled herself up and began to push again.
-
"Daniel Jackson," Daniel greeted as his phone rang.
"Dr. Jackson, it's General Hammond."
"General!"
"How's Major Carter?"
"Uh...we don't know. We assume someone will tell us if something's going wrong..."
"She's strong, son. I'm sure she's fine." The General assured.
"Yes, sir, I'm sure she is." He agreed. "Now...what can we do for you?"
"I just got word back from the Tok'ra. Apparently, Jacob is on a mission of gravest importance, and cannot be interrupted at this time."
"But, General..."
"I know." He interrupted. "But for now, I've done all I can."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell Sam when I get the chance."
He hung up the phone with a sigh.
"Her dad can't come. At least...not right now."
"He can't?" Meg asked, surprised.
"No, he...can't be reached by phone, apparently."
-
"Sam, I can see the baby's head." Janet said with a smile. "Just one more push, and you'll have one of the twins."
Sam nodded, steeling herself for another push. She gritted her teeth as she pushed, and Jack smiled softly. "Sam...we're almost there..." He said, in wonder.
She released a guttural yell as a smaller cry reached their ears.
"That's it, Sam." Janet cried, somewhat breathlessly as she helped to pull the child from Sam's womb. "You're a mom."
Sam inhaled softly as Janet held the child up for her to see. "It's a girl."
Tears were slipping down her cheeks as she took in the sight of her baby girl.
"Doctor..." One of the nurses murmured.
She wrapped the baby up and offered the baby to Jack. "Hold her for a moment, Colonel."
He looked somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of holding his daughter for the first time. "Support her head." The doctor reminded, gently.
He nodded earnestly as Sam pushed again. A few moments later, another squeal could be heard from the second newborn.
"And...it's a boy." Janet smiled.
Sam was crying as Janet offered her son for her to hold. "Well done, Sam." She said with a small smile as she patted her friend's shoulder.
"Oh, he's so beautiful," she murmured.
"I think the right term is handsome," Jack cut in. "She...she's gorgeous."
"Just wait until we get them all cleaned up." Janet chuckled. "Do you mind?"
"No." Sam said, shaking her head as she returned the baby to the doctor. A nurse retrieved the baby girl from Jack's arms.
"Nice job, Carter."
She managed a tired smile. "Thank you, sir."
-
Daniel knocked softly on the door as he opened it. "Hey," he whispered, flowers and balloons in his hands.
Sam looked up with a serene smile from where she held her daughter in her arms. "Hi, Daniel."
"Jack said she was beautiful, but he didn't say how beautiful," he murmured as he bent over her and looked at the baby.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sam asked, looking over at him.
"Sure."
She gently passed the baby to him. "Watch her head," she said, softly.
"What's her name?"
"Grace Althea Carter," Sam said with a small smile. "After my mother and grandmother."
"Nice names."
She smiled softly as she looked over to where Meg O'Neill, unknowingly, held her grandson. "And that little heartbreaker over there...is Jacob Andrew Carter."
"He looks so much like..." Meg began.
Sam tensed slightly as she looked over. Jack had mentioned shortly after young Jacob's birth that he'd looked much like the newborn Charlie.
"Hey, guys." Jack grinned as he wheeled in.
"What are those?" Meg asked, looking up at her son.
"Just a couple of teddy bears."
"They're enormous!"
Sam chuckled. "The kids can't play with them until they're at least ten!"
"Something to look forward to then." He winked. "Come on, they're teddy bears..."
Sam smiled softly. "Okay, fine. They're teddy bears. Eventually, they'll be able to see over the bears' heads."
He turned an affectionate smile to her.
Meg let her eyes wander from her son to Sam before she gently passed the baby to her son. "Here, Jonathan. Hold the baby. I think I'll go and check on the construction workers."
Daniel took the hint and returned Grace to her mother's arms. "I'll go see if I can find..."Murray"..."
"Daniel..."
"Besides, she likes you better than me." He winked.
Sam chuckled softly as Grace nestled into her arms. She ran a gentle finger over her daughter's cheek. "You are so beautiful," she whispered, absolutely overwhelmed by her motherhood.
Daniel smiled as he gently patted her shoulder. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay." She said with a soft smile as Meg came over and gently kissed her cheek. "Your children are beautiful. And you look radiant."
Sam blushed. "You're lying, but I'm inclined to believe you."
Meg smiled. "Call me if you need any help."
"Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind." She said, gratefully.
"Good." She said with a small nod before she turned to leave.
When they were gone, Jack looked over from where he sat holding baby Jacob. "We do good work, don't we?"
She managed a small smile as she nodded. "Yeah. We do."
"So...what now?"
She bit her lip. "I don't know."
"You're going to need some help with these two. Maybe you should just stay at my house..."
"The nursery was painted in my house..." She laughed softly.
"Maybe we should, uh, change that."
"Change what? Which nursery is painted?" She asked, skeptically. "I don't think that's going to work..."
"That's not really what I meant...I just thought that...maybe we should share my house."
She sobered, pausing for a moment. "What are you saying, Jack?"
"We're parents, Sam. We should...live in the same house...even if we don't actually have a relationship. That way we don't have to ferry them back and forth. That way you can go back to SG-1, and the kids won't have to go anywhere..."
"Jack..."
"You don't have to answer yet, but I...when you were napping, I asked my mom to redecorate one of the rooms. That's...that's what she was doing at the mall yesterday. She was getting all of the furniture and...stuff...for the nursery."
"What?"
"I told my mom the truth."
"Jack..."
"Who's she gonna tell?" He asked with a small smile as he looked down at his newborn son. "I mean, I'm retired. What am I afraid of?"
Sam inhaled. "You're sure about this?"
He nodded. "You can take all the time you need, but I can support you better if we're in the same house. Especially with midnight feedings and the like."
"I'd like that," she admitted.
"Then, I guess..." He said with a small sigh. "I guess it's...settled..."
She pressed her fingers to her lips as she blew a soft kiss his way.
"What was that for?"
"You're retired, aren't you?" She asked with a tender smile. "And the father of my two beautiful babies?"
He smiled softly, pretending to catch the kiss with his fingers, as he looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "Yep, Carter...I thought we did good work when we saved the world, but this...this is perfection."
She swallowed as she looked down at Grace, lying in her arms. "I know just what you mean..." She murmured, softly.