The Box
by
Jennaya O'Neill
Related Episode(s): There But For the Grace of God, In the Line of Duty, The Tokra Part 1, The Tokra Part 2, Point of View, Jolinars Memories, Maternal Instinct, Upgrades, Divide and Conquer, Tangent, Meridian, Revelations, Redemption Part 1, Redemption Part 2, Frozen, Abyss, The Other Guys, Allegiance, The Changeling, Full Circle, Fallen, Homecoming, Fragile Balance
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. All original characters and scenarios are copywrite to the author.
Author Notes: Thank you so much to my beta's Allie, Anneka O'Carter, and Sethoz. You guys helped me so much and added wonderfully to the story. Thanks!! Please read and review.
"Pregnant? What do you mean? I can't be pregnant. This has to be a mistake!"
Dr. Janet Fraiser wasn't surprised at her friend's outburst, she had believed the same thing at first, and had the test rerun twice. But the pre-mission blood work was correct; she was seven weeks pregnant. Janet knew Major Samantha Carter had been seeing someone seriously for a while, but had always came up with an excuse for not telling her who. Not that Sam would tell her if it was 'him' anymore, not after…she thought.
Speaking gently and cautiously Janet continued; "Sam, I know this comes as a shock, but you are pregnant, about seven weeks according to the test results. I can't let you go on this mission. I'm sorry."
Uncertain how Stargate travel might affect her friend's unborn baby, she couldn't take that risk. They were sitting in Dr. Fraiser's office; her desk was cluttered with charts and lab results, the computer sat idle. To tell Sam the news Janet had walked around and sat on the corner of her desk, while Sam was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of her. Sam's expression wasn't what Janet had expected so she took the seat next to Sam, wanting to be a friend right now, but very much aware of her duties at the same time.
"Janet, you have to let me go, just this one last time." Sam pleaded.
"You know I can't do that, and I have to inform General Hammond." Janet felt more as if she was letting Sam down than being her friend at that moment.
"Janet, normally I would agree with you, but I have already been through the Stargate six times in the last three weeks. If this were a normal exploratory mission, it would be different, but it's only for two days to deliver some reports to the Tok'ra. My dad's going to be there, we set this up weeks ago; I need to see him…now more than ever," Sam's eyes were pleading, as she looked at Janet. "I have to…have to…tell him this… in person. I owe him…that much." Sam averted her eyes downward as she tried to get her last words out; her knuckles turning white as her fingers dug deep into the chair's worn arm.
"Sam, I know you want to see your dad, but can Jacob come here?" Fraiser's heart was torn, was she going to be a friend this time or not?
"No, he's leading the treaty talks with the rebel Jaffa."
Sam was taking the news harder than Janet expected, reaching out she took hold of one of Sam's hands trying to be supportive. Unable to identify all the emotions she was watching play across Sam's face; surprise yes, anger maybe, joy possibly, but something else she could not place was there too.
"Sam, we don't know what Stargate travel does to a fetus at this stage of development." Janet's stomach was churning, why was this so hard?
"Janet in our travels, we have come across dozens of pregnant women that used the Stargate on a regular basis, and they had no problems." Carter countered.
"Yes, but most of them had a symbiote, and most were Jaffa women Sam." She looked away fighting back tears. Sam was her best friend and she really did only have her best interest at heart.
"Not all of them, you remember Zee'tra from P3X698? She's human and used the Stargate everyday to get to work during two pregnancies. You saw her kids when they were here last month; they are the most beautiful healthy children. It's normal in her society for women to use the Stargate all throughout their pregnancy. If they can do it with a similar level of technology to ours, and have no problems, then I can do it, at least one more time. Please Janet, I really need to see my dad. This is not something I can tell him over the MALP, please." Sam was desperate, fully cognizant that only if she could convince Janet to allow her to travel to the Tok'ra's base, would she be able to tell her father in person.
"If…I agree to this, then you have to tell me who the father is when you get back." Janet sighed wondering if she was making the right decision, but she owed Sam and she knew it. Plus Sam did have a point; several cultures had no problems with pregnant women using the Stargate. Maybe just one more time, she thought, maybe I can make up for some of the pain I've caused her; remembering how their friendship had been strained and had never fully recovered after that incident with the Tok'ra Anise and that damn Zatarc' detector.
Dr. Fraiser had put her job before her friendship with Sam and told General Hammond about the feelings both Carter and O'Neill had expressed for each other. Things had never been the same between the two women since. Oh, their friendship had recovered but now there were things Sam would no longer discuss with her. Before the incident, the two best friends could talk about anything and often did. To this day, it pained Janet when she thought about what she had done to Sam and the outcome.
"When I get back, I promise I'll introduce you to him. I have to tell him first about this of course, but then I will tell both General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill, that I need to stand down from Stargate travel until the baby is born." Sam looked away trying to blink out some mist that was forming in her eyes. She was in shock, but it wasn't all bad news she had always wanted kids, and 'other problems' were running through her mind as she fought to keep her composure.
"You will have to tell them within 48 hours of returning or I'll be forced too. Sam, if this was any other type of mission," Janet felt trapped; she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't.
"I wouldn't even ask, thank you Janet. I'll tell them when we get back, I promise." Sam stood up to leave, feeling as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders; she could still travel to Valoura today.
"Remember you also promised me, you'd let me meet this mystery man of yours." Janet smiled pointing her finger in her best friend's direction.
"I will as soon as I get back, you'll be the first person from work I introduce him too." Sam almost whispered, as she turned to leave quickly afraid Fraiser might change her mind. More importantly, she could no longer look her friend in the eye, not now.
"I'd better be." Dr. Fraiser muttered to herself watching Sam leave her office, trying to ignore a nagging feeling that she already knew. With no proof, she wouldn't bring 'it' up again, she promised herself.
Her mind wondered back to an arduous meeting with her commanding officer that always made her shudder. The General had talked to both O'Neill and Carter after the resolution of the Zatarc' matter, then he tried to assure Dr. Fraiser no problem existed. But convinced something was going on between them, she pressed the issue; it was then, her commanding officer ordered the doctor to stand down. Fraiser always wondered exactly what had transpired for the General to indicate it would be wise not to mention the matter further to anyone. Afterwards Sam didn't talk to her for nearly a month, and it took O'Neill longer than that to be civil again - a lot longer.
--
Colonel Jack O'Neill waited impatiently outside the infirmary to find out why Fraiser had pulled Carter into her office. The other three members of SG-1 had already been medically cleared for their mission. When someone was pulled into Dr. Fraiser's office behind closed doors, there was usually a problem. He knew Carter had not been feeling well recently and was worried about her and yet hoped she would still be able to going on this mission.
Carter had been excited about getting to see her dad again; it had been several months since Sam and Jacob had a chance to talk. O'Neill wanted this trip to be a mini vacation for SG-1 rather than just boring meetings. He was already dressed to leave and pacing the hallway when he saw Carter exiting the infirmary.
"Everything alright?" He asked his concern evident.
"Everything's fine, I'm cleared to go." Carter tried to sound and look like she wasn't in shock. She felt like she was in shock, no she knew she was in shock.
"What'd Fraiser want?" He pushed. As her commanding officer, O'Neill had to know if something was wrong. If she couldn't make this trip safely, or if she might put herself or the team in jeopardy, should they get into trouble out there.
"Nothing," Carter tried, maybe he would drop it, no such luck.
"Fraiser doesn't call you into her office for nothing. What's up?" O'Neill demanded as they walked down the corridor.
"She wanted to talk about something personal, that's all. I'll be geared up and ready to go in 10 minutes." She flashed a smile at him, hoping he would take her at her word and drop his line of interrogation.
"Oh." He said not really believing her, but deciding it was fruitless to keep pushing he dropped it. If Carter had been cleared medically then there was no reason to force the issue right now, he would get it out of her later. O'Neill had been her CO and friend for nearly ten years; in that time he had learned when to let things go and to pursue them later if necessary. The look on Carter's face told him it was necessary, she was not telling him something.
They entered the elevator where he pushed 19 for him and 25 for her. When the doors opened at 25, he watched for a moment as Carter ran to the locker room to change before heading back up in the elevator. The Colonel had a bad feeling in his gut, one that he could not get rid of no matter what he told himself.
Sam knew she had to tell him but not right now. Now she had to think. How had this happened? She never knew that a pregnancy test was part of the pre-mission blood work or that one could come back so fast; that was the shock, which sent her mind orbiting.
Pregnant…
It almost sounded like a death sentence to her career, when the off-base doctor had told her yesterday. Carter knew this was the last trip she would be taking for the SGC and possibly Earth. What about all she was giving up? Would she ever see her brother and his family again? Would she still be in the Air Force? Would she ever be allowed back into the SGC? Would Hammond have her hunted down and court martialed? She was up for a promotion to Lt. Colonel. Would her teammates forgive her? Right now, she felt scared and alone, so she pushed the thoughts away. A skill she had perfected during her Air Force career.
Gently fingering a small wooden box taken from the bottom of her locker, Sam shoved it in her backpack, and picked up the extra bag she told the guards' was for her dad; she had become skilled at getting things past them too. She chuckled to herself those poor guards on the first floor; they had no idea what was below the 11th floor or any ideal everything her and her teammates snuck past them both ways throughout the years. The guards on the 11th floor waived whatever she had with her through. They were friends, more importantly they knew what was below, and considered her essentially third in command of the SGC. Sam took one last look around the locker room, she was going to miss her friends here, and it hurt deeply, what she had just done to Janet.
But there had been no other choice this is how it had to be. Major Carter raced to the gateroom before Dr. Fraiser could change her mind and make her lose her only chance. All she wanted to do was get out of here and get to Valoura fast. She would deal with the repercussions there.