Chapter 2

The next few hours were a blur for Jack. Sam was whisked away to the hospital. The police officers asked a few brief questions before he insisted on being allowed to follow his wife to the hospital. They knew where to find him. He wasn't going to be anywhere but by Sam's side.

In the ER, the doctors and nurses were treating her. She was in and out of consciousness. They did a rape kit and X-Rays and CT scans. And probably some other tests that Jack wasn't even sure about. Finally the doctor came and talked to them. Jack sat on the gerny holding Sam and whispering soothing words to her when the doctor came in. She had multiple facial fractures and vaginal tearing that would need stitches, but she was expected to recover. The doctor offered to give her the "morning after pill" as a precaution to prevent pregnancy.

Jack was ready to agree for her, when he heard her softly comment, "No."

"Sam? Why not?"

And that's how Jack O'Neill found out he would be a father again. His battered wife, in a hospital ER, after a brutal rape. He didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. They'd talked about it. They both wanted a child, even after Charlie, but he was to worried about Sam and angry that he wasn't there to protect her, to even acknowledge the baby.

"Can she come home tonight, doc?"

"Let us keep her a few days. We'll give her a few doses of antibiotics and make sure her head injury isn't any worse that we think. She can come home in a few days."

Jack nodded at the doctor and the man left the room.

After sitting in stunned silence for a few minutes, Jack realized he hadn't called anyone to let them know what was going on. So, reluctantly, he grabbed his cell phone and called General Hammond first. Jack filled him in on Sam's injuries and asked him to notify the rest of his team. He couldn't deal with Daniel's questions right now and although Teal'c would be easier to deal with, he just wanted to sit with his wife.

Several hours later, Sam was finally in a room. The guys, Daniel and Teal'c, had been by to visit, but mercifully they had the wisdom not to linger. They had needed to see her, to reassure themselves that she would survive and offered to relieve Jack so he could rest. Of course, he had refused. He left her side long enough to relieve himself in the restroom down the hall and quickly returned to her bedside. He refused food and only sipped at the now cold black coffee he held in his hands.

"Jack," she started to speak, but he quickly silenced her.

"Shh, rest now, Sam. You don't have to talk about it."

But that was where he was wrong. She needed to talk, to tell him, and at the same time, she didn't want to. She was ashamed that she had been caught off guard. She was a capable warrior. No one should ever have been able to place her in the position she was found in.

"Jack, please," she weakly pleaded. "I need you to know. I need you to understand. And I need you listen."

Jack didn't like talking. Everyone knew that. But now, for her, he'd listen. He'd speak if necessary. Whatever she needed. He felt so overwhelmed and inadequate. If he couldn't protect her at home, how was he going to protect her at work?

He gently squeezed her hand, encouraging her to speak.

"I told you about Jonas, briefly, a while back. We had three dates, years ago. I broke it off quickly. He was possessive and controlling. He refused to take no for an answer and I eventually had to take out a restraining order against him. It didn't do much to stop him, until he was arrested for nearly killing my neighbor, who he thought I was dating."

Jack listened patiently. He remembered the story. She had told him it all before. How Jonas was crazed and attacked her neighbor. Sam actually had been the one to come to the man's rescue. She heard the commotion as she was returning a red iron skillet she had borrowed. Having no other weapon, she swung hard with the skillet and knocked Jonas out before he could permanently injury the man. Between his psych eval and a good lawyer, he was able to get a light 15 year sentence, with the possibility of early parole with good behavior. The prison system obviously underestimated him.

Sam rambled on, telling him things he already knew. But eventually she stumbled into new territory, and he refocused on her story.

"A few days ago, I had an appointment with an obstetrician. I had taken a home pregnancy test a week ago. But I didn't want to say anything until I was sure."

At the mention of pregnancy, Jack looked up into her eyes. He saw love and fear. He wanted to reassure her. "Sam, a baby, our baby, is a good thing. If I had found out differently, I'd be shouting from the rooftops. I love you... and I love our child." As he spoke, he reached out his hand and gently laid it on top of her hand that she had resting on her abdomen.

With his gentle reassurance, she continued. "I wasn't expecting anyone when the doorbell rang. I was surprised. I should have been more cautious." She tried to stifle a sob.

Jack once again squeezed her hand. "You couldn't have known."

"When I opened the door, I froze. I saw Jonas and I saw the red frying pan flying at me. It all happened to fast. Everything after that is spotty. I woke up, face down on the bed. I could hear him ranting. 'You're mine. What made you think you could have another man's baby.' How could he know, Jack? I hadn't told anyone."

Jack reached over and gently hugged her. He gave her reassurance and tried to share strength that he wasn't sure he had.

"I remember looking at the clock and seeing the time. It was only 0930. I knew you wouldn't be home for hours. I wanted to hold on, but he was hurting me so much." She was sobbing with this statement and Jack tensed. He felt the anger course through his body. If he hadn't of already killed the man, he definitely would now. He felt a fierce protectiveness and he made a silent promise that no man would ever touch his wife again.