Chapter two
"So where's your new patient, Doc," Jack asked, and Janet pointed to the first bed. He approached the bed quietly, separating the privacy curtains just enough to slip through. Janet followed him. The patient's head was turned toward him, and he could clearly see her features...the blonde hair like a halo on the pillow...her peaches and cream complexion...her beauty marred only slightly by the bandage on her temple and one tiny, white scar on the left side of her forehead. He turned around and mouthed the word, "Wow!" to Janet, who simply nodded.
"Sam's here too," she whispered. "I gave our guest some of Sam's blood, so Sam's replacing it. Perfect match, except the naquadah. I don't think it'll hurt her any, since it hasn't hurt our Sam," she added.
"Where is she?" Jack asked, wanting to know where his second-in-command was. He always worried about her well-being, even though he hardly ever let on. But Janet knew him and Sam well enough to know when they were feeling protective of each other. She saw it in his eyes now and smiled at him, as she gestured toward the adjacent bed.
"Next bed. Oh, and while you're there, see if you can get her to go home for a day or two. She's been here the entire weekend," Janet told him with obvious disapproval.
"I'll try, but you know Carter," he said. She did know Sam, but this new Carter was still a mystery to her!
"I thought I did, Colonel. But in her case," she said looking at the new patient, "I would have to disagree with you!" He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head in understanding. Then he quietly went to the second bed and smiled warmly at his 2iC.
"So, Carter, what d'ya think? Evil twin? Robot copy? Doppelganger? Alternate universe thingy?" he asked in his own inimitable style.
Sam smiled at him. He was so adorable when he was in one of his silly moods, which was most of the time...at least when they weren't facing down some bad guy. No one knew better than Sam Carter how intense and serious Jack could be when it was necessary! He just didn't let the serious side of his life take precedence, and for that Sam was very thankful. There had been many difficult times when his humor had seen her through, given her courage and the strength to carry on. To her way of thinking he was the best CO an airman could have, and she loved him for it...and for so much more!
"I'm pretty sure it's the last, Sir," she replied as seriously as she could. "I can't wait till she comes to!"
"Yah, well, the Doc will let you know when that happens," he told her as a nurse came in to remove the needle from her arm. "In the meantime, I want you to go home," he said.
"But, Colonel..."
"No buts, Major! It's 19:00 hours on a Sunday night, fer cryin out loud! You are going home to get some rest! Daniel and Teal'c won't be back from their trip till Wednesday, so we're off rotation till then anyway."
Daniel had decided to take their alien teammate to see two of Earth's more famous playgrounds, Las Vegas and Disneyland. Actually Teal'c had chosen to add Disneyland to their itinerary, but Daniel hadn't seemed very opposed to going there. Jack could just imagine the big guy and the geek going on all those rides together. They must be turning quite a few heads about now!
"I don't want you toiling away in your lab until they get back. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir, but what about..." She really wanted to stick around, to be the first to talk to Captain Carter. Maybe she would lie to him...tell him she was leaving, just to get him off her back.
"Ack! What did I just say? You're going home now, even if I have to take you there myself," he stated forcefully. He knew how stubborn Carter could be. If he left before making sure she went home, she wouldn't leave at all. He decided right then and there that he would drive her home.
"In fact, if you're good to go, I think I will drive you home," he said, and Sam gave him a peeved look. She knew he'd figured her out, and so she gave in.
"Alright, Sir. Just give me ten to change. I'll meet you outside the locker rooms."
Ten minutes later she and Jack were strolling the corridor on their way to the elevator. Suddenly they heard her name being paged over the loud speakers. They both ran to the elevator and took it down to the infirmary level, where they found a very distressed Captain Carter trying to get out of bed. A male orderly and Dr. Frasier were trying to keep her there, without injuring her further.
"Let me go! I have to find them! Let go, damn it!" she yelled at them, grabbing at their hands with both of hers, even though one of her arms was in a sling.
"Captain Carter, if you don't settle down this instant, I will have to sedate you! Is that what you want?" Janet asked her. She continued to struggle, until she saw the man and woman who had come up behind the petite doctor.
"Oh, my God!" When she saw the faces of Col. O'Neill and Major Sam Carter, the visitor stopped struggling. "You're here! You're both here! I prayed you would be."
"Captain? What are you talking about? Why have you come here? HOW have you come here?" Janet asked her. She waved the orderly away, seeing as her patient had calmed down considerably. Sam stepped up closer to the bed, while Jack went around to the other side. Captain Carter followed him with her eyes, which had suddenly begun to tear up. Then she tore her eyes away from him and looked at Sam.
"I'm Captain Samantha Carter of the SGA. I'm from an alternate timeline...a sort of parallel universe, if you will. You ARE aware that there are an infinite number of realities all existing at the same time as yours, aren't you?"
"Yes. Well, that is to say we know that alternate realities do exist. It's only speculation that they're infinite in number," Sam qualified.
"Yes, that's very true. But believe me, there are many," she chuckled. "Anyway, I perfected a way to use the stargate to travel from one reality to another. I'll tell you more about that later, if you're interested, but right now I don't have time to waste! I've been to over two dozen alternate realities in the past nine days. Nearly got myself killed in that last one. Phew, were they ever a messed up bunch! Anyway, I came here because I need your help. My CO will not allow me to use the stargate for this purpose again, once I return home. It's really not his fault. It's that SOB President Kinsey. He says he's saving mankind from the demons that come through the stargate, by shutting down the entire program."
Everyone present made a sour face at the mention of Kinsey's name. "President!" Jack scoffed angrily. 'How in the hell did that bastard get elected president in any reality?' Jack wondered.
"Yes, President Kinsey. Anyway, I'm getting off track. The reason I'm here is that you, Major Carter, and you, Colonel O'Neill, are my last chance to save my daughter's life!" she said, looking directly at Jack and then back to Sam.
Jack cleared his throat and stood there looking very uncomfortable and confused. Janet and Sam glanced at him, at each other, and then back to the patient. No one spoke for several seconds. Finally Sam took her duplicate's hand and asked her to explain.
"I'm sorry, but we don't understand what you're trying to tell us," Sam said gently.
"Katie has a rare disease...it's similar to leukemia...but like no cancer we've ever encountered before. Her doctor says she needs cells from someone with exactly the same genetic makeup as her own...a sibling to be precise," she explained, as her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry about your little girl," Jack said sincerely. "But what does that have to do with us?" he asked. He had the distinct feeling he wasn't going to like the answer. He could also tell that she was about to cry, and a crying Carter was one thing he preferred not to witness. He always wanted to take Sam in his arms and comfort her when she was this upset, but that was something he wasn't allowed to do with one, and something he didn't dare do with the other.
"My Jack...Lt. Col. Jack O'Neill, that is...was declared MIA four months ago. I'm certain he's alive, but so far we haven't been able to find him. And now the search has been called off." And that's when she lost her composure and tears began to spill down her cheeks. "...otherwise I could have gotten pregnant by now, and we could have used cells from the fetus to save Katie. As it is, a sibling from an alternate reality is my only hope!"
"I'm sorry. I still don't understand," Janet told the distraught woman.
"I think I do. Your baby's father is Jack O'Neill. And you were hoping that the Colonel and I have children," Sam explained.
"Huh?" Jack asked, not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
"Yes, that's it exactly," Captain Carter admitted. "So, how many children do you two have?" she asked, looking hopefully from Sam to Jack and back again.
TBC
