Family and Tears

Natalie woke again several hours later, only then realizing that she'd fallen asleep. She pushed herself up from the bed and saw Carter sitting with her head on the bed, apparently asleep. She rubbed her eyes and noticed that her headache was gone. Dr. Fraiser, who had been tending to another patient, looked over and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, making her way over. Natalie smiled sleepily.

"Better, actually, thank you," she replied, wincing when Carter stirred. "I'm sorry, Sam, I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly. Carter blinked heavily.

"No … No, it's okay … How're you feeling?" she asked thickly. Natalie smiled slightly as Dr. Fraiser checked her pulse and temperature.

"Pretty good …" she said, unable to say more as Dr. Fraiser inserted a tongue depressor into her mouth. A few moments later, Dr. Fraiser backed away and smiled.

"Okay! I think you're set to go. Just take it easy for a few days and let me know if you think things are getting worse," she pronounced, patting Carter on the back and walking over to Sgt. Siler who'd just entered with a bad burn on his hand. Carter sat up straighter.

"Great, and just in time! I've got a room all ready for you at the house, and General Hammond says you're cleared to leave. You ready to get off the base?" she asked, stretching. Natalie grinned widely.

"More than ready!" she exclaimed, tossing back the bed sheets and climbing out of bed.

A few short hours later, Natalie and Carter stood outside Carter's house, waving at O'Neill and Teal'c who'd helped move Natalie's things. After they'd driven away, the pair walked inside and Natalie started for her new bedroom. Carter paused.

"You … want some help?" she asked. Natalie stopped for a moment, then smiled.

"Yeah, sure. I'd like that…"

"You're kidding!" Natalie said incredulously. "Time actually slowed down?" Carter nodded. The pair were in the kitchen taking a short break from the grueling unpacking. She swallowed the potato chip she'd just placed in her mouth.

"Yep. The intense gravity from the black hole was being transmitted back through the open wormhole and created a giant bubble of distorted time," she explained. Natalie's grin widened, fascinating.

"That's so cool! I mean, apart from how terrifying it must have been at the time …" she added, grimacing slightly. Carter grinned and began laughing, and Natalie joined her. "Oh, it feels so good to laugh!" she said at last, giving a contented sigh. Carter tipped her head slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Natalie shrugged. "Well, it just seems like it's been so long since I've had a good laugh," she explained. Carter gave an understanding nod. They stood in silence for a few minutes, munching and pondering, until Carter finally slapped her hand on the table lightly.

"Well, what say we get back to the unpacking?" she asked with a smile. Natalie smiled back and nodded, following Carter back to the bedroom. There were boxes everywhere, most of them halfway unpacked. The closet was full, and several of the dresser drawers were open.

By the time they'd finished, the shelves were lined with various trophies and memorabilia, pictures and trinkets. There was still one or two boxes that were full, but Natalie said she'd prefer to unpack those on her own. Carter made pasta for their dinner, and the two sat in the living room and talked late into the night, reminiscing, daydreaming, giving and receiving advice, and just discussing life in general.

"How is Dr. Jackson?" Natalie asked at one point. Carter looked at her curiously.

"He's fine, he's working on translating some runes SG-3 found … Why?" she asked, watching Natalie carefully. Natalie shrugged slightly.

"I was just wondering … He's just been so kind," she said at last. She subconsciously fingered the smooth teardrop-shaped pendant she wore on a chain around her neck. Carter gestured to it.

"I don't think I've seen you without that thing," she observed. Natalie tucked it away self-consciously.

"It was a gift from my parents. They sent it to me just before …" she stopped, biting her lip and turning away. Carter thought she could see a tear winding down Natalie's cheek, but if there was, she'd brushed it away quickly. She turned back and gave Carter a sad smile. "I'm sorry, it's just …. Difficult," she managed. Carter touched her arm affectionately.

"I understand. Believe it or not, it's been hard for me, too. Diane was always my favorite cousin, and I'd known David since high school. It was … emotional … when I received the letter about their death …" she said, rather wistfully. Natalie looked at her hands.

"This is all so amazing ... Other planets, alien technology ... It's incredible," she said, her voice catching slightly. Carter watched her intently as she talked. Natalie bit her lip. "Even still, I can't help wondering ... was it worth them dying for? Whatever they were working on must have been fantastic, but ..." she swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat, and looked up at Carter. "Was it so important that it was worth ... leaving me?" she asked with a pained look. Carter looked away, and Natalie cleared her throat, trying to change the mood. "That's pretty selfish of me, isn't it?" she asked with a small laugh, attempting to sound lighthearted. Carter looked back at her with compassion

"Not at all, Nat. Not at all," she smiled and pulled Natalie into an embrace, which she accepted, sniffing back tears. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other and Carter checked her watch. "Oh, wow, it's already one-thirty! I don't know about you, but I think I'd like to hit the hay," she said, stifling her own yawn. Natalie nodded and they bade each other good-night.

Natalie smiled as she pulled various items out of one of the remaining boxes before bed. There was a heart-shaped seashell she and Cliff had found at the beach one day …. A picture frame her mother had given her on her last birthday …. She stopped when she looked at the latter.

Inside was a picture of Cliff with his arms wrapped around her, the day they'd gone to the lake together. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about it. She'd tried so hard not to think about Cliff … She looked at the dazzling white gold ring he'd given her when he'd proposed. She still hadn't taken it off, though she knew that now they could never be.

She sighed heavily and stood, walking over to the nightstand. She looked at the picture for another long moment, then, wiping away tears, set it down and went off to get ready for bed.