"We received your message. We apologize for the delay. We arrived as soon as we could".
"Thor buddy"…O'Neill stated with hope in his voice.
"It's great to see you".
"Hi Thor" Major Carter said.
"it's good to see you both" Thor stated.
"We must get the other Samantha Carter in stasis. She does not have much time."
O'Neill quickly picked Dr. Carter up from where she was beamed to, and placed her in a stasis pod.
"It will take several hours before we can tell anything" Thor stated.
"Whatever it takes Thor" O'Neill stressed.
"we will wait".
While they waited O'Neill was able to send a message to SGC letting them know that Thor was trying his best to save the life of Dr. Carter and her unborn child. He stated he would report ever hour of her condition. Major Carter and O'Neill sat on the Asguard ship, wondering if the other Carter was going to make it. They both had so many questions, but as stubborn as they were didn't ask. Major Carter broke the silence, when she asked ......
"how are you, Sir"…
"I'm fine Carter" O'Neill asked, knowing where she was going with the questions.
"If you don't want to talk about it, I'll respect that" Major Carter stated not wanting to push the issue.
"Look Carter..this is a whole lot to handle…I mean..the other you…..married….a baby…" he stated with anger in his voice.
"How do you think I feel?" Major Carter stressed.
"Yea, me laying there, me being married to another Jack, and me carrying Jacks baby" she stated realizing at this point she was yelling. Trying to compose herself, she continued
"Sir, this is difficult for both us…." She stated, trying to hold back the tears welling up inside.
"I know that it's not me laying there, with a baby, inside me…but it's someone who is an exact me, married to an exact you, carrying a baby fathered by an exact you, I can't help feel a connection"…..she stated, turning away, as the tears began to fall.
He realized that he wasn't the only one suffering through this. Damn it. How can he be so selfish. He suddenly got up, and grabbed her shoulder. By this time the tears were flowing like a fountain. He looked at her, and all he said was
"Come here"…and he held her to his chest.
"I didn't think I would react this way……God Jack, if they die?" She didn't realize she used his first name. As O'Neill held her, the sound of his name coming from her, made him smile.
"The asguard are way advanced Carter…you of all people know that…they'll figure something out…you'll see" he stated trying to reassure her.
Thor was gone for quite some time. The waiting was becoming unbearable. Something O'Neill was not good at. Just when he was going to yell Thor's name, Thor beamed into the room.
"Thor, buddy, what's going on, how they doing?" O'Neill asked.
"O'Neill…the situation is grave. Both Dr. Carter and the child within her are weak. Without extreme measures, they will not last another day". Thor said with disappointment.
"Extreme Measures?" Major Carter interjected.
"Dr. Carter is weak. But the child is making her weaker. If we extract the child Dr. Carter would have a better chance." Thor stated.
"What?" O'Neill stated.
"No chance in hell" O'Neill exclaimed, already becoming overly protective.
"Unless.." Thor paused…..
"if we can find an appropriate being, to host the child…we can begin the process on Dr. Carter and re-implant her once she completely recovers".
"Appropriate being?????" Major Carter asked with a lump in her throat, somehow understanding what Thor was getting at.
"Major Carter, you are the same physique as Dr. Carter. You have within you her DNA. We can implant the child into you, and it would give Dr. Carter a better chance of survival." Thor explained.
Major Carter did not know how to respond.
"Implant a baby into me" she said with great confusion,
"but jolinar, the protein marker, I can't carry a baby" "this is crazy" she expressed.
"Can you give us a second here, Thor" O'Neill expressed.
"Of course", Thor said,
"but she doesn't have much time", Thor stressed.
O'Neill saw the confusion, shock and fear in Major Carters eyes.
"Carter look, I don't expect you to do anything", O'Neill expressed as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"This is your body, and not an easy decision", O'Neill stated. Major Carter looked at him. She stared into his big brown eyes. Her heart skipped a beat knowing how concerned he was for Dr. Carter, and yet still showing such great concern for her. Major Carter paused to take a breath…
"just give me a second here…ok"….Major Carter expressed. She started to pace the deck of the Asgaurd ship. So much to think about. Could she handle this? Could her body handle this? Questions she kept running in her mind.
"if the tables were turned" she thought….
"God I would want her to do the same for me.."
"Thor" she quickly shouted
"what are her chances?" she said as her voice broke.
"I mean, if I agree to do this", she stated still confused as ever.
"Major Carter", Thor stated "She has suffered great trauma to her system," "I can not guarantee a recovery. But we will try our best". Thor stated with regret.
Major Carter was pacing the entire ship. The questions that were running through her mind were endless. "If she dies, what does that mean?" "am I ready to be a mother?" "am I ready to give up my career and raise a child alone?" Will Jack be a part of its life?" the questions went on and on, and yet her heart tugged and tugged knowing she could not let them die, not if they was even a slim chance. She slowly walked back to the room where Dr. Carter was in stasis. O'Neill walked towards her, and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Sam, if you plan to do this, you will not be alone in this" he stated.
"Wild horses, will not keep me away" he said
"I will always be here for you". She looked at him.
Though it might have been petty, her thoughts race to the idea that she was going to carry his child, without ever making love to him.
"She is fading" Thor interrupted.
"Major Carter you need to decide". O'Neill looked at Major Carter, and they stared into each other's eyes,
"OK" Major Carter barely whispered.
O'Neill repeated "OK?",
"OK" she replied. Suddenly without realizing what he was doing, he pulled Major Carter towards him and quickly, yet softly kissed her lips. They paused and looked at each other, knowing this was going to change things drastically, but somehow they knew it was all going to be o.k.
"What do I have to do?" Major Carter asked.
"Please remove your clothing and step into the stasis pod next to Dr. Carter" Thor instructed.
O'Neill still had not released his grip on her. Major Carter looked at him and said….
"Sir….Jack….if I could just…"…
"Sure…sure…." He stated realizing she needed some privacy as she undressed. As she began to undress, he walked away and gave her the privacy she needed.
"Thor" O'Neill called to him.
"Will Major Carter be in any danger?" he asked quite concerned.
"Though the procedure is risky, Major Carter is in good health, she should respond accordingly" Thor stated.
"Ready" Major Carter shouted.
They both walked back to the pods. Major Carter had already placed herself in the pod. She was extremely nervous and scared. O'Neill came beside her,
"you sure about this?" he stated, knowing he had to ask her again.
"We have no other choice." Major Carter stated, as her voice trembled in obvious fear. "It's gonna be fine….you're gonna be fine…shoot we're all going to be fine…..you'll see" O'Neill tried to reaffirm to her, doubting himself.
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. He then alerted Thor that they were ready. The procedure was going to take quite some time. O'Neill paced Thor's ship. All of his emotions, feelings, thoughts of Major Carter came flooding in.
"I can't deny this anymore" He thought to himself. Major Carter has placed her life in danger for something that we made in another reality. Although she had no obligation, she couldn't deny the pull she felt towards this unborn child.
O'Neill paced Thor's ship. The thoughts going through his mind were endless. Both the lives of Major Carter and Dr. Carter were at stake. My god, all their lives were at stake. He couldn't lose any of them. Not Dr. Carter, who was carrying his unborn child, (not matter what reality it was from) and not Major Carter, the women who he could not confess he loved because of regulations.
Everyone he loved was in that room. Did the Asgard make it in time? And would they be able to save, everyone he loved?