While the birth of a baby is always a momentous occasion, the birth of this baby at the SGC was even more special. It was the first birth at the base, and it was the birth of a child belonging to one of the originators of the stargate program and the foremost expert on wormhole technology!
And so it was with much joy and happiness that the entire base welcomed Sam's daughter, Katherine Marie Shanahan, or Katie as Jack called her, born at 01:07 on July 8, 2004.
Janet had delivered the baby with two of her best nurses in attendance, as Jack, Daniel and Teal'c waited impatiently in the infirmary for the news. Knowing they'd be waiting on pins and needles, Janet made a quick trip to tell the three that Sam's daughter had been born. Daniel looked quite pale but soon color filled his cheeks as he gave Jack an enthusastic slap on the back. Jack gave him a cautious look but said nothing.
"A daughter! That's great news, Janet," Daniel shouted.
"Indeed," Teal'c intoned in his usual stoic manner.
While Jack didn't say anything else, he did ask a question that didn't surprise the insightful doctor.
"Janet, can I see her?"
"If you mean Sam, then the answer is 'no, not yet.' However the baby is ready for visitors, and you can go and see her now.
"What's wrong with Sam," Jack demanded to know, as he came to stand in front of the petite woman in a menacing manner. With his feet slightly apart and his fists clinched tightly at his sides, he looked about ready to throttle someone. Janet knew he'd never hurt her, but never the less, his posture did scare her a bit.
"Nothing's wrong with her, General. I had to perform an episiotomy. She'll be ready for visitors in about twenty minutes...after she's stitched and cleaned up," she assured him.
"An episi-what?"
"Episiotomy, Jack. It's when they cut the perineum to allow more room for the baby to come out," Daniel informed him.
"So she's okay then?"
Jack had relaxed his hands and was now looking less like an avenging angel and more like a concerned god...and a mighty sexy one at that, Janet thought.
"Yes, she's fine, General," Janet assured him, taking the opportunity to reach out and briefly touch Jack's hand. "Now come along and see the baby."
As they walked down the hallway to the private rooms that Sam would be using for the delivery and convalescence, Janet filled them in on the baby's name.
"Sam had decided to name her Katherine after her mother. Her middle name is Marie after Sam's grandmother."
Teal'c nodded his approval of the baby's name. Daniel's face beamed with his excitement, while Jack had a kind of confused expression on his face...which for him wasn't that uncommon.
"And here she is," Janet enthused as she opened the door and they saw a nurse holding the infant.
"Would you like to hold her, General O'Neill," the nurse asked and Jack opened his arms without hesitation, his look of concern morphing into one of awe. When the nurse put Katie into his arms, he smiled down at her and watched as her dark blue eyes tried to stay open against the bright ceiling lights.
"I think the lights are too bright in here for her," he said with concern, and Daniel rushed over and turned on the small bedside lamp before turning off the ceiling fixture.
"That's better, isn't it, Katie?"
The baby took Jack's finger in her tiny fist and pulled it toward her mouth. Then she began to fuss, screwing up her tiny face as though complaining about something.
"I think she's hungry, Jack," Daniel observed.
"Indeed, she does seem to be seeking nourishment," Teal'c observed.
The nurse, who had been lurking in the background, told them she'd go see if Col. Carter was ready yet. She left Jack, Tea'c and Daniel alone with Katie, and Jack went to sit in the only chair in the room.
"Can I hold her, Jack," Daniel asked. Jack reluctantly got up and offered Daniel the chair. As soon as he sat down in it, Jack gently placed the infant on Daniel's arm. Teal'c stood next to him, silently watching as Daniel tried to soothe the infant, who was beginning to cry.
"Remember to always support her head, Daniel," Jack instructed him and Daniel made a face at him.
"I know how to hold a baby, Jack. After all, I've delivered three!"
Just then Katie's patience ran out and she began to wail loudly. Daniel did his best to try and soothe her, but she just kept crying...much louder than any of them thought possible for such a tiny thing. Even Teal'c glanced down at the baby with a look of consternation.
"Daniel, give her your finger to suck," Jack told him, hovering over Daniel as he rocked his arm back and forth.
"My finger's not that clean, Jack."
"Ah, here comes Mommy," Daniel said with obvious relief as Sam was wheeled into the room on a gurney. The men watched as the nurses and Janet helped Sam move from the gurney to the bed. The baby was still wailing, and Daniel was beginning to look very upset as well.
Jack bent down and picked up the crying infant and brought her to Sam's side. The nurse elevated the head of the bed, and Jack put Katie in Sam's arms. Jack could see the anxiety and fear in Sam's pale face.
"It's okay, Sam, you'll do just fine," he assured her in a quiet voice as he slid his hand from under the tiny bundle. He brushed his fingers over Sam's arm in a brief caress as he did so, sending her a private message that all would be well.
She understood the message, but Sam wasn't so sure she believed it. She had held her little daughter for just a minute in the delivery room, but now she responsible for feeding and caring for her full time! And Sam suddenly felt unready for this daunting responsibility. But like the good soldier she was, she didn't vocalize her fears and instead tried to put on a brave face.
"Okay, Sam, let's see if Katie's hungry," Janet said, and Daniel shot up out of the chair and almost ran out the door when he saw Sam begin to lower her gown off one shoulder. Teal'c followed him, but he walked out slowly with his head held high, his hands clasped behind his back.
But Jack just stood his ground for a beat, before a glimpse of one plump breast caught his eye and made him turn tail and run. He quickly mumbled an excuse and walked out.
Janet stifled a laugh at Jack's fast exit as she watched Sam place the baby awkwardly at her breast. Clearly Katie knew what to do, even if Sam didn't, because she immediately wrapped her tiny lips about Sam's nipple and began to suck noisily.
"See, she knows what they're for," Janet quipped, thinking she was certain that Jack had some ideas of his own regarding Sam's breasts, and they didn't involve nursing a baby.
And even though Janet's military mind kept telling her that Sam and Jack had to stay away from one another sexually, another part of her thought that they should just take the risk and go for it! After all, a love like theirs, that had already endured the test of time, didn't come along every day or even every millennia!
After going crazy in the plain, gray room and gray hallways of the SGC for three days, Sam was ready to go home. Jack had arrived at the pre-determined time to take Katie home to the room they had prepared for her. So after Janet, Teal'c and a few of the SGC staff bid them adieu, Jack and Daniel escorted them topside to Sam's car. Jack walked with one arm protectively around Sam who was carrying the baby. And Daniel led the way, diaper bag, suitcase and car keys in hand.
Jack had decided the car would be easier for Sam to get into, plus the infant seat was already strapped solidly in the back seat. He'd find a way back to the base to get his truck later, or have Teal'c and Daniel bring it by. It really didn't matter to him right now, because all he had on his mind were Sam and Katie and getting them settled at home.
With the baby settled in her infant seat and Sam strapped safely in the front seat next to Jack, Daniel waved good-bye and they were on their way.
Jack was reminded of the day he and Sara had taken Charlie home from the hospital, and his expression must have given his thoughts away. Sam noticed his silence too, and she couldn't help but comment on his mood.
"I'm sorry, General. This must bring back some painful memories for you," she said quietly.
"Painful ones but good ones too, Sam. And don't be sorry. I wouldn't have missed this for the world," he told her as he turned his head to give her a geniuinely happy smile...the type of smile that she was beginning to see on his face more and more lately.
He had seemed happier in the past few weeks than she'd ever seen him, and she knew deep down inside that she was the reason for this. But that didn't make her feel much better; because she worried that at any moment someone could bring charges against them both for how things appeared; even if they had had no sexual contact, they had grown way closer than was permitted by the regs.
After leaving Katie asleep in her new bed, Sam came out to the kitchen to find Jack humming to a tune on the radio as he prepared lunch for both of them.
"Wow! A cook band/b musical entertainment! A girl could get used to this kind of pampering. But you know I am quite capable of making my own lunch, General," she said as he pulled out a chair for her.
"Janet said you were to get a lot of rest, so I am not leaving here for a while. I've got Rogers covering my ass at the SGC, so I'm all yours for another day or two...just till you get into a routine with Katie," he informed her.
"I'm not sure that will ever happen," she told him gloomily. She had been up at all hours of the night feeding her, and right now she felt exhausted and wrung out.
"Of course it will! It just takes time, Sam. You're still new at this motherhood thing. Give it time! Hell, you're Sam Carter! There isn't anything you can't do," he stated positively as he placed a plate in front of her.
Sam smirked at his optimism, wishing that just for once she could be plain old Sam Carter the woman and not some kind of personification of Wonder Woman the comic book hero!
Jack and Sam sat quietly, eating the turkey sandwiches he had made for them. Jack had begun to think that the time might be right for him to tell Sam about Ashley, who was still living in his house. But just as he was about to open that can of worms, his cell phone rang. After looking at the caller id, he knew he had to answer it.
"Yes, Rogers, what is it?" Jack listened for a minute and then grunted a single word.
"Coming."
"What's wrong, General," Sam asked, seeing the worried look on his face.
"Oh, apparently one of the geeks on SG-12 got into a heated argument with the leaders of P2X-131, and now they're threatening to end negotiations with us. I've gotta go, Sam," he told her with regret. "But I'll be back as soon as I can," he assured her.
"It's okay, General," she told him, but she really didn't feel all that okay about being left alone with a tiny baby...a baby who had just decided to let loose with a wail that sounded much louder than anything that small could possibly make.
"Oh, oh, someone's awake," he said looking toward the baby's room.
"I'll take care of her," she assured him, putting on a brave face as she rose slowly from the table.
"Okay, then. I'll see you soon!" Jack started out of the house, but came back to grab Sam's car keys from the kitchen counter, as he remembered that her car was his only mode of transportation. He really didn't want to leave her and Katie alone, but he had no choice at the moment.
"I'll be right back," he yelled as he rushed out the front door.
"Okay," she said uncertainly as she started toward Katie's room.
'It's okay, Sam,' she told herself. 'You can do this!'
Three hours later Jack arrived back at Sam's house in his truck, with Teal'c following in Sam's car, and Daniel following him in his own. After thanking the guys for their help, Jack went inside. The house was quiet, and he didn't see Sam in the living room or the kitchen. So he quietly walked down the hallway to Katie's room. The door was open wide, but Katie was not in her bed.
Then he stepped across the hall and pushed open the door to Sam's bedroom. There in her big bed were Sam and Katie, and they were both sound asleep, the infant laying with her face next to Sam's bare breast. Obviously they had fallen asleep while Katie was nursing.
Jack went over to the side of the bed and scooped Katie into his arms, taking her to her own bed. He looked down at the sleeping infant and smiled as her tiny mouth moved in memory of the nipple that was no longer there. After laying her on her back and covering her with a light blanket, he went back to Sam's room.
She hadn't moved up when he'd taken Katie, and she still appeared to be asleep. Jack couldn't help himself; he stood there for several minutes taking in her beauty as she slept.
He knew it was wrong of him, but he couldn't stop staring at her creamy skin...the dark pink of her nipple and the surrounding tissue a stark contrast to her otherwise pale flesh.
Shaking himself from his voyeuristic pleasure, he drew the blanket up over Sam, covering her exposed breast. He could have stood there for the rest of his life, just watching her sleep, but he was aware that she could awaken suddenly and find him there. And then he would have been embarrassed at his weakness and his obvious aroused state.
He decided to go clean up the kitchen and start preparing the pot roast he had planned for their dinner.
Sam hadn't been asleep when Jack took Katie, or when he stood staring down at her. She had been awake but unwilling to break the spell that she apparently had over him. Sam knew that if she had opened her eyes, he would have run away, just like he had that day in her room at the SGC. And even though she still felt guilty for wanting him when she was supposed to be mourning the loss of her husband, she couldn't help the way she felt.
She also knew it was a risky game that she played, using his emotions to feed a need in her life. But possessing such a strong effect on Jack made her feel powerful and very feminine and way more confident than she felt when she was changing a diaper or nursing her baby daughter. And right now Sam needed all the confidence she could find!
Gradually as she heard the faint sounds of Jack working in the kitchen, she relaxed and went to sleep, dreaming of how things might have been if she had married Jack instead of Pete.