After nearly two weeks on Earth, Perdita had become a familiar sight at the SGC, always accompanied either by Cassie or Teal'c. After learning that Sam was going to be okay, she had grown immeasurably in confidence and usually had a bright smile on her pretty face.
She could often be seen in the commissary; this was the first time in over a year that she hadn't had to forage for food, and she was really enjoying trying out new flavours - and it was a novelty to her not ever to have to go to bed hungry. Enjoying food, rather than just eating whatever she could find in her struggle to survive, was a new concept to her, and she was delighting in its discovery. Cassie laughed when, after a few days, completely unprompted, Perdita declared that her favorite dessert was blue jello. Perdita didn't understand why she was laughing. "Oh Deetie," Cassie said, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because that's Sam's favorite too, and the guys are always teasing her about it. You really are a mini-Sam, you know that?" Perdita's smile lit up the whole room. To be compared to her savior was the very highest praise.
Cassie was sad, though, to realize that Perdita's new-found pleasure in food was the result of the terrible time she had had in the last year or so. She couldn't believe that this tiny girl had survived in the wild, even with the patronage of some of the city-dwellers. A few plates of food and some warm blankets were a poor substitute for a loving family and a secure home.
Perdita didn't talk of her history at all, though she sometimes stopped what she was doing and looked wistful, which Cassie understood to be her remembering her family. She didn't press her for details, but hoped that in time the girl would start talking.
Perdita was still wary of Janet, partly because of Janet's demeanour on the planet during Sam's rescue, but also because she feared that Janet must think her to blame for Sam's accident.
Perdita didn't know that Janet didn't for a second hold her responsible for what had happened. She knew that it was just one of those things for which nobody was to blame. And anyway, Janet was just happy that Sam was alive, and would recover, and wanted to rebuild their - now extended - family. So the last thing Janet wanted was this child, baby almost, to feel bad. She tried to show her affection and tenderness, but Perdita often shied away, hiding behind Cassie or Teal'c.
Slowly, though, Perdita started to come out of her shell with Janet, thanks in great part to Cassie's efforts to bring them together. And she and Cassie spent a good part of each day in Sam's room with her and Janet, so Perdita began to get used to the small doctor.
Sam was thrilled to see the warm relationship that had developed, almost instantly, between her two daughters. For the time being, Cassie and Perdita were sharing one of the VIP rooms at the SGC and bonded even further. What Cassie hadn't told Sam, as she didn't want her to worry during her recovery, was that Perdita often suffered from some very disturbing nightmares. Although Perdita hadn't told Cassie of what had happened to her in the past, Cassie could tell by the violence of her nightmares that it hadn't been pretty. Each time it happened, Cassie went quietly over to Perdita's bed, and held her tight, whispering soothing words until she came out of it, usually sobbing. She would cling tight to Cassie afterwards, but still she didn't tell her what the nightmares had been about. Sometimes, when Perdita was particularly distressed, Cassie would climb into the bed with her, and just hold her tight until she fell to sleep again.
However, one night, Cassie couldn't bring her round, and she was at a loss as to what to do. She dialed her mom's cellphone, knowing that she kept it turned on and next to her bed at night. "Cass?" Janet saw it was her daughter calling. She immediately panicked, what was Cassie doing calling her at 0200hrs?
"Mom?" Cassie sounded distressed. "Deetie's having a nightmare, and I can't wake her up. I don't know what to do, Mom."
"It's okay, Cass; just stay with her, let her know you're there. I'll be right there." And within 90 seconds, Janet let herself into their room, carrying her medical bag.
"Okay, Cass," she kept her voice calm, not wanting to upset the thrashing child further. "Go turn on the shower, warm but not too hot." And she took Perdita from Cassie's arms, and held her in her arms, as she continued to twist and whimper.
"Perdita?" she told her, as though she were awake. "I'm taking you to the shower now, okay sweetie? We're going to wake you up gently, and you're going to be okay." She picked her up, startled at the child's light weight, and carried her into the bathroom. She saw, approvingly, that Cassie had placed a plastic stool in the shower stall. She sat down on the stool, a shaking Perdita held tightly in her arms. "Washcloth?" she asked Cassie quietly.
"Okay, Deetie, you're gonna be okay," Janet used the child's nickname for the first time. She took the washcloth from Cassie's outstretched hand, and started to wipe it tenderly over the girl's face. Slowly Perdita wakened, weeping, only to realize that she was in Janet's arms, soaking wet, under a warm shower.
"Hey," Janet said gently, "you okay there."
Perdita shook her head. "Scared," she whispered, and buried her face in Janet's equally soaking front.
"I know, honey, you've had a nightmare. A real nasty one. You're safe now, I swear to you. C'mon, let's get you warm and dry," and she picked her up and headed for the bedroom. Cassie wrapped warm towels round both of them, and put one on the bed for Janet to sit on, the girl still in her arms. Perdita clung tight to her, sobs wracking her body, unwilling to let go of this warm, comforting woman. Janet rocked her, murmuring softly to her. "It's okay, sweetie, you're okay now. You're safe here. We won't let anything bad happen to you. We'll look after you."
Eventually, Perdita calmed enough for Janet to dry her off and, with the help of Cassie, she slid another of Sam's t-shirts over her head as a nightshirt. She smiled when she noticed that there was a stack of them in the drawer. Deetie was wearing 'proper' clothes during the day, but she still wanted the comfort of Sam's t-shirt at night. And why not? Janet thought back to that flying jacket of Sam's that she couldn't give up. She rejoiced briefly at the thought that now she would never have to.
Cassie silently passed Janet a pair of her own, dry pajamas, and Janet quickly stripped and put them on. "You're getting too tall, baby," she said to her elder daughter with a smile, as she turned up the pants and the sleeves. She turned back to Perdita. "You're the only one in the family who's shorter than me now, Deetie, and I'll bet that won't be for much longer."
Perdita gave her a wan smile. Janet sat down on the bed, and gathered her up in her arms. "You feeling better now, sweetie?"
Perdita nodded slightly. "I dreamt about the nasty man," she said in a tiny voice. "He was going to do bad things to me."
Janet hugged her tight. "He's gone now, sweetie, and he'll never do that again. Not to anybody. We're gonna make sure that you're safe. Me, Cassie and Sam, we'll all protect you. I promise you."
Perdita looked up at her, with huge liquid eyes. "You're not scary," she whispered to Janet. "You're nice. I want you and Sam to be my moms. I want Cassie to be my sister." She looked at Janet, pleadingly.
"Well, baby, that's good, because that's what we all want too. When Sam's all better, we'll all live in the same house together, we'll be a family. Cassie's always wanted a baby sister, haven't you Cass?"
Cassie nodded, and knelt down next to the bed. "It's true, I always did. And now my dream has come true."
"I'm going to give you an injection, Deetie, so you'll be able to sleep, is that okay?" Janet asked Perdita. "It'll hurt a little bit, but then you'll feel much better. Can I do that, Deetie?"
Perdita nodded, so Janet drew up 5mg of a light sedative, and before Perdita could tense up, she had given her the injection. "Stung a bit, huh?" Janet said, in an understanding tone, rubbing her arm.
Perdita nodded miserably. "That's okay, it's supposed to do that," Janet told her. "Soon you'll start to feel sleepy. Just try and relax."
"Will you stay?" Perdita's voice was miserable and scared.
"Of course I will, Deetie," Janet soothed her. "I'll stay all night. I'll be here when you wake up in the morning, I promise. Just let it go, sweetie," she could see Perdita struggling to stay awake. "You won't get any more nightmares tonight." She held the shaking child to her, trying to absorb some of her fear.
SGSGSGSGSGSGSG
"She had a rough night," Janet explained to Sam the next day, when Sam questioned her after an unusually subdued and drawn Perdita had left her room with Cassie to get some lunch. "Awful nightmare. She thought she was back with that bastard." Janet was close to tears herself. "We've got to make damned sure she never goes through anything like that again."
Sam sat up, with some difficulty, and took Janet's hand in her own. "We'll look after her honey. She's had a terrible time, but from now on, she's going to be cared for, loved, treasured. Cassie loves her already. We'll give her a good home. I did notice one thing," she said with a smile, "she doesn't seem to be frightened of you any more."
"No," Janet's face lit up. "She told me that I'm not really scary after all."
"Well she hasn't seen you after I've made a mess of your kitchen, that's all I can say," Sam had a wicked grin on her face.
"Samantha Carter, that was only one time," Janet scolded, "and I think I had every justification. A kitchen is categorically not the right place to replace a brake line on a motorbike. Even a beautiful 1940s Indian motorbike," she knew what Sam was about to say. "It took me two weeks to get those tire marks off the linoleum."
Sam put her hands up in mock surrender. "You win, honey, I won't do it again, I swear!" She pulled Janet to her, and kissed her firmly. "Even if the make-up sex was spectacular which I seem to remember it was."
Janet's wistful look showed Sam that her memory told her the same thing. "Can't wait until you're back up to strength, baby," she said, "I've missed you."
Sam grinned. "We'll be back to normal before you know what's happened, Jan. And it'll be worth the wait, I promise you that," and she ran her hand suggestively over Janet's breast.
SGSGSGSGSGSGSG
Sam's injuries were such that it was three weeks after her accident that Janet finally agreed to let her go home. Unbeknownst to her, during that time, Cassie and 'the guys' had been over to her apartment, and packed everything up for her, and delivered it back to the family home.
Perdita hadn't yet left the SGC, and she had never before seen a car or anything like it. So the trip back to the house was a new, thrilling experience for her, though she was a bit scared when she realized how fast they were going. Cassie sat in the back seat with her, and held her hand all the way. "You're gonna love the house, Deetie," she told her, "and your room is right next to mine. Mom and Sam say that you can decorate it any way you want, isn't that great?" Perdita just sat, grinning, next to her. She was overwhelmed by everything, and couldn't find the words to express her happiness.
Janet looked in her driving mirror, and saw their two daughters snuggled together. "Look," she whispered to Sam, who turned carefully in her seat and looked backwards. Her eyes filled, and she had to blink several times to clear them. She put her hand over Janet's right hand which was resting on the gear shift. "We did good, hey, honey?" she said to her lover, her voice thick with emotion.
"We sure did, baby," Janet replied. "We sure did."
THE END