A/N: So, I was a little wishy-washy with how I wanted Sam in this chapter. Let me know what you think! Also, thank you for all of the reviews and suggestions. Special thanks to KEF :)

CHAPTER 10

Sam's bedroom door opened and she quickly wiped at the tears staining her cheeks. She fought to regain some composure as Emily silently watched her.

It had been three days since Jack had left, and Sam still could not believe what had happened. She never would have suspected him and Janet, let alone any other woman. Why couldn't he realize the fallout of his actions?

Emily had been acting out, and Sam figured that this was just her way of coping with the situation. She was not as warm towards her mother and was not playing very nicely with the other children at preschool. At night, Sam would check on her daughter only to find her in tears and fervently wishing aloud for Jack.

Sam had truly tried to be strong; she had only allowed herself a few brief moments (such as now) to mourn her marriage and attempt to make some sense out of everything. She and Jack had not had any contact thus far and she was glad of it. Sam didn't think she could hold herself back even just hearing his voice. She was angry and upset and confused. How could he have done this?

Especially after everything she had given up for him. Sam Carter had conceded her military career, her strong Carter name, and her home for him; she had even risked her father's disappointment and anger. That was more than she had ever even considered sacrificing for a male. After Jonas Hansen, Sam had promised herself that she would never again let herself be controlled and hurt by a man again. She had been a fool, breaking her vow for Jack without a thought.

And what had it gotten her? A ruined career, a marriage on the verge of divorce, and a broken heart. Sam glanced at Emily then and could no longer be bitter. Yes, she had gotten all of these woes from opening herself up to love. But she had also received the most precious thing to her in the world from Jack: her daughter.

At this thought, Sam turned to her daughter with a half-smile. "Yes, honey?"

Emily hesitantly crawled into bed with Sam. She crept close to Sam's face and played with a few of her mother's curls. This familiar move comforted Sam. Emily's little voice admitted, "I'm sorry I've been naughty, Mom."

Sam choked back the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry you had to hear Daddy and I fight, honey."

Emily's hands ceased their motions in her mother's hair, and she snuggled into Sam's chest. Shyly, she posed a question Sam had been dreading, "Why did Dad have to go?"

Sam had tried several times to find the words to explain to Emily what was happening, but how could Sam tell her six-year-old that her parents might be getting a divorce? Sam didn't even like to think of that possibility herself. She considered her words carefully, "Well, Ems, we're having a disagreement."

Her forehead wrinkled, "Fighting is bad, though, right?"

Sam sighed; her daughter was just too smart. She tried again, "Well, you should try not to, but sometimes it's better if parents have some time apart from each other."

"Like when we have to take a time-out at preschool?"

Sam marveled at her daughter's intelligence at times, "Yes, that's exactly how it is."

***

"Arrgggghhhh!" A low growl emerged from Jack's throat as he tried to control his body. It felt as though cold needles were pricking at his arms and legs and were growing hotter as they traveled to his heart until all Jack could feel was the searing pain in his chest. His knuckles blanched white as he gripped onto the chair's edges.

Janet inwardly cried out for her friend, but knew his agony was going to get much worse. It would do no good to protest for him at this stage.

A sinister voice commanded, "Increase the voltage."

Sensibly and warily, Janet suggested, "He can barely manage this intensity; perhaps it would be better to let him master this stage before changing anything."

A strong hand struck out against the Doctor and landed squarely on her cheekbone. Then, the same hand harshly gripped her chin and forced Janet to meet his black eyes, "We are not paying you to tell us what to do, Doctor."

The man abruptly released his hold on her and Janet rubbed her jaw, ignoring the welt forming on her cheek. Indignantly, she replied, "No, you're not. But it was my impression that I was here for my medical opinion. If that impression was incorrect, pray tell what you do need me for."

He gave a hollow chuckle, "Careful, Janet. While I like some spunk in my women, I detest it in my workers."

Janet forced herself to bite her tongue and bow her head in false submission. Edward Fox was not a man one wanted to displease often, and Janet had experienced this first-hand. How wrong she had been about her ex-husband!

She returned to her station to monitor Jack's vitals. Edward shot her a look of warning and ordered again, "Up the voltage."

This time, Janet obeyed and watched in horror as Jack tried to harness the machine's power to no avail.