Heat Chapter 14

Jack watched as Sam's long legs slowly emerged from the interior of the hatch and her body came into sight. She had hardly any room at all to move alongside the bulky form of Karnak. The sooner he got them out of there, the better.

As he reached in to pull her towards him, she patted the flight bag on her stomach. He could not yet see her face but heard her somewhat shaky voice.

"Sir, can you relieve me of this, please?"

"My pleasure, Carter. Hope it was worth the haul."

Jack was trying to keep it light but getting more and more concerned about Sam's condition. He awoke to her ministrations and then joined in their immediate efforts to rescue Karnak. He never had a chance to really take a good look at her. As he lifted the bag, he noticed a piece of bloody gauze wrapped around her right hand.

"What did you do to your hand?"

Considering the pain rippling through her shoulder and belly, his concern for her hand was almost funny.

"Cut it on some cable. Nothing to worry about. Can you reach my legs now?"

"Give it one more push."

Making one final effort to push herself forward from the inside of the hatch, Sam used both arms to lift and propel herself. A sharp pain raced across her shoulders and she cried out as she dropped onto her back. She lay there with eyes clenched tight, willing her heart to stop racing and the pain to subside.

"Sam!"

She had cleared the interior but suddenly collapsed. Jack was beside himself. Obviously, the woman was in distress. Damn fool. He should never have sent her down there in the first place without checking for injuries.

The flashlight's beam revealed the pain in her face and a fine sheen of sweat.

"Stay where you are, I'm coming down."

At that, her blue eyes blinked open and squinted into the light, looking to reassure him. He was hovering to her right, arms outstretched and sliding into the hatch. The glare from the flashlight caused him to be in shadow and she couldn't see his face clearly.

"Jack, stop. It's alright. I just needed a minute. I hurt my arm and shoulder in the crash. The pain comes and goes. Nothing I can't handle. Don't drop down here, there's really not room for both of us and our patient."

She glanced over to Karnak while trying to make herself sound convincing, but the tremor in her voice gave her away.

She looked like hell. He felt like hell for getting her into this tight situation. But she was right. They both needed to finish what they started and then find time to take care of each other after Karnak was extracted.

"Sam, you're one tough cookie. I'll give you that." It was said to comfort him as much as her. He desperately wanted to hold her, to take away the pain he saw in her eyes.

They were once again on a first-name basis.

Alayna tried again to reach the environmental outpost but to no avail; annoying static continued to play across the monitor on her desk. Checking elsewhere, she found meteorological data showing a massive storm front in that part of the planet. This helped to calm her fears a bit. Karnak had probably been forewarned of the impending storm and had the good sense to wait it out with Jack and Sam. She pictured him in commander mode, racing around with his project managers, securing whatever they could before the storm hit. Perhaps it came so quickly that he did not have time to send her a message.

She would have to ride out the storm from her end as well. The constant pacing and unfounded fears were not doing her or the baby any good. Night had descended as she drew the drapes shut, trying hard to believe that her beloved husband and dear friends were safe and secure at the other end of the planet.

She picked up a photo of Karnak from the desk and pressed it to her chest. They had met many years before as members of the planet's resistance movement against the Goa'uld. He was a senior officer in the underground movement and she was drawn to him immediately. He had a charisma and zeal for life which fueled their fight for freedom. He was a born leader. She gradually became a part of his inner circle, her scientific background lending itself to the cause. At first, she was convinced that he hardly noticed her, a young academic whose need to think through a problem was often at odds with his military background and desire to strike quickly and decisively. Soon, though, he came to respect the data and advice her research provided. She gained his confidence and then realized he was becoming interested in more than her mind. He began to search her out in the underground corridors and walk with her, excitedly telling her of his latest idea or strategy. Sometimes their hands brushed or he would hug her spontaneously when a small victory had been won in the field. He no longer seemed bigger than life. Her hero worship matured into something deeper as she grew to know the real man and found herself falling in love with him. She was able to challenge him, to confront him, across the planning table. Their eyes would meet and tempers would flare but mutual respect and admiration also grew. Her wisdom tempered him; his fervor inflamed her. A pacifist at heart, she became resigned to the need for war, training for the battles to come against the Goa'uld. She had seen the enslavement of her people and the cruelty inflicted upon her planet. She accepted the need to be fully armed against this ruthless enemy. Victory could only be won on the battlefield; peace would come later. She volunteered for some of the skirmishes and actually fought side-by-side with him in one fateful mission where they were the only two to survive. Lying next to each other, tired and bloodied, they moved across the threshold of desire and consummated their love. She knew she would never leave his side from that moment on. They married and their passion burned freely.

She could not help but think of the anger that was smoldering in her this night and, yes, it would be expressed when he finally came home. They often made love after a heated argument. Marital strife did not happen frequently but when it did, their passion could not be contained. Lying in each other's arms afterwards, Karnak would gently nuzzle and remind her that, in love as in physics, "there is no heat without friction".

If only she could feel that heat right now. Instead, she shivered, wrapped the shawl around her shoulders more tightly, and settled onto the office couch for a brief moment of rest.

They were safe. They were stranded at the outpost. Karnak would be calling her as soon as the storm had passed and the telecommunication system was restored.

These last conscious thoughts became a mantra as sleep overcame her and the picture of her husband slipped from her fingers.