After spending some time with Mark's family, Sam and Daniel returned to Colorado, the Captain feeling queasy. He tucked her up in bed, sorting out things in the apartment before returning, holding her close and frowning with worry when she felt clammy to the touch. He kissed her neck as she groaned in discomfort, asking,

"Sam, do you want anything?"

"No, just stay here. That is the last time I try my sister-in-law's cooking… Ohhh…"

He held her firmly, whispering against her hair, "You're going to fine, Sam. You've got your check-up with Janet tomorrow, and you'll be able to go back to work."

"God, I think I'll have to have a week off. I don't feel like doing anything. This feels worse than any food poisoning I've had before. I wonder if she's given me Ebola."

She began to cry at the overwhelming discomfort, her eyes closed, and he gently kissed her, saying, "Come on, at least drink something."

"I want to but I don't think I'll be able to keep it down."

"You won't know 'til you've tried."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

He kissed her forehead and she asked in a weak voice, "Have you eaten?"

He grimaced and then replied, "Uh… sure."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, amused despite her condition as she remarked, "Daniel, you're such a bad liar."

She continued, her smile gone, "Go have your dinner. I'll be fine here."

"I'm not hungry."

"Daniel…"

"I'm not going to take an argument. I'm staying here with you."

She smiled slightly, saying as she slowly touched his jaw, "Well, in that case, I better not be contagious."

"Uh-uh, I'm afraid that you're stuck with me, Captain-Doctor… even if it is Ebola."

She sighed as he slowly ran his fingers through her hair and then massaged her neck and back in soothing circles, his lips against her hair as he whispered, "Rest some more and then you've got to drink something."

She closed her eyes, soothed by his caresses, his presence, and his steady heartbeat beneath the hand that rested on his chest. As she did so, she remembered hearing a quote once about human beings starting life to the steady beat of their mother's heart, and how humans needed companionship because of that early bond. As she tried in vain to remember the quote, her body gave in to Hypnos' repeated pleas, and she fell asleep as a certain pair of stunning blue eyes watched over her.

--------------------

A couple of hours later, Sam, wrapped in a blanket, snuggled up on the couch in Daniel's arms as Isis strolled along the back of the couch, watching her curiously. The Captain sipped a little from a mug and groaned in discomfort at her general queasiness. A concerned Daniel placed his hand under the shirt of her pyjamas, and said,

"You're still clammy."

She placed the mug down on the coffee table and whispered as she leaned back in his embrace, Isis leaping down off the couch to wander away casually to do her business, "It hurts."

"Where?"

"Everywhere."

She rested her head on his chest and he gently kissed her. Suddenly, she threw her blanket off and bolted from the couch, into the bathroom as he confused and worried, ran after her, asking, "Sam? What's wrong?"

He reached her just as she kneeled down in front of the toilet and vomited violently into it. Worried even further, he held her in his arms tightly and helped her, smoothing her back as she began to cry when she continued to be sick. He whispered,

"It's ok. Just let it all out."

When she had eventually finished, he cleaned up, and then hugged her. She wept against his shoulder, whispering,

"I just couldn't stop. I don't know what's wrong with me. Oh, Daniel…"

"You're going to be fine. Hopefully that was the worst. Do you want me to call Janet?"

She groaned, replying, "No…no, I'm going to see her tomorrow anyway…"

She bent over the bowl to vomit again, crying as she did so, and he smoothed her back and neck, saying with a worried expression, "I'm going to call her."

--------------------

Janet, in civilian clothes, hurried up a flight of stairs as she carried her medical bag, stalking a corridor until she sighted a familiar albeit worried person waiting in an open doorway. She said with a smile, hugging him when she got near him,

"Daniel! I haven't seen you for so long. How was your Christmas and New Year?"

He replied, slipping an arm around her as he returned her hug, leading her into the apartment, "Great. Uh, Janet, I'm sorry for calling you out on a Saturday..."

She waved dismissively, saying, "Come on Daniel, you know I'd do anything for you and Sam. How is she?"

"I'm worried. She's been sick twelve times and I had to keep on washing Isis' litter tray because she's been really sensitive to the smell. She thinks it's down to her sister-in-law's cooking."

She spotted a tabby cat approaching her inquisitively, and she said with a grin, "Ah, you brought Isis home again."

"Yeah."

They both heard Sam groan, and Janet quickly walked towards the bedroom, saying, "I take it she's in here."

Daniel followed her into the bedroom as Sam weakly called from the bed, sweating profusely, "Daniel?"

Daniel sat on the bed, smoothing her hair as he said, "Janet's here."

Sam said in protest, "Daniel, I told you…"

"You're sick, Sam."

"I'm fine; I think the worst is gone."

"Sam…"

Janet smiled, remarking, "Honey, you're not getting out of this one anytime soon."

She sat next to Daniel, perching on the bed as she held Sam's hands, asking with a worried expression, "Ok, Sam, what's wrong? Daniel tells me you've been sick."

Sam nodded weakly, replying with a groan, "I haven't been able to hold anything down since we came from San Diego this morning… and I think Isis ate something pretty foul because I could smell it despite the tray being in the corner of the kitchen."

Janet let go of one of her hands to smooth her forehead, and asked, "Just today?"

Sam nodded, instantly regretting the action as she grimaced in discomfort, and Janet asked, "Anything else?"

"Well, I'm freezing, but Daniel keeps insisting I'm hot… and I'm aching all over. My sister-in-law should taste her own cooking once in a while."

Janet, frowning in thought, smoothed Sam's hand and then looked at Daniel, saying, "Daniel, could you step outside a sec? I just need to ask Sam a few things."

Daniel, worried as Sam looked up at him, nodded and then gently kissed his fiancée, saying quietly, "I'll be outside."

Sam smiled slightly at him and then he left. When the door had closed, Daniel going to answer the ringing phone, Janet asked, having spotted Sam's ring, "So… any good news?"

Sam smiled again, realising what she had meant, and she said weakly as Janet rummaged in her bag, "It was meant to be a surprise… I was going to tell you tomorrow. We're getting married."

Janet grinned, replying, "Congratulations, honey. Quite the catch you have."

"I know. I sometimes think he's too good to be true. I've never experienced anything like I do with him, with anyone else before."

"Glad to hear it. You two make such a great couple."

After a little pause, Janet asked, "Sam… could you tell me when your last period was?"

Sam replied after a few moments' thought, looking up at the ceiling during that time, "Oh… they've been all over the place recently. I think it was before… Oh, yeah, before the drive to NY."

"Have you had any unprotected sex in the last three to twelve weeks?"

Sam promptly blushed and coughed, the question catching her by surprise, and Janet helped her to sit up, resting her back against the headboard. Sam replied a little hoarsely, definitely feeling the heat now as she lowered her gaze,

"Uh… yes. A few times."

Janet touched her hand, saying apologetically as she took notes, "Sorry about that… it's just a routine question."

The Doctor exhaled and, after listening to the Captain's chest with a stethoscope, opened a rectangular box that she had pulled from her bag earlier, and said, tipping out the contents, "Ok. Sam. I want you to take this with you the next time you use the bathroom... Just hold this strip in the peak urine stream, and then place it into this tube and keep it there for sixty seconds… Um, it tests your urine for the presence of a hormone called hCG, or human Chorionic Gonadotropin, which is… the pregnancy hormone."

Sam gasped, and then said, shaking head and looking fearful, "Uh-uh, I can't be pregnant. I'm going to be forty in May."

"Well… let's rule this out first then. I'll leave you a couple of tests in case you get false readings. It's just a precaution."

Sam nodded and said, staring down at the boxes that Janet had handed her, "Thanks."

She got up, grimacing at the discomfort, and Janet asked, "Do you need any help?"

Sam replied, walking slowly towards the door as she grimaced further, Janet getting up and escorting her out anyway, "I think I can make it."

Outside, a worried Daniel asked as Janet helped Sam to the bathroom, "Sam, do you feel sick again?"

Sam replied quietly, glancing at Janet, "Nope. Well, not enough to exclusively warrant a visit to the bathroom."

Janet closed the bathroom door from the outside and called, "Sam, if you need any help, just call, ok?"

Sam called back, her voice muffled, "Ok."

Janet remained standing outside of the door, and Daniel asked, now standing next to her, "What is it?"

Janet replied with a little smile, "It might not be as bad as you thought, Daniel."

Daniel stood there, stunned, and after a long moment, Sam called, "Janet?"

"Sam, what is it?"

After a pause, Sam said, her voice quiet, "It's positive."

Janet opened the door and Daniel followed her in to see Sam stood in front of the sink, now crying as she held the pregnancy test and stared at the results window. She then looked up at Daniel and said as he held her close,

"We're going to be parents."

Janet said softly, "Honey, congratulations… to be on the safe side, I want you to take the test again tomorrow morning. I'll get a friend of mine to give you a call a little later on to make an appointment. Doctor Alison Brightman. She's a gynaecologist."

Daniel said, still looking shocked as Sam held onto him, "Thank you, Janet. Thank you."

Janet hugged them both, saying with a smile, "Anything for you."

She continued, talking to Sam, "I'll see you tomorrow to check your burns out…if you don't feel up to it, give me a call before nine and we'll reschedule. Can't have you puking all over the burns ward. Anyway, I want you to take plenty of fluids and try to eat something. Sniffing fresh lemons usually helps… and some ginger or lemon tea or biscuits will have a better chance of staying down."

She added, sternly, looking at both of them, "And, no coffee. The vast quantities you two consume within a day… it's a miracle that you managed to conceive at all. Don't push it."

--------------------

Sam sat in Daniel's lap on the couch as he carefully fed her some ginger cake that he had baked, much to her amusement despite her condition, and she remarked after a mouthful, resting her head on his chest, "I hate you."

He smiled, putting the plate down as he smoothed her cheek, and she continued, moaning, "You did this to me. You don't even have to experience any of this, and nine months later, you're a Daddy… but me… oh God, I seriously would take death over this; I'm not joking."

He tenderly kissed her, saying softly as he tightened his hold on her, "We'll get through this together. You won't be doing this by yourself."

"I feel icky."

"Well… if you promise not to vomit all over me, I'll make you feel better."

She grinned, replying, "I'm not sure I can keep that promise, but you've made me feel better already. This cake's wonderful."

She kissed him and he smiled, saying, "Thanks… it was either that or running out to hunt for something gingery. Oh, you're going to be a great mother."

She asked, worried as she looked up at him, "You think so?"

"I know so."

"I don't know about that, but you're going to be a very good father. You always know what to do, how to calm a situation."

She laughed when he blushed and then they both jumped in surprise when they heard a key in the lock. They exchanged a look as the door opened, and they looked to the door to see Cam, who said with a small wave right before Isis leapt up into his arms,

"Hey, you gave me a key, remember? No shooting."

They both smiled and Cam asked, noticing Sam's state as he approached, Isis leaping out of his hold to stretch on the floor as he sat down next to the scientists, "Hey, you ok, Sam? You look pretty bad… you know me, I don't mince words."

Sam slid onto the seat next to Daniel as he helped her, and she replied, "Unfortunately, I do. Anyway… we've got a little more news, something else that you've got to keep under your hat… or hair for a little while."

Cam, wide-eyed, stared at both of them, remarking, "It's like a bad soap opera with you two sometimes… uh, a soap opera without the plate throwing and poor business decisions. What is it this time?"

Sam smiled secretively and tipped her head back, looking up at Daniel, who smiled at her and then said to Cam, his face glowing with happiness, "We're going to be parents, Mitchell."

Sam continued with a grin, "Which means that you're going to be an Uncle."

Cam gaped at them in utter shock, which elevated to surprise, and then a huge grin. He hugged Sam and patted Daniel on the back, saying with a laugh,

"Ha, I knew it was gonna happen one of these days… I mean, you guys are so into each other… so, happy surprise, or planned surprise?"

Sam and Daniel gazed at each other for a moment, he squeezing her hand, and she replied, "Happy surprise."

"Oh… this is so great. Wait, what are you gonna do about the wedding?"

"Well, as the Colonel says, 'we'll jump off that bridge when we come to it.'"

Cam said with a shrug, "You better do it before you start showing otherwise people are going to think that you're only getting hitched because of the baby… well, they might if your Dad was still around…with a shotgun."