AN This chapter was also written by the wonderful and talented Mini_Goat
"I changed my mind." Sam grunted mid contraction. Her water had broken about fifteen minutes ago and impressively flooded the floor of the infirmary. Jack had expressed horror and fascination in equal quantities.
"Come on Carter, You can do this." He told her from behind her where he was rubbing her shoulders after the contraction passed. "I didn't like those pants anyway."
Sam snorted in amusement. "I adore you." She said laughing.
"Good. Next kid we have is going to be the normal way. I'm too old for this kind of stress." He admitted.
"Oh if you think I'm doing this again you are out of your mind O'Neill." She told him emphatically as another hard contraction hit. She grabbed his wrist and squeezed with nearly crushing force.
"Ow ow! Carter grab the hands not the wrists."
"Oh shut up Jack. You've complained less when you've been shot."
"It hurt less Carter." He ground out as he tried to reposition her hand. "Slow deep breath." He told her gently.
"Quit being nice dammit." She bickered as she slumped against his chest.
"Yes dear." he kissed her temple.
"How are you two doing?" Janet asked as she came back into the birthing room.
"Well, my pants are soaked in... stuff… and Carter is a little grumpy."
"I am not grumpy Jack." Sam snarled.
"She's a little grumpy." Jack staged whispered to Janet.
Janet shook her head and tried not to smile. "Lets see where you are dilated at Sam." She told her friend as she crouched between Sam's legs.
Jack busied himself by brushing his lips on the knuckles of the hands that were crushing him moments before. Sam turned her head to look at him and was surprised to see adoration in his eyes. She winced and he threaded his fingers through hers. "Breath." He said to her softly.
Sam huffed out a breath she didn't realize she'd held.
"You are progressing very quickly for a first birth Sam." Janet told her.
"Yah think." Sam snarled.
Jack made eye contact with Janet and had a silent conversation about Sam's mood. Jack, for his part, found it mildly amusing. Janet was amused by Jack's amusement.
"Feeling all right?" Janet asked mildly.
"No. This fucking hurts." Jack choked on a snort of laughter at Sam cussing.
"Well, unfortunately Soteria's notes say we have to let the birth progress naturally, and in your case Sam, I don't even know what pain killers would be strong enough without hurting the baby."
Sam huffed out a very annoyed sigh then tensed up as another contraction hit.
"Easy Carter. Slow breaths." He told her gently.
"I'm trying Jack." She ground out and squeezed his hand harder.
"Sam you aren't dilated enough to push yet even if it feels like you should."
"Great." Sam snarled.
"Play nice Carter." Jack told her gently.
"Shut up Jack."
"Shutting up dear." Jack said in a consoling voice.
"Stop that." she huffed crossly.
"Ok, well, I'm going to go check on some other patents Sam." Janet said with an eyeroll at their antics. "The nurse will be in to check on you both in a few minutes.
An hour later Sam screamed with pain as she slowly pushed out her daughter. Jack held her hand as his other arm wrapped supportively under her chest.
"I've got yah Carter, just keep pushing." He told her.
The contraction passed and Sam sagged in his arms.
"You're almost there Sam." Janet told her. "A few more pushes and you'll be crowning."
Jack kissed Sam's temple. "You've got this." He told her.
Sam however had hit whiny exhaustion. "I am trying to squeeze a watermelon through a hole the size of a lemon Jack. I do not 'have this'."
"I will buy you the biggest tub of gourmet ice cream I can find if you get through this Carter."
"What flavor?"
"Pistachio you weirdo." He said with a chuckle.
"I will shoot you if you are lying to me Jack O'Neill." She told him viciously as another contraction hit."
"Push Sam. Push hard." Janet ordered her. "Jack, Help her sit forward so she can squat."
Jack all but physically lifted her into a squat and stayed behind her to support her around the middle. "Imagine you're getting rid of Maybourn." He suggested.
"Dammit Jack don't make me laugh when I'm trying to push." She said to him with mirth that was colored around the edges with pain but it gave her enough fight to push hard enough to have Janet exclaim she could see the head.
A few more pushes later andJanet was placing a squawling slippery infant on Sam's chest.
"Congratulations guys, you are officially parents." Unnoticed by Jack and Sam the cuffs glowed softly.
"Just a few more pushes Sam, we need to get the placenta out."
Sam nodded tiredly but obeyed. Jack was looking with utter adoration at his daughter and stroking her head gently. The baby blinked sleepily at him, her initial sqawling having stopped once she was in contact with her mother.
Sam grunted in pain as she pushed the afterbirth out when suddenly Jack's wrist burned. "Janet!" He shouted.
"I know Jack, she's hemorrhaging. Sam, sweetie, stay with us." She told Sam who's eyes were glazing over as her body slumped in Jack's arms.
"Sam. SAM!" Jack yelped then closed his eyes and all but bashed down the mental door between them. "Dammit Sam you stay with me. Don't you dare die on me Carter." He ordered her.
"Jack?" came her sleepy voice.
"Carter get in here now!" He ordered her, his anger disguising his panic.
"Jack." She said softly and he felt her hand on his cheek but she didn't appear.
"Carter! Carter!" Jack spun around trying to see a place that would help him reach her. A little girl with golden brown curls appeared before him. "Who are you?" Jack asked her, his voice raw with heartache.
The little girl tilted her head and giggled. The mental room began to glow and her with it and suddenly Jack was holding Sam, wide eyed and terrified.
"She's ok Jack. The hemorrhaging just… stopped on its own."
"It just stopped?"
"I can't explain it Sir, she was bleeding out and then her skin started to glow and it just… stopped."
On Sam's chest, the baby yawned sleepily and rooted for her first breakfast.
Jack helped Sam adjust her gown until their daughter latched and nursed hungryly. "Oh yah, she's an O'Neill" Jack said, chuckling at his daughter's happy little grunts as she fed.
Sam hummed sleepily in agreement.
"How you feeling Major?" He asked which was amusing as she was nearly nude in his arms nursing their child.
"Like crap sir." She told him.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again Samantha Marie Carter." He admonished her sternly.
"Yes dear." she said, amused at his choice of address.
Janet had quietly left the room to give them privacy. Jack winked at her on the way out.
A nurse came in shortly to take the baby to wash her up and another came to help Jack wash up Sam.