Moral Support
After sending Daniel off, Sam spent the rest of a sleepless night in her lab, typing out her frustration and calming herself with an experiment.
It gave her time to think.
This really isn't possible. I haven't had a relationship since...
No, Sam, don't go there. You got over your fiance years ago. Besides, he died honourably, didn't he?
So I haven't had a relationship. Or anything esle, for that matter. So, logically, there is no way I can be pregnant.
There is is. That word. Pregnant.
Let's say - for the sake of argument only - I am. Would this be the end of my career at the SGC? How could I work on a NASA base or an AirForce base knowing there's so much more out there? Not only that...it would mean leaving SG-1...leaving Jack...
I can't believe Colonel O'Neill told Daniel! Okay, so I shouldn't have yelled at Daniel, he was only trying to help me, reassure me. But the Colonel? I trusted in him, I confided in him.
"How could you, Jack?"
"Sam...I'm sorry."
Having left Dr Fraiser to complete her test analysis, Colonel O'Neill wandered slowly back to his quarters, taking detours to think along the way.
What if the results come back positive? he wondered. What if Carter's not admitting something? What will happen? If she's a single parent, she'll have no time for missions that could last days, even months like our last one. Will Hammond replace her? No one could replace Sam...
He looked up, becoming aware that he was in a different section of the base. He found himself in the doorway to Major Carter's lab.
"How could you, Jack?" he heard her voice say. The emotion in her voice stirred something inside him.
"Sam...I'm sorry."
She turned to him, and even in the dim light he could read her disappointment, confusion, anger.
"I told you because...because I trusted you. Then you went and blabbed to Daniel about something that isn't even true."
"I'm sorry," Jack repeated, "but I made a judgement call. I thought it was the right thing to do."
"Yeah, well you thought wrong."
"Yes, okay, I know!" Jack said, raising his arms in defeat. "So I made a mistake! But you should be used to that by now."
Sam sighed and her eyes softened.
"Dammit, I don't know how this is possible! Something must have happened on the mission, nothing was abnormal on the pre-mission medical."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "On the mission?"
Sam bit her lip, anticipating how Jack would interperate what she had said.
"No no no!" he said, "You didn't...not with Daniel...or Teal'c?"
"Oh, Colonel, please! Of course not!"
Jack exhaled. "Sorry."
At that moment, the phone that hung on the lab wall rang. Jack looked at the phone and then back at Sam.
"Want me to answer it?" he asked. She nodded gratefully. He walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.
"O'Neill." He paused, listening. "Thanks Doc, we'll be right there." He replaced the receiver and turned back to Sam. "She's got the final results."
"There's no doubt about it, Sam," Janet said as Sam stared, speechless.
"No," she said. "It's impossible."
"In what way?" Janet asked gently. "Biologically? Or is it impossible because you don't want the results to be this way?"
"Both!" Sam exclaimed, struggling to keep her shock and frustration under control. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed - slightly. "Janet, it's not biologically, physically, or mentally possible!"
"And yet it's happening," the doctor replied quietly. "If what you say is true--"
"It is!"
"--then we need to find out what it was that happened."
"Maybe I should leave you to it," Jack said uneasily.
"Stay," Sam pleaded. Jack looked into her eyes, and nodded.
They all took seats in Janet's office. The doctor took the seat behind the desk and called up some documents on the computer as Jack wondered why he was there.
The he looked over at Sam, enfolded her hand in his.
Of course I know why, he thought.
Janet was the first to speak.
"By my results, I'd have to say conception took place just a few weeks ago, possibly during your last mission." She glanced at Colonel O'Neill, and he shifted uneasily. Her gaze returned to Sam. "Are you sure nothing happened in that time?"
"Positive," Sam said.
"Colonel?" Janet asked, wanting confirmation.
"I don't think she was ever alone long enough for...anything to happen." Jnaet opened her mouth to speak, but Jack quickly added, "And before you say anything, you know none of us would ever...force ourselves on anyone, let alone Sam."
"Okay," Janet said slowly, choosing to miss Jack's use of Sam's first name. "What about before the mission? During your week's leave?"
"No. Nothing."
"Sam, this might sound a little tactless," Janet said after a moment, gazing intently at her friend, "but I'm not going to tiptoe around it." She paused briefly. "Were you raped?"
Jack's eyes snapped from Janet to Sam.
"No, I wasn't," Sam responded definitely. "Look, I wasn't raped and I haven't had sex. This is what I'm saying, Janet, it's just not possible."
Jack studied Sam's weary face and said,
"It's getting late. We should turn in, resume this in the morning?"
What he said was more of a statement than a question; it was almost an order.
"Of course," Janet said. She watched as Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter stood up and left.
Jack escorted Sam wordlessly through the corridors, hands stuffed scruffily into his pockets. Sam's head was down, her brow creased in thought.
The few airmen on duty stood to attention as the two officers passed, but Jack ignored the night-shift personnel, watching his Second In Command.
Soon they arrived outside Sam's on-base quarters. They stopped outside the door.
"Thanks for coming to find me tonight," Sam said quietly. Jack smiled at her.
"Any time," he said. There was a brief pause. "Want me to come in with you?" Jack asked. Sam smiled.
"Yeah," she said. "I'd like that."
The next morning, Jack awoke with a crick in his neck for the few hours' sleep he'd spent in one of Sam's chairs. He stretched, checked his watch, and then looked over at Sam.
She was still asleep, nuzzled into the pillow with the sheets pulled up to her chin. She hadn't changed for bed; she'd said she was too exhausted to bother.
Jack watched her, intrigued. She slept peacefully, until her eyelids began to flicker and she began to murmur, her head jerking from side to side.
"Carter?" Jack asked, concerned. She neither awoke or responded. Instead she started to say something, something about the civilisation they had et on their last mission.
Jack was getting slightly alarmed as Sam cont inued to thrash in her bed. He rose from the chair and peered down at her.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!"
He shook her awake and her eyes snapped open wide; she jerked, gasping. Then she realised where she was, who was looking down at her; she threw her arms around Jack, weeping.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jack soothed, "it was just a bad dream."
Sam grasped him tigher. seeming to savour the feeling; and then she let him go, shrank back down onto the bed.
"Colonel, I'm sorry," Sam apologised.
"No need," Jack said quickly. Sam wiped away her tears hastily. "Disturbing dream?" Jack asked. Sam made an effort to smile.
"Something like that," she said. "What time is it?"
"06:24. Briefing's in a couple of hours. Wanna catch breakfast?"
"Maybe some other time...I'm not feeling too good." Jack looked down at her, concerned.
"Alright." He rose and stretched. "Well, it may come as a surprise to you, but I need to go change."Sam chuckled, music to Jack's ears.
"Of course." Jack made for the door. "And Jack?" He turned, surprised, and she said, "Thanks."
After sending Daniel off, Sam spent the rest of a sleepless night in her lab, typing out her frustration and calming herself with an experiment.
It gave her time to think.
This really isn't possible. I haven't had a relationship since...
No, Sam, don't go there. You got over your fiance years ago. Besides, he died honourably, didn't he?
So I haven't had a relationship. Or anything esle, for that matter. So, logically, there is no way I can be pregnant.
There is is. That word. Pregnant.
Let's say - for the sake of argument only - I am. Would this be the end of my career at the SGC? How could I work on a NASA base or an AirForce base knowing there's so much more out there? Not only that...it would mean leaving SG-1...leaving Jack...
I can't believe Colonel O'Neill told Daniel! Okay, so I shouldn't have yelled at Daniel, he was only trying to help me, reassure me. But the Colonel? I trusted in him, I confided in him.
"How could you, Jack?"
"Sam...I'm sorry."
Having left Dr Fraiser to complete her test analysis, Colonel O'Neill wandered slowly back to his quarters, taking detours to think along the way.
What if the results come back positive? he wondered. What if Carter's not admitting something? What will happen? If she's a single parent, she'll have no time for missions that could last days, even months like our last one. Will Hammond replace her? No one could replace Sam...
He looked up, becoming aware that he was in a different section of the base. He found himself in the doorway to Major Carter's lab.
"How could you, Jack?" he heard her voice say. The emotion in her voice stirred something inside him.
"Sam...I'm sorry."
She turned to him, and even in the dim light he could read her disappointment, confusion, anger.
"I told you because...because I trusted you. Then you went and blabbed to Daniel about something that isn't even true."
"I'm sorry," Jack repeated, "but I made a judgement call. I thought it was the right thing to do."
"Yeah, well you thought wrong."
"Yes, okay, I know!" Jack said, raising his arms in defeat. "So I made a mistake! But you should be used to that by now."
Sam sighed and her eyes softened.
"Dammit, I don't know how this is possible! Something must have happened on the mission, nothing was abnormal on the pre-mission medical."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "On the mission?"
Sam bit her lip, anticipating how Jack would interperate what she had said.
"No no no!" he said, "You didn't...not with Daniel...or Teal'c?"
"Oh, Colonel, please! Of course not!"
Jack exhaled. "Sorry."
At that moment, the phone that hung on the lab wall rang. Jack looked at the phone and then back at Sam.
"Want me to answer it?" he asked. She nodded gratefully. He walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.
"O'Neill." He paused, listening. "Thanks Doc, we'll be right there." He replaced the receiver and turned back to Sam. "She's got the final results."
"There's no doubt about it, Sam," Janet said as Sam stared, speechless.
"No," she said. "It's impossible."
"In what way?" Janet asked gently. "Biologically? Or is it impossible because you don't want the results to be this way?"
"Both!" Sam exclaimed, struggling to keep her shock and frustration under control. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed - slightly. "Janet, it's not biologically, physically, or mentally possible!"
"And yet it's happening," the doctor replied quietly. "If what you say is true--"
"It is!"
"--then we need to find out what it was that happened."
"Maybe I should leave you to it," Jack said uneasily.
"Stay," Sam pleaded. Jack looked into her eyes, and nodded.
They all took seats in Janet's office. The doctor took the seat behind the desk and called up some documents on the computer as Jack wondered why he was there.
The he looked over at Sam, enfolded her hand in his.
Of course I know why, he thought.
Janet was the first to speak.
"By my results, I'd have to say conception took place just a few weeks ago, possibly during your last mission." She glanced at Colonel O'Neill, and he shifted uneasily. Her gaze returned to Sam. "Are you sure nothing happened in that time?"
"Positive," Sam said.
"Colonel?" Janet asked, wanting confirmation.
"I don't think she was ever alone long enough for...anything to happen." Jnaet opened her mouth to speak, but Jack quickly added, "And before you say anything, you know none of us would ever...force ourselves on anyone, let alone Sam."
"Okay," Janet said slowly, choosing to miss Jack's use of Sam's first name. "What about before the mission? During your week's leave?"
"No. Nothing."
"Sam, this might sound a little tactless," Janet said after a moment, gazing intently at her friend, "but I'm not going to tiptoe around it." She paused briefly. "Were you raped?"
Jack's eyes snapped from Janet to Sam.
"No, I wasn't," Sam responded definitely. "Look, I wasn't raped and I haven't had sex. This is what I'm saying, Janet, it's just not possible."
Jack studied Sam's weary face and said,
"It's getting late. We should turn in, resume this in the morning?"
What he said was more of a statement than a question; it was almost an order.
"Of course," Janet said. She watched as Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter stood up and left.
Jack escorted Sam wordlessly through the corridors, hands stuffed scruffily into his pockets. Sam's head was down, her brow creased in thought.
The few airmen on duty stood to attention as the two officers passed, but Jack ignored the night-shift personnel, watching his Second In Command.
Soon they arrived outside Sam's on-base quarters. They stopped outside the door.
"Thanks for coming to find me tonight," Sam said quietly. Jack smiled at her.
"Any time," he said. There was a brief pause. "Want me to come in with you?" Jack asked. Sam smiled.
"Yeah," she said. "I'd like that."
The next morning, Jack awoke with a crick in his neck for the few hours' sleep he'd spent in one of Sam's chairs. He stretched, checked his watch, and then looked over at Sam.
She was still asleep, nuzzled into the pillow with the sheets pulled up to her chin. She hadn't changed for bed; she'd said she was too exhausted to bother.
Jack watched her, intrigued. She slept peacefully, until her eyelids began to flicker and she began to murmur, her head jerking from side to side.
"Carter?" Jack asked, concerned. She neither awoke or responded. Instead she started to say something, something about the civilisation they had et on their last mission.
Jack was getting slightly alarmed as Sam cont inued to thrash in her bed. He rose from the chair and peered down at her.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!"
He shook her awake and her eyes snapped open wide; she jerked, gasping. Then she realised where she was, who was looking down at her; she threw her arms around Jack, weeping.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jack soothed, "it was just a bad dream."
Sam grasped him tigher. seeming to savour the feeling; and then she let him go, shrank back down onto the bed.
"Colonel, I'm sorry," Sam apologised.
"No need," Jack said quickly. Sam wiped away her tears hastily. "Disturbing dream?" Jack asked. Sam made an effort to smile.
"Something like that," she said. "What time is it?"
"06:24. Briefing's in a couple of hours. Wanna catch breakfast?"
"Maybe some other time...I'm not feeling too good." Jack looked down at her, concerned.
"Alright." He rose and stretched. "Well, it may come as a surprise to you, but I need to go change."Sam chuckled, music to Jack's ears.
"Of course." Jack made for the door. "And Jack?" He turned, surprised, and she said, "Thanks."