The Touched
Part 9
Sam gazed out at the landscape around her, the gentle breeze sending a calming rustle through the trees. She folded her arms protectively over her abdomen as silent tears slipped down her cheeks. It was true. She had been willing her intuition to be wrong; praying that she just had a bug, that she'd simply caught an ordinary illness. And then Daniel had translated the book.
She'd heard that, before you die, your life flashed before you eyes, she'd damn near experienced it herself on more than one occasion. So, it made her wonder what it meant that the last week and a half had been flashing before her eyes since Daniel's news. Nilke's image seemed to be haunting her. Even behind closed eyes she could see the ghostly image of the woman calling to her, as she had done in the medical room.
Another constant image in her mind, was her CO. She knew what everyone suspected, she also knew that they were, more than likely, correct, but somehow, that didn't make her feel any better…in fact, it made her feel worse. She knew how she felt about the Colonel, she had known for a long time, the entire base probably suspected…and when they found out about this, they would know for sure.
His reaction to the news hadn't exactly been positive. Did he know? Did he suspect that his 2IC spent every day falling in love with him? Did he care? The news about her probable pregnancy was a shock to everyone, especially her, but what happened next? Where did she go from here?
She continued to stare into the sky, the red tinge of the horizon fading into pink and gently into a blue that was filled with the first sign of stars. She never really stopped to look at the stars anymore. And it wasn't just since she had been working with the SGC. Her eagerness to learn exactly what the universe was all about, to know exactly what everything was made of and how it all worked, well, it had made her stop looking at the wonder of it all. But not in that moment. In that moment she was staring at beauty itself, and she was so small and insignificant next to it.
She was so lost in her reverie that she hadn't heard him approach, she jumped when he gently spoke her name and turned to face him, wide-eyed.
"I…uh, Sir."
"Carter." He moved to stand next to her as she turned away again. He stared straight ahead, his vision not moving once as she cast uneasy glances at him. "So,"
"So…" She wanted to say more, but what? What could she say to the man who's child she was more than likely carrying, when they hadn't even…okay, that was not a place she wanted to go with him standing right next to her.
"You knew." He said simply.
"Knew what, Sir?"
"Oh, Carter, cut the crap. We both know that you knew you were pregnant. What I want to know is, why the hell didn't you tell me?" By now he was facing her, watching as her face contorted in anger.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Major."
"You're right, I did." She said stepping a little closer.
"So? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's none of your business!" she shouted, turning to go only to be stopped as he grabbed her arm.
"None of my business?" He repeated incredulously, "You having, my child, is none of my business?"
"It's my child," Sam said.
Although she was speaking softly, Jack saw the look in her eyes and he knew he had gone too far. He stepped back and let go of her arm, taking a deep breath before saying something else he might regret.
"Whether we like it or not, Major, the child you are carrying is mine as well, and we both know it."
"That's as may be, Sir, but this is my body, and at the moment, this is my decision." She continued to stare into his eyes for a moment longer, before the reflection of pain from her words forced her to look away. Turning on her heel, she walked away from him as the sky behind darkened with stars.
~x~x~x~x~x~
Okay, I know for a fact that a few people are gonna hate me for that part! But, hey, I'm the writer, I can do whatever I want! Mwahahahaha, I have the power…*ahem*…
Sorry it's so short, but I promise I'm working on the next part!
Reviews make me smile? J