Chapter 3 - Building the Future
Sam awoke not long after dawn, and expecting it to be cold again, quickly donned her coat and slippers and left the room. To her surprise, the fire was lit and all traces of Jack's residence on the sofa had been cleared away. The coffee pot on the stove was obviously hot and she poured herself a cup. As she sat wiggling her toes in front of the burning logs in the hearth, Jack re-appeared through the door. He wore a woollen cap and a red and black chequered jacket. Sam 2, as they now both thought of her, came in behind him, shaking herself as the pleasure of warmth hit her.
"Morning camper!" he smiled. "Sleep well? I hope our mutual friend here didn't push you out of bed?"
Sam smiled. "You knew she'd do that, didn't you?"
"Yup. The trollop has no scruples. But she'll get off if you're cranky enough with her."
"Oh yeah? And how often have you thrown her out in the night?"
"Well, there must have been at least one occasion." Jack said. "I can't quite remember when, though."
"What time did you get up this morning?" asked Sam. "Did you have a rough night?"
"Not especially. I had a headache so I got up to take something for it and by then it was late enough to go out for a walk to clear the cobwebs."
Sam hesitated but was determined to satisfy her curiosity. "Do you recall having a nightmare last night? And how bad was your headache? Please be honest with me, Jack. I'm not med staff. I put your blankets back over you in the middle of the night."
He looked sharply at her but could sense that lying was not an option. "Same as most nights. Headaches come and go - this one wasn't so bad. It's a legacy of the Ancients' knowledge download. The second one, anyway. Seems the Asgard's retrieval of Encyclopaedia O'Neillia chapters one to one thousand wasn't quite so exhaustive as the first time. They left some junk in there that comes out at odd times. Pity I can't do anything useful with it. You gotta promise me not to report this back at the SGC, Sam. They'd have me in the fruit farm in time for Harvest Festival."
Sam realised with a shock that he didn't know about her leaving the Air Force yet. She just nodded and said, "I promise."
"So, time to get washed and dressed if you want to come to work. You can hang around and watch for as long as you want, or you can join in. You got any old clothes with you? I got some old jeans and sweats you can have if not." At her puzzled look he smiled and went to a laundry cupboard in the bedroom, returning with some neatly pressed but obviously faded garments.
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"You cannot be serious! I can't believe that you know how to be a bricklayer, let alone expect me to do it" cried Sam. "How on Earth did this happen?"
"Quite simple." replied Jack. "Village school has no funds to speak of. Needs to expand. Plans cheap extension, but nasty conservation people insist on 'retention of historical character in the same style as the main building'. School despairs. Jack comes, Jack sees, Jack volunteers to lay the foundations and do the brickwork. School governors' eternal gratitude leads them into barter deals for food, fuel, repairs to the Jackmobile, free vet's bills for Sam 2, et cetera et cetera."
"You did this all by yourself?"
"Hell, no. Jimmy is a local guy who helps me all the time. He's handicapped, OK, but he's not slow mentally and he'll work till he drops. He'll be here in around half an hour. Look, Sam, it's not why you came here, I know, and if you want to leave.."
"No! Show me where the adhesive is and I'll join in!"
"Adhesive? Holy crap, this is worse than I thought. OK, Sam, you'll be Jimmy's apprentice today. Watch, learn and copy what he does. He's the greatest!"
And so Sam met this charming, gentle man with a severe limp and a speech impediment that was difficult to follow at first, but she soon found him easier to understand. She learned about mixing mortar to the right consistency, how to build up the corners first, and to lay level courses in straight lines. Of course, her first efforts had that individual look about them. "Inspired by Picasso." Jack explained to Jimmy, which he laughed about for fully five minutes.
Jack was content to work away in the background, smiling or shouting encouragement, happy at the way Sam was, to her own amazement, learning something completely new. Sam 2 roamed about the site, or went to sleep in the truck cab as the mood took her. Jack introduced Sam to Mrs. McReadie when the old lady appeared with their lunch - part of the barter deal, after all. "Is this your young lady, Jack?" she had asked. Sam blushed bright red but looked annoyed at him when he replied that she was just Jimmy's new apprentice.
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Sam fell asleep in Jack's truck on the way home, waking with a start as he closed the driver's door. Her hands were sore, and she ached in places she didn't even know she had. She followed him and his trollop into the house. Jack told her to sit on the sofa while he made up the fires, but she bridled at being treated as though she couldn't do her fair share of work, so he lit the range fire while she made up the one in the hearth. Sam 2 had disappeared, presumably in search of more rabbits, but returned by herself half an hour later. Sam 1 was unashamedly relieved to be opening a can of dog food this time.
Jack announced that the water would soon be hot enough for her shower, and she revelled in that experience while he cooked dinner. But tonight, she never made it through to coffee, and Jack supported her as he sleep-walked her into bed, laying her down gently to one side and covering her with the quilt. As he stood by the door, he looked back for some time, hoping against hope that his heart wouldn't break when she went back this time - he knew it would be for good.
Once again she woke in the early hours and heard his anguished cries from the sofa. Again she stood by and listened in amazement as he spouted what sounded suspiciously like parts of Schroedinger's wave equation. Then the short silence, followed by the chills running down her spine as he pleaded with unknown people to let her live, to be allowed to fulfil her life with *him*, to take Jack instead.
She sponged his forehead again with a cool damp cloth, and sat on the edge of the sofa staring at him after she had covered him up. One way or another, she determined, things were going to change tomorrow, and there would never be another step backwards.
She climbed back into bed and patted the covers for Sam 2 to climb alongside. As the dog nestled against her, she embraced it and was rewarded with a grunt. With any luck, it would soon be him making that noise.
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The next day's labours were cut short as rain was forecast for the afternoon. Jack suggested that if she was likely to be staying a few more days, they should run her rental car back to Duluth airfield to save the money. They drove back to his cabin, and he followed her all the way to the rental return office. Whilst at the airport, Jack suggested that she might want to call Pete and others back at home as her cell phone was now working. She smiled thinly at him and he walked away to the coffee stall to give her some privacy.
Sam had realised in two short days that she would never be going to Denver, and that her first love affair in eight years was quite definitely over. But that was a face-to-face conversation, not the coward's way of a telephone call. So she called Daniel instead.
"Sam! How's it going?" he asked nervously.
"Oh, Daniel! I've built a wall!"
"What? Are you sober?"
"Yes, of course I am!" she giggled. "And I've met my namesake, and I skinned a rabbit for her, and..."
"Sam? Slow down! You haven't sounded as happy as this in months. You are with Jack, aren't you?"
"Yup! And thank you, Daniel. Thank you for everything!" She shouted across to Jack, "Hey, do you want to talk to Daniel?" and back into the phone, "Nope! He's busy ogling some waitress. Yeah, you too. Bye!"
They stopped at a roadside diner on the way back, and Sam 2 for the first time was treated to Double Cheeseburger, hold the onions, hold the relish, hold the bread. To show her gratitude, she lay in the back of Jack's cab on the way home, breaking wind at frequent intervals, wagging her tail as a further sign of appreciation.
Although it was quite late when they arrived at the cabin, they lit the fire in the lounge to warm the place up. Sam asked Jack to sit beside her on the sofa, and to his surprise, leaned against him and grasped his hands in hers.
"Sam, should we be doing this, because I don't think I can..."
"Please listen, Jack, this is both the hardest and easiest thing I've ever had to do. Please, just listen." He nodded and sat quite still.
"Firstly, I never realised how much I hurt you, and I'm so sorry. Yes, I fell for Pete and what we had was nice for a while, but it's not what I want now. It's over, for good, and I'll tell him so when I get back."
"Sam, you don't have to..."
"Yes I do! I'm not in the Air Force any more, Jack. I didn't believe you a year ago about hitting the wall, and watching for the signs. I get bad dreams too, about the people I killed and most of all about one man I just mowed down in a battle. I'm unfit for front-line duty and I can't concentrate the way I used to on science any more. Maybe it'll come good again but I can't be sure. All I know is this. I've loved you for over seven years and I didn't have the courage to find a way for us to be together when my career meant so much to me. If I've lost your respect I regret that too. But I think you need me as much as I need you. I want to be there when you get bad dreams, so you know I'm not dying or going away with someone else. Not ever."
Jack sat back, stunned. 'Oh God!' thought Sam. He's going to tell me it's a mistake..'
"Sam, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't built up a mental wall to protect myself from what I'm scared of ever losing again. I can't be consciously looking out for your every need all the time. I just ain't that bright. But I know I'd be a damned fool to walk away from you now. If you think you can be happy with this old guy..."
"And his mangy dog." she interrupted.
"And his pedigree lurcher." he continued.
"And help build a school for our kids."
"Sam?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Here or in bed?"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Sam awoke not long after dawn, and expecting it to be cold again, quickly donned her coat and slippers and left the room. To her surprise, the fire was lit and all traces of Jack's residence on the sofa had been cleared away. The coffee pot on the stove was obviously hot and she poured herself a cup. As she sat wiggling her toes in front of the burning logs in the hearth, Jack re-appeared through the door. He wore a woollen cap and a red and black chequered jacket. Sam 2, as they now both thought of her, came in behind him, shaking herself as the pleasure of warmth hit her.
"Morning camper!" he smiled. "Sleep well? I hope our mutual friend here didn't push you out of bed?"
Sam smiled. "You knew she'd do that, didn't you?"
"Yup. The trollop has no scruples. But she'll get off if you're cranky enough with her."
"Oh yeah? And how often have you thrown her out in the night?"
"Well, there must have been at least one occasion." Jack said. "I can't quite remember when, though."
"What time did you get up this morning?" asked Sam. "Did you have a rough night?"
"Not especially. I had a headache so I got up to take something for it and by then it was late enough to go out for a walk to clear the cobwebs."
Sam hesitated but was determined to satisfy her curiosity. "Do you recall having a nightmare last night? And how bad was your headache? Please be honest with me, Jack. I'm not med staff. I put your blankets back over you in the middle of the night."
He looked sharply at her but could sense that lying was not an option. "Same as most nights. Headaches come and go - this one wasn't so bad. It's a legacy of the Ancients' knowledge download. The second one, anyway. Seems the Asgard's retrieval of Encyclopaedia O'Neillia chapters one to one thousand wasn't quite so exhaustive as the first time. They left some junk in there that comes out at odd times. Pity I can't do anything useful with it. You gotta promise me not to report this back at the SGC, Sam. They'd have me in the fruit farm in time for Harvest Festival."
Sam realised with a shock that he didn't know about her leaving the Air Force yet. She just nodded and said, "I promise."
"So, time to get washed and dressed if you want to come to work. You can hang around and watch for as long as you want, or you can join in. You got any old clothes with you? I got some old jeans and sweats you can have if not." At her puzzled look he smiled and went to a laundry cupboard in the bedroom, returning with some neatly pressed but obviously faded garments.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"You cannot be serious! I can't believe that you know how to be a bricklayer, let alone expect me to do it" cried Sam. "How on Earth did this happen?"
"Quite simple." replied Jack. "Village school has no funds to speak of. Needs to expand. Plans cheap extension, but nasty conservation people insist on 'retention of historical character in the same style as the main building'. School despairs. Jack comes, Jack sees, Jack volunteers to lay the foundations and do the brickwork. School governors' eternal gratitude leads them into barter deals for food, fuel, repairs to the Jackmobile, free vet's bills for Sam 2, et cetera et cetera."
"You did this all by yourself?"
"Hell, no. Jimmy is a local guy who helps me all the time. He's handicapped, OK, but he's not slow mentally and he'll work till he drops. He'll be here in around half an hour. Look, Sam, it's not why you came here, I know, and if you want to leave.."
"No! Show me where the adhesive is and I'll join in!"
"Adhesive? Holy crap, this is worse than I thought. OK, Sam, you'll be Jimmy's apprentice today. Watch, learn and copy what he does. He's the greatest!"
And so Sam met this charming, gentle man with a severe limp and a speech impediment that was difficult to follow at first, but she soon found him easier to understand. She learned about mixing mortar to the right consistency, how to build up the corners first, and to lay level courses in straight lines. Of course, her first efforts had that individual look about them. "Inspired by Picasso." Jack explained to Jimmy, which he laughed about for fully five minutes.
Jack was content to work away in the background, smiling or shouting encouragement, happy at the way Sam was, to her own amazement, learning something completely new. Sam 2 roamed about the site, or went to sleep in the truck cab as the mood took her. Jack introduced Sam to Mrs. McReadie when the old lady appeared with their lunch - part of the barter deal, after all. "Is this your young lady, Jack?" she had asked. Sam blushed bright red but looked annoyed at him when he replied that she was just Jimmy's new apprentice.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Sam fell asleep in Jack's truck on the way home, waking with a start as he closed the driver's door. Her hands were sore, and she ached in places she didn't even know she had. She followed him and his trollop into the house. Jack told her to sit on the sofa while he made up the fires, but she bridled at being treated as though she couldn't do her fair share of work, so he lit the range fire while she made up the one in the hearth. Sam 2 had disappeared, presumably in search of more rabbits, but returned by herself half an hour later. Sam 1 was unashamedly relieved to be opening a can of dog food this time.
Jack announced that the water would soon be hot enough for her shower, and she revelled in that experience while he cooked dinner. But tonight, she never made it through to coffee, and Jack supported her as he sleep-walked her into bed, laying her down gently to one side and covering her with the quilt. As he stood by the door, he looked back for some time, hoping against hope that his heart wouldn't break when she went back this time - he knew it would be for good.
Once again she woke in the early hours and heard his anguished cries from the sofa. Again she stood by and listened in amazement as he spouted what sounded suspiciously like parts of Schroedinger's wave equation. Then the short silence, followed by the chills running down her spine as he pleaded with unknown people to let her live, to be allowed to fulfil her life with *him*, to take Jack instead.
She sponged his forehead again with a cool damp cloth, and sat on the edge of the sofa staring at him after she had covered him up. One way or another, she determined, things were going to change tomorrow, and there would never be another step backwards.
She climbed back into bed and patted the covers for Sam 2 to climb alongside. As the dog nestled against her, she embraced it and was rewarded with a grunt. With any luck, it would soon be him making that noise.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The next day's labours were cut short as rain was forecast for the afternoon. Jack suggested that if she was likely to be staying a few more days, they should run her rental car back to Duluth airfield to save the money. They drove back to his cabin, and he followed her all the way to the rental return office. Whilst at the airport, Jack suggested that she might want to call Pete and others back at home as her cell phone was now working. She smiled thinly at him and he walked away to the coffee stall to give her some privacy.
Sam had realised in two short days that she would never be going to Denver, and that her first love affair in eight years was quite definitely over. But that was a face-to-face conversation, not the coward's way of a telephone call. So she called Daniel instead.
"Sam! How's it going?" he asked nervously.
"Oh, Daniel! I've built a wall!"
"What? Are you sober?"
"Yes, of course I am!" she giggled. "And I've met my namesake, and I skinned a rabbit for her, and..."
"Sam? Slow down! You haven't sounded as happy as this in months. You are with Jack, aren't you?"
"Yup! And thank you, Daniel. Thank you for everything!" She shouted across to Jack, "Hey, do you want to talk to Daniel?" and back into the phone, "Nope! He's busy ogling some waitress. Yeah, you too. Bye!"
They stopped at a roadside diner on the way back, and Sam 2 for the first time was treated to Double Cheeseburger, hold the onions, hold the relish, hold the bread. To show her gratitude, she lay in the back of Jack's cab on the way home, breaking wind at frequent intervals, wagging her tail as a further sign of appreciation.
Although it was quite late when they arrived at the cabin, they lit the fire in the lounge to warm the place up. Sam asked Jack to sit beside her on the sofa, and to his surprise, leaned against him and grasped his hands in hers.
"Sam, should we be doing this, because I don't think I can..."
"Please listen, Jack, this is both the hardest and easiest thing I've ever had to do. Please, just listen." He nodded and sat quite still.
"Firstly, I never realised how much I hurt you, and I'm so sorry. Yes, I fell for Pete and what we had was nice for a while, but it's not what I want now. It's over, for good, and I'll tell him so when I get back."
"Sam, you don't have to..."
"Yes I do! I'm not in the Air Force any more, Jack. I didn't believe you a year ago about hitting the wall, and watching for the signs. I get bad dreams too, about the people I killed and most of all about one man I just mowed down in a battle. I'm unfit for front-line duty and I can't concentrate the way I used to on science any more. Maybe it'll come good again but I can't be sure. All I know is this. I've loved you for over seven years and I didn't have the courage to find a way for us to be together when my career meant so much to me. If I've lost your respect I regret that too. But I think you need me as much as I need you. I want to be there when you get bad dreams, so you know I'm not dying or going away with someone else. Not ever."
Jack sat back, stunned. 'Oh God!' thought Sam. He's going to tell me it's a mistake..'
"Sam, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't built up a mental wall to protect myself from what I'm scared of ever losing again. I can't be consciously looking out for your every need all the time. I just ain't that bright. But I know I'd be a damned fool to walk away from you now. If you think you can be happy with this old guy..."
"And his mangy dog." she interrupted.
"And his pedigree lurcher." he continued.
"And help build a school for our kids."
"Sam?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Here or in bed?"
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