If someone had asked Sam three days before what her Saturday plans would
be, they probably would have run along the lines of maybe reading...
shopping... some research. Usual stuff.
Never in a million years would she put herself here. Sitting in a booth at an old-fashioned diner eating breakfast with Jack O'Neill, his mother and stepfather, and a baby. It was too... Normal people did this stuff. People who had people. People with lives, and family. Not inter-galactic travelers involved in top-secret missions.
But here she sat, beside Jack. So close their thighs brushed against each other whenever one of them moved. Across the table were Madeline and Ed Cambridge. And at the head of the table, sound asleep in her carrier, was Lorelei.
"How long have they been trying the in vetro stuff?" Jack asked, and once again Sam felt intensely out of place.
This was family talk... about babies and struggles and a tight-knit unit of people that she didn't know beyond Jack... and his mother's reputation.
"They've tried four times. Before that it was two years of fertility drugs and continuous testing. They're here in Colorado because a doctor in Chicago recommended a specialist in Denver."
Even though she didn't know Bobby and Jean, Sam's heart ached for them. To want something so badly, to commit years of your life, only to have it not happen had to be a painful thing. Wanting what you might never have.
Her insides twisted. She understood more than she wanted to admit.
"We'll know tomorrow if this procedure offers any chance. If not, they don't know what they'll do."
"Have they thought of adoption?" Sam asked.
"They're trying. But the agencies aren't pushing that hard to help. Bobby being in the Air Force, and possibly being away, seems to be a detriment."
"Why?"
"Jean is deaf," Jack explained, and she turned to look at him.
"And the agencies are disinclined to consider them as great candidates because she might have long periods of time where she would be the sole care provider."
"That's ridiculous," Sam said adamantly, then pulled back, realizing she was treading on grounds she didn't belong on.
She felt Jack's gaze on her, and looked back at him again. He watched her, a small smile sneaking across his lips, and she realized it was okay. No one took offense. As his mother continued to explain the situation, Jack leaned back and shifted in the booth, trying to find a comfortable position for his long legs. He set his arm across the back of the bench, and his fingers brushed her hair.
Sam's heart jumped.
To try and distract herself from the swirling shudder in her stomach that his close proximity created, Sam picked up her fork and snatched a mouthful of hash browns from Jack's plate. They smelled heavenly, and as soon as the plate had been set in front of him, she had wished her own breakfast came with them.
"Hey, you gonna share, too?" Jack asked.
She smiled and picked up a whole strawberry from her own plate, meeting his gaze as she held it out. As plain as day, she saw the temptation in his eyes. And if they hadn't been in a crowded café, with his parents right there, Jack may have eaten the fruit right from her fingers. His eyes darkened, and Sam held her breath. Then his hand brushed hers as he took the fruit and bit into it, sucking at the juices inside.
Holy Hannah...
Sam heard Jack's mother clear her throat, and turned away from him. She wondered how long it would take before her cheeks burst into flames, and hoped they weren't as flushed as they felt.
"Bobby and Jean would have come down with us, but the doctor wanted Jean to stay off her feet for a day or two. Until the results are known."
"We're on stand – uh – we're off for a few days. Maybe I can make it up to visit them," Jack said.
"That would be nice, J.J."
Sam hid her smirk by taking a sip of her orange juice, but Jack's nudge with his knee under the table let her it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Maddy?" said an unfamiliar female voice, and Sam looked up, nearly choking on her juice.
The voice was unfamiliar, but the face wasn't. Sara – formerly – O'Neill. Jack shifted in the seat beside her, and Sam's eyes slipped closed. His mother scooted out from beneath the table and hugged Sara and they exchanged quick greetings.
Sam looked to Jack. "Do you want to...?" she began to ask, motioning out of the booth.
His hand slid from its resting point behind her and touched her shoulder. "No. You're fine."
Then Sara looked to them, and Sam held her breath. Oh, boy. She had only ever seen Sara O'Neill in passing, just that one time years before in the chaos of the hospital. And she knew Sara had remarried the year before, because Jack had taken a long weekend to attend. But she could only imagine how this looked... because she knew how it felt.
"Hi, Jack," Sara said, her voice heavy with the unasked question.
"Hey. How you been?"
"Good." Her gaze shifted from Jack to Sam, and Sam looked down shifting her gaze to Lorelei, who chose that moment to release a soft breath and delicately smack her lips.
Sara leaned over the carrier, looking at Lorelei. "She's beautiful. And brand new. How old is she?"
"Three days," Sam squeaked out.
"I give you credit for being out and about after three day. Jack, you shouldn't have dragged her out to eat—"
"No, I ... I mean, she's not..." Sam looked to Jack, her eyes wide, begging for help.
"Sam is Lorelei's foster mother," he explained.
"Oh," Sara said, straightening again. "I'm sorry. I just assumed..."
Sam just shook her head. Jack's fingers skimmed across her shoulder again, a silent order to relax. It was no big deal. But it felt like a big deal. A huge deal. And she realized how big of a mistake it was to agree to go into public with Jack and his family, and Lorelei. What if someone from the base saw them? That'd take some major explaining.
Jack and Sara talked for a few moments more, and Sam sat with her hands clenched in her lap, chewing on her lower lip. Then Sara said good-bye to Madeline, her former mother-in-law, and walked away to join a redheaded man at a nearby table.
Sam released a pent up breath. Common sense would normally have her begging for the whole thing to be over with, but with a soft ache of her heart, Sam realized she didn't want it to end. It didn't bother her nearly as much as it should that Jack's ex-wife thought Lorelei was their baby. Or that his mother found her and the baby in his house. And she wasn't consciously working to keep the physical distance between her and Jack. It all felt good.
And as soon as Lorelei had a home, it would all be over and she'd never see the baby girl again.
Jack brought his arm down and slipped it beneath the table to gently squeeze her hand.
Never in a million years would she put herself here. Sitting in a booth at an old-fashioned diner eating breakfast with Jack O'Neill, his mother and stepfather, and a baby. It was too... Normal people did this stuff. People who had people. People with lives, and family. Not inter-galactic travelers involved in top-secret missions.
But here she sat, beside Jack. So close their thighs brushed against each other whenever one of them moved. Across the table were Madeline and Ed Cambridge. And at the head of the table, sound asleep in her carrier, was Lorelei.
"How long have they been trying the in vetro stuff?" Jack asked, and once again Sam felt intensely out of place.
This was family talk... about babies and struggles and a tight-knit unit of people that she didn't know beyond Jack... and his mother's reputation.
"They've tried four times. Before that it was two years of fertility drugs and continuous testing. They're here in Colorado because a doctor in Chicago recommended a specialist in Denver."
Even though she didn't know Bobby and Jean, Sam's heart ached for them. To want something so badly, to commit years of your life, only to have it not happen had to be a painful thing. Wanting what you might never have.
Her insides twisted. She understood more than she wanted to admit.
"We'll know tomorrow if this procedure offers any chance. If not, they don't know what they'll do."
"Have they thought of adoption?" Sam asked.
"They're trying. But the agencies aren't pushing that hard to help. Bobby being in the Air Force, and possibly being away, seems to be a detriment."
"Why?"
"Jean is deaf," Jack explained, and she turned to look at him.
"And the agencies are disinclined to consider them as great candidates because she might have long periods of time where she would be the sole care provider."
"That's ridiculous," Sam said adamantly, then pulled back, realizing she was treading on grounds she didn't belong on.
She felt Jack's gaze on her, and looked back at him again. He watched her, a small smile sneaking across his lips, and she realized it was okay. No one took offense. As his mother continued to explain the situation, Jack leaned back and shifted in the booth, trying to find a comfortable position for his long legs. He set his arm across the back of the bench, and his fingers brushed her hair.
Sam's heart jumped.
To try and distract herself from the swirling shudder in her stomach that his close proximity created, Sam picked up her fork and snatched a mouthful of hash browns from Jack's plate. They smelled heavenly, and as soon as the plate had been set in front of him, she had wished her own breakfast came with them.
"Hey, you gonna share, too?" Jack asked.
She smiled and picked up a whole strawberry from her own plate, meeting his gaze as she held it out. As plain as day, she saw the temptation in his eyes. And if they hadn't been in a crowded café, with his parents right there, Jack may have eaten the fruit right from her fingers. His eyes darkened, and Sam held her breath. Then his hand brushed hers as he took the fruit and bit into it, sucking at the juices inside.
Holy Hannah...
Sam heard Jack's mother clear her throat, and turned away from him. She wondered how long it would take before her cheeks burst into flames, and hoped they weren't as flushed as they felt.
"Bobby and Jean would have come down with us, but the doctor wanted Jean to stay off her feet for a day or two. Until the results are known."
"We're on stand – uh – we're off for a few days. Maybe I can make it up to visit them," Jack said.
"That would be nice, J.J."
Sam hid her smirk by taking a sip of her orange juice, but Jack's nudge with his knee under the table let her it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Maddy?" said an unfamiliar female voice, and Sam looked up, nearly choking on her juice.
The voice was unfamiliar, but the face wasn't. Sara – formerly – O'Neill. Jack shifted in the seat beside her, and Sam's eyes slipped closed. His mother scooted out from beneath the table and hugged Sara and they exchanged quick greetings.
Sam looked to Jack. "Do you want to...?" she began to ask, motioning out of the booth.
His hand slid from its resting point behind her and touched her shoulder. "No. You're fine."
Then Sara looked to them, and Sam held her breath. Oh, boy. She had only ever seen Sara O'Neill in passing, just that one time years before in the chaos of the hospital. And she knew Sara had remarried the year before, because Jack had taken a long weekend to attend. But she could only imagine how this looked... because she knew how it felt.
"Hi, Jack," Sara said, her voice heavy with the unasked question.
"Hey. How you been?"
"Good." Her gaze shifted from Jack to Sam, and Sam looked down shifting her gaze to Lorelei, who chose that moment to release a soft breath and delicately smack her lips.
Sara leaned over the carrier, looking at Lorelei. "She's beautiful. And brand new. How old is she?"
"Three days," Sam squeaked out.
"I give you credit for being out and about after three day. Jack, you shouldn't have dragged her out to eat—"
"No, I ... I mean, she's not..." Sam looked to Jack, her eyes wide, begging for help.
"Sam is Lorelei's foster mother," he explained.
"Oh," Sara said, straightening again. "I'm sorry. I just assumed..."
Sam just shook her head. Jack's fingers skimmed across her shoulder again, a silent order to relax. It was no big deal. But it felt like a big deal. A huge deal. And she realized how big of a mistake it was to agree to go into public with Jack and his family, and Lorelei. What if someone from the base saw them? That'd take some major explaining.
Jack and Sara talked for a few moments more, and Sam sat with her hands clenched in her lap, chewing on her lower lip. Then Sara said good-bye to Madeline, her former mother-in-law, and walked away to join a redheaded man at a nearby table.
Sam released a pent up breath. Common sense would normally have her begging for the whole thing to be over with, but with a soft ache of her heart, Sam realized she didn't want it to end. It didn't bother her nearly as much as it should that Jack's ex-wife thought Lorelei was their baby. Or that his mother found her and the baby in his house. And she wasn't consciously working to keep the physical distance between her and Jack. It all felt good.
And as soon as Lorelei had a home, it would all be over and she'd never see the baby girl again.
Jack brought his arm down and slipped it beneath the table to gently squeeze her hand.