Next Generation: Chapter Three
Title: Next Generation
Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Season: Anytime where all of these characters are in it.
Summary: Sam's still telling her story; although Jack's come to get her she's not willing to leave with him
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: None of these people belong too me (sadly)
Authors Note: Here's Chapter 3 – hope you like it, wasn't quite sure where to end it but hope you think it ok. Thanks to Cathain (Cathain Nottingham) and Amy (Liechtensteinerin) for betaing – love you!
Key : ~ flashback
* * * * * * * * * *
"I'm not sure how much time passed from then until Colonel O'Neill and Daniel rescued me. With no light, days and nights drift into each other, food was bought but I barely ate, I couldn't sleep, I just drifted in and out of these hellish nightmares." Sam paused, momentarily unable to go on, the memories were so clear in her mind, so vivid and real –like it was yesterday. She glanced hurriedly at her baby, checking she was still there, still safe.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Sometimes I thought I could hear her crying, I'd shout out to her, tell her I was coming, but then suddenly there would be silence and I didn't know whether it was real or not"
"Were you in any pain physically?" Janet intervened gently
"There was a constant numb pain throughout my body, interrupted only by these sudden sharp pains through my stomach. Several times I was taken from my cell and dragged into a lab, they dosed me up on different drugs and tried several different methods before most of the pain finally stopped, but by then I had stopped caring. I just wanted to die, I spend most of the time lying in the corner of my cell, curled up in a tight ball in the hope that they wouldn't see me when they came in to do their tests. I tried to stop eating but they just force fed me and I realised that if I died there would never be any hope for her, she would be a guinea pig for the rest of her life. So I would stay alive, in the vain hope that one day I'd be able to get us out of there."
* * * * * * * * * *
~The door burst open in an explosion of fire, Sam was lying in the far corner of the cell, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees, her strained, weary face covered in cuts and red marks.
"Go away!" she screamed in a croaky voice "You've got what you want just leave!".
She was scared, half-delirious with pain and exhaustion, the explosions and shouting from outside had thrown her into a desperate panic, she just wanted it to stop, to be over, for them to leave...
"Sam?"
That voice, it was different, like some vague part of a dream, from another lifetime, talking to someone who wasn't her
"Sam? Is that you?" the memories twisted and turned in her head as her brain tried to make sense of the voice, to piece the pieces together so they made sense.
Slowly an image formed in her head "Jack?" she tried.
"It is you" relief flooded his voice as he rushed out of the shadows and knelt by her side "can you walk?" he asked gently, placing a hand on her side
"I...I don't know" her voice strained "are you real?"
'No' she thought in her head, it wasn't real, a hallucination... her mind trying to trick her, Jack O'Neill was dead she'd known that for a long time. She closed her eyes to block him out, it wasn't real "Sam... Sam" he called desperately "stay with me here"
"You're not real" she didn't open her eyes "you died" she screwed her eyes up tighter, trying to stop the tears from coming, but she had no control .Her eyes flooded with salty tears and in one burst they cascaded down her face "you died" she repeated through her sobs. She tried to push him away from her, 'he's not real' she repeated to herself, just another hallucination, another vague hope that had long been abandoned.
"No" he took her head in his hands "Open your eyes, look at me."
Slowly she opened them, he was still there and she could feel his hot hands on her face...it felt real.
"It is you, why aren't you dead?"
"We can sort out the details later, but at the moment we've got to get out of here, will you try and stand?"
"Okay" she leant heavily on his arm and slowly hoisted herself to her feet. She hadn't stood up for several days; her legs shook beneath her, pain shooting through her muscles. She didn't release her tight grip on Jack's arms
"Come on" he said softly, sliding one arm around her waist to support her "lets get out of here".
She couldn't, her legs were too weak to move, she tried but they buckled under her and she fell to the ground.
"Okay" she vaguely heard Jack say to himself "I think we're going to have to take a different approach to this".
He bent down next to her and hooking one arm under her legs and the other under her back he carried her out of the cell. There in his arms she felt so safe, she didn't know what was going on but it didn't matter, he had found her.
"'Where are we going?" she managed to ask.
"Home." he replied "So don't worry about anything, we'll be home soon."
'Home' the word echoed round her mind... the SGC, back to her friends, a life without constant pain, a life with Jack, Daniel and Teal'c and her family... her dad and her... her daughter. The word shot through Sam like a bullet, no her daughter was still here, she wouldn't be going home with them, she'd be here with him...she couldn't let that happen...she wouldn't.
'Daniel' Jack was yelling down the corridor to where Daniel was crouching on the floor firing at someone out of view 'Are we ready to get outta here?'
'Have you got her?' Daniel yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off his target.
'Yeah! So let's go' He ran to Daniel's side and crouched down next to him, Sam still in his arms. 'You wait here with Sam, I'll run out and clear the path to the exit, and then on my command you two make a dash for it'
'Are you sure?'
'This is the only chance we're going to get, just grab Sam and go ok?'
'Okay' Jack sat Sam down next to Daniel, 'Wait for my word' and with a yell he tore round the corner into a shower of fire from the shooting enemies. Daniel watched him go, skilfully shooting the aliens and ducking for cover. He turned to Sam, preparing to pick her up and be ready for Jack's command but to his surprise she was already crouching on her haunches.
'You feeling better?'
'Yeah, my legs don't feel so weak anymore, but you don't look so great yourself'
'Ah you know, I'll be better once we're out of here.' She smiled wistfully, 'yeah me too'
'DANIEL NOW!' Jack voice rang across the corridor, Daniel turned to Sam offering his hand 'come on we've got to go'
'I'm sorry' she said, placing an arm on his shoulder 'tell Jack I'm sorry, but I can't go'
'What? Sam we don't have time we've got to go!' he looked at her in disbelief
'I can't, please Daniel just trust me, I've got to do something before I can leave, I'll get out of here by myself'
'Sam I can't leave you'
'You have to, you may not get another chance'
'Exactly, which is why you have to come with us' Daniel, couldn't believe what he was hearing
'I'm willing to take that risk, but I won't risk you and Jack so please just go' She stared desperately at him, willing him to trust her and understand 'please trust me, I'll be just behind you'.
He looked sadly into her gaunt eyes and took a deep breath 'You know Jack's going to kill me' she smiled sadly 'don't worry I'll come through the gate after you and then he can yell at me'
'I'm going to hold you to that'
'Just go! Don't hold the gate for me, I can dial out myself' He took one last look at her to check she was certain then made the dash for it across the corridor to where Jack was waiting.
Sam turned and didn't look back, leaning heavily on the walls she stumbled down the corridors. She knew the way to the labs, she was sure she did, but now everything looked so different...
'Calm down' she silently told herself 'panicking isn't going to help, just think' she stopped to calm herself and get her bearings.
"This way" she said out loud turning decisively left and into a network of smaller corridors. She sighed with relief, she'd found it, and inside behind those closed doors was her baby.
With a groan she put all her weight onto the door and heaved it open, there she was, lying in a transparent cot, wrapped in blankets and her tiny pink arms flailing frantically. Her wide alert eyes staring brightly around her. Sam paused for a split second to take it in, staring at her in wonder, so small and perfect. Reaching into the cot she carefully gathered her into her arms and held her for the first time. For once nothing else mattered, not escaping this place, not the war, not anything – she'd got to hold her baby at least once – and that was enough.
'Put her down' a cold voice came from behind her 'She's not yours to take.'
The cold voice struck fear in Sam's heart but the anger overwhelmed it, he wasn't going to put his hands on her baby, she would never allow it. With one swift movement she turned on her heels and lifted her zat, before he could say another word the first and second blasts hit him full in the stomach and he fell to the ground. Dead.
She didn't stop to think, rushing to the nearby cabinet she opened it and ran her eyes quickly over the various bottles of chemicals. She knew it was here, the drug they'd given her to boost her strength when she'd been most weak. They didn't bother wasting it on her now, but she knew it was still here. She spotted the bottle and while one hand held her precious baby the other injected her vein with the purple substance.
'Hopefully that'll last till we get out of here' she murmured to the wriggling bundle, 'now we can go home, together'.~
* * * * * * * * * *
'I ran back to the exit where I had last seen Colonel O'Neill and Daniel, there were aliens there but they were distracted by a wave of fire from some of Anzar's soldiers, so I just ran for it, to the door and to the console that was there. I'd seen them work these consoles a thousand times when I was going in and out of the lab so it didn't take me long to get out of there. Once I was outside I realised that the winds had picked up and that sand was blowing all around me, I could barely see anything but I could vaguely make out the path leading away from the ship.'
'The ship?' Hammond interrupted
'I realised that what we had assumed were buildings was actually a large ship, I felt large tremors a few days after we arrived and later I heard Anzar talking about it being safe to take the ship back to the planet'
'That would explain why the other SG teams found no buildings when they returned to the planet'
'Yes I think Anzar realised people would come after us so he left the planet until he thought we would have given up on him'
'I see'
'So anyway after I left the ship I tried to follow the path to the Stargate, it was almost impossible, the sand and wind cut into my face and I couldn't see more than a few metres in front of me. I had no idea how far ahead Daniel and the Colonel were ahead of me, but I kept going, I had no choice. After what seemed like hours I saw a blue light ahead of me, it was the Stargate; it must have been them going through. That gave me strength and a few hours later I found the Stargate myself and then... then I was here.' She gave a weak smile and looked across at the cot 'we made it'.
'Well' Janet smiled 'you are one very lucky woman, you were pretty badly hurt and it won't be an easy recovery but with plenty of rest you should be fine'
'And on that note I think I should leave you to get some well earned rest' Hammond said smiled 'welcome back Major'
'Thank you sir'
'Now do as the doctor said and get some rest'
'Actually sir' the doctor said smiling 'I think there may be time for Major Carter to have once more visitor, Colonel O'Neill has been kicking up a bit of a fuss.'
Hammond smiled 'I imagine he has, well if you feel she can cope then allow him in, goodnight Major' he nodded and left the room.
'Janet' Sam turned to the doctor, 'could you take her out for a minute, the others don't know about her and I think it might be better to explain without her here'
'I understand' Janet lent over the cot and carefully picked her up, 'Sam?'
'Yeah?'
'What have you called her?' Sam smiled 'Carmen', Janet smiled 'it's beautiful' turning her attention to Carmen 'Now come on lets take you out of here so mum can talk to Uncle Jack'. * * * * * * * * * *
'Uncle Jack' lent on the doorframe of the door to Sam's room, he was still wearing infirmary clothes and his face still held a few cuts and bruises but he looked a lot better than he had a few hours before. Sam's eyes were shut, she hadn't heard her come in so he stood there for a few seconds just to watch her. To take in that she was truly alive and here, he'd never dared to hope she'd make it through, but there she was.
He cleared his throat 'So Major, I hear it's you I'm suppose to yell at- not Danny boy?'
She opened her eyes sleepily and gave him one of her beautiful smiles 'Sorry Sir'
'Yes... well, don't let it happen again' he moved to the side of her bed and sat down 'so are you going to tell me what was so important?' he said half jokingly
'You don't have to though, when you ready' he added softly, suddenly worrying about her reasons. She smiled again, God he'd missed that smile ' no I can tell you, it just might come as a bit of a shock Sir.'
She looked nervous now, worried, he wanted to reassure her, touch her hand and tell her it was going to be ok but instead he said 'Go on, shock me'
'I had to go back for... for my daughter'
'Daughter?' Jack repeated not understanding 'As in...?' he waved his hand looking for some elaborate explanation they would show he had misunderstood.
'My baby, she was being experimented on by the scientists, I couldn't just leave her there... I had to go back, I had to save her, to stop him from hurting her anymore' she rushed on
'Woah Carter slow down, I'm still working on this daughter thing, you don't mean actual daughter...do you?'
'It's complicated Sir, but basically once of the experiments Anzar did was to reduce the gestation period in human females. Which is how come she's here and it's only been a few months'
'I see' he said, not really seeing at all, this was all too much for him, 'Carter had a baby?' it was still sinking in.
Although it seemed irrelevant then the thought sprung to the top of his mind and he'd said it before he even thought 'Dad?' he asked.
She smiled at his question 'human, thankfully, one of the other males he was experimenting on, he had hundreds there – brought from all over, though I was the only female'
'So where is she?' he asked nervously, he wasn't sure how he should react to all this, he wanted to ask more, to find out all she'd been through and to look after her, but despite all that had happened he was still her CO and there was still that invisible line that couldn't be crossed.
'Janet' Sam called louder so Janet could hear her in the next room 'can you bring her in?' Jack watched as the doctor brought in a tiny bundle of blankets and set them in Sam's arms.
'Carmen' she whispered to the baby 'meet your Uncle Jack' she looked up grinning at Jack, 'you want to hold her?'
For a moment Jack was speechless, she looked so beautiful there with her baby in her arms. He'd never really figured Carter much for the mother type, but there together they looked perfect.
'Sure' he said quietly, not able to take his eyes off the tiny baby. She passed her into his arms and he sat there holding her and staring in wonder at her tiny sleeping form. 'She's beautiful Sam' he murmured, taking his eyes off the baby and looking at Sam; her eyes were closed 'Sam' he whispered but she didn't respond. 'Doc' he called to Janet 'I think she's asleep.'
'She needs a lot of rest, you can come back tomorrow' the doctor replied
'Is it ok if I stay here a few more minutes?'
'Of course Colonel, I'll just be in the next room' and with that she left the Colonel staring into the eyes of the 4-week-old baby.
Title: Next Generation
Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Season: Anytime where all of these characters are in it.
Summary: Sam's still telling her story; although Jack's come to get her she's not willing to leave with him
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: None of these people belong too me (sadly)
Authors Note: Here's Chapter 3 – hope you like it, wasn't quite sure where to end it but hope you think it ok. Thanks to Cathain (Cathain Nottingham) and Amy (Liechtensteinerin) for betaing – love you!
Key : ~ flashback
* * * * * * * * * *
"I'm not sure how much time passed from then until Colonel O'Neill and Daniel rescued me. With no light, days and nights drift into each other, food was bought but I barely ate, I couldn't sleep, I just drifted in and out of these hellish nightmares." Sam paused, momentarily unable to go on, the memories were so clear in her mind, so vivid and real –like it was yesterday. She glanced hurriedly at her baby, checking she was still there, still safe.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Sometimes I thought I could hear her crying, I'd shout out to her, tell her I was coming, but then suddenly there would be silence and I didn't know whether it was real or not"
"Were you in any pain physically?" Janet intervened gently
"There was a constant numb pain throughout my body, interrupted only by these sudden sharp pains through my stomach. Several times I was taken from my cell and dragged into a lab, they dosed me up on different drugs and tried several different methods before most of the pain finally stopped, but by then I had stopped caring. I just wanted to die, I spend most of the time lying in the corner of my cell, curled up in a tight ball in the hope that they wouldn't see me when they came in to do their tests. I tried to stop eating but they just force fed me and I realised that if I died there would never be any hope for her, she would be a guinea pig for the rest of her life. So I would stay alive, in the vain hope that one day I'd be able to get us out of there."
* * * * * * * * * *
~The door burst open in an explosion of fire, Sam was lying in the far corner of the cell, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees, her strained, weary face covered in cuts and red marks.
"Go away!" she screamed in a croaky voice "You've got what you want just leave!".
She was scared, half-delirious with pain and exhaustion, the explosions and shouting from outside had thrown her into a desperate panic, she just wanted it to stop, to be over, for them to leave...
"Sam?"
That voice, it was different, like some vague part of a dream, from another lifetime, talking to someone who wasn't her
"Sam? Is that you?" the memories twisted and turned in her head as her brain tried to make sense of the voice, to piece the pieces together so they made sense.
Slowly an image formed in her head "Jack?" she tried.
"It is you" relief flooded his voice as he rushed out of the shadows and knelt by her side "can you walk?" he asked gently, placing a hand on her side
"I...I don't know" her voice strained "are you real?"
'No' she thought in her head, it wasn't real, a hallucination... her mind trying to trick her, Jack O'Neill was dead she'd known that for a long time. She closed her eyes to block him out, it wasn't real "Sam... Sam" he called desperately "stay with me here"
"You're not real" she didn't open her eyes "you died" she screwed her eyes up tighter, trying to stop the tears from coming, but she had no control .Her eyes flooded with salty tears and in one burst they cascaded down her face "you died" she repeated through her sobs. She tried to push him away from her, 'he's not real' she repeated to herself, just another hallucination, another vague hope that had long been abandoned.
"No" he took her head in his hands "Open your eyes, look at me."
Slowly she opened them, he was still there and she could feel his hot hands on her face...it felt real.
"It is you, why aren't you dead?"
"We can sort out the details later, but at the moment we've got to get out of here, will you try and stand?"
"Okay" she leant heavily on his arm and slowly hoisted herself to her feet. She hadn't stood up for several days; her legs shook beneath her, pain shooting through her muscles. She didn't release her tight grip on Jack's arms
"Come on" he said softly, sliding one arm around her waist to support her "lets get out of here".
She couldn't, her legs were too weak to move, she tried but they buckled under her and she fell to the ground.
"Okay" she vaguely heard Jack say to himself "I think we're going to have to take a different approach to this".
He bent down next to her and hooking one arm under her legs and the other under her back he carried her out of the cell. There in his arms she felt so safe, she didn't know what was going on but it didn't matter, he had found her.
"'Where are we going?" she managed to ask.
"Home." he replied "So don't worry about anything, we'll be home soon."
'Home' the word echoed round her mind... the SGC, back to her friends, a life without constant pain, a life with Jack, Daniel and Teal'c and her family... her dad and her... her daughter. The word shot through Sam like a bullet, no her daughter was still here, she wouldn't be going home with them, she'd be here with him...she couldn't let that happen...she wouldn't.
'Daniel' Jack was yelling down the corridor to where Daniel was crouching on the floor firing at someone out of view 'Are we ready to get outta here?'
'Have you got her?' Daniel yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off his target.
'Yeah! So let's go' He ran to Daniel's side and crouched down next to him, Sam still in his arms. 'You wait here with Sam, I'll run out and clear the path to the exit, and then on my command you two make a dash for it'
'Are you sure?'
'This is the only chance we're going to get, just grab Sam and go ok?'
'Okay' Jack sat Sam down next to Daniel, 'Wait for my word' and with a yell he tore round the corner into a shower of fire from the shooting enemies. Daniel watched him go, skilfully shooting the aliens and ducking for cover. He turned to Sam, preparing to pick her up and be ready for Jack's command but to his surprise she was already crouching on her haunches.
'You feeling better?'
'Yeah, my legs don't feel so weak anymore, but you don't look so great yourself'
'Ah you know, I'll be better once we're out of here.' She smiled wistfully, 'yeah me too'
'DANIEL NOW!' Jack voice rang across the corridor, Daniel turned to Sam offering his hand 'come on we've got to go'
'I'm sorry' she said, placing an arm on his shoulder 'tell Jack I'm sorry, but I can't go'
'What? Sam we don't have time we've got to go!' he looked at her in disbelief
'I can't, please Daniel just trust me, I've got to do something before I can leave, I'll get out of here by myself'
'Sam I can't leave you'
'You have to, you may not get another chance'
'Exactly, which is why you have to come with us' Daniel, couldn't believe what he was hearing
'I'm willing to take that risk, but I won't risk you and Jack so please just go' She stared desperately at him, willing him to trust her and understand 'please trust me, I'll be just behind you'.
He looked sadly into her gaunt eyes and took a deep breath 'You know Jack's going to kill me' she smiled sadly 'don't worry I'll come through the gate after you and then he can yell at me'
'I'm going to hold you to that'
'Just go! Don't hold the gate for me, I can dial out myself' He took one last look at her to check she was certain then made the dash for it across the corridor to where Jack was waiting.
Sam turned and didn't look back, leaning heavily on the walls she stumbled down the corridors. She knew the way to the labs, she was sure she did, but now everything looked so different...
'Calm down' she silently told herself 'panicking isn't going to help, just think' she stopped to calm herself and get her bearings.
"This way" she said out loud turning decisively left and into a network of smaller corridors. She sighed with relief, she'd found it, and inside behind those closed doors was her baby.
With a groan she put all her weight onto the door and heaved it open, there she was, lying in a transparent cot, wrapped in blankets and her tiny pink arms flailing frantically. Her wide alert eyes staring brightly around her. Sam paused for a split second to take it in, staring at her in wonder, so small and perfect. Reaching into the cot she carefully gathered her into her arms and held her for the first time. For once nothing else mattered, not escaping this place, not the war, not anything – she'd got to hold her baby at least once – and that was enough.
'Put her down' a cold voice came from behind her 'She's not yours to take.'
The cold voice struck fear in Sam's heart but the anger overwhelmed it, he wasn't going to put his hands on her baby, she would never allow it. With one swift movement she turned on her heels and lifted her zat, before he could say another word the first and second blasts hit him full in the stomach and he fell to the ground. Dead.
She didn't stop to think, rushing to the nearby cabinet she opened it and ran her eyes quickly over the various bottles of chemicals. She knew it was here, the drug they'd given her to boost her strength when she'd been most weak. They didn't bother wasting it on her now, but she knew it was still here. She spotted the bottle and while one hand held her precious baby the other injected her vein with the purple substance.
'Hopefully that'll last till we get out of here' she murmured to the wriggling bundle, 'now we can go home, together'.~
* * * * * * * * * *
'I ran back to the exit where I had last seen Colonel O'Neill and Daniel, there were aliens there but they were distracted by a wave of fire from some of Anzar's soldiers, so I just ran for it, to the door and to the console that was there. I'd seen them work these consoles a thousand times when I was going in and out of the lab so it didn't take me long to get out of there. Once I was outside I realised that the winds had picked up and that sand was blowing all around me, I could barely see anything but I could vaguely make out the path leading away from the ship.'
'The ship?' Hammond interrupted
'I realised that what we had assumed were buildings was actually a large ship, I felt large tremors a few days after we arrived and later I heard Anzar talking about it being safe to take the ship back to the planet'
'That would explain why the other SG teams found no buildings when they returned to the planet'
'Yes I think Anzar realised people would come after us so he left the planet until he thought we would have given up on him'
'I see'
'So anyway after I left the ship I tried to follow the path to the Stargate, it was almost impossible, the sand and wind cut into my face and I couldn't see more than a few metres in front of me. I had no idea how far ahead Daniel and the Colonel were ahead of me, but I kept going, I had no choice. After what seemed like hours I saw a blue light ahead of me, it was the Stargate; it must have been them going through. That gave me strength and a few hours later I found the Stargate myself and then... then I was here.' She gave a weak smile and looked across at the cot 'we made it'.
'Well' Janet smiled 'you are one very lucky woman, you were pretty badly hurt and it won't be an easy recovery but with plenty of rest you should be fine'
'And on that note I think I should leave you to get some well earned rest' Hammond said smiled 'welcome back Major'
'Thank you sir'
'Now do as the doctor said and get some rest'
'Actually sir' the doctor said smiling 'I think there may be time for Major Carter to have once more visitor, Colonel O'Neill has been kicking up a bit of a fuss.'
Hammond smiled 'I imagine he has, well if you feel she can cope then allow him in, goodnight Major' he nodded and left the room.
'Janet' Sam turned to the doctor, 'could you take her out for a minute, the others don't know about her and I think it might be better to explain without her here'
'I understand' Janet lent over the cot and carefully picked her up, 'Sam?'
'Yeah?'
'What have you called her?' Sam smiled 'Carmen', Janet smiled 'it's beautiful' turning her attention to Carmen 'Now come on lets take you out of here so mum can talk to Uncle Jack'. * * * * * * * * * *
'Uncle Jack' lent on the doorframe of the door to Sam's room, he was still wearing infirmary clothes and his face still held a few cuts and bruises but he looked a lot better than he had a few hours before. Sam's eyes were shut, she hadn't heard her come in so he stood there for a few seconds just to watch her. To take in that she was truly alive and here, he'd never dared to hope she'd make it through, but there she was.
He cleared his throat 'So Major, I hear it's you I'm suppose to yell at- not Danny boy?'
She opened her eyes sleepily and gave him one of her beautiful smiles 'Sorry Sir'
'Yes... well, don't let it happen again' he moved to the side of her bed and sat down 'so are you going to tell me what was so important?' he said half jokingly
'You don't have to though, when you ready' he added softly, suddenly worrying about her reasons. She smiled again, God he'd missed that smile ' no I can tell you, it just might come as a bit of a shock Sir.'
She looked nervous now, worried, he wanted to reassure her, touch her hand and tell her it was going to be ok but instead he said 'Go on, shock me'
'I had to go back for... for my daughter'
'Daughter?' Jack repeated not understanding 'As in...?' he waved his hand looking for some elaborate explanation they would show he had misunderstood.
'My baby, she was being experimented on by the scientists, I couldn't just leave her there... I had to go back, I had to save her, to stop him from hurting her anymore' she rushed on
'Woah Carter slow down, I'm still working on this daughter thing, you don't mean actual daughter...do you?'
'It's complicated Sir, but basically once of the experiments Anzar did was to reduce the gestation period in human females. Which is how come she's here and it's only been a few months'
'I see' he said, not really seeing at all, this was all too much for him, 'Carter had a baby?' it was still sinking in.
Although it seemed irrelevant then the thought sprung to the top of his mind and he'd said it before he even thought 'Dad?' he asked.
She smiled at his question 'human, thankfully, one of the other males he was experimenting on, he had hundreds there – brought from all over, though I was the only female'
'So where is she?' he asked nervously, he wasn't sure how he should react to all this, he wanted to ask more, to find out all she'd been through and to look after her, but despite all that had happened he was still her CO and there was still that invisible line that couldn't be crossed.
'Janet' Sam called louder so Janet could hear her in the next room 'can you bring her in?' Jack watched as the doctor brought in a tiny bundle of blankets and set them in Sam's arms.
'Carmen' she whispered to the baby 'meet your Uncle Jack' she looked up grinning at Jack, 'you want to hold her?'
For a moment Jack was speechless, she looked so beautiful there with her baby in her arms. He'd never really figured Carter much for the mother type, but there together they looked perfect.
'Sure' he said quietly, not able to take his eyes off the tiny baby. She passed her into his arms and he sat there holding her and staring in wonder at her tiny sleeping form. 'She's beautiful Sam' he murmured, taking his eyes off the baby and looking at Sam; her eyes were closed 'Sam' he whispered but she didn't respond. 'Doc' he called to Janet 'I think she's asleep.'
'She needs a lot of rest, you can come back tomorrow' the doctor replied
'Is it ok if I stay here a few more minutes?'
'Of course Colonel, I'll just be in the next room' and with that she left the Colonel staring into the eyes of the 4-week-old baby.