Chapter 3

Sam groaned as she moved in the bed. Her head ached and her right arm felt like it was on fire. She slowly opened her eyes and grimaced at the bright light. Why did the lights in here always have to be so damned bright? She'd have to ask Janet about that later. Right now, she just wanted to find out what had happened, provided she could get her mouth to cooperate with her brain.

"Hey Sam, how are you feeling?" came the gentle voice of her friend and doctor.

"Head hurts. So does my right arm. What happened?" came the quiet, mumbled reply.

"You don't remember anything Carter?" she heard the Colonel ask the question from the foot of the bed.

Sam opened her eyes wider and looked down toward him. Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c were hovering at the end of her bed. She smiled weakly at them, trying to reassure them that she would be fine. Why did they seem so big though? Her mind must be playing tricks on her. She blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head slightly.

"Can you help me sit up Janet? I think it will help me clear my head a bit."

"OK Sam, but only for a while. You've been out for almost an hour so we need to take things slowly." She glanced at Jack who nodded imperceptibly. He got her meaning; they shouldn't tell Sam what had happened just yet. Wait and see what she recalled first.

Once Sam was sitting up slightly, she felt a little better. At least her head seemed to be more clear. Her body was a different matter altogether. She figured it must just be the weak feeling one got after passing out. Plus, she hadn't eaten anything for quite a while, so her blood sugar was probably rather low.

"So Sam, what do you last remember?" Daniel asked cautiously. He too had seen the look that passed between Janet and Jack. He would be very careful, but he was also extremely intrigued about this situation and wanted to know what had occurred in Sam's lab after he and Teal'c left.

"I remember locking up my computer and getting ready to head to the commissary. I picked up the Triplexus to take another look at it before I left." Sam stopped, frowning as she tried to remember what happened next.

"Maybe we should wait for a while to do this Sam. You should rest and I should finish up a few tests," Janet worriedly stated. She wasn't sure what would happen once Sam realized that she had changed and didn't want to put her through additional emotional stress.

"No Janet. I need to go through this," Sam replied. Janet nodded and moved to the end of the bed to gather the equipment she would need to take Sam's blood pressure and other vital signs. Sam looked past the guys and thought for a few moments. They could see the light dawn in her eyes as she remembered something new. Sam looked at Jack, then Daniel and Teal'c. "After I picked up the Triplexus, I turned it over to see if I could recognize any of the markings on the back. I didn't so I turned it over again. Then it started to hum a bit and blue lights flashed briefly at the three corners. The next thing I knew, two prongs shot out of the Triplexus and embedded themselves in my wrist. I tell you, it hurt like hell! It felt like fire was shooting up my arm and into my neck. I don't remember what happened after that."

Sam stopped speaking to examine her wrist. She frowned as she turned her hand over. This wasn't right. Why did her hand appear so small? Sam looked down to her legs tucked tightly under the covers of the bed. Her feet only reached halfway down the bed! With dawning horror, she held both hands in front of her, seeing the small, unlined hands of a child. "What the hell happened?" she whispered in a voice filled with confusion and fear.

The three men had looked anxiously at each other as Sam was inspecting her hands and legs. Something was going to hit the fan, and soon. They didn't know whether to intervene or not. Her look of fear and whispered question brought them out of their stupor.

Jack moved to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be OK Carter. We'll figure out how to get you back to your old self. Well, not that you're old, but uh... your older self?" He looked to Daniel for help. He really wasn't doing a good job here on his own.

Janet stepped up and pushed Jack aside with a glare. "Sam honey, something happened with that device that changed you back into a child. I would guess you are about eight years old. Your body is at any rate. It's obvious from talking with you and from your EEG that you are yourself on the inside. You have all the same memories, intelligence and experiences that make up your life so far. We just need to work on figuring out how to change you back."

Sam was overwhelmed with this information. It was true, she felt like herself on the inside. If she hadn't seen her hands and the smallness of her body in the bed, she would have never felt different. But to be eight years old again? How would she continue to work? Would they even let her continue to work before she was hopefully changed back? There were so many questions right now that she couldn't give a voice to. It was all too much. But she had to see for herself the true depth of this problem. "Give me a mirror Janet."

"I don't know if that's..." Janet didn't get to finish.

"Look," Sam said in a strong, firm voice, surprising those gathered around her. "I know that I have changed. I am not going to freak out anymore than I have already. But don't you think I have the right to see what has happened to me?"

Janet looked to the guys, uncertainty written over her features.

Sam was frustrated by the lack of response from her friend. "Fine! I'll go and look for myself!" With that, Sam threw back the covers and began to get out of bed.

Fearing that she would hurt herself anew, Teal'c stepped forward, placing a gentle but restraining hand on her shoulder. "Major Carter, I will procure a mirror for you. Please stay in bed and rest. I will return shortly."

Sam stopped her movements and looked at Teal'c. Trusting that he would do as he said, she climbed back under the covers. "There's one in my office Teal'c," Janet said quietly. She wondered if her indecision had caused Sam more harm than good.

Teal'c returned promptly with the mirror.

"Thank you Teal'c," Sam said quietly as she took the small hand mirror from him. He nodded to her and moved back to the end of the bed. Sam slowly pulled the mirror up in front of her face. She frowned at the young girl in the reflection, who immediately frowned back at her. Sam wrinkled her nose at the freckles that were splattered across the bridge of her nose, much more prominent now than they were this morning! "I always hated my freckles," she said quietly.

"I think they're pretty cute myself!" Jack spoke up. At the interruption, Sam looked up and glared at him, then went back to the mirror. Jack felt chagrined; even as a kid, she had a glare that could put you in your place, he thought.

"I haven't looked like this in 30 years. God, this is so strange!" Sam sighed and put the mirror face down on her lap. She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. "I'd like to be alone if you don't mind," she said, not bothering to look at the people who were surrounding her bed. She knew they were only there out of care and concern for her, but she couldn't help thinking that they were also staring at her. She was also a bit worried that they would soon start treating her like a child.

"Sure Sam. I'll take a look at the Triplexus and see what I can figure out. I'll come back to see you later OK?" Daniel spoke up.

"I too will return when you are feeling more like having company Major Carter," Teal'c said.

"Thanks guys," Sam replied quietly, keeping her eyes closed.

"Look Carter," Jack came to stand near her again. When she didn't open her eyes, he continued on. "Things are going to work out. They always do. I'm going to let General Hammond know what happened. As soon as the Doc says the word, you can go back to helping Daniel try and figure things out OK?"

Sam nodded, then rolled onto her side, away from their prying eyes. She really needed to be alone to think through all of this and adapt to it. Jack looked at the small form in front of him. He felt awful for teasing her, even though he hadn't really meant anything by it. He was also feeling a strong sensation of protectiveness toward her, which he definitely knew she wouldn't appreciate. He put his hand lightly on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I'll be back later. Try and get some rest."

When Sam didn't respond, he moved his hand and looked toward Janet. She nodded at him, assuring him that she would stay with Sam. She walked with the men to the curtain, then turned around to glance at Sam, who remained in the same position.

"It's going to take her some time to adjust to this," Janet explained quietly. "Knowing Sam, she'll want to be back in her lab in a few hours. I'll complete my tests and take some vital signs. If things look OK, I'll let her resume light duties, but not until tomorrow. She needs to rest. I'd suggest that you not visit until later tonight and then one at a time. I don't want Sam to get overwhelmed or agitated."

The three men nodded their agreement and made their way out of the infirmary. It would be difficult for them as well to adjust to Sam being a kid. But they would do anything in their power to help her through this, and hopefully find a way to change her back before too long.

A/N: WOW – I was totally overwhelmed by all the reviews for the first two chapters. I promise Gateseeker2, you will see lots of silly scenes, anger, frustration and maybe even some weirdness. Although, this story premise is pretty weird already isn't it?? Thanks again for the reviews, more story to follow soon!