18/?
Around four in the morning, Rooster began to lick Sam's face. She groaned and tried to push him off, but it was no use. Sam crawled out of bed and opened the bedroom door. She figured Rooster wanted to be let out. Instead, he went to Jack's closed door. He was wagging his tail excitedly. He barked once and Sam shushed him. She slowly opened the door and peered inside. The bedroom was empty.
"Looking for me?" Jack asked from the hallway.
Sam turned around quickly, clutching her chest. "You scared me!"
Jack grinned at her. "Sorry." Rooster had pounded up next to him, wagging his tail and begging for attention.
"What are you doing up so early?" Sam asked, still standing outside Jack's bedroom.
"I couldn't sleep." He looked down at the dog. "Sorry he woke you. I'll keep him here with me if you want to go back to bed."
She shook her head. "I'm awake now." She followed Jack to the living room. "What are you watching?"
"It's a Stephen King marathon." He explained. He sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Sam obliged. She gave Jack a grateful look when he pulled an afghan off the back of the couch and placed it over her. Rooster waited for them to get comfortable, then he sat on the couch next to Sam. He laid his head on her thigh when she began to absently pet him.
XXXAround noon the guests started to arrive. Both he and Sam looked a bit tired, but they greeted everyone with smiles. As soon as Jack saw Chandra he reached for the baby and gave her a tight hug. It was the first time he'd been able to look at her. "She's beautiful Daniel." He told the happy father while they were getting the meat from the freezer.
"Thanks." Daniel looked so proud.
Jack grinned at him. "When are you going to have another one?"
Daniel shook his head. "Oh no, not for a long time!"
Jack laughed. He doubted that.
Cassie came rushing into the kitchen. "Sam wants some ice cream."
"We're going to eat in thirty minutes." Jack told her. He and Daniel followed Cassie to the backyard. "Sam, lunch will be ready shortly."
"I don't want burgers. I want some ice cream." Sam demanded.
Daniel held in his laughter. "You, uh, should probably some for her Jack. She's liable to burst into tears if you don't."
Jack groaned. Memories of Sarah's pregnancy came rushing back to him. The moodiness, the cravings. Jack went back inside and grabbed the carton of cookies 'n' cream ice cream and a spoon. The smile on Sam's face when he handed the treat to her made it all worth it.
When Teal'c appeared a few minutes later he raised an eyebrow at Sam eating the ice cream, but wisely said nothing. "Good afternoon O'Neill."
"Hey Teal'c." Jack waved at him in the middle of putting the burgers on the grill.
Rooster left Sam's side to check on Teal'c. Teal'c bent down to pet the dog and expertly dodged the dog's licking tongue. When the dog left him to play with Cassie, Teal'c sat down on a chair next to Janet. Her baby was sleeping in the portable bassinet that they carried with them everywhere.
Jack looked around at his friends. Everyone was gathered for the first time in over a month at his home. He was grilling out for them. They were chatting about non-work stuff. Sam was looking beautiful. Jack sighed contentedly. This was the life.
After lunch, they all gathered in Jack's living room. Daniel brought out his camera and began to snap pictures of everybody. With everybody seated, Jack excused himself for a moment to get something from his room. Sam looked around at her friends. They had conspiratorial smiles on their faces. She was about to question Cassie about what was going on when Jack entered the room, lauded in gifts. "Surprise!" Everyone exclaimed as Jack sat the gifts at Sam's feet.
Sam smiled, trying to stop tears from flowing. "You didn't have to do this."
"Every mother deserves a baby shower." Janet said.
"Go on, start opening." Jack encouraged, handing Sam a present. She gave him shy smile, then opened the gift. It was a box of chocolates from Cassie.
"Hey, she's gonna want those about month seven."
Sam spent an hour opening her gifts, admiring each one for a long time before moving on to the next gift. She was driving Jack insane. Jack was becoming impatient, and she could tell. With a grin she took the last present and ripped into it. "That's what I'm talking about!" He smiled at her.
An hour after the gifts were opened Teal'c, followed by Daniel and his girls, left. They all hugged Sam and she thanked them again. It was a wonderful afternoon. Jack helped her to carry her stuff out to her car. He'd have offered to put together the rocking chair he'd gotten her, but she could probably do a better job then he could.
"I hope he's ok tonight." Sam said, petting Rooster. She was about to leave and they were standing on his front porch.
"Me too." Jack looked nervous. Sam was about to ask if he was ok when Jack took her hand and placed an envelope in it. "I didn't want a crowd when I gave you this." He explained.
Sam found it hard to swallow. She opened the envelope and read the contents inside it. "Jack-"
"It's something I heard Pete talk about a while back. Since he's not here to do it…" He trailed off.
Sam reached for him and hugged her close to him. "Thank you Jack." She said quietly. It was a college fund for the baby, started a week after Pete died. "Thank you." She said again as she relaxed her hold on him.
He held onto her for a few more moments before letting her go. After a silence so thick with unsaid words, Jack cleared his throat and said, "We'll just have to make sure the baby goes."
Sam smiled. "We will." She quickly hugged him again, then bent to hug Rooster. "See you tomorrow."
Jack waved at her, then watched her drive off. He and Rooster walked into the house and Jack closed the door after them. When Rooster began to whine Jack ignored him and plopped down on the couch. After a few minutes Rooster plopped next to him. He placed his head on Jack's thigh. His whine had softened. Jack began to pet him absentmindedly. "I know Roo, I know." He said as he and his dog sat on the couch wishing Sam were still there.
