Author's notes: ' ' indicates dialogue between Jacob and Selmak; Italics indicate Selmak is speaking


The moment Jacob emerged from the event horizon and arrived at the SGC, he knew he did something wrong. He could tell the moment he saw Sam nervously fidgeting beside her commanding officer. She only got that look when Jacob did something that totally embarrassed her. Thankfully it didn't happen often.

But whatever Jacob did, Jack was grinning from ear to ear about it! That smirk suddenly sent off warning bells in Jacob's head! And Selmak dutifully supplied the sound of fire alarms to purposely annoy him. However, it didn't make sense if Jack was that happy at Sam's expense.

Unless…Sam and Jack…

'Oh, God…I don't think I want to know,' Jacob retorted as he slowly descended the ramp.

'Jacob, don't be such a pessimist!' Selmak inserted.

'Look at that grin! Jack's up to something! And it has something to do with my little girl!'

'First of all, Samantha is not a little girl anymore.'

'I know that Selmak!' Jacob snapped.

'She's a very beautiful woman,' Selmak continued. 'This belief you have of her being forever a virgin is unfounded!'

'Selmak!'

'Really Jacob, I find it hard to believe a woman Samantha's age isn't sexually active!'

'Selmak!'

'At least one Carter's having sex…' Selmak commented dryly.

'What have I told you about that? And I don't need to be hearing about my daughter's sex life right now! That's the last thing I need to imagine my little girl doing!'

'Just try to remain civilized! Don't make me take control of your body so that you don't say something to hurt your daughter's feelings! Plus, I doubt the Joint Chiefs would like it if you castrated General O'Neill, a somewhat respected leader and proven warrior!'

'Fine,' Jacob growled at her.

Jacob had no choice but to comply with Selmak's request. He knew she would do exactly what she said because she's done it before on several occasions when he had been addressing the High Council. Too often did Jacob open his mouth and blurt out some Earth obscenity, where upon Selmak would instantly take over and apologize for him. A few months after Jacob's integration into the Tok'ra and they were well versed in Earth's more colorful metaphors.

"Jacob, glad you could make it so quickly!" Jack smiled when Jacob finally reached him and shook his hand.

"Your message said it was urgent," Jacob said, noticing Sam couldn't even make eye contact with him.

"Yes, I did," Jack said rubbing his hands together. "Why don't we go to me office and I'll fill you in on the details."

"Sure," Jacob replied then followed Jack and Sam.

A few moments later, on the stairs, Jacob reached to touch Sam's arm.

"Sam, is everything alright?" he asked quietly.

"Fine Dad," she smiled nervously.

Her blue eyes briefly locked on his but were quick to dart in the other direction as they continued up the stairs.

'Shit, Selmak this can't be good!' Jacob told his symbiote as they made their way through the briefing room to Jack's office.

'Just remember, it could always be worse.'

'Like how?'

Selmak didn't respond, even when Jacob saw Jack pull something out of his top desk drawer.

"Here, Jacob," Jack grinned.

'Remember, be calm Jacob,' Selmak reminded as Jacob slowly took the cigar from Jack's hand.

Jacob was trying to be calm. But he was never good at controlling his temper, even with Selmak on board as the co-pilot. That grin on Jack's face and the nervous look on Sam's face…

"You get my daughter pregnant then tell me by giving me a fucking cigar!" Jacob roared, taking an aggressive step towards Jack.

"Dad!"

"Whoa, Jacob!" Jack protested, jumping back with his hands up in the air. "First of all, Sam's not pregnant! I never touched your daughter. Nor would I ever. Don't get me wrong Jacob, she's a lovely woman. I just don't…"

"Sir!"

"Sorry! Maybe I should have listened to Daniel, he told me the cigar was a bad idea but I couldn't think of any other way to tell you!"

"Tell me what?" Jacob asked, just so greatly relieved that his daughter wasn't knocked up by her CO.

"We've all just been so excited the past twenty-four hours and anxious for you to arrive…"

"Sir, maybe you should just get to the point!" Sam insisted.

"Right, Jacob…I…we," Jack paused and cleared his throat, took an extra step back away from Jacob then asked, "Jacob, by chance…wereyouhavingasercretloveaftairwithamemberoftheSGC?"

"What? Was I…having a…secret love affair with…a member of the SGC? What kind of question is that?"

"Sorry, Jacob, I had to ask," Jack replied shrugging his shoulders.

"This is a joke, right?" Jacob asked.

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't they be laughing?' Selmak commented. 'They're not laughing.'

'I can see that!' Jacob snapped at her.

'Don't get snippy with me! I didn't ask if you were intimately involved with any of the women here at the SGC! You might be less snippy if…'

Jacob sighed, tuning Selmak out. She would be ranting for hours if he didn't purposely tune her out. Sure it would piss her off but at least it would shut her up and she would remain quiet for a while, contemplating how to get back at him. Actually she would often pout, giving him the silent treatment, whenever he tuned her out. Jacob always wondered, during those moments, if they made a mistake in saying Selmak was the oldest and wisest because she acted like a child when she pouted!

"Not that it's any of your business but no," Jacob said, then turned to Sam, "I haven't really be in love with anyone since Sam's mother."

Sam smiled, finally looking at him. Jacob even thought he saw her sigh in relief, like she had been holding her breath this whole time.

"Dad, do you remember a few years ago we had an incident with the Quantum mirror with alternate realities?" she asked.

"Yes, George filled me in the details. I couldn't believe it though. A Dr. Samantha Carter from a different reality?"

"It's all true, Dad."

"Even the part with you having long hair?" he joked making her smile. "So, who came through this time? And what do they have to do with me?"

"Jacob, apparently in this alternate reality you were married to a member of the SGC," Jack explained. "That Earth was attacked, no one survived except the one person you saved by sending here, to this reality."

"But I…"

"The you in another reality!" Jack continued. "The other you, saved his wife…and his unborn child."

Jacob felt Selmak wiggle in total astonishment as she was no longer pouting after hearing such news. The sensation always made Jacob's stomach feel queasy. He quickly sat down in the nearest chair.

"Dad?"

"I'm fine. The news just took both Selmak and myself by surprise, that's all."

'Sorry, Jacob,' Selmak said to him instantly making his stomach feel better.

'Thanks, Sel.'

"So, you're telling me, in another reality I'm married and that my wife is now here in this reality…and is pregnant with my…baby?"

"Actually, she was pregnant," Sam replied. "Her injuries caused her to go into the labor. She delivered a baby girl a few hours after she arrived."

"A girl?" Jacob asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Little thing, takes after her mother," Jack cheerfully inserted.

"Wait, who is this person? Isn't there some temporal phase shifting issue or something that prevents two of the same person from existing in the same reality?" Jacob quickly asked.

"Yes, but in our reality, she died," Sam said sadly.

"Who?" Jacob finally asked.


Janet Fraiser?

Selmak never would have guessed that one. Hell, Selmak never would have guessed any woman. Jacob never seemed interested any woman other than Sam's mother who had been dead for more than twenty years.

Well, to say Jacob wasn't interested wasn't entirely true. He was interested in women. He was just never interested in getting involved with a woman romantically. And romantic meaning in love with a woman.

He did look at women. Selmak caught him looking on several occasions. It was a little frustrating after she first blended with him, trying to hold a conversation with him when his eyes wandered and his mind would follow. But after being blended with Jacob for some time now, Selmak was even looking herself and would comment on a lovely lady when she passed by.

Both even thought Janet Fraiser was a lovely little lady with a so much energy and personality. She reminded Jacob of a few such women in his life. Some of which he had intimate relations with after his wife passed on. But he never allowed those women to get close to him and vice versa.

However, when Jacob blended with Selmak, the idea of have sex with a woman while someone else was in his head was just too weird for him. Selmak knew, because her personality was predominately female, the idea of sex while she had a front row seat in his head made Jacob nervous and extremely uncomfortable.

Selmak even suggested that she could be beneficial during those intimate moments with a woman because of her experience. Was that a mistake of galactic proportions! Jacob had never been so insulted in his entire life! Really, Selmak didn't mean to imply that Jacob was a bumbling idiot who had no idea how to make love to a woman. She quickly apologized, informing Jacob that he seemed quite knowledgeable of women's anatomy, and even offered to shut her eyes and sleep during the entire experience, which only succeeded in further upsetting him.

After that conversation, the topic of sex was never brought up again. Thus, was probably why Jacob never pursued Janet in this reality, even though she did fit into the category of what his type of woman was. And probably why Selmak never considered Janet to be a possible mate for Jacob. With no possibility of sex, why bother looking for a mate? Selmak hadn't had sex in decades, what was another century or two…or three?

Yet, in another reality, she and Jacob did find a mate. And they did have sex. At least once if Janet and Jacob created a child together. Selmak always considered herself a bit of a romantic, and never would have used a test tube, in this reality or any other!

'At least I was having sex in some reality,' Selmak thought to herself, keeping that comment from Jacob.

Not that he was paying any attention to her. Jacob's emotions were a jumbled mess. Selmak could feel Jacob's doubts he was having about himself. She could hear his thoughts. Wondering if his decisions caused him to miss out on the happiness his alternate self had found. Wondering what other mistakes he's made in this reality.

'Jacob, you can't be second guessing yourself,' Selmak gently suggested.

'How can you say that?'

Selmak sighed, his confusion and doubt was overwhelming her. She was confused herself, which only compounded their situation.

'What about the baby? Should I be happy? It's not really my baby…but then again…it is my baby.'

'Jacob, we need to keep things in perspective,' Selmak said.

'How can we keep our perspective when we're dealing with different realities?'

'Ok, perhaps if we keep things simple…'

'I don't see how things can be simple!'

'Let us list the facts. First, alternate realities exist. Second, in this one alternate reality, you and I were married to Janet Fraiser. Third…'

'Got married! Shit, Selmak, we did more than that we…they had a kid!'

Selmak sighed. She was getting a headache. This baby only complicated matters. Jacob wasn't ready to be a father again. The very idea of instant fatherhood seemed to terrify him.

She could have strangled O'Neill for how he handled the situation. A cigar? What kind of sick joke was that? Telling Jacob he suddenly had a little girl should have happened more delicately.

"Dad?"

'Jacob, Samantha is talking to you,' Selmak told her host since his mind was miles away.

When Selmak probed him deeper, Jacob didn't reply. He suddenly withdrew into his own thoughts blocking her from reading them.

She was surprised and a little hurt. Jacob hadn't hidden his thoughts from her since they had first blended when he was reluctant to share his most personal memories and feelings. It had taken several months and some gentle coddling from Selmak for her host to get over his fears and open up completely to her. Since that time, they both willingly shared everything, even when they argued with each other.

For the moment, Selmak didn't have time to be concerned with her host's sudden need to be alone with his thoughts. She decided it was what Jacob needed to give him a chance to settle down. His internal turmoil was too distracting, even to her.

So, she took control of Jacob's body and left him to sort things out on his own.

"Please, forgive Jacob. This…news will take some time for him to adjust to," Selmak said, then spoke in a harsher tone to O'Neill. "You are an idiot! You and Samantha are the wrong people to have discussed this issue with Jacob! It should have been someone who could have handled delivering such news with a little more tact!"

"I'm sorry, but there was no one!" O'Neill snapped back. "General Hammond wasn't available! And it doesn't matter who told Jacob! The fact remains, he has a little girl in the infirmary and we thought he had the right to know about it!"

"But she is not his child!"

"Yes, she is! When you take a DNA test, you will find that she's Jacob and Janet's baby! That's a fact…what does it matter if she's from an alternate reality! She's here in this one now…so deal with it!"

"What about the fact that Janet's husband is dead! As are her friends! What kind of emotional stress are you putting on her by having Jacob here? Is it fair to her to put her through this agony!"

"I was thinking of her well being! Her little girl was just born premature! She's upset and hurting because she did lose everyone she loved. But she's here now because of Jacob! He sent her to a place where she could be with her friends again. And for the record, Janet asked for Jacob to be here!"

Selmak narrowed her host's eyes and glared at Jack.

'Selmak, I need to see the baby.'

Selmak nearly jumped from the chair, Jacob's internal voice was so sudden and full of emotion. Selmak was surprised by his request too. He was aware that his presence would only add to an already heightened state of emotion with Janet. He understood she lost everyone she loved and yet, they were all here this reality. Jacob included. Yet, Jacob's sudden concern for the baby could be felt, strongly.

'Selmak, please, I need to see the baby.'

This whole situation was giving Selmak a migraine. She hurt from her flippers to the tip of her tail. She had reservations about Jacob seeing the baby or even seeing Janet. But Selmak understood why he made the request. Jacob Carter was a man who prided himself on being responsible for his actions.

While Jacob wasn't actually involved in the creation of this baby, what Jack said was true. The baby was Jacob's on the genetic level. And in Jacob's mind this meant the child was his responsibility. There was nothing Selmak could say to dissuade him, nor would she. It was a logical conclusion, one that she agreed with.

"Jacob has requested to see the baby. I would suggest that if he were allowed to, that the mother not be in the room with him. Emotions are running high, I do not wish for anyone to be upset any further."

"I need to call Dr. Warner and inform him you're on your way. He'll need some time to move Janet," Jack said. "Carter, take Jacob and Selmak to their quarters. I'll call the room when they're ready in the infirmary."

"Yes, Sir."

Selmak stood and followed Samantha out of O'Neill's office and into the nearby elevator. The young woman did not appear as nervous as she did when Jacob first arrived. But Selmak knew why the woman had been nervous.

"Why does the idea of a relationship between your father and Janet make you uncomfortable?"

Sam blinked in surprise before she finally pushed a button on the elevator.

"I'm not sure why. It just did."

"You Tau'ri amuse me sometimes," Selmak smiled. "You are uncomfortable with the idea of your father having sex with this woman, while Jacob is uncomfortable with the idea of you merely having sex."

"What did he expect? For me to remain celibate my entire life?"

"Something like that," Selmak said making Samantha laughed. "Seriously, if your father was happy, should you not be happy for him?"

"I guess. But Janet was my best friend…"

"Then why not be happy for both of them?"

"It's not that simple, Selmak."

"Samantha, I would be the first to admit this situation is not simple. But the fact remains, your father feels responsible for the baby. If he is to a part of her life, he needs to know you're ok with it. After all, she is your half sister."

Samantha smiled, "I hadn't actually thought of that until you said it. I had always wanted a baby brother or sister when I was a little girl."

'Selmak?'

'Go ahead, Jacob,' Selmak said, releasing control of his body back to him as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Sam, I'm not suggesting anything is going to happen between Janet and myself. But the baby needs to be cared for. I'm willing to do what is necessary for her, whether it be as an active participant in her life or merely a financial one. She deserves that much, don't you agree?"

"Yes, Dad, I do," she smiled.


Everything changed when Jacob looked down at the little girl. His heart quickened and his throat tightened out of fear. The baby was so tiny. He and Selmak weren't expecting her to be so premature. She almost didn't even seem real, as she lay motionless with her eyes closed. But her chest moved unnaturally slow as the ventilator fed her oxygen. The monitors, her tiny body was hooked up to, hummed and beeped indicating that there was life within her.

Yet, it was a life so fragile that it literally depended on those very machines to keep her alive. A life that would be forever affected by what happens today, in this reality. A life Jacob wanted to be a part of. He didn't want to be a financial supporter to her; he wanted to be her father.

It was a feeling he wasn't expecting. Nor ever expected to have again. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. Yes, being a father again was a little terrifying. But Jacob was more experienced. He wouldn't make all the same mistakes again. And he had Selmak in his head to help him out.

"She suffers from RDS, Respiratory Distress Syndrome," Sam whispered to him. "That's why she's on a ventilator. Her lungs aren't fully developed. She's also being treated with surfactant, to help her lungs."

"Dr. Warner's also giving her a steady dose of antibiotics to fight off any infections she might incur. Her special bed has a radiant warmer that helps to maintain her body temperature and the covering helps minimize the loss of heat and fluids; essentially it works like an incubator, giving her the necessary environment to finish developing."

Jacob turned to Sam in astonishment. Sam was a scientist, not a medical doctor. And yet, she could still amaze him by how brilliant she was.

Sam smiled, "I did some research. I wanted to know all I could about premature babies."

"How…how does she eat? If she's on a ventilator, how does she get fed?"

"Intravenously. As she develops they'll stick a tube in her mouth or her nose that goes down to her stomach, then she'll be fed that way. It will be some time before her mother can feed her."

"She can't be held yet either?"

"No."

Jacob had never felt so helpless in his entire life looking down at that baby girl. She was right there, within his grasp and he couldn't hold her. He couldn't comfort her if she cried. He couldn't hug or kiss her while whispering in her ear, telling her everything would be fine.

He suddenly felt Sam's hand slip into his.

"She can hear you, there's nothing wrong with her ears," Sam smiled.

"Does she have a name?" Jacob whispered.

"No, Janet said they hadn't come up with a first name for her yet, only the last name. The nurses have been calling her baby Carter for now," Sam smiled.

Jacob leaned closer to the incubator.

"She's so beautiful for such a tiny thing," he whispered.

"Dad, whatever your decision is, I'm with you on it."

"Thanks, Sam," he said looking into her blue eyes.

"I could even put in a good word or two with Janet," she joked.

"Sam!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. This Janet actually isn't much different from the Janet we lost. So many of us here at the SGC are glad she's back. And she seems glad to be here," Sam said, then took a deep breath then said, "If, by some chance, something does happen between you both, I'll be ok with it."

"That's nice to know but I'm not really interested in falling in love, I'm only interested in this baby girl right now."

"So, does that mean you'll be spending more time on Earth?"

"Sam, I'm not leaving. The Tok'ra High Council won't miss me. My attempts to mend those fences were going no where. Hell, I'm sure they'll be glad Selmak and I are gone! Besides, we can work from the SGC. Our experiences could prove invaluable to the SGC. Although, Selmak and I will not be taking orders from Jack! Selmak doesn't like taking orders from anyone!"

Sam giggled.

"I'll go tell General O'Neill, give you some time alone with the baby."

"Thanks, Sam. That would be nice."

Jacob watched Sam leave then turned his attention back to the baby.

'You're being very quiet. What's wrong Selmak?'

'Nothing.'

Jacob sighed, 'I'm sorry about earlier. I…I needed to think without you putting your two cents in.'

'You do not need to apologize. I completely understand.'

'Then what's wrong?'

She didn't answer. That was never a good sign. Selmak always, always had something to say!

'You disapprove. You think the baby isn't my responsibility!'

'No. You have made the correct decision with regards to the child. The honorable decision. One I agree with.'

'Then, I'll ask you again…what's troubling you? And don't tell me it's my decision to remain on Earth. You know as well as I that our talks with the Council are not working.'

'They are in fact making matters worse,' Selmak admitted.

Jacob waited patiently as he sat in the nearby chair. He could sense Selmak was gathering her thoughts. Whenever she had something extremely important to tell him, she always took her time telling him giving him a chance to absorb her feelings and her words, especially if she was going to say something unpleasant.

'Jacob, this is Janet's baby. While she will need financial support, I think…I think it is not a wise choice to the baby's father.'

'I think that should be Janet's decision whether or not to allow me to be a father to the baby!' he snapped, unable to contain his anger.

'Yes, Jacob. It is her decision. But one she needs time to consider. Think of the emotional stress she herself is going through. She lost everyone she loved. Allow her a chance to get back on her feet.'

Jacob sighed heavily looking at the baby sleeping. In his mind he knew Selmak was right. But it was his heart he was listening to. Too many times did he not follow his heart when he should have. Blending with Selmak made him realize that. And since the blending, he's said the words 'I love you' to his family more than he did the entire time before the blending.

It was Selmak who taught him it was ok to listen to your heart instead of your mind. To bend the rules a little. How could she tell him not to be father to the baby? He was doing exactly what she had taught him. Didn't she realize that?

His hand slowly slipping through the portion of the protective covering that allowed one access to the baby without the incubator losing any of its internal warmth. His fingertips hesitantly touched her soft black hair. The sudden contact caused her to come to life more like a baby would be doing.

She didn't open her eyes but she did turn her head slightly towards him. Her tiny arms and legs shifted about. A tiny hand somehow managed to latch onto one of his fingers. And in doing so managed to tug at his heart so much more than before.

'Selmak…I don't know if I can wait….'


Janet shifted on the bed again, attempting to get comfortable. It was difficult because of the pain she felt in her arm every time she barely moved it. But it was difficult more because she was anxious. She couldn't rest now even though she was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Jacob had finally arrived at the SGC. A couple of hours had passed since she had been moved to her private room. He was still in the infirmary. Dr. Warner informed her that Jacob requested to see the baby. Hence the restlessness.

Her mind was filled with questions. Why did he want to see the baby? Did he have a relationship with the Janet in this reality? Would he ask to see her? All questions, Janet desperately needed answers too.

Despite the ache in her arm, Janet carefully she slipped out from under the covers and gingerly put her bare feet on the cold floor. She barely even took one step before someone came barging into her 'private' room. Really, what was the point of her own room when someone came in every few minutes?

"Whoa! Doc, shouldn't you be resting?" O'Neill exclaimed as he entered the room.

"Doesn't anyone knock in this reality?" she shouted.

"Sorry!" he smiled, hurrying to her aid. "But…"

"I need to see my baby," she said which was partially true. She needed to be near her baby.

"Ok, you will. But before you go, there is another issue we need to discuss," Jack said pulling a chair over for her to sit down in. "It's very important."

"Very well," she sighed, allowing him to help her sit down.

"In your reality, was there a girl named Cassandra?"

"Yes, we called her Cassie."

Jack seemed extremely relieved by her answer, which confused Janet a little.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned.

"Because in this reality, Janet was her mother, she adopted Cassie."

"Oh," Janet blinked in surprise.

"I take it you weren't her mother in your reality," Jack said slowly.

"No, you and Sam adopted her."

"What?" Jack blurted out looking somewhat startled.

"In my reality, you and Sam were married. There was an accident preventing Sam from having kids so when the opportunity came to adopt Cassie, neither of you hesitated."

"Really? Sam and I were married…and Jacob was ok with it?"

"Well, no he wasn't ok with it! Sam didn't give him a choice. It was her decision, one that made her very happy. So eventual Jacob came around. However, he never liked it when you called him Dad. Not ever! And threatened to string you from your balls if you ever called him Dad."

"Thanks for the info, I'll never call him Dad again," Jack grimaced, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "But we still need to discuss Cassie's situation in this reality. She misses her mother."

"Jack…things are shaky right now. I don't know if I would be of any good to her. I mean, what am I going to do in this reality? I have no home, I have no job. I have nothing. Only my little girl!"

"Don't worry," Jack grinned. "You still have a home. All your belongings are still there. Sam hasn't gotten around to going through your things. Far as a job, you can have your old job back! You can be reinstated as our CMO with an increase in pay. I can just put that you were on sabbatical on the paperwork and that you're back. I might be able to get you retro pay too! And if I can't General Hammond can…once he's back from vacation that is."

"Jack, you surprise me," she smiled. "I never would have guessed that you would actually make a good General. Or has George been giving you pointers?"

"Thanks for the comment and no, George hasn't been giving me advice!" he grinned proudly. "Listen, I'll do the paperwork. Sam will have a long talk with Cassie. Maybe she could visit you a few times before you make a decision. Otherwise, she can stay at Sam's house or mine. Even Daniel's. The three of us have been taking turns looking after her."

"That's probably a good idea since I am not going anywhere until my little girl is healthy enough to leave the infirmary. But I wouldn't mind if Cassie visited. I knew her well in my reality. I was like an Aunt to her. I wouldn't mind being her mother, not at all."

"Great! I'll have Sam tell her the good news!" he said. "Now, if you wait a moment, I'll ask for Jacob to leave the infirmary so you can be with…"

"Sooner or later I'm going to have to see Jacob. I would prefer it be sooner rather than later."

"Are you sure?"

"Jack…I need to know…"

"Say no more," Jack smiled. "Would you like an escort?"

Janet smiled taking hold of his arm and allowed him to take her to the infirmary. Once there, Janet hesitated at the doorway.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm fine," she replied.

"If you will excuse me then. I have another report to fill out for the Joint Chiefs."

After Jack left, Janet lingered by the door and watched Jacob. He wasn't wearing his Tok'ra uniform like she was expecting but a set of blue fatigues. Janet sighed. The blue fatigues were her husband's favorites. Hers too whenever he wore them.

Suddenly Janet didn't think she could go through with this. She would have left too if one of the nurses hadn't spotted her.

"Oh, hello Dr. Fraiser," the nurse smiled, after she went to Janet. "General Carter is still in there. Do you want me to ask him to leave?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I need to speak with him," Janet said in an attempt to convince herself more than anything.

"Yes, Ma'am. Please, don't hesitate to call one of the nurses if you need anything."

"I will. And thank you."

A few moments later, Janet found herself standing within ten feet of Jacob. His attention was so focused on the baby as he sat there by the incubator and he didn't even know Janet was nearby. His hand was affectionately caressing the baby's soft hair. And he was talking softly. Only Janet couldn't make out what he was saying. But it did make her smile at a memory.

"My Jacob always talked to her," she said, startling him as he jumped to his feet. "There were many nights I would lie awake listening to him whispering to her with his head resting on my stomach. It's nice to see you talking to her."

"It seemed like the only thing to do since I can't hold her," he said.

Janet stared into his dark eyes to judge his response to her. He was reserved, a little more than she had been expecting. But then Jacob was always good at hiding his feelings. But that was before she got to know him. At least in her reality, that is.

This Jacob, so far, wasn't much different. He was nervous, unsure about what to say. Janet was a little disappointed because he didn't look at her with the same eyes her husband did. No long looks of love and desire. No amusing sparkle when she first appeared. Her Jacob always had a devilish smile on his face when she would walk into the room. Nor did he hesitate to pull her into his arms, no matter who was watching, and give her a kiss.

No, this man wasn't her husband. It hurt deep within her heart. Janet suddenly couldn't look at him and turned away.

"I'm sorry, I should go," he said sadly. "It's too soon for you."

"No, please, stay," she requested grabbing hold of his hand as he was walking by. "I'll be fine. I've cried my tears for my husband."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I need to see my baby. And we need to discuss her future. It's obvious you want to be a part of it, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Yes, I do but not at your expense."

"Jacob…" Janet started then sighed in frustration and grief, "I can't call you Jacob…it's too painful."

"Call me Jake then. To differentiate between us," he said, gently squeezing her hand.

Janet nodded, letting go of his hand then moved to sit by her daughter.

"What…what should I call you by?" he asked nervously.

"You can call me Janet, my Jacob always called me Doc or by some form of nickname. He very rarely called me by my first name, not even on our wedding day."

"Very well, Janet it is," he smiled.

Again, Janet had to turn away. He looked too much like her Jacob. True the look in his dark brown eyes wasn't the same but everything else was. The way he used his hands when he talked, his smile, even the nervous expression he got when he first saw her.

"I'll make this quick, Janet. I know I am not the actual father of this baby. However, I am willing to take on the responsibility of providing for her. I'll pay you any child support payments required. I'll help you in purchasing any clothes and accessories needed to raise her. Anything you need, I'll help you out."

Janet turned to look up at him when he stopped. She immediately noticed an anxious look in his eyes. A question he wanted to desperately ask but was unsure of how to ask it.

"She needs a father too. Are you willing to take on that roll too, Jake?"

"Yes, as active as possible," he quickly replied then realized he might have responded to eagerly. "Sorry…whatever visits you deem appropriate, I will abide by them, of course. She is your daughter."

She was pleasantly surprised and greatly relieved. Surprised he was so willing and relieved that her little girl would have her father. That's all Janet could ask for.

"Good," she smiled, forcing her tears to go away. "Would you like to make your first decision about her? She needs a name. I'm afraid I'm terrible at coming up with names. I'm willing to listen to your suggestions then together we can make a decision."

"Actually, I only have one," he smiled.