Father – Epilogue
Sam leaned back against the Adirondack chair on the deck and smiled at the sight 20 yards in front of her. She had just finished shucking the last ear of corn they had purchased at a road side vegetable stand and looked up when she heard the unmistakable sound of JJ's laughter. It was quickly followed by Jack's shout of "Hey! Careful there! You'll scare all the fish away, little man!"
Jack sat on the edge of the dock, JJ sandwiched between his legs. One arm was snaked securely around the little boy's waist. Even though JJ wore a small, Simpson's life jacket, Jack kept a tight hold on him. In his other hand, Jack held an old bamboo fishing pole that required no reel. They had matching fishing hats on; the kind that displayed various species of fish and had their names embroidered around the crown. The hats had been a gift from Teal'c, and both JJ and Jack seemed to love wearing them, which pleased Teal'c no end. It took everything Sam had not to burst out in laughter anytime Jack and JJ donned their rather unique hats.
From her vantage point, Sam could see JJ banging an overturned plastic pail on the dock. He looked expectantly for a reaction from his father at the loud noise; which he got when Jack growled playfully at him. The little boy was giggling and shrieking with laughter at this game. Sam shook her head in amusement – they were so alike, her boys!
The small family had come to the cabin a few days ago for a much needed vacation. That it occurred around Independence Day was an added bonus. Jack had made certain to bring them into town on the 4th so JJ could experience his first fireworks show. And even though it had been way past his bedtime, JJ had been enthralled with the brilliant light display in the sky. They had sat on a small hill, far enough away that the sounds of the fireworks exploding wouldn't scare JJ, but close enough that they would have a good view of the show. Jack had been lying in the middle of a blanket and had JJ tucked under one arm, Sam under the other, each resting a head on his shoulder. It had been a moment that both Sam and Jack would tuck into their memories and savor for a long time.
Sam shook herself from her thoughts as she heard another squeal of laughter from her son. Chuckling quietly, she set aside the corn cobs and made her way down the path to the dock, intent on spelling Jack for a while so he could get some actual fishing done. Both of them looked up when they heard her footsteps on the dock. "Mama!" JJ greeted her first.
"Hey sweetie." She sat down next to them and kissed his cheek, then turned and did the same to Jack. "So, how are my two boys?"
"Great, just great," Jack replied with a smile. "Just teaching my boy here the finer art of fishing with a bamboo pole, like my grandfather did in the old days." Jack was in his element, here at the lake, his son on his lap. This was JJ's first summer at the lake and Jack meant to make it memorable; even though JJ would never recall these days, Jack would and he meant to relish every single moment.
Sam looked over at the pole that Jack had raised out of the water. Her eyes followed the line from the tip of the pole to where it touched the surface of the water; she frowned in confusion. "Ah, Jack? I know there aren't actually any fish in this pond, but don't you need a hook on the end in order to at least attempt to catch something?" While she never proposed to be an expert at fishing, she knew that much!
Jack gave her a somewhat condescending look before turning back to his pole. "We are not actually fishing yet, Samantha. We are learning the art of fishing. I have told you repeatedly that there's a difference, have I not?" he gave her a sidelong grin before continuing. "Besides, I really didn't want to be using a hook when it was just me and my buddy here. No sense taking any chances, right little man?" Jack blew a raspberry on JJ's neck, earning himself a belly laugh from the little boy.
Sam smiled. Ever since their return from Moval 2 months ago, Jack had been even more protective of JJ than usual, if that were even possible. Having his wife and son snatched away almost from under his nose had affected Jack deeply. It was now early-July and he still hated to have either Sam or JJ out of his sight for too long. He had been beside himself with worry when Sam had returned to Moval with the teams that would be in charge of mining the naquadah. Knowing that Beroni was in the mines caused Jack no end of panic. In fact, he had insisted that Teal'c go along as well. The large Jaffa had proven stalwart in his mission to prevent any contact between Beroni and Sam. In fact, Sam had never even seen the man when she was in the mines. Of course, she didn't know to quite what lengths Teal'c had gone in order to ensure this outcome… and Jack didn't want her to ever find out.
Truthfully, she thought it was sweet how caring and protective Jack was toward JJ. His overprotectiveness toward her was a different matter entirely. While she gave in to his insistence that Teal'c return with her to Moval, she put her foot down when it came to the other few missions she had gone on over the past two months. After tonight, though, Sam had an inkling that Jack's protective streak would just get worse.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Sam stated, "Well, I hate to interrupt this lesson in the art of fishing, but I think it's time for a certain someone to go down for his nap."
"I'm really not very tired, dear," Jack replied with a grin.
"Cute. But I was talking about the little fisherman. Then you can fix your rod and not catch a fish with a hook." Sam sent him a sassy grin as she took JJ from his spot on the deck and began to stand up with him. "Umf! You're starting to get heavy little man! Has daddy been feeding you donuts again?"
"Me?" Jack asked in all innocence as he went to stand as well, his knees creaking in protest. "Oiy, getting too old to be sitting on the dock for such a long time."
Suddenly, Sam swayed slightly and reached out blindly to Jack, grasping tightly onto his arm as a wave of dizziness engulfed her. Jack's face lost all teasing as he pulled Sam close, supporting her while she held onto JJ. "Sam? What's wrong? Are you OK?"
Sam took a few deep breaths before running a shaky hand over her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied a little breathlessly. "Must have stood up too quickly,"
In one fluid movement, Jack took JJ from her arms and snaked an arm around her waist. "Come on, you're going to lie down while I give Janet a call." He began to propel her along the dock and up toward the cabin.
"Jack, really, I'm fine. It's just the heat, and I stood up too quickly," she protested feebly, even as she walked along with Jack. "I…I didn't eat lunch either, come to think of it. I just got a little light headed, that's all. Please, don't bother Janet with this."
By this time, Jack had reached the cabin. Pushing the screen door open with his leg, he guided Sam in and settled her onto the couch cushions, then set JJ down in the nearby playpen. The concern hadn't left his face and in fact, flashed anew as he took in her pale features. "God Sam, you're white as a ghost. Lie down while I get you some water," he ordered.
"Jack," Sam began, only to be cut off by him.
"If you don't want me to call Janet this minute and arrange transportation back to the SGC, you'll lie back and rest a minute." Softening his tone he added, "You scared the crap out of me, Sam. JJ too."
Sam looked over at the playpen, where JJ was standing and holding onto its sides, his eyes wide and solemn, lower lip quivering slightly. "Oh, baby," Sam muttered. "I didn't mean to scare you." She moved to get up from the couch and go to her son but was stopped by a hand to her shoulder.
"Stay put. He'll be fine for a few minutes." When Jack saw her relax back into the cushions, he went to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water and a handful of grapes. He handed her the water without comment, then sat next to her on the couch, waiting for her to finish. When she did, he placed the grapes in her hand. "Eat."
Sam, not wanting an argument, did as he instructed, even though it irked her to have him issuing orders at her. Shortly, the color began to return to her cheeks and she felt a bit better. Jack kept his steady gaze on her, feeling the panic in his chest lighten as her pallor dissipated.
When she had finished the grapes, she put the stem on the table and leaned into Jack, who immediately put his arm around her. Seeing that things had returned to normal, JJ dropped to his bottom and began to play quietly with the toys in his playpen. "So, you want to tell me what that was really about?" Jack asked softly.
Sam sighed. This was not how she wanted to tell him; besides, she wasn't quite sure and was waiting for a phone call from Janet to verify it. She didn't want to get his hopes up if the tests were negative. Sam turned her head to look at him, then lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip in hesitation.
"Sam, don't scare me like this," he pleaded softly. "If something's wrong, you need to tell me. We'll work through it together." All manner of horrible scenarios were running through his mind and now he was the one beginning to turn pale.
"Oh God, Jack, it's nothing like that," Sam assured him as she correctly read his expression. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure." She hesitated a moment, then sat up straight, pulling slightly away from him. She turned sideways, tucking one leg under her and taking his hands in her own. Sam took a deep breath, then said quietly. "You know those ships that Thor has, in The Fleet of Samantha Carter?"
Jack nodded in confusion, wondering what the hell Thor's space ships had anything to do with why she had almost passed out on the dock earlier.
"Well," she took another deep breath, then hit him with a crooked grin. "We just might be able to provide him with another name for one of those ships in about 8 months."
Jack stared at her dumbly for the space of a few heartbeats, before realization dawned. His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened and closed several times before he could formulate a sentence. "A baby? We're…you're…another baby?"
Sam smiled at his reaction and put a hand on his cheek. "Yes, Jack, another baby."
Jack's face broke into a huge grin as he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. "Another baby. A brother or sister for JJ; I can't believe it!" he cried out happily before kissing her soundly. Roused by the ruckus his father was making, JJ stood up in his playpen and babbled joyfully. Jack reached over and picked him up, including him in their little circle.
After they spent a few moments in a happy hug, Jack pulled back and looked at Sam in concern. "Are you feeling OK? Maybe you should lie down." When she laughed at him and assured him she was fine, he turned thoughtful. "Why didn't you tell me when you first suspected, Sam?"
Sam sighed, gave JJ a kiss on the cheek, and stepped away. She stood with her back to him, arms crossed against her chest, and she looked out the window at the peaceful lake before her. Jack put JJ back in the playpen and stood behind her, placing his arms around her from the back and grazing her neck with his lips. "Don't you want another child so close in age to JJ?" he asked quietly. The children would only be 19 months apart, maybe she felt it was too soon to add to their family.
"Oh, Jack, it isn't that. Not at all. I just…" she turned around and looked at him, her eyes full of regret. "I wanted to be sure before I told you, so you wouldn't be disappointed if the tests were negative." Jack closed his eyes briefly in painful understanding. A few months before they had conceived JJ, they had thought Sam was pregnant. A home pregnancy test had confirmed their suspicions and they were elated. When Janet had given Sam a follow-up test a few days later, it contradicted the home test. Apparently, the make-up of Sam's blood made it difficult to positively identify pregnancy in an over the counter pregnancy test; Janet had to run several specialized ones in the lab. They had both been sorely disappointed over the results, but Jack more so than Sam. He had withdrawn from her for a while, putting the blame on himself, and Sam had been devastated at his seeming abandonment. They had worked everything out, of course, but Sam didn't want to put either one of them through that again.
Jack pulled her close now, blinking back the tears that gathered in the back of his eyes. "I am so sorry I made you feel you couldn't tell me, Sam. I love you and JJ so much; if he was the only child we ever had, I'd be completely ecstatic. You are my life, Sam; you and JJ. I'd be lost without you. You know that don't you?"
Sam nodded against his chest, not trusting herself to speak at the moment.
He held her for a while, pressing kisses against her hair and rubbing her back soothingly. "So," he finally ventured, "When will we know for sure?"
Sam squeezed him lightly before pulling back to look at him. He was dismayed to see the tears in her eyes, but refrained from comment. Sam brushed quickly at her eyes before replying. "Janet said she should have the results late this afternoon. She's going to call me on my cell phone."
Jack smiled reassuringly. "OK then. We'll just wait for her call. In the meantime, I'll get JJ down for his nap, then I'll make you one of my famous Jack O'Neill sandwiches. And you'll eat every bite," he ordered teasingly. Then he kissed her on the nose and went to put JJ down in his crib.
At 11 months of age, JJ had given up his morning nap but still required an afternoon one. And with all the excitement and fresh air of the last few days, he was sure to take a long one. He went down for his nap without a fuss and Jack was soon back in the kitchen, banging around and muttering to himself as he constructed one of his special sandwiches.
After eating half of her sandwich – a Jack O'Neill sandwich was really much too big for her to eat all at one sitting as it contained numerous meats, cheeses and a smattering of vegetables – Sam found herself lying on the couch and dozing lightly.
Jack sat back in a chair near her, finishing off Sam's sandwich and watching her sleep. His mind raced with thoughts as he tried to imagine the changes adding another child would make to their family. Changes that would be wonderful, as far as he was concerned. He had always regretted that Charlie had been an only child and had secretly hoped the same wouldn't happen to JJ.
Jack was startled out of his musings and Sam from her sleep by the ringing of her cell phone. Their eyes locked momentarily before Sam sat up and reached for her phone, which sat on an end table near the sofa. "Sam," she stated into the phone. "Hi Jan, I've been waiting to hear from you." She cast a glance at Jack, noting the tension in his jaw as he waited patiently.
"Um hmm," she said noncommittally as she walked over to Jack and took a seat in his lap. Jack's arms went around her, holding her lightly as he listened to her end of the conversation and tried to read her expressions; which wasn't very easy considering she was purposefully keeping her features neutral.
"OK, yeah, I understand. I'll do that, Janet. And thanks for calling. Bye." She clicked her phone shut and looked down into her lap, chewing on her lower lip as if deep in thought.
Jack couldn't take in any longer. "Well? Am I going to be making you peanut butter and sardine sandwiches within the next few months? Come on; don't leave me hanging here, Sam." His tone had taken on a slight edge of pleading, a tone that she rarely heard from him.
Sam turned to him with a solemn face, but a light was dancing in her eyes. "Well," she sighed dramatically. "If everything goes according to plan, it looks like Thor will get to add another name to that fleet in 8 months."
Jack's face broke into an even bigger grin than when she had first mentioned the possibility of another child. He pulled Sam close for a long, passionate kiss. Pulling away, both of them a bit breathless, he said with a grin, "I think JJ would really like a little sister."
Sam smiled back. "I'll see what I can do," she replied before pulling him back for another kiss.
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8 Months Later, SGC infirmary
In a scene eerily reminiscent of one 19 months earlier, Sam lay back against several pillows, face flushed with a mixture of exhaustion and elation. Jack sat on the edge of her bed, one arm around her, gazing down at the small, red face of his newborn child. His other arm was securely around that of his active son, JJ, who looked everywhere around the room but at the baby, before attempting to reach a shiny instrument just out of reach.
"Uh, uh, little man. That's not for you. Here, take a look at your new sister. We've been waiting a long time to meet her, haven't we?" Jack asked his son.
Sam angled the baby so JJ could see her better. "See JJ; this is your new baby sister, Grace. Isn't she pretty?"
JJ finally locked eyes on the small bundle in his mother's arms and latched onto her words. "Baby. Mine." Then he reached out as if to take her from his mother. All the adults in the room laughed. "I hope he still feels that way in a few years, when she's taking his toys," Jack remarked with a grin.
Janet stepped forward. "OK, guys, a few pictures, then everyone out to let the new baby and mom get some rest." Janet snapped several pictures of the now four O'Neill's. Jacob, Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassie each took turns with the camera, allowing everyone to be in a few pictures. Taking in Sam's tired appearance, Janet ordered, "That's enough for now." Then she came around the bed and took JJ from Jack. "I believe Grandpa said he would take care of this little guy for a while, Jack. We'll let you and Sam have some time alone."
Jacob accepted his grandson happily, then came around to give his daughter a kiss. "I am so proud of you, Sammy. You have a beautiful family." Sam tearfully returned his kiss at those words from her father.
Daniel came around to Sam's other side and bent to give her a kiss on the cheek. "She's beautiful, Sam. Just like her mother."
"Thanks Daniel," Sam replied with a teary smile.
"Hey, aren't you going to say something nice about me?" Jack asked with feigned affront.
"Uhm, she's got your lungs?" They had all heard the baby screaming just minutes after birth and there were several remarks about the loudness of those cries.
"Just wait until you have kids, Space Monkey." Jack gave Daniel a knowing grin. Before Daniel could counteract the remark, there was a flash of light and Thor stood before them.
"Greetings O'Neill, Samantha Carter. I have been informed of the birth of your second offspring. I would like to offer my congratulations to you both. I hope you and the child are well, Samantha," Thor blinked at Sam inquiringly.
"We're just fine, Thor. Thank you. Would you like to see her?" Sam smiled gently at their new visitor.
"Then it is a female child, as you were hoping, O'Neill," Thor commented as he came closer to peer at the child. "She is very small. I do not recall Jonathon Jacob being quite this diminutive in stature."
Jack chuckled, not bothering to point out that Thor himself was rather diminutive. "Yeah, she's a bit smaller than JJ, but she's got quite a set of lungs on her already. I can already tell she's going to be a fighter when she grows up."
"I am sure all of your offspring will be most remarkable, O'Neill. May I inquire as to what you will call this child?" Thor asked curiously.
Jack looked to Sam to inform Thor of the baby's name. "Grace Aeryn Carter-O'Neill," she supplied, gazing down with a soft smile.
"That is a most distinguished sounding name, and most befitting the next ship in our fleet. I will inform Sabat that he is to add the name Grace Aeryn to The Fleet of the Samantha Carter." Jack and Sam shared a look of amusement at this news. "Might I inquire, O'Neill, if we can expect another offspring within the same time frame as your first two?"
Jack choked back a snort of laughter; he didn't think his wife would find it at all amusing, especially after having endured 9 hours of labor. Sam answered for him. "I don't think you should get your hopes up, Thor. Maybe you can name the other two ships after Janet and Daniel's children."
At that comment, Daniel and Janet shared surprised blushes. While it was true that they had recently become engaged, they had yet to plan the wedding, let alone discuss the idea of children. Janet coughed, shot Sam a glare, then stated, "All right, everyone; time to leave. Sam and Grace need some rest." She efficiently shooed everyone out of the room, ever Thor. When the room was emptied of everyone save Sam, Jack and the baby, she gave Sam one more stern glare, then left the room, muttering under her breath, "Fleet of the Samantha Carter my fanny!"
Jack chuckled softly as he moved to sit more fully on the bed. "You'd better watch it dear, she might be coming after you with the needles."
"I'll just hold Grace in front of me for protection," Sam teased back.
Jack bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, then took his newborn daughter in his arms. Grace slowly opened her eyes at the shift in position and gazed up at her father. Her dark blue eyes, which would soon turn brown like her daddy's, seemed to investigate his features. One tiny hand struggled to free itself from the tightly wrapped blanket and reach up toward the face that loomed above her. Jack gently released the hand and lowered his face to it, letting her grasp onto his nose. He pulled back and kissed her on her downy head then placed his pinkie in her hand. Grace latched on tightly, then closed her eyes and returned to sleep.
"She's already got you wrapped around her little finger," Sam commented softly with a smile.
Jack returned the smile. "She gets that from her mommy." Jack's face turned serious as he gazed at this incredible woman who was his wife, and now the mother of his two children. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
Sam smiled gently at him. "Just today, in fact, but that doesn't mean you can't say it again." When Jack didn't smile back, but continued to gaze at her thoughtfully, she frowned. "What's wrong Jack?"
"We have a daughter, Sam." he said, his voice a mixture of awe and fear.
"I am aware of that," she stated in confusion.
Jack shook his head. "It just hit me, I've never had a daughter before. What if I mess things up? What if I can't put her hair in pigtails when you're at work? What if she wants to play Barbie's? What if she brings some Bozo home when she's 16 and tells me she's in love with him? I'll kill him, Sam. I really will," he stately adamantly.
Sam scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, lightly running her hand over Grace's hair. "You'll be great, Jack. We've got a long time to figure things out and we'll do it together. You've done wonderful with JJ so far; there's no doubt in my mind that you and Grace will be just as close." After a quiet pause, she continued, "You are the best daddy our two kids could ever hope to have, Jack. You're funny, caring, protective, smart…you can stop me anytime you know," she looked up at him teasingly.
This time, Jack returned the smile. "You don't often rattle off my finer points, Mrs. O'Neill. I was enjoying the moment." Sam chuckled, then laid her head back on his chest, unsuccessfully trying to stifle the yawn that escaped her.
"You know what the smartest thing I ever did was, Sam?" he asked her quietly. Sam replied with a soft, "MMM?"
"I married you," he stated softly, leaning down to kiss her head. Sam smiled, then snuggled in more comfortably and drifted off to sleep. Jack shifted Grace to a more comfortable position and leaned back against the headboards. He would have to go and rescue Jacob from his active son soon, but right now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment with his two favorite girls.
Sorry this took a while but I kept thinking of things to add...It's longer than many of my chapters! Well, I hope you enjoyed reading A Father's Determination and thanks so much for all of the reviews!