Two and a half months. Two and half months of waiting for the Asgard to show up and heal Jack. Two and a half months of preparing for the arrival of Jack's baby…without Jack.
Oh, the guys had been great. So had both Cassie and Janet. They had oohed and ahhed over every tiny detail of the nursery, but the reality was that Jack wasn't the one painting the nursery. Jack wasn't the one building the crib. Jack wasn't the one patiently bearing her complaints of swollen ankles, sore back and general discomfort.
Just like she did more and more often, she sat in the rocking chair in the nursery, a couple of the pillows from the crib placed behind her back. She was tired. Tired of being pregnant, tired of not knowing anything about what was going on at the SGC, tired of not knowing whether Jack would be awake to see his child brought into the world.
Of course, she had done very nicely in holding off for him. After all, she was five days past her due date. Five LONG and MISERABLE days.
She felt enormous and exhausted, but the worst part of her torture was believing that there was a possibility that had Jack been there, she would have relaxed and gone into labor a few days BEFORE her due date, instead of gaining a higher level of anxiety day by day.
Of course, it didn't help that Junior had been missing Dad as well. She hadn't really slept well since Jack went Ancient, and every time she tried to soothe the tempestuous rage within her, she did so in vain. For some reason, Jack had the magic touch. The baby recognized the strength in his hands and responded to it. Drastically.
She sighed as she looked at the cordless phone sitting on the nightstand. Daniel and Teal'c had gone to alert Thor about Jack's condition. They had left four days previously. And neither she, nor Elizabeth Weir, had heard a thing from either since.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Jack stood in front of her.
She rocked back in the rocking chair. "Jack?" She asked, shocked.
"Yep." He said, walking over to her. "What day is it?" He asked, one hand now resting on her stomach.
"March 31."
Jack looked at her, one eyebrow raised as if to say: 'you were due on the 26th, what's going on?' She didn't have to even wordlessly reply to him before he started rubbing her belly, having felt the restless activity going on inside her.
"Five days late?" He asked. "You're running a little late, bud."
Sam chuckled, though it might have been more from exhaustion than from the actual comedy of the situation.
"Hey! I'm talking to you."
The baby stopped moving in response. Sam looked bewildered at Jack who shrugged. Suddenly, there was a swift kick that had Sam taking a deep breath. "Wow." She managed. "Junior's got…hostile feelings."
Jack smiled. "I know." He continued saying to the baby within his wife. "I was gone for a long time. And I'm sorry. But you didn't have to take it out on your mom. She didn't want me to go anymore than you did."
Jack looked up at her. "How are you doing?"
She smiled. "Much…much better."
"Good."
She studied every part of him. "It's…it's really you?"
"Yep. Thor helped me out, and in turn, I kicked some Replicator ass…ets." He said, eyeing her belly.
She laughed. "Really?"
"Yeah. Uh, just thought up this thing, and then…Thor made it happen. After that, it was all downhill from there."
"Downhill?" She asked, confused.
"For the Replicators."
"Ah."
"I'll let you read the mission report once Junior decides to make an appearance." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips.
She had missed that. She had missed his touch, his kiss…hell, she had missed him!
"Don't ever leave me again." She ordered, fiercely before allowing him to kiss her more deeply.
"Don't worry. I won't." He said, seriously as they paused for breath.
A pain shot down her back. "Dammit!" She swore.
"What?" Jack asked, pulling away from her.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry…I just…I've been having Braxton-Hicks contractions off and on for the last three weeks. In fact, Janet all but moved in here to keep an eye on me. I swear, if it hadn't been for SG-4 coming in hot, I would have suffocated."
Jack smiled despite himself. "So, Dr. Fraiser gets anxious?"
She looked at Jack. "Is the Pope Catholic?"
"No kidding."
She stood, trying to stretch her weary muscles. "I am SO ready for this baby." She said, her hands on her back as she walked over to the window.
"Well, have you tried relaxing?"
Sam turned. "Are you kidding? You've been gone for two and a half months. Daniel and Teal'c left four days ago to get Thor to help you, and the baby hasn't stayed still for more than thirty seconds. And you're asking me if I've tried relaxing?"
Jack looked at his wife. Pregnancy agreed with her, he decided. Not that he hadn't thought it agreed with her before he left, but…there was just something…
"Maybe I should help you relax." He said, walking toward her.
"How?" She asked.
He placed his strong hands on her shoulders, and she closed her eyes at the touch. "Like this."
"Jack…" She warned.
"Or like this." He said, as he began kissing her neck.
"Jack…I'm enormous. I look like…an elephant."
"Then, you're a sexy elephant." He said, moving up and nibbling on her ear.
"Thanks." She said, reveling in the sensations coursing through her body. "But…" She said, trying to protest. Her body refused to allow her to finish her protestations.
He didn't say anything, just started to rub her shoulders at the same time as he nibbled her ear.
"And I could…"
He pulled her sweater off, revealing a sleeveless dress underneath it. His hands moved from her shoulders to her upper arms, massaging them in lazy circles. He moved his light kisses to the crook of her neck. Her senses were on fire and she groaned. "You know what that does to me…" She said in a low voice.
He started closing the blinds and then pulled down the zipper of her dress as he trailed his kisses down her shoulder. "Yep."
"Are you trying to make me crazy?" She asked, relinquishing control of her mind and heart.
He slid the straps of her dress from off of her shoulders. "Uh huh."
She turned as her dress slid to the ground. She captured his mouth with hers. As they paused for a necessary breath, she managed to say the one thing that had run through her mind. "What do you want?"
"I want you. I want to see you, feel you, touch you…I want to know that you're real."
She grimaced as another contraction hit her. "I'm fine." She said, anticipating the question he was about to ask.
"Sam…"
She looked at him. "Yes?"
"Let me hold you. Please."
She nodded and without another thought, he led her to the bedroom where he held her, half-naked, as they both fell asleep in one another's arms.