Daniel was enraged at the monster being laid bare before him with Sam's words. He wanted to send Pete to Ba'al's homeworld and let Ba'al know that Pete was Tau'ri.
Sam was 'saved' having to continue by the sound of a scream ripping through the still night air. Her eyes went wide; she had only ever heard her daughter scream like that for one reason and only one – Pete. Sam quickly rose from her seat, followed closely by Daniel, and raced up the stairs. She stopped first in the stairwell to grab a gun from behind a picture before continuing on into Esther's room.
Sam stopped just outside the door, waiting to hear if the screams were coming from that bedroom. When she heard a muffled sob come from behind the closed door she quickly opened it and stepped inside to find one of her worst nightmares being played out before her eyes – again.
Esther moaned again from her bed, sporting a black eye and a ripped shirt. She rolled over onto her stomach, giving Daniel and Sam a clear view of the newly formed, angry gash spouting forth blood on her back. Abby and JJ were by their sister's side, trying to comfort her.
Abby looked up when she heard her mother enter the room. Tears filled her eyes, "He got away. Again."
Sam quickly searched the rest of the room and the two connecting rooms belonging to Abby and JJ – she found them both empty.
She sighed in relief and frustration as she came back to Esther's bedside to see how bad the wounds were.
Daniel, who had the same idea in mind, turned to Sam as she approached. "We need to get her to the hospital now. That gash on her back is real nasty, and her black eye isn't much better." He hesitated before adding, "This isn't the first time this bastard's done this to her is it, Sam?"
Sam shook her head, "No. He always finds us. Always." She grabbed the phone off of Esther's nightstand and dialed Hammond's number. "Hi, George? He found us again. No, Esther's not as bad as last time, I think. But he did reopen the gash – it's deeper this time." She closed her eyes and breathed a shaky sigh of relief, "Thank you. We're in her room. Yeah, we'll be there when you get here."
Daniel looked quizzically at Sam, but it was JJ who answered, "Last time, he left her with five broken ribs, the original gash, a burn in the shape of a Swastika on her abdomen, two black eyes and numerous scrapes and bruises." His eyes grew dark as he remembered, "That bastard had her for two days before we found her."
Daniel shuddered just imagining the state Esther must have been in. He knew from experience that as soon as Teal'c found out he would go into complete Jaffa revenge mode until that mik'ta had suffered as greatly as Esther had. And when Jack found out about it… well, this Pete fellow would find out first hand how many different ways to torture, maim and inflict pain on a person Jack had learned over the years – especially from black ops.
Sam could see the anger boiling under the surface of Daniel's skin, and she wanted to comfort him so much. But she couldn't. She couldn't comfort the man she'd grown to love as a brother while she felt the same anger and hatred welling in her own soul.
"Come on," Sam motioned for Abby to come with her. "Let's go wait for your grandfather."
Abby nodded and silently followed her mother down stairs, tears running down her cheeks. This was the one thing that she couldn't relate to her sister in. Pete had been almost kind to her. Abby still had to suffer the affects of the beatings inflicted upon Esther through their telepathic connection, but that wasn't nearly as bad as what Pete did to her and their mother.
Abby's baby blue silk pajamas had some of Esther's blood smeared on the front, but she still was quite a sight for the young paramedics who arrived a few minutes later to whisk Esther away to the hospital.
At the hospital, Daniel, Sam, JJ and Abby all waited anxiously for the doctor to come back out and tell them news. Hammond arrived about ten minutes after they did and joined in their 'pacing race'.
When Dr. McLory came out from her latest inspection of Esther O'Neill, she found a sight that had greeted her many a time before. There was just one exception to this time – there was a man pacing with the young girl's family that she'd never seen before.
Thinking the man was the infamous father of the triplets, Dr. McLory approached with sadness. "The good news, Ms. Carter, is that Esther will recover full use of her right arm, and she should be no worse for wear – other than a nasty scar."
Daniel sized up the doctor, not liking the informal tone she used when addressing Sam. She was about five and a half feet tall, with deep brown hair and eyes. Her hair was done up in a French twist that complemented her dark skin tone. She wore frameless glasses that accented her eyes marvelously. "And you are?" he asked hotly.
Dr. McLory looked at the man, inspecting him carefully. She saw faint scars on his face and neck that most would miss, but because of her profession and having a plastic surgeon for a husband, she saw them clearly. "I'm Dr. Aylen McLory, I've been Esther, Abigail and Jonathon's physician since they first moved to Washington. I have treated Esther or recommended doctors who could help her every time this has happened. I assume you're their father?"
Daniel shook his head, he would be blushing in any other circumstance, but the situation right now was too dire. "No, I'm just a family friend, Daniel Jackson."
Aylen nodded, she'd heard much about Samantha Carter's three old teammates, including the geeky archeologist, Daniel Jackson. "Of course. I'm sorry for the confusion." She turned her attention to the other two triplets; "She's set up in the usual room and stable if you want to go visit her. The surgery went well, but she's still unconscious."
After the siblings had darted into the room their sister was in, Aylen turned her attention back to the three adults.
"Doctor," Hammond said, anger barely controlled in his voice, "How bad is it?"
Dr. McLory gazed sorrowfully into the older man's eyes, "It'll take anywhere from six months to a year minimum for that gash to heal up properly and for Esther to gain back full mobility of her arm – if she ever will. He cut her down to the bone in some places, and when we were prepping her for surgery, we discovered evidence of an attempted rape. She pushed him to the side enough that he ejaculated on her thigh." She noticed the signs of intense rage on the faces of all three, coming to rest her gaze on Sam. "He got away, didn't he?"
Sam nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Hammond took her in his arms and she held on tight, like a child.
Aylen put a comforting hand on Sam's back, feeling the silent sobs of one of her best friends. "I think you need to inform her father, Sam. This is just as bad as last time – if not worse. Last time we were able to keep part of the truth from the three of them, but that will be impossible this time. That wound could have caused some serious damage to her spinal cord, Samantha," Aylen added quickly before the other woman could protest. "He deserves to know."
"She's right, Sam," Daniel agreed. "Jack does deserve to know. At least let him meet his children."
Hammond shot Daniel a look, "He does know. I told him last year about the triplets. But Jack being Jack refused to do anything about it. He didn't even want to see them."
That made Daniel almost as angry as this Pete fellow had made him - almost. "You mean he's known for a year that he has three children and their whereabouts and he doesn't care? That's not possible."
Hammond shook his head, "I don't think so either, but when I told him, Jack responded by saying that he had a life now and a wife of his own to care about. He also said something to the effect of: 'They're Carter's kids, not mine. She raised them and I'd bet that she didn't even tell them about me.'" Hammond shook his head again, "Well, that's the G version of what he said."
"Jack!" They heard the scream come from down the hall. "The baby's coming! I don't think I'll make it to the room!"
A/N: Dun dun dun! Feel like reviewing NOW? Only my beta and I know what happens - and I'm only spilling the beans if you guys review!