Andie slept for three days after the mission. She slept as if dead, but Janet assured Sam that her brain activity was that of someone in a light slumber.
When she finally woke up, she wore the same wide-eyed expression of unfamiliarity she'd had when the Nox had first left her at the SGC. Janet had "firmly suggested" that Sam otherwise occupy herself while Janet ran some tests.
Jack found her in her lab, tracing her fingers over the cover of a book Andie had left on her work table. "In the Hands of the Goddess? Are you trying out a new religion?" he inquired.
She smiled and shook her head. "It's a book about a girl who's trying to become a knight. Andie's really into it."
He reached over and took the book out of her hands. "You don't need to be so worried about her," he said gently. "She's a resilient kid. She'll be bugging you for more shoes before you know it."
Sam smiled and started to say something, but her phone rang and she pounced on it. "Carter... Yeah, I'll be right there."
"The Doc?" Jack asked as he followed her out into the corridor.
"No, the General."
"So, something's broken?"
"Ha ha," Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"I was just about to come find you, she's in her quarters," Janet said, getting up from her desk. "You're looking quite happy."
Sam nodded. "We just got a message from the Tok'ra. My dad got home from his mission in close to one piece. He's coming to visit in a week or two."
"That's great!"
She nodded again. "What's the matter?" she asked, noticing something in Janet's face. "Is she freaking about because she remembers her past?"
"I almost wish she would," Janet said, trying to sound less worried than she really was. "Since she's woken-up, she's asked nonstop questions about what things are–like tongue depressors and bras," Janet told Sam as they walked through the corridor to Andie's on-base quarters. "She then spent ten minutes turning a faucet on and off."
Sam looked over at Janet. "Andie would do that," she pointed out. "And then she'd take the faucet apart, searching for the magical tiny elves who run the water factory."
Nodding and rolling her eyes Janet said, "Yes, granted she's not the world's most stable child, but I don't think it's Andie."
"What do you mean, it's not Andie?"
Janet shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "It's almost indescribable– she acts just like she did before you left, extreme curiosity aside. If what she went through was so traumatic, this is very odd. Well... why don't you just see for yourself."
Andie looked up as Sam entered the room. She smiled, her normally blue eyes sparkling green. "This language sounds like the one from Pardina," she said. "Telemundo. It's funny– all these women are cheating on all of the men and then men are crying and one of the ladies fell down the stairs."
"Yeah, they're called soap operas. Are you okay?" Sam asked slowly.
She nodded. "She will be, I just need to let her rest for a little while longer."
"What?"
She nodded. "Honestly, she'll be just fine. Her mind can handle this, but she should have been introduced to all of this much more slowly. I never liked Psyche... she's insane."
"Yeah... we noticed," Sam said slowly. "If you'll excuse me for a moment," she said, backing slowly out of the room. In the hallway, Janet waited on the other side of the door. Sam shook her head. "Call General Hammond. We may have a situation on our hands."
Author's Note: "In the Hand of the Goddess" is a book by Tamora Pierce and therefore not mine, but I do own a copy and absolutely love every Tortall book the radiant Ms. Pierce has written.
