Chapter 24 – Bumps and Bruises

Learning to ride a bicycle had been a feat that both JJ and Grace had accomplished by the time they were six years old, though not without a certain amount of healthy fear. Training wheels had been taken off, instructions given, and after a few days and several minor spills, both had been riding independently. Jack had been grateful, for his knees couldn't take the extended time it took to run alongside the children's bikes. Sam had taken her turn as well, running next to the children, one hand lightly holding the seat of the bike. But she had been more apt to explain the why's and wherefore's of attaining balance as she ran, which truthfully, the children were much too young for. So both children ended up pleading with their dad to take them out, which of course, he did.

Maddie, however, was an entirely different story. She showed none of the hesitation or fearfulness that her older brother and sister had exhibited when that first ride without training wheels came up. Quite the contrary, in fact. She was eager and ready to be off on her own, pedaling against the wind, by the time she was three years old. Even though she still had training wheels, Maddie could build up a pretty impressive head of steam when she wanted. Her bicycle, a purple, 16 inch two wheeler that had once belonged to Grace, was now the little girl's preferred mode of transportation. The handlebars sported small plastic streamers that danced in the breeze. The spokes of her wheels were outfitted with colorful plastic beads that made a clacking sound as they fell against the rim of the wheel as it turned. But best of all, Maddie could go fast. The little girl, so much like her mother, liked nothing more than speeding along the sidewalk, the wind pushing against her face.

To say that her innate desire for acceleration gave Jack nightmares was an understatement. He was no more eager to take off her training wheels and really let her go than he was to let Grace date at some point in the distant future. But she eventually wore him down, and one day, a few weeks shy of her fourth birthday, Maddie's training wheels were removed from her bike.

The little girl bounced on her toes as she watched the proceedings, her eyes alight with eager anticipation. Her blond curls, which now rested lightly on her shoulders, bounced right along with her. Sam smiled up at her daughter as she took the wrench in hand and loosened the bolts from the bracket of her training wheel. "You sure you're ready for this, Maddie?" she teased in a light voice.

Maddie's eyes glowed even brighter, if that were possible. "Oh yes, mommy. I has been waiting to take off my training wheels my whole life!" she said with feeling.

From his place at the front of the small bike, where he was holding it steady for Sam, Jack rolled his eyes and muttered, "Now that, I would believe." Though she had gained a modicum of cautiousness as she got older, Maddie was still quite the daredevil and, as such, scared the bejezzus out of Jack more often than not. Maddie just looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

Jack sighed tiredly; he was really too old for this, he thought to himself. Looking down at Maddie, he gave her a stern look. "Having your training wheels taken off is a big privilege, young lady," he said. "Mommy and I expect that you will ride slowly and carefully. You will always have one of us with you until you can ride safely by yourself and even then, you are not to leave the sidewalk. Is that understood?"

Maddie nodded her head. "Yes daddy. You telled me that lots of times already."

"Yeah, well…it's important," he added somewhat defensively.

Sam stood up and circled the bike, then stopped on the opposite side, waiting a moment before removing the other training wheel. "Daddy's right, Maddie. Bikes can go very fast. I'm not going to take off this other training wheel until you promise us that you will be careful." Sam looked down at her little speedster with a serious gaze. "And if you break that promise, your bike will be taken away from you."

Maddie returned the solemn look and nodded her head. "I pwomise, Mommy. I will goes slow and always wear my helmet. I doesn't want you to take my bike away," she stated adamantly.

Giving her daughter a smile, Sam replied, "Good. Then I guess we can take off this other training wheel and get this show on the road."

Serious discussion over with, Maddie's smile returned. While her mother removed the last training wheel, Maddie strapped on her helmet. She was raring to go by the time Sam stood up and handed the final training wheel into Jack's outstretched hand. Then she turned to Maddie with a smile. "Ready Mads?"

"Ready, mommy!" came the excited reply. Sam held the bike steady and Maddie quickly climbed on. She rested her feet on either side of the bike and looked expectantly at her mother.

"Uh, you sure you don't want me to do this?" Jack asked, warily eying both wife and daughter. While he knew Sam would take it slow and easy, he also knew her propensity to focus on the physics entailed in achieving one's balance when riding a bike. This tended to distract her from her main objective…teaching the kids to ride. On the other hand, he wasn't as young as he used to be.

Sam gave him a grin and a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll be fine, dear." Then she turned back to Maddie. "OK, Maddie. Feet on the pedals, eyes straight ahead. We'll take it slow. I'll hold onto the back until you feel like you're ready, OK?"

"OK, Mommy!" the little girl declared. In a matter of moments, they were down the driveway and moving along the sidewalk, Sam jogging alongside her blond daughter.

As Jack watched them go, he felt a mixture of emotions. Pride was mixed with a fairly large amount of melancholy. His little blond sprite was no longer a baby. Even though she wouldn't start kindergarten for another full year, Jack felt as if he was losing her already. And Grace and JJ were growing up much too fast for his peace of mind.

The events of this past year especially made Jack want to savor every moment with his children. After the scare in the park with the thugs from The Movement, both Jack and Sam had been even more vigilant in watching the children. JJ and Grace too had been more leery of being on their own without their parents. Grace had been too frightened to sleep alone in her room for several months, so had taken to sleeping on a cot in JJ's room.

For his part, JJ had been more upset that fearful once the original scare wore off. He had been persistent in his desire to learn why the men wanted him so badly. Jack had finally sat the young boy down and explained, albeit briefly, that the men had wanted only JJ because they thought the boy could tell them things about the Stargate they didn't know. Jack had reinforced this was the reason he couldn't share what he knew with anyone; it just wasn't safe. JJ understood his father's warning, but still puzzled over the idea that he might know something about the Stargate that grown men didn't. While he still had dreams about the wonder beneath the mountain, JJ's dreams no longer frightened him. In fact, he was always more than eager to share with his parents what his dreams had been about…something Sam and Jack insisted he do.

Jack was pulled from his thoughts by the banging of the front door. Grace emerged from the house, Poppy at her heels. She stopped on the top step and looked around; obviously searching for her mother. When her eyes rested on Jack, she smiled and came bounding down the steps toward him.

Jack couldn't resist smiling back. At eight years old, Grace was a beautiful little girl, well on her way to becoming a beautiful young woman. While still in that gangly stage of youth, Jack knew she would be tall and willowy, just like her mother. But she would be strong, too. Grace was not one to give up when presented with a challenge, something Jack knew would serve her well in the future.

The little girl was as inquisitive as ever, surprising her parents with her questions at times. Though she had acquired a certain amount of restraint in the last year, if she had questions of a sensitive nature, more often than not, she would immediately seek out her mother. But she didn't hesitate to voice her opinions, loud and often, should the need arise. She still enjoyed hanging out with her brother and had come to a certain understanding with Billy. Although he still wasn't her favorite person to spend time with, ever since the incident at the park, there was a feeling of closeness between to two former adversaries that had never existed before.

"I need mom. Do you know where she is?" Grace announced without preamble as she came toward her father, brushing the hair away from her face and tucking the long strands behind her ears. Her curly light brown hair hung well below her shoulders. Unbeknownst to Grace, her hair was the envy of many at her elementary school.

Jack's smile died on his lips. "Well, hello to you too," he grumbled.

Grace offered an apologetic smile, then came over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. Looking up at him, she said in a sweet voice, "Hi daddy. How are you?"

"Why, I'm fine Grace. How are you?" he stated in a slightly teasing voice.

"Good," she replied, pulling away. "But I really need mommy." She looked up at him imploringly.

"She's out helping Maddie on her bike. Anything I can do?"

Grace hesitated a moment, looking down the street to see if perhaps her mother might reappear at any minute. Seeing the road remain empty, she turned back to her father with a sigh. "No. I just wanted…to talk to her for a minute."

Jack knew that look and hastily redirected her attention to something else. "How about you help me get some dinner going? Mom and Maddie will be hungry when they get back, not to mention your brother." They grinned at each other – it was a well known fact that JJ had taken to eating large portions lately. He was going through the first of many growth spurts. Jack put his arm around Grace's shoulder and steered her toward the house. "You can make the salad while I get the steaks ready, OK?"

Grace nodded in agreement, then sighed quietly and followed him back toward the front door. She really had wanted to talk to her mother…she had overheard some of the bigger girls talking on the bus yesterday morning and had an important question that she was dying to have answered. Just as they were about to enter the house, Grace turned to Jack, her patience over. "Daddy? Do you know anything about girls and…when they start to get breasts?"

Jack paled; so much for Grace saving the embarrassing questions for her mother. "Not a thing," he answered quickly, then firmly guided her into the house.

-----

Sam and Maddie returned forty minutes later; Sam looking tired and sweaty, Maddie elated. Aside from a scrape on her knee where she had fallen into a bush, the little girl had done quite well on her first outing. In fact, Maddie had managed to ride quite a ways on her own before tipping into said shrubbery along the sidewalk. The spill hadn't deterred her at all; in fact, it had only made her more determined to proceed.

Jack grinned at both of them when they walked into the kitchen. "Hey. How did it go?" he smirked at Sam when she shot him a look of exhaustion.

Maddie fairly bounced over to her father and took his hand in her two smaller, grubby ones. "I rided all by myself daddy! Mommy letted go and I rided a whole block by myself!"

Jack scrunched down in front of her, smiling as he brushed her blond curls off of her face. "That's fantastic, princess. I'm very proud of you. But you must be tired and hungry from all that riding! And I see you hurt yourself." He quirked an eyebrow at his wife, who shrugged her shoulder in response.

Maddie shook her head. "I's not tired, but mommy is." They both looked over toward Sam, who had sunk gratefully into a chair. "And my boo-boo doesn't really hurt at all!" she stated importantly as she looked down at her scraped knee.

"I'm glad to hear that, baby, but I still think we'd better get it cleaned up."

"I'll take her," Sam said wearily as she started to rise from her chair.

Jack smiled in sympathy this time as he got to his feet. He knew first hand how tiring it was running beside a bicycle for almost an hour. "You stay put for a while, mommy. We don't want you falling asleep in your dinner." The two girls giggled at that thought. Jack looked over at Grace, who was placing cherry tomatoes into the salad. "Grace? Can you help Maddie clean up for dinner and wash her knee? I'll put some antiseptic on it and a band-aid when you're done."

"OK, daddy. Come on, Maddie." Grace led her younger sister out of the kitchen and down to the bathroom to help her clean up for dinner. The adults could hear the two girls chattering all the way down the hallway.

"So," Jack said, coming toward his wife with a cold bottle of water. "Not the piece of cake you thought it would be, was it?"

Sam accepted the water gratefully. "God, Jack. She just doesn't slow down at all!" Gulping down the water, Sam closed her eyes as the cool water slid down her parched throat. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she continued, "Even after she fell into the bushes, she wanted to get right back on and keep going. I swear I've never seen anyone so determined before!"

Jack grinned, then leaned down and planted a kiss on Sam's head. "I have," he said quietly, then went back to preparing dinner. "Why don't you go take a shower? Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes."

Sam slowly got to her feet, moaning slightly at the stiffness that had descended into her legs. "That sounds good." She began to walk out of the kitchen when Jack called to her.

"Oh, just a heads up. Grace has another…question for you," he stated with a grimace.

Sam shook her head and chuckled. She knew what that statement had to mean! Hmm, is she was going to take over the bike riding lessons, maybe he should take over the "delicate" questions from their older daughter. She would have to explore that thought a little more closely…once she rested that was!

----

Thirty minutes later, the family was gathered around the table, enjoying dinner together. JJ had returned from Billy's house and was now being regaled with Maddie's bicycle riding accomplishments. The little girl could hardly sit still and eat; she was so excited to share her recent feat with the family. She even proudly showed off her scraped knee, now adorned with a Disney band-aid.

Jack and Sam were relaxing on the couch, half paying attention to the movie that the children were watching on TV, when the phone rang. Poppy's head came up from where it was resting on her paws and she looked curiously over at the offending instrument. Jack reached behind Sam to answer the phone. "O'Neill's" he said into the receiver. After a moment, he handed it to Sam. "For you. The SGC." His brows drew down in concern as he passed the phone to her.

"Carter," Sam immediately replied, knowing it must be important for her to be called at home on a weekend night. Jack watched closely as Sam listened, her own face reflecting her concern. She mumbled a few responses to questions, nodded, then stated, "All right, Major. I'll be there ASAP." She carefully hung up the phone and turned to Jack.

Quietly, so the children wouldn't overhear, she said, "I have to go. SG-9 had some trouble on…" she looked back to make sure the children were still absorbed in their movie. "Their mission."

Jack frowned, then got to his feet, pulling her along with him. When JJ looked up, he said with a smile, "Be right back. Just have to show your mom something." Keeping his hand in hers, Jack led her from the room and down the hall to their own bedroom. He pulled her in and closed the door. "What kind of trouble?" he stated without preamble.

Sam sighed. "Seems the temple they were exploring on P3Y-998 contained a Goa'uld force field and they are currently on the wrong side of it. Captain Stone is the only one on the outside, but he can't get it to shut down."

"So, you have to go there, right?" Jack asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Sam hadn't gone off world in months and, when she had, there had been no hint of the Goa'uld…or anyone else for that matter.

Sam raised her hand and caressed his cheek. "I'll be fine. I'm taking SG-3 with me, and Teal'c is going to meet us there." She leaned forward and brushed a kiss against his lips. "Aside from the fact that I can take care of myself Jack O'Neill, I don't think any of them will let anything happen to me…they'd never want to face you if it did," she smiled gently.

Jack's gaze narrowed. "That would not be a pretty sight," he agreed.

Sam chuckled softly. She knew Jack worried about her going off world, but she also knew he had all the faith in the world in her abilities. She leaned forward for one more kiss, this one more drawn out than the previous one. After several moments, Sam drew back reluctantly. "I'd better say good-bye to the kids. We need to head out as soon as we are briefed."

Jack stood by the door and watched as Sam gathered a few things into her bag. Finished, she turned to leave the room. Jack grabbed her wrist as she was moving past him. She looked at him curiously. She could tell he had something he wanted to say to her. Jack looked deeply into her eyes, a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Sam…be careful, OK?" he whispered quietly.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Always," she replied. She gave him one more kiss, before leaving to say good-bye to the children. Jack stood back and watched as she kissed the children good-bye, telling them that there was a little problem at work she had to go and take care of. She told them she'd be home as soon as possible. All three of them took the news in stride, for they were very used to one or the other of their parents being called to the mountain for something or other.

"Will you be back to help me ride more tomorrow, mommy?" Maddie asked, looking up from her spot on the floor. "I really wants to ride my bike again tomorrow."

Sam bent down and brushed a kiss against the soft curls. "I'll try really hard, OK Mads? But if I can't get home, you can still ride with daddy or JJ helping, right?"

The little nodded her head. "I likes to ride with you the best though, mommy." Maddie turned and gave her father an apologetic look, which Jack just smiled at and shrugged his shoulders. It was fine with him if Sam did all the running. He was perfectly content to watch from the porch while drinking a beer.

Sam took her leave, shooting her husband one more look of reassurance before she left the house. Jack settled back down on the couch, but could not concentrate on the movie. Poppy, sensing his mood, moved over and lay at his feet, her large brown eyes looking up at him in shared worry and understanding.

----

The shrill ringing of the phone woke Jack early the next morning. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was 0630…much too early for anyone but Sam to be calling. Picking up the phone, he mumbled, "Hey sexy."

A throat clearing could be heard, then a slightly amused voice saying, "Hello yourself, Jack."

Jack's eyes popped open, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Doc?"

A slight chuckle was followed by, "I take it you were expecting someone else."

Jack sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah. What's wrong?" He cut to the chase, for he knew Janet would not be making a social call at this time of morning.

The amusement died from her voice and she took a deep breath. "Jack, there was an…accident on the planet." Jack's heart stopped in his chest and he took a deep breath in order to calm himself and get his heart started again.

"Sam?" he croaked out, the calm not quite there.

"She's going to be OK," Janet hastened to reassure him. "Everyone got back in one piece… for the most part."

"Doc!" Jack growled out.

"Sam suffered a broken leg, Jack. When the force field came down, it also took a considerable amount of the temple with it. There are quite a few broken bones and contusions among both the rescue team and SG-9, but everyone will recover. I've set Sam's leg and given her pain meds. She's…kind of beat up, Jack, but she'll be fine. Teal'c is sitting with her, but I thought you would want to…"

She was interrupted. "I'll be there in 30 minutes. Have someone ready to watch the kids when I get there, OK?"

"You don't have to come that quickly, Jack. Sam will be…"

Again she was interrupted. "I said I'll be there in 30, Doc. Don't argue with me." Jack was out of bed and pulling clothes from the dresser. He heard Janet sigh over the phone.

"OK, Jack. I'll have someone waiting outside your room when you get here," Janet replied, knowing that she would not be able to dissuade him from coming to the mountain.

"Thanks," he abruptly replied before hanging up the phone.

In short order, Jack was dressed and had JJ and Grace up and dressed as well. He just told them that there had been an accident at work and mommy was hurt, but she would be fine. The two children looked at each other, faces etched with worry. Jack picked Maddie up from her bed, not even bothering to awaken her, and bundled all three of them into the car and drove off to the mountain.

The ride was quiet and subdued. Jack was lost in thought, worrying about his wife; Maddie was sleeping in her booster seat, oblivious to what was transpiring around her; and Grace and JJ shared worried, silent looks as the world passed by on their way to the mountain.


Sorry for the long delay - I haven't been feeling too inspired lately. That, along with the depleted reviews for the last two chapters, made me think I'd better start wrapping this up. I have one more chapter in mind that willfollow this one, regarding Sam's injury and recovery, then will have a culminating chapter that will cover many major events. Thanks to everyone who has been reading...there are well over 500 hits for each chapter...and especially to those of you who leave reviews...they make my day!