Part 7
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JANET
Sam was conscious by the time the general brought her into the infirmary, already protesting that she could walk by herself. He laid her gently down on the bed and started babbling about voices in Sam's head, mad scientists and sticky things on her neck.
"Sir! Calm down." I began enclosing her bed in curtains. "Now, General, if you will please leave us, I'd like to examine the colonel." I pushed him out of the space, a hand on his chest, and turned to Sam.
"Um, do you know…?" she asked, embarrassed. I nodded and her face crumpled as more tears slid down her face.
"Teal'c told me about what happened. I'm so sorry, Sam." My arms slipped around her and she held on for fear life. "Will you let me examine you now, Sam? I need to find out how much damage she caused." Sam nodded, sniffled and started taking off her stained BDUs.
Two bright red patches the size of an orange marred her abdomen. I ordered tests, performed my examinations, gave her something to help her sleep and settled my best friend down for some much-needed rest.
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DANIEL
General Hammond called us all, the four former members of SG-1 and Janet, into a debriefing the next morning. The sense of déjà vu was almost overpowering as I glanced around the table at my former colleagues. Despite the circumstances, everyone else seemed to be thinking the same.
Just like after a real mission, we each ran through the story for General Hammond and Janet, filling in the details I'd left out the previous day and the particulars of Jack's part of the adventure. Sam seemed particularly affected by the last part of the story, not that anyone would blame her. Jack's hand slipped into hers at this point in the story and she smiled gratefully at him.
I was amazed at the pictures Jack had taken of the villa and the mural over the fireplace, as well as shots of the world he'd passed through with Ninovan. Never before had I had the advantage of actual pictures of a site from the past. It was almost … spooky.
"Doctor, your report on the health of SG-1, please," Hammond ordered. It felt pretty good to hear us called that again.
"Yes, sir. General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson are in good physical condition, no injuries to report, nothing out of the ordinary. Teal'c has suffered a broken wrist, which appears to be healing, if somewhat slower than I would expect for a Jaffa." She paused for breath and Sam spoke up.
"Sir, that would be because he no longer has a Goa'uld symbiote. He now has a symbiote from P3X-888, the world on which the primitive form of the Goa'uld evolved."
Teal'c merely sat, stoic as ever, eyebrow raised, while Janet and both generals gaped at him. At his continued silence, I filled in the missing bit of information.
"He, uh, gave his Goa'uld symbiote to Drey'ac when hers matured and she would have died without it. The primitive symbiote was his only alternative without sacrificing another Jaffa." Teal'c nodded in agreement with my assessment. "Unfortunately, we didn't know this until he'd broken his wrist during our … arrival at Vesca City."
Janet blinked a couple of times in amazement at the ongoing saga of SG-1 and continued her report. "Otherwise, Teal'c is in good health. I would, however, like to keep a closer eye on him over the next few weeks to make sure his new … symbiote is fulfilling his body's needs." She paused as though gathering her courage and looked down at the folder in front of her, as though reading from her notes.
"Colonel Carter has sustained significant cellular damage in her abdomen due to the method used for extraction of her ova. There are hundreds of micro-tears in her ovaries, abdominal wall, the surrounding tissue and her epidermis, apparently caused when The Ancient woman, Ama, removed the colonel's ova. Fortunately, these tears will heal, leaving no permanent tissue damage. The unfortunate part is that there are no ova left. Ama took every one. I'm sorry, Sam." I could see that Janet was near tears. Not unexpectedly, it was Sam who went to her rescue. The two women hugged and exchanged wan smiles.
"It's … really no worse than I expected," Sam said, her face a blank slate.
Janet cleared her throat and drew a deep breath before continuing. "The voices that tormented the colonel so badly were a product of the translation device. Ama must have programmed it to replay her words for some sort of sick revenge or harassment. We may never know her motives. I would recommend counseling … for both Colonel Carter and General O'Neill." Jack groaned and dropped his head to lie in his hands. "This injury affects them both profoundly and both will have to cope with the effects to themselves and each other."
"I agree, Doctor. Please make the arrangements," General Hammond replied firmly, staring pointedly at Jack.
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HAMMOND
At least I had some good news on which to end the meeting. I glanced around the room to be sure of everyone's attention, and then faced Colonel Carter.
"Colonel, I received an answer regarding your last request before you all left the base so precipitously."
She asked, her body tense, "What was the answer, sir?"
"The President and the project management have agreed to your request, with a few stipulations, of course." She nodded her understanding. "I've already briefly discussed the idea with General O'Neill while you were in the infirmary and he enthusiastically concurs. Why don't you tell your teammate about your idea?" I offered. She threw a brilliant smile at her fiancée and turned to Teal'c
"Teal'c, you said the Jaffa rebellion needs a home base now that K'tano betrayed your other base to Yu," she said.
"Indeed," intoned our Jaffa friend.
"Well, I would like to offer you and the rebels the valley north of the base as a home for your families and a place to train. It's large enough to provide space for several times the number of families and Jaffa soldiers that we saw on Cal Mah. What do you think of the idea?"
For the first time since I'd known him, Teal'c looked genuinely moved. "I … I am honored by your most generous offer, ColonelCarter. I believe I may safely accept on the behalf of Master Bra'tac and the other rebel leaders."
The colonel beamed at him happily and then turned to me. "Sir, you mentioned stipulations."
"Yes, I don't think you'll find them onerous, Teal'c. First, in case of any attack on Eden, we require that all Jaffa on Eden participate in the defense under the command of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter."
"That is a quite reasonable requirement, sir. I agree." I smiled at Teal'c.
"Second, we require that you use another planet for staging any attacks on the Goa'uld rather than leaving directly from Eden. We hope to keep Eden a safe haven for humans, Jaffa and their families. Does that pose any problem?"
"No, General Hammond. This also is a wise precaution and will not be opposed by the rebel leadership." We discussed the logistics for a few minutes and I dismissed everyone, slightly happier than when we'd begun.
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SAM
The next four weeks were frantically busy with twice-weekly appointments with MacKenzie, preparations for the wedding and my regular workload. To top it all off, I hadn't been sleeping well. When Jack wasn't there to hold me, nightmares filled with singing flowers and mad scientists plagued my sleep, so I spent half of my 18-hour days in an exhausted haze. Finally, General Hammond, bless him, sent me another assistant, a Major Julia Grayson, to supplement my staff and I was able to cut my workday down to 16 hours.
Jack's streak of bad luck with foundations at the colony site had ended, and both the power plant and recycling plant were well under way. With things going well, he made a real effort to be home at night more often.
Teal'c had spent all of his time with the remaining rebel leaders and their families, preparing for the move to Eden. We communicated details and updates periodically. Our offer had generated quite a lot of excitement in their followers, even a little hope.
Daniel was like a kid in a candy store. Hammond put him in charge of the excavation of the villa. I had directed my tech staff to begin a new planetary survey using our satellite. Collecting and analyzing the data was the work of months, so an answer to whether Vescans still lived there was still a long way off at that point. The project was supposed to have been secret, but such secrets are fleeting, at best, and soon most of the base personnel were aware of the possibility of Vescan natives. Speculation was rife about whether we'd have to leave if they were still here.
My sessions with Doctor MacKenzie were actually quite helpful once I got over my initial aversion to the man. He never quite got on as well with Jack, unfortunately. Gradually, the ache in my heart lessened with work, and a lot of help from Jack and my friends.
With my team's help, I was able to download the data from the translation device and translate much of it into English. Under hypnosis I was able to recite back Ama's story and the things she implanted in the recording. It went something like this. "You will have no more luck with your love than I had with mine. Despite being the love of his life, his feeling for me lasted no longer than it took for him to learn that I was barren due to an illness in my youth. The man I had lived for sold me to the streets and took another wife who could give him children. It took me many months to gain the eye of a man of my mate's race and prove to him that I was more than an ignorant native. He took me as his mistress while I learned everything I could about their science. I took his discoveries in genetics and presented them to Degataga as my own. The fool immediately married me to keep the knowledge from his competitors."
A sad, cynical story, not that it made me hate her any less. At least MacKenzie had helped me look at the whole thing more dispassionately. By the week of our wedding, I had almost forgotten about my "disability."
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DANIEL
Along with a select few of the wedding guests, I arrived at the base a day ahead for the pre-wedding festivities. With two of my best friends getting married to each other – finally – there was no way I'd miss a minute of the fun, even if I did have to wear a tux for the ceremony.
I arrived in time to meet Janet and Cassie at the Stargate, bearing a huge load of boxes. Both greeted me enthusiastically. I couldn't believe how grown up Cassie was at eighteen. Having by now driven a few of the electrical carts myself, I escorted the Frasier women and their goods to Eden Base.
"It's still pretty muddy from all the rain we've been having," I explained as we drove the mile or two. The maintenance crew refreshed the roughly paved road periodically with tar and gravel, but the shoulders of the "highway" were strips of mud and vegetation. The plant life was slowly returning to life after the extended winter on Eden, something I didn't look forward to in 12 months or so.
Cassie pointed out some of the early flowering plants enthusiastically. "Has anyone investigated the medicinal properties of these plants, Daniel? My biochemistry teacher would kill to get his hands on these."
"I'm sure Sam has people working on it," her mom responded, grinning at the girl's single-minded focus on her favorite studies.
"Well, I'd sure like to work with them. Think she could get me a summer internship here before I go off to college, Mom, Daniel?"
"We'll see what we can do, honey," Janet said patiently as she rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Daniel, is everything under control here for the wedding? Neither of them panicking yet?"
"Not so far, though Sam is nervous enough for two brides with all the brass and dignitaries coming. Thor, half the Joint Chiefs, some of the Tok'ra, including Jacob, Teal'c's family and Bra'tac are all coming, plus a representative of half the allies we've made over the years. Somehow, their simple wedding has turned into an intergalactic diplomatic event." I glanced at Cassie and Janet and added, "She'll be very happy to see you two."
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JANET
Sam was very much in need of a little female support. Being the base commander didn't make it too easy for her to find close friends among her subordinates. Cassie and I quickly settled into the BOQ room they assigned us. An airman was available to show us to Sam's office. I walked in to find her, very harried and surrounded by people, all demanding bits of her time.
"Stop! Stop what you're doing right now. Colonel Carter has things to do that are more important than anything else is. Shoo, get, go!" I waved them off using my years of experience as a doctor to intimidate the group into leaving. A couple of supplicants for her attention threw angry looks my way, along with a grin or two from the two women in the group. They helped herd the men out and closed the door behind them.
"Well, I can see it's a good thing we got here when we did. They'd still be harassing you right up the aisle if we hadn't chased them out."
Sam grinned and stood to embrace us both. "I miss you both so much. Sure you two don't want to move here? With Daniel here, you could have a full time job, Janet." I grinned back, remembering many of the times when he had taxed my medical knowledge and instincts.
"Very sure. You have a very competent physician in Doctor Ferris. Now, we have a ton of things to do for tonight and tomorrow. Let's hop to it," I snapped.
"Yes, ma'am!" my friend, the colonel replied, grinning broadly. The three of us worked all afternoon on the decorations for the reception, flower arrangements and final details on our dresses. Gradually, other women - airmen, lab techs and scientists – joined us until the office filled and we overflowed into Eric's office. Someone brought a few bottles of wine and the party was under way.
The party that night was less congenial, but there was certainly a lot more flirting. There's nothing like a wedding to put people in the mood for romance. However, Sam and Jack had eyes for only each other. They held hands all evening and slipped away as early as possible, under the amused eyes of Generals Hammond and Carter.
"Mo-om! Shouldn't we separate them tonight? It's the night before their wedding after all," Cassie urged
"Sure, you go right ahead; try to pry that pair apart. Cassie, they're special. The rules can't always apply to them." She nodded, almost sadly.
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CASSIE
The day of the wedding started awfully – rainy, the sky filled with angry gray clouds, ready to deposit their surplus of H2O on the festivities - stupid weather. On Hanka, we had always held weddings in summer time, when we could almost guarantee the weather would be perfect for a celebration outdoors. Tau'ri always expected the universe to conform to their desires. For once, they, we, weren't disappointed. By mid-morning, the leaden haze lifted and the periwinkle sky of Eden held its own against the attempts of the weather gods to be party poopers.
The base common was festooned with tons of flowers brought from Earth, the Land of Light and two other worlds. The native trees had even put on a show for the event. They boasted clumps of blue and purple flowers on their spindly branches. Rows of chairs of varying sizes and shapes to accommodate the various physiologies of the wedding guests flanked the center aisle up to the old-fashioned bandstand that cleverly disguised the base ring platform.
Mom, Sam and I, along with half a dozen other women who wanted to help send off their commander in style, fussed and primped, tugged and pinned until the three of us were, by consensus, declared perfect. She was a goddess in her cream satin gown with its short train and modest lace veil. Mom was gorgeous, too, in her green version of the same design, minus the train and veil. The neckline draped gracefully like a Grecian gown; the waist was high and flowed down to mold itself against every curve. The bride was a cross between a Greek goddess and a Hollywood starlet of the '30s.
Her golden hair, longer than in her field days, was pinned up, a silver cord held the curls back from her radiant face. Jack was a goner, no doubt about it. When he got one look at her glowing face as Jacob walked Sam down that aisle, there was no other woman in the universe for him. We just didn't exist. I hoped someday that a man would love me that much.
Jack was pretty yummy himself, despite his age. Hey, I was only eighteen; what did I know? The black tuxedo molded itself perfectly to his broad shoulders and chest, narrow waist and hips. For once, he outshone the oh-so-handsome Doctor Jackson as he and Teal'c stood beside Jack, watching us march toward them.
They used traditional vows. Much of the entire celebration was traditional, in part I thought, because of all of the extra-terrestrial guests, in part, too, because of their non-traditional lifestyle. I suspected that they yearned to be the picture perfect couple with a white picket fence, a dog and two flawless children. That ceremony was as close they could get.
They exchanged diamond-studded wedding rings. The stones had come from the leftovers from her engagement ring. Jack had confided to me that there was enough left for at least ten years of anniversary gifts.
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SAM
Well, it was official. We were finally married. I was married to the man I'd been in love with for over six years, and he looked kinda happy about it, too. We walked hand in hand from the common to the mess hall, where I knew Sergeant Bodine and his team had been working miracles.
Flowers and flowering plants softened the normally echoing room. Starched white table clothes made the utilitarian tables elegant. A huge cake graced the main table. Bodine had promised me chocolate and, boy, had he delivered – chocolate genoise cake alternately layered with chocolate espresso fudge and raspberry fillings, wrapped in white chocolate. Spun-sugar flowers decorated the top and sides and surrounded the two military action figures on top. The very best part was that the confection was incredible, scrumptious, and addictive. I told Jack to remind me later to put the man in for a promotion, maybe even a medal.
We danced almost every dance together. Jack glared fiercely at every other man who came anywhere near us, except my father and General Hammond. One got a little too persistent and Jack planted a hand on the man's shoulder, pushing him away. He growled, "Mine! Go get your own girl." I must admit I found the whole thing incredibly endearing.
The cake cutting was predictably messy with Jack involved. The champagne was expensive and worth every cent. Even Thor tried some. He pronounced it "a praiseworthy beverage."
The evening wound down toward the much-dreaded speeches. Most were mercifully short. My father, however, took his time, telling embarrassing stories of my childhood and summers spent at the beach. Finally, he came to the point.
"I am very honored that my friend George Hammond and the President of the United States have allowed me to present their wedding gift to the newlyweds." Jack and I exchanged wary glances at this statement. "The hard working, some may say over-achieving, pair have allowed themselves a measly week for their loooong awaited honeymoon." This got hoots of laughter from a few of the longer-term SGC members, especially a slightly tipsy pair. Daniel and Sergeant Siler whispered and giggled loudly about having the share their winnings in the wedding pool. Dad shot a glare in their direction and continued. "So, in order that they might have a decent honeymoon, General Hammond has extended their time off by two weeks."
Jack and I both opened our mouths to protest, but were cut off by our commanding officer. "Don't worry, we've arranged for you to be covered while you're gone. Life on Eden will go on without you."
Smirking widely, Dad continued, "And, since they only have accommodations reserved on Maui for one week, the President has arranged with a friend of his for the honeymooners to stay in a private beachside cottage for the remaining two weeks." Amid some rather embarrassing comments thrown out by guests and lots of loud applause, I stood to hug my beaming father and commander.
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JACK
Yes! The black bikini was so worth waiting for, even though I'd seen the whole package before with nothing on. A pretty spectacular package it was, too. What was it about two little scraps of cloth covering the most interesting bits on a woman that so intrigues men?
Our time on Maui was magical. We hiked past dramatic sea cliffs and lunar landscapes of bizarre rock formations, through tropical forests of bamboo, under waterfalls and canopies of guava trees. On a couple of days, we rented bikes and toured the back roads of the island; others, we prowled the art galleries of Paia, snorkeled off the coast or paddled kayaks near the "cottage."
"Jack, do we really have to go home? Can we just stay here, on the beach, for the rest of our lives?" Sam asked as we lounged by the pool, sipping cool tropical drinks delivered by the housekeeper.
"Tempting, isn't it? Think Hammond would balk if we FAXed him our resignations?"
"I think he'd send a squadron of Marines after us." She laughed, one of my favorite sounds in the universe.
"There any tropical areas on Eden, maybe an unspoiled beach or two?" I rolled to my side on the lounge chair to face her, a sappy grin on my face, the same grin that always seemed to appear when I looked at her these days.
Sam stood up gracefully, yards of gorgeous legs and luscious body barely covered by the colorful Hawaiian print wrap she wore, and walked over to sit on my chaise. I scooted over so she could recline next to me on the narrow surface. She reached behind the chair and, suddenly, we were lying flat after the chair back collapsed.
"Whatcha doing, Sam?" I asked, half-seriously, as she wound herself around me, her hand stroking some very interesting places, long legs intertwining with mine.
Between heated kisses, she replied, "Having my way with you. I am on my honeymoon, after all."
My brain was barely functional, but I managed to choke out, "Um, what if the housekeeper comes out here?"
Her breath was breathy and deep as she whispered in my ear, "Let her get her own guy. I finally got mine."
The End - Almost