Three months later:

Sam was working in the labs, running computer models on the energy output that they could expect from their new naquadah reactors. She was grateful that Jack, Janet and General Hammond had been fairly lax in their policy on maternity stand down. As long as she was getting plenty of food, rest, and exercise, they were happy. And, she tried to do just that. After all, Junior made it a little hard to focus solely on her work.

So, when her back started complaining, she didn't think anything about it. She simply retreated to the chair. However, after what felt like a few hours, the chair wasn't helping either. She got up and stretched. That felt good, she concluded. She looked at her watch and noticed that she'd only been working for about an hour since she'd opted for the chair. And this back pain wasn't constant either. It pulsed every few minutes.

Deep in the pit of her stomach, she had the sinking feeling that she was in the early stages of labor. She reached for the phone. "General Hammond? I'd like to take the rest of the day off." She said, calmly.

"Is everything okay, Doctor?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I'm just tired. And we did agree that starting last week, per Janet's orders, I was to work only as much as I wanted to."

"I believe her exact words were only a couple of hours a day."

She grinned. "Yeah. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to take myself off the roster for today."

"Of course."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself."

"Yes, sir."

She hung up the phone and walked down the hall to Daniel's lab. He was studying some of the artifacts that SG-9 had brought back from their latest mission. "Hey, Daniel." She said, both hands on her back as another wave of pain flooded over her.

"Hey Sam." He said, barely looking up. "How're the naquadah models coming?"

"They're great." She said smiling. "It looks like they'll exceed our initial predictions for energy output. Thanks for asking."

"No problem."

"What are you working on?"

"Oh…just trying to cross-reference the artifacts that SG-9 brought back with some articles found on a dig in Egypt last year. It looks like they're really similar stuff."

"Great."

"Yeah." He said, still hunched over the relics.

"You want to be left alone." She said, perceptively.

"No, Sam…it's just…this is fascinating stuff!"

She nodded. "I know, Daniel. Enjoy your rocks."

As she left the room, she heard the archaeologist mutter: "They're artifacts. Not rocks."

She walked toward Teal'c's quarters. She found the Jaffa sitting and doing a session of kelnoreem. She swallowed. Knowing a part of what lay ahead, she could probably use the extra session of meditation. "Teal'c, mind if I join you for a little while?" She asked, knocking on the door.

He nodded to motion for her to sit down. She struggled to get into the correct position and let the scent of the candles relax her every muscle. Suddenly, a shooting pain caught her by surprise. Yep…this was probably labor.

She took some deep breaths, mentally timing each pain so that she could breathe with them instead of against them. She found herself relaxing into a rhythm. In this state of meditation, she was more able to listen to her body, and knowing what it was saying made her a lot less anxious about the uncharted territory ahead. It was a few hours later before she decided that she probably needed to get herself checked into the infirmary and to tell Jack that it was time.

"Thanks, Teal'c." She said, as she struggled to get up.

He helped her up. "You are welcome, Samantha Carter O'Neill. You seem to have more deeply understood the ritual of kelnoreem this day." He said, proudly.

That's because I had something physical to commune with, she thought to herself.

"Thanks, Teal'c."

He bowed as she left.

She walked toward Jack's office, but stopped. He never used his office, she remembered. She walked up to General Hammond's office and knocked on the door. "Sir?" She asked as he motioned for her to enter.

"I thought you were going home, Doctor." He said, puzzled.

She smiled. "I just asked for the day off. I've spent the day with Daniel and Teal'c and was wondering if you've seen my husband anywhere."

"I think he was running the training session with some of the new recruits from the Air Force Academy."

Her heart sank. "That was today, wasn't it?" She asked.

"Yes, but I can have him replaced for the next few days if you'd like."

She bit her lip. "I think that would be wise, sir." She said, evenly.

"All right. I'll have Major Mansfield take over."

She smiled. "Thank you. If you'll tell Jack that I'll be in our quarters, I'd appreciate it."

"Okay."

--

Two hours later, Sam was positive that she was in labor. Each contraction would hit about every five minutes, and as she laid on the queen-sized bed, she tried to continue her little mental exercises that had helped earlier. It was really just a matter of remembering to breathe and the timing of those breaths in relation with each contraction, and for some reason, it helped ease the pain a little.

Suddenly, the door opened and Jack walked into the room. "Sam…are you…?" He happened to catch her in the middle of a contraction, and he panicked.

"Let's go." He said, grabbing her little bag that had been packed by the door.

She took a deep breath. "Yeah. Just give me a minute to get off the bed."

He helped her and they walked down to the infirmary together. "Doc!" He called as they reached the doors of the infirmary.

Janet dropped everything and guided Sam to a cot. "How long have you been feeling contractions?"

She thought for a moment, trying to clear her head. "They started around 0900."

Janet looked at her watch. "It's 1940. What have you been doing all this time?"

"I worked on computer simulations for the naquadah reactors, saw Daniel, meditated with Teal'c…all in all…normal stuff."

Janet shook her head. She would never truly understand her friend. All she needed to know was that Sam had been in varying stages of labor for nearly eleven hours. "Okay, we've still got a little time, but let's double check to make sure.

--

Five hours later:

"Come on, Sam! Push! One more should do it." Janet said, with a look of determination on her face.

Sam, who was gripping the bedpost and Jack's arm like there was no tomorrow, pushed one more time when the cries of a healthy baby filled the isolation room.

Janet, who now had tiny tears of happiness slipping down her cheeks, lifted the baby up for the couple to see. "It's a girl."

Sam began crying and Jack kissed her forehead. "We have a little girl." He whispered closely to her ear.

She closed her eyes and put her hand on his cheek and gave him a little bit of an embrace. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too."

Within a few moments, Gracelyn "Grace" Thea O'Neill was placed in her mother's arms.

"So, a year on a deserted alien planet…worth it?" Daniel asked, walking into the isolation room alongside Teal'c, General Hammond, and Jacob.

"Wasn't such a bad year." Jack commented, leaving that to answer any questions that any of the others might have possibly had in their minds.

"A wish come true." Sam said with a smile.