Authors Notes
-I apologize for not updating sooner, I was going to update yesterday but was down
- I am so panicked now! I have spent most of my hols writing Serendipity, I go back next Thursday and I havnt done half my homework! Well I did some art at 3:00 in the morning but I was supposed to do a lot more than I have done…
- There are 5 chapters left of this before the sequel so the baby is coming soon! I am actually quite excited about writing that chapter but still slightly nervous coz I don't want it to be really cliché or anything, I suppose the best I can do is give it my best shot
-at the end of the story I will be giving massive thanx to all regular reviewers and the many people who have supported me in the writing of this fic, it is my best piece of writing to date!
-----------------------------------------------
Chapter 16 – Promise of Home
To say it was a rough night would be an understatement. They said that using a healing device wouldn't have any effect, they said if she was going to pull out of this she would have to do it on her own, they said she needed time…He felt like screaming at her - Samantha Carter you say it so much one could think it as an excuse, time is precious, you need to take every moment, savor ever kiss because one day time will inevitably run out…then you will not be the only one who regrets the fact you took your time for granted. He held her hand, in a way wishing it could make those beautiful eyes open…if- no- when they did he would be the first thing she saw, the only thing she saw. Then he would kiss her and apologize for not being there, she would forgive him, tears in her eyes she would hold his hand back…it had happened many times but each time he found he had wandered into a twilight zone where no rest was gained but your own mind comforted you with honey sweet dreams and desires.
The hours dawdled and many passed in a state of delirium, perhaps something to do with the amount of coffee he had consumed over the past few days, it was his trutonin, a sharp jab whenever he was feeling the morning was just too much, like this morning, this morning everything was too much.
Sam had been unconscious so many times…this was the worst. Usually he would either be joining her for a guest spot in the infirmary or he had something to shoot at to take his mind off how serious the situation was. Now she was just clawing at his insides, eluding him for hours, making him suffer for what he had done, how he had left her behind…he never left a person behind, he had run into a battle situation with much less at stake but now… now he was finding it hard to find veracity in Daniel's words, now he could not see any propriety in his own code of honor, maybe he was right, he never left a man behind, but he did leave a woman…he left her.
'Jack?' The call came on the edge of hysteria as tearful eyes opened and her grip on his hand tightened
'I'm here,' he whispered, he reached forward and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face 'You know…I think this is becoming a habit,'
Far from the laugh he expected tears began to roll down her cheeks silently, Jack assisted her as she reached forward for a hug
'I was alone, all alone,' she sobbed 'Nirrti did horrible things, I thought I was going to die, I thought I would never see you again, I thought you had left me behind…' Jack did not know what to say to redeem himself so he just held her, he held her as anguish depleted her words into sobs and wracked her frail body, he held her as unspeakable horrors flooded back to her, he held her because there was nothing more he could do, nothing more than let her cry the pain away.
Eventually the sobs subdued and her body rested against Jack's. She could feel his heart beat steadily as he embraced her as if he held his world
'I'm so sorry,' he whispered, his tone begging for forgiveness as much as his words, she pulled away from their embrace to gaze into his eyes, she placed a finger on his lips as he tried to speak and as she drew it away she leant forward to kiss him…is there a way to describe a kiss? Words can only tell you half of the exchange, you can describe the way the tongues meet and dance across each other in sweeping moments that leave her lost in his embrace, you can describe how her hand rests on his cheek and he leans to her touch, you can describe for how that moment they forget the world…but that doesn't even begin to explain it.
Neither Sam nor Jack realized that Daniel, Janet and Jacob had already peered into the room and made a swift exit, they were still deep in each other's eyes as he promised never to leave her again.
Sam's body was still weak and Jack was forced to return her to lying position as her muscles began to ache; finding compromise he took off his boots and lay on the bed next to her – being a rather small bed she shuffled over to allow him room to lay on his side and prop his head up with his elbow. He caressed her arm gently with his finger as she confessed her worries
'I don't think I can do this anymore Jack,' her voice was hoarse from sobbing but Jack still thought it was soft and beautiful despite sounding slightly croaky
'Do what?' he asked as he nuzzled into her neck and planted soft kisses slowly up to her cheek, she giggled before responding more seriously
'I don't think I could keep going through the gate if I am going to get into situations like this, I don't want our baby to be left an orphan because we decide to walk into a trap…I don't even want to start on the amount of missions where strange things have happened or one of us has been on the brink of death,'
'Well don't ask Daniel in to list them, he won't shut up,' a joke masked serious thoughts, Sam had not been the only one to think of this, it had crossed his mind many times, especially since Sam had mentioned it in a previous argument about their relationship
'I love my job, I love working with SG1-' Sam paused thinking of how best to paraphrase Nirrti's little speech about the baby 'When I was first captured by Nirrti she told me about how the baby was the Hak'tar…she said that with your ancient genes and my experience with Jolinar the baby was going to be special, how can we manage a baby who could one day change the balance of the universe and saving the universe at the same time?' Jack looked to her hand and linked his fingers with hers once more
'Wanna throw an easier one at me?' he smiled his eyes resting on Sam's again 'How about the meaning of life?'
Sam's laugh turned into a sigh as she tried to move but was unsuccessful
'I'm so tired all of the time and so weak, even once I had been in the sarcophagus Jai'ac had to support me or I fell down like a card castle,'
'Well I'm no doctor but I'd guess it's the baby, you have been through a lot so your bound to be tired, add that to looking after a growing child and you're probably gonna be left as a hand puppet for a couple of days,' Jack's focus left Sam as Daniel entered the infirmary
'I hate to tear you guys away from each other but General Hammond is coming, Janet is stalling but you might not want to look like Sam is about to have your baby when he enters the room,'
'Whoa!' Sam looked back to a now vacant space next to her and laughed as she realized Jack had fallen off of the bed
'General Hammond,' Daniel signaled the arrival of the only one not in on the secret
'Shoelaces all tied!' Much to the General's surprise Jack appeared next to Sam 'Oh, sir hi! How's it going?'
'Good thank you Colonel…' Sam and Daniel had to suppress a smile at Hammond's alarmed expression 'And Major, how are you?'
'I'm…' Sam cast a look towards Jack 'better sir, thanks. Still feeling a bit weak,'
'Okay, well I hope you make a speedy recovery,' Hammond cast a suspicious look to each occupant of the room before taking his leave, once satisfied General Hammond was far from the infirmary, Sam, Jack and Daniel burst out laughing, Sam feeling better than she had in months, she was home, safe and loved, Nirrti was locked up in a Tok'ra cell and despite nerves at being the mother of the next big thing to happen in the universe she was glad she had only hit the halfway marker of the pregnancy, there was still at least 4 months to figure things out…wisely, she decided not to jinx herself by asking what could possibly go wrong…