Chapter 5
I bring you a new update on this story. There is still one more chapter. I hope you enjoy this one very much.
Warning: this chapter is full of heartbreak and the death of a character.
As always, I appreciate everyone's support and especially my beta Denyse. (dpdp).
Enjoy
Sam stood there for a long moment, going over in her head what had just happened.
She did not know what to do, she had to prioritize her thoughts.
Resolutely she headed to the general's office, she urgently needed to speak to him.
When she arrived at his office, she found the door open but no one inside.
Mentally kicking herself, she headed for the command room.
S: Walter, do you know where General O'Neill is?
W: He left the mountain, Colonel, I think he was accompanied by his daughter.
S: Damn! She muttered. Thank you, Sergeant.
Sam turned around and headed for the locker room, moments later she left the base, and headed for her house.
What was he thinking? She told herself. What was she trying to tell him? She did not even know if it was the right thing to do. She had hidden all those feelings for years and had never acted accordingly due to the rules. She knew that he also once felt something, maybe he only cared about her because he was his superior.
Without knowing how she really did it, she had come to her house. Sam turned off the engine and sat for a moment with her head on the steering wheel.
Taking a long, deep breath, she got down and walked to her house.
Upon entering the feeling was not the usual. Truth be told, she had never had a problem with loneliness, but this time she felt overwhelmed.
She left the keys, and went to her room, she needed a long shower.
After dressing in a pair of pajamas, she sat on her couch with a steaming cup of coffee, going over and over the events of the past few days in her head.
A daughter from the future, a future she did not believe she could ever have, a beautiful and intelligent daughter who resembled her father, a man she had secretly loved for a long time.
A soft knock on her door snapped her out of the wave of thoughts and feelings that had washed over her. She went to see who it was that had disturbed her peace. She just hoped it wasn't Pete.
When she opened the door, she saw a young woman with a smile that illuminated the entire universe, and next to her a man holding a pizza box and a pack of beers.
J: Hi Carter.
S: Sir? What are you doing here?
J: You know ... we were in the area, and Grace wanted to see your house.
G: We are lucky you were here. (she said with a crooked smile.)
G: Are you going to let us pass mom? (she said amused)
J: Yes Carter, the pizza is getting cold… (craning his neck to see behind her) unless you already have her company.
S: Oh! No sir, come in ...
Carter stepped aside allowing them to enter, Grace was amazed and the first thing she did was walk to the library.
While the General put the beer in the refrigerator, and the pizza on the kitchen counter.
G: Wow mom! This library is amazing! A first addition in 'General Relativity' by Bernard Schutz, 'Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the General Theory of Relativity' by Steven Weinberg, and 'Black Holes and Little Universes' by Stephen Hawking.
I can't believe it!
Sam stared at the young woman with a tender smile on her face, suddenly she felt a presence right next to her, but she knew who it was, so she didn't look at him.
J: I think, Grace has found something to entertain herself with, without a doubt she is just as smart as her mother.
At that moment she really looked at him for the first time since she had arrived. Their gazes met, expressing things without the need for words.
Her little bubble burst when she heard a young girl's amused voice.
G: Hey… do you think we can have dinner now?
S: Sure… (she said lowering her head with a slight redness on her cheeks) Sir, make yourself comfortable, (looking at the girl) Grace will you help me in the kitchen?
O´Neill sat himself comfortably on the sofa with a beer in hand. While Sam and Grace went to the kitchen for utensils and dinner.
G: What was that there? (she said pointing with her head in the direction of the room)
S: What was what? (she said blushing slightly)
G: Oh … come on mom, you know you can't hide anything from me, I know you too well.
S: I don't know what you're talking about Grace ...
G: You know ... when she was little, she used to stare at them, immersed in her world, expressing everything without the need for words. (a slight crooked smile appeared on her face) I never saw a love like that ... (with a sad look) I am not saying it was easy for either of them, but they made it work ... I miss them (she said lowering her head and shedding tears).
S: Oh… little… (approaching Grace and taking her in her arms) I am sorry… I know this must be difficult for you.
G: I don't want to lose them ...
At that moment, Jack appeared in the kitchen.
J: Hey ... (becoming speechless when he sees the two women) are you good?
G: (wiping tears) Yes, we are fine.
The three of them stared at each other for a moment, the sensation of this picture felt so normal, so every day.
But the moment was abruptly broken when young Grace fell to the ground with a cry and doubled over in pain.
They both pounced on her.
S: Grace! Baby talk to me ...
J: Grace! Come on baby ...
The young woman convulsed and fell into a deep sleep.
J: Carter! (he said with fear in his voice) We need to get her to the base, she needs Janet.
S: Yes ... sure, come on ...
J: Err. Carter ... you're in ...
S: I know sir, I have clothes at the base, Grace's health comes first.
J: I know ... okay, let's go ...
Jack took the girl in his arms, Sam put on a coat, and got in Jack's truck, then sped up the mountain.
Already in the infirmary, Dr. Fraiser was reviewing the first studies carried out on Grace.
Sam and Jack paced the hallway like caged lions.
At that moment, Janet indicated that it would be better if they went to her office to give them an update on Grace's condition.
They all took their seats and Janet proceeded to explain the girl's condition in detail.
JA: Grace's condition has drastically worsened, her organs are failing her ... she will soon fall into an irreversible coma ... or ... (unable to say the worst) sorry ...
J: There must be something Doc that we can do. Please…
JA: I am sorry General, but there is nothing that can be done, she does not belong to this time. The consequences of it are catching up with her.
Sam hadn't said anything, she only heard Janet's voice in the distance. Without warning she got up from her seat and went to the isolation room where Grace was.
Only O'Neill saw her go.
J: Doc, please ... don't let her feel pain ...
JA: I know sir… I'm sorry about her… she doesn't have much time remaining. I'm going to leave you two alone with her.
J: Thank you Janet
O'Neill appeared at the door of the isolation room and stared for a moment at the two women who meant so much to him.
Sam was sitting silently looking at the sleeping girl in bed, holding her hand, and with tears running down her face. He had never seen her like this, Carter was an exceptional soldier, strong, determined, intelligent, and as tough as anyone, I loved that about her.
He slowly approached to where they were, then stood watching her in silence.
After a moment Sam spoke.
S: What are we going to do?
J: according to Janet we can't do anything, her time here is over, we just… have to make these moments the calmest for her, and prepare for… (without knowing how to finish the sentence)
S: It's just that I don't want to lose her.
J: I know ... neither do I ... I'm sorry Sam ...
For the first time in a long time, she heard him pronounce her name, and instinctively she held out her hand, which he took without hesitation.
They were lost for a moment in each other's gaze, until they heard a whisper coming from the bed next to her.
G: Dad… mom…
J: Here we are honey.
S: Easy, Grace ... try to rest, I'll go call Janet.
G: No ... not much … left, I can feel it.
S: Don't say that, we will do something (with a sob in her voice)
G: There is nothing we can do. We both know that ... I just want to ask you something ...
J: Whatever, you just need to stay calm little one.
G: Dad… I need you to take care of Mom, we both know that when she finds a new toy she gets carried away and can stop eating and sleeping for day without realizing it.
Jack smiled, and looked at Sam, who looked down from him.
G: Mom ... let Dad take care of you and don't argue with him, and consider his invitation to the cabin, you will love the place.
Now it was Sam's turn to look at Jack, who returned a sad but hopeful smile.
G: And finally ... love each other ... your love is the greatest thing I have ever seen, and yes! ... I am not saying that you will not encounter obstacles, because there will be many, but please do not give up what you have right in front of your eyes ... I want you to know that I love you ...
S: We love you too ... (he said with tears in his eyes)
At that moment, the heart monitor began to sound an alarm, and young Grace began to convulse. Sam pulled away from her abruptly and standing up from her place in the chair. Immediately Jack pulled her closer to him and ran his hand over her shoulders, to let her know that she was there.
Janet appeared running with a couple of nurses while she gave them directions.
A moment later the alarm on the monitor indicated that Grace's life was gone.
The nurses covered her, and Janet unplugged the machines from her.
Sam broke down in a deep sob and Jack held her against his chest.
A few moments later the lifeless body of the young woman disappeared, and her bed was empty, as if nothing had ever existed.
The following days were unbearable, the air at the base was thick.
Carter spent her time locked in her laboratory without speaking to anyone, immersed in the pieces of technology, she had asked for a momentary discharge from SG1. To which O'Neill agreed.
He had come up to her lab with trays of food, again with cups of coffee and cake, but he couldn't make her back away from what she was doing. She always gave some excuse to decline his offer of food.
Months had passed since that mysterious young woman appeared on a ship that sailed through time.
SG1 had returned to the field, but General O'Neill appointed a new member to the team.
A few weeks earlier he had received a memorandum from the Pentagon, in which they let him know that Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter was withdrawing from her duties on SG1, and that she was applying for the position of head of the science department at Area 51.
Without further ado, he attached his signature at the end of the document. And he sent it back to the Pentagon.
The weeks continued to pass, he had not seen Sam for a long time, every time he had tried to call her cell phone or at her house, Sam always sent it to voicemail.
One morning Jack nostalgically approached her old laboratory, which had been empty for a long time, entered and gave it a tour. He sat at the workbench which Carter occupied every time she was working on one of her crazy projects, but one thing on the desk caught his attention. A framed photograph had been forgotten, the image showed a happy Sam Carter with a big smile, the kind that drove Jack crazy, and next to her a young woman with brown hair with the same smile. He took the photograph in his hands, and stared at the image of both women, he did not know when it was taken, surely Daniel had taken the picture. Clearly, they were in the laboratory, and he remembered his moment with Grace, that young woman, and the promise that he had given to her the night she died.
Looking at the photograph again, he realized that it was time to pay attention to the idea that had been hovering in his head for a long time. He went to his office and ordered a few things and told Walter that he was going home, that he needed a couple of days to solve a problem, and that Colonel Reynolds was in command until he returned.
Leaving everything ready, he got into his truck and taking the photograph with him, he headed to Sam's house.
When he got there, he saw her car in the driveway, and the dim lights on inside the house. The sun was starting to set, he took a long sigh, took the picture, and walked down the short driveway.
Undoubtedly, she was inside, he just hoped that she was alone, and that she had not returned to Shanahan.
He took another long breath, and knocked softly on the door, hearing the faint sounds of the person on the other side approaching.
At that moment, the door opened, and he met a different Sam Carter than the one he had last seen that night in the infirmary.
S: Sir… (she said surprised) what are you doing here?
J: Hi Carter… we need to talk…
To be continue.
NA: sorry, I know I'm bad for leaving it here, but I promise the update will be ready very soon.
Hugs.