A/N: This chapter contains descriptions of childbirth and (sort of) stillbirth. Please read at your own discretion.
A/N 2: You know when you start writing and you have a scene in mind that starts it all? Yeah, this is it. This is heavily inspired by the birth scene in Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars. I really hope I did it justice. On with the show.
Chapter Fifteen
Things were not looking good. They had been cut off from the rest of the base for a long while now. They hadn't heard a word from Teal'c, which could have meant that the structural damage was worse than he had anticipated. Cameron would not entertain the other thought.
None of his extensive training or his experiences in the Stargate program prepared him for the level of stress he was currently experiencing. Hell, Anubis was easier than this. He hadn't made a point of studying up on birthing procedures at any time in his life but things seemed to be progressing much quicker than he was expecting.
Another scream pulled him back from his current task of moving as much rock as he could to create a possible exit, a task he had been alternating with supporting his labouring teammate. Everything had come on so quickly and he was trying to push the panic way back inside him, somewhere it couldn't spill out.
The Alliance had stopped firing which told him there was something they wanted from the Tok'ra. He only hoped Teal'c had either found the Stargate or managed to call for backup from somewhere because right now they had very little chance of leaving this room any time soon.
Cameron had tried to call for his own backup, but as his voice became hoarse from screaming out for one Daniel Jackson, he heard a small voice that filled him with pity and dread.
"He's not coming, Cameron."
"Jackson!" he had tried hollering again to no avail.
She had then pulled on his jacket. "He's not coming!" This time it had come out as a sob and he had moved his ass into gear.
"Damn it all to hell," he had grumbled and that was it.
He wasn't sure how long ago that was. He was stumbling from problem to problem in increments of only minutes, sweat having taken over every available inch of his skin. He was reassured only slightly that at least Vala had done this once before.
His hands were starting to cramp as he pulled at the rocks carefully.
"We don't have much time," Vala called out from her position bracing against the wall. "Cameron? Are you listening? Now is not the time to try out your selective hearing!"
Not for the first or last time, he desperately wished Daniel was here. He was pretty sure he had done this before, for one. And after all the crap he had pulled, everything he had put Vala through, she deserved to have him here. This should have been a very private moment to share with the parents-to-be and their overly-qualified physician. Not stuck in some festering pyramid under attack.
He was kicking himself that Vala had chosen to wait for them, clearly desperate for a sense of comfort and familiarity. He and Teal'c might've been here for their diplomatic mission, but she didn't need to be here. She needed to be with Daniel.
Cameron didn't realise how truly angry he was with Jackson and he swore under his breath, allowing himself just one selfish moment amongst the backdrop of chaos. He turned to face his patient and his stomach dropped.
She was no longer gripping the wall for support. Now, she was facing him and had slid down the wall, her head pushing against it as if it was going to be the only thing from preventing the whole room from crashing down. Her eyes were screwed shut, her face contorted in a myriad of different ways. Her arms steadied her knees until she threw her eyes open and launched herself forward as if to release pressure.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Vala's next words were spoken with a calmness he never knew she possessed. "Get a blanket."
God, he wished anyone else was here. Because Vala was about to give birth and he was the only person here. There was literally no time for doubt. No celestial being or deus ex machina was coming. It was him, an unsterile room in a damn pyramid and a blanket that Vala had thrown to the ground as she had laboured earlier on the bed in the room.
"Shit," he cursed and scooped up the rogue blanket from the floor. "This is covered in crap," he said by way of apology and returned it to its place on the ground. Without a second thought, he removed his jacket, his dog tags making a small and tiny protest at the sudden movement. He kneeled down and realised that this was too awkward of a position.
He swore again and Vala howled in pain, bringing him back quickly to the moment. "You should be telling me to push!" she screamed at him. "And help me get these things off!"
If he wasn't so full of adrenaline he'd have blushed when he realised she meant her underwear. Any other time, Vala herself would have been full of lewd remarks. Cameron found himself almost wishing she'd said some.
"You'll be pushing alright, but not here. We need to move you-" he pointed back to the bed, "-back over there."
He paused as Vala grunted in agreement.
"Jackson!" he shouted into the void, as he used his strength to help Vala stand. She clung to him as they stood, his arms supporting her. The bed was only a few steps away but it could have been on the other side of the damn planet as far as he was concerned.
"JACKSON! I'm about to take your girl's underwear. If you've gotta problem with that, well…"
As expected, there was no response, save Vala's attempt at a scoff. "You…-" a gasp for breath and another step "would like to steal a girl's panties, Cameron Mitchell." Another step. "Next time... just...ask."
They had finally made it. Cameron made quick work of positioning her on the bed, still partly holding onto the hope that someone might magically appear in the nick of time to save him from what he was about to have to do.
Lord help him. "Vala, I-"
"Just do it!" was her curt reply.
He moved his jacket into reach and focused on the task at hand. "Woah, Princess."
She groaned and dug her elbows into the bed. "I am going to kill him," she cried out, her voice a mixture of her anger, pain and frustration. And then, a sob.
Cameron wanted to agree with her wholeheartedly but the fact of the matter was that he had just touched Baby Jackson's head and he was only mere minutes away from the biggest performance of his life. Vala, for her part, didn't show an ounce of modesty and pushed back against the bed. Another sob escaped her, however, the change of pitch and tone communicated something distressing to Cameron.
A beat-and then, "Something is wrong."
His head jerked up from his concentration and the sinking feeling in his stomach amplified.
"You're gonna have to push, Vala. He's nearly here," he said by way of response, trying to clamp down on his panic.
Vala shook her head. "Cameron, something is wrong! I-"
"We need to get him OUT," he practically screamed at her, panic and frustration getting the better of him. He desperately wished he could perform both roles in this very moment, for Vala's sake. His attention had to be precise and his bedside manner was irrelevant when the life of his teammates' kid was firmly in his unsteady and uncertain hands.
Vala seemed to have come to the same agreement and nodded her head. He prayed to any god that would listen-hell, even to Qetesh at that very moment. There was a scream and a sigh and the sound of feet shuffling against the ground. And then the room was eerily silent as Vala Mal Doran gave one final push, and Colonel Cameron Mitchell enveloped Baby Jackson in his standard issue black military jacket.
Vala fell back onto the bed and Cameron fumbled in his pants pocket with his left hand, having forgotten to account for the cord.
No sound filled the room.
"He isn't crying. Why isn't he crying?"
Vala's voice sounded a mile away, but her hysteria was palpable. Cameron could only stare at the infant wrapped in his arms. Instinct took over and he began to gently rub the material over him, desperately hoping for a gasp or a cry-anything. "Come on," he muttered, ignoring Vala's protests in the background. His back was turned to her as he worked on saving her son.
"Is he breathing? Cameron, please!"
Could you perform CPR on a newborn? He turned to face Vala again. She was now trying to move, her body unsteady. He vaguely understood that there was still another part to the whole delivery thing and tried to both take note and ignore the blood pooling on the bed and around his teammate. Still, Vala attempted to rise, desperate to reach her son, to breathe some life into him.
"Please, give him to me," she begged. "Cameron, please…"
Before he could do anything, the sensation of a hand on his back interrupted the blind panic. "Give him to me," a familiar voice echoed from behind him.
Cameron moved, gripping the infant in his arms, allowing Daniel to move into full view of Vala. "Jackson, he's-"
But Daniel's hands were moving into his arms and he gently lifted the precious load from his arms. "Daniel, he's not breathing!" Vala had moved beyond panic and hysteria now, however, the force of the oncoming contraction to had pinned her to the bed. "I need him, please," she babbled and she tried to move up the bed.
Daniel took only a moment to look down at his son and then back up to his teammates. "You need to trust me."
And then, there was only light and brightness, a whisper of a hand on a cheek, a mimicry of a caress. Vala leaned into it and Cameron could only watch on in mystified horror. A faint "I love you" echoed around them, empty words considering the events that had just unfolded. The room, once filled with horrifying silence, only contained the outward weeping of Vala. He crouched down at the top of the bed, only able to offer a hand to squeeze, unable to even speak.
Both Daniel and the baby were gone.