7
Jack and his team-mates went back to the nursery, there did not seem to be any point in being anywhere else, Teal'c was on Earth just to support his friends and Daniel had wrapped up all his outstanding tasks, ready to depart on the Daedalus. Jack could not even go and sit in Sams lab and pretend she had just stepped out, as she had left the SGC at the start of the previous week and the Lab was not hers any more (he had a feeling Felger would be in residence).
He sat in the chair in the corner farthest from the door, so he could see the full room at a glance, and tried to read the reports Walter had left him. After trying for twenty minutes to read the first sentence on the first page he gave up and opened his phone. He spoke to his aide for a while and then asked to be put through to General Maynard and gave him some 'advice' on deploying the 304s as they came off the production line, Jack was trying to be fair and give the up coming Russian ship decent missions, rather than consigning them to doing the nasty jobs.
Jack told he would talk to the person in charge of the building of the Russian vessel about something. The design was fluid, as the Asgard kept giving them new presents that they were fitting in as they went. This ship was to have its furniture in Russian so would be set out slightly different, the keyboards and signs etc, and a pretty young woman, called Sasha Ivanova had been assigned to work with the American team that had been in charge of the Daedalus and was now working on the Odyssey. She had an evil sense of humour and Jack loved working with her, even if she was Russian!
The Russian ship would be more advanced than either of the American ones when it was launched, and the tech would play leapfrog as things became available and the ships went in for refit. Jack got in touch with Sasha and gave her some contacts in the production dept. that she would need to contact due to a mix up in translation.
The people in the room listened astonished as the whole conversation was conducted in fluent Russian! Jack grinned at Daniel the whole time he was talking.
As soon as he put the phone down though the grin disappeared as well, and Jack felt tired, he did not want to be working! He wanted to be with Sam!
He no sooner finished the papers in front of him than Walter came through the door, he swept in, took the papers, gave a 'sir' into the air and left again, the doctor once again looked astonished at his behaviour.
By this time it was almost 14:00 and during the feed and change of the babies the paediatrician noticed that 'male baby 4' was looking slightly yellow, he moved the UV light that had been on his brother across, Jack hovered over the cot but did not pick the child up.
Carolyn came in not long after the children were put down again and recommended that Jack go lay down, he refused. She insisted, he sat stubborn in the chair and stopped answering her. She pleaded with him, she threatened him with big needles! It was only when her Father told Jack he had presidential permission to order him sedated if necessary, and Carolyn pulled a loaded syringe out of her pocket that he said he would lay down… but not for more than an hour as he did not want to throw his body clock off.
Just over five hours later he stormed down the corridors shouting at everyone for not waking him! He got to the nursery door and quieted, no one wanted to wake the children after all. He had no sooner arrived than a flash of light appeared and Thor was there. He was alone.
"Apologies O'Neill" his friend said "We have encountered something that we would like clarifying."
"Shoot buddy" Jack said, to which the Asgard tilted his head and started to open his mouth "I mean what was the question… 'shoot' is just a saying" Thor inclined his head
"We wish to speak to the medic in charge of Colonel Carters well being" Carolyn stood forward.
"That would be me, but I am afraid I have only seen her a couple of times" Thor nodded at her.
"Could you state, with any certainty if Colonel Carter has both her ovaries?" he asked, the whole room looked shocked at the question.
Carolyn said "I believe she does, but if you will excuse me I will go check" she walked out of the room without waiting for permission and was back in less than 2 minutes "Her last full body scan…erm… 7 weeks ago… showed both ovaries." She looked at the little man
"I regret to inform you, O'Neill, that she has none now" he hung his head. Jack felt himself fill with tears. Even if Sam wanted to experience childbirth now, she could not do it naturally. Not even the presence of their eight children could compensate for his sympathetic feeling of loss for Sam.
"I would like you to accompany me back to the Samantha Carter O'Neill." Jack nodded, numb.
"I doubt I will sleep tonight anyway Thor, so go ahead!" And they both vanished into the light.
He sat beside the medical pod most of the night, only occasionally one Asgard or another would walk in and do something, or even ask to be allowed to perform some tests on him, and the result was that they found he had both his testes.
But even when he was talking to them, or being tested his eyes never left her face. She looked so damn young! And so beautiful his heart ached! It was not fair, but then, when had life ever been fair to either of them? He imagined what Jacob would have said if he had been presented with eight grand children, and gave a lop sided smile.
He would have to let George know, as Sams honorary 'Uncle' he would be delighted, always assuming everything was alright with mother and children. He day-dreamed a little, planned a little and even prayed a little, Hell he would have sacrificed a goat if it meant he could have everyone well and happy.
The small people tried to give him privacy, they offered him food, but he remembered what Sam had said about 'yellow squares' and he passed… and so did the night.
He glanced at his watch when the lights brightened slightly, 08:00, had he remembered to set it at the SGC or was it still showing DC time? He couldn't remember, and to be totally honest with himself he didn't really care.
The see through top portion of the medical pos made a slight sound and slid away, he looked around but no one was in sight, he pressed the back of his hand against her cheek, she felt fine, not hot, not cold, he was just about to leave the room to call someone when the door slid open and Heimdall entered.
"She ok now?" he asked before the medic had a chance to get close
"If you will allow me?" the pod sank closer to the floor, so it was at chest level for the Asgard, and he pressed a few controls that had been hidden by a panel.
"She should waken soon" the second the words were out of his mouth Jack saw her eyes flutter slightly and then she was with him!
"Hey" he said softly
She smiled her beautiful beaming smile at him, and said "hey"
"Whatcha doin'" he drawled at her
"Not a lot, sir" she answered
"Sir?" he repeated cocking his head
"General?" she looked puzzled and Jack looked sharply at the medic
"What is wrong with her?" he asked
"I am…unsure" was the reply
"Well obviously something has gone wrong" he said his temper and the volume of his voice rising simultaneously
Sam propped herself up and waved her hand out of the pod "Excuse me… right here" she said clearly annoyed. If she had lost her memory of THEM, how the hell was he supposed to explain eight kids?
A tube appeared by the pod and the nimble physician scooped it up and pressed it to Sams neck before she could react, she sank back, not quiet laying down, her eyes closed and she was unconscious again. Jack reached in and gently straightened her out so she would not wake with a stiff neck, she was as light as a feather and he thought she had lost weight.
Jack shouted "Thor!" and the door opened again to admit him, "What the hell is happening?
She does not seem to remember recent events"
"How recent?" Thor asked.
"She called me Sir." He said to which Thor looked puzzled
"Colonel Carter has always addressed you so, unless she has used your actual military title"
"We got engaged last week! She calls me Jack now" actually he remembered a couple of times when she had screamed 'Colonel' at him since they started being a couple but that was private.
The liquid sound of the language of the Asgard rolled around the room as Thor consulted with both the computer and his colleague. "O'Neill, please do not worry, this is a side effect of the compound we administered to counteract the sedative, it will soon flush out of her system" He damn well hoped they were right!
It was 20 minutes before she regained consciousness, 20 long, worrying, minutes. She gave a slight cough and, as before, her eyelids took their time uncovering the cornflower blue orbs. She smiled up and it again, but then said "Jack" with immense satisfaction in her voice.
"Here love, I'm here" his eyes filled with tears and a couple escaped to run down his face before he could control himself, he stroked her face with the back of his fingers, and continued down the line of her jaw until he reached the hollow of her throat. She looked up at him from under half closed lids and in a low purr said
"Do we REALLY want to do this here?" She was back! Though in the past she had been known to call him Jack on occasion, she would never have said that until the past week or so.
"O'Neill, is it your wish to return to the 'nursery' now or have you another destination in mind?"
"Nursery?" Sam enquired, she took a few seconds while he was busy trying to think of what to say and then said "You don't mean…"
He grinned and nodded and she went pale! "Laira" she said under her breath Laira? The woman from Edora? Oh god NO!
"NO!" he almost screamed "The children are ours love"
"I'm sure I would remember having children Jack" she snapped
"Colonel Carter" Thors quiet calm voice stopped her before she worked herself up any more, "O'Neill is telling you the truth, several days ago, both of you, were abducted and children were transported to the SGC infirmary, subsequent tests done by Earth and ourselves confirm you are the biological parents" He spoke into the air in his own language and a flat holographic display showed basically the same things to the couple that Carolyn had displayed to everyone else earlier in the week. Jack noticed he only used the profiles of the two of the babies.
Sam levered herself out of the medical bed and he held her as she got to her feet, in fact he grabbed her and hugged her and it felt so good he just did not want to let go! "Jack…" she pushed on his shoulder with one hand he tightened his grip and noticed he was shaking slightly "Jack…" her voice rose a notch but he just could not let go now he had her
"O'Neill!" he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent, every muscle in his body trembling. He felt a cool touch to his arm and suddenly he could relax, in fact he relaxed so much Sam had to support him! They had slipped him a Mickey! He slumped and was guided onto the bed Sam had recently vacated. He saw the Asgard couple move around and Sam, beautiful Sam, HIS beautiful Sam, was holding his hand and smoothing the other palm across his face. The room went black.