Sam slept very little that night, thinking about Jack, Pete, the wedding. She wondered if getting married was the right thing to do. Could she really spend the rest of her life with Pete? Could she be so blind to what her friends were so obviously aware of?
She remembered the look of anger in Pete's eyes when he raised his hand to her. She knew she could have defended herself if Cassie hadn't come into the room and put a stop to their fight. But it had shocked her that Pete would act that way in the first place when he had always been so good to her.
The next morning she was in the shower when she heard the phone ring. Cassie knocked on the bathroom door.
"Sam, Pete's on the phone."
"Tell him I'll call him back."
She got out of the shower, got dressed and went into the kitchen to see Cassie standing at the stove.
"Hey."
Cassie glanced at her. "Hey. Thought I'd make us some breakfast. You going to call Pete before we eat?"
"He can wait."
Cassie lay down the spoon on the side of the pan. "Let me see your wrist."
Sam stuck out her arm.
"It's really bruised. Does it hurt?"
"It's a little sore." Sam quickly pulled her sleeve down to cover it up.
Cassie looked at her and sighed.
Sam put bread into the toaster, buttered it and set it on the table. She poured two cups of coffee as Cassie put scrambled eggs on their plates.
"So, did you sleep well?"
"Not really. I kept thinking about how much I dislike Pete."
"Cassie . . ."
"Well, I do, Sam. The image of him raising his hand to you kept flashing through my mind. He could have hurt you."
"But he didn't."
"Not this time, but what about next time? You really think this won't happen again? You really want to have to tiptoe around him for the rest of your life, watching everything you say and do so you won't make him mad? That's no way to live."
Sam didn't respond as the two women ate in silence.
As Cassie cleaned the kitchen, Sam went into her bedroom and returned Pete's call. In a few minutes she came into the living room to find Cassie on the sofa, TV remote in hand, flipping through the channels.
"I'm going to meet Pete. I'll be back soon."
Cassie didn't look at her. "Okay."
The snow had stopped but the streets were slick, so Sam slowly made her way to a small café that she and Pete frequented quite often. As she walked in, she saw him waving to her from a booth in the back.
Pete stood up, kissed her on the cheek and hugged her before she sat down. Sam didn't say anything but stared at him.
"I'm really sorry I lost my temper. Honest."
"You had no cause to lose your temper, Pete. Whether you like it or not, General O'Neill and I are going to see each other all the time at the base, so you better get used to it. I love my job and I'm not giving it up."
"Okay. Can we talk about something else?"
"I want you to be clear about this. There will be times when I may not be home for days. There will be times when I will have to work late in my lab. Even though you know about the stargate, there are areas of my work that are classified, things that you can never know anything about, things that I cannot discuss with you. Can you live with that?"
Pete sighed. "Yes."
"You better be sure you can before we go ahead with this wedding. And one more thing."
"What?"
"If you ever raise your hand to me again like you did last night, you'll find yourself on the floor with your arms pinned behind you so fast, it'll make your head spin."
Pete looked at her without saying a word.
Back at the house, Cassie sat staring at the cell phone in her hand. She so wanted to call Jack and tell him what had happened, but she had promised Sam that she wouldn't. She only hoped that Sam knew what she was doing.
§§§
Even though Sunday was supposed to be his day off, Jack got dressed and went to the base anyway. He needed to stay busy to keep his mind off Sam instead of sitting at home brooding about the situation.
He arrived to find Colonel Reynolds sitting at the briefing table reading a report. The Colonel stood as Jack came up the stairs.
"Sir, you weren't supposed to be here today."
"Don't worry. I'm not here checking up on you, I just have lots of paperwork to catch up on."
"Yes, sir."
"Anything happening?"
"No, sir. Everything's quiet, has been all night."
"Good. I'll probably be here for awhile. If you want to run home and see your family, go ahead." Jack looked at his watch. "Why don't you come back about 1600."
Colonel Reynolds grinned. "Thank you, sir."
Jack poured a cup of coffee, walked over to the window and stared down at the stargate. He thought about the first time that he and Sam walked up the ramp together. She had been in such awe of the event horizon and he had pushed her through the wormhole. He knew even then that he was falling for the intelligent and beautiful scientist. It had been true what he had said, that he "adored her already."
To take his mind off of her, he sat down at his desk to tackle the endless mountain of paperwork.
§§§
Pete and Sam left the café.
Pete sat in his car and watched Sam pull out into the traffic. When they had first started dating, he had liked Sam's independence. But now, he wondered if he could agree with everything she said. He wanted her to be home more often, he didn't want her spending a lot of time off-world or in her lab; and he certainly didn't want her spending time with O'Neill. A smile came to his face as he thought of how he would just have to change her slowly until she became what he wanted her to be.
Sam arrived back at the house to find Cassie using her laptop.
"Doing some homework?"
"No. Nothing was on TV so I thought I'd just play for awhile until you came back."
Cassie closed her computer and stood up. "So, how did it go?"
"I think I made it clear to him that I won't give up my job and he's just going to have to accept that I'm going to be gone a lot, and he'll have to adjust to my working with the General."
Cassie stared at Sam and crossed her arms.
"What?"
"He's not going to change, Sam. Today was just a way to humor you into getting back into your good graces."
"No, I think you're wrong."
"Did he apologize for hurting you?"
Sam looked at the floor. "He said he was sorry so I took that to mean he was sorry about everything that happened last night."
Cassie picked up her computer. "I hope you know what you're doing, because I really think you're setting yourself up to be hurt even more, when you could be with someone who adores you and would never hurt you." She walked off into the bedroom and closed the door before Sam could respond.
Sam sat down on the sofa, stretched out her legs and pulled a blanket over her. She leaned her head on the back of the sofa and thought about what Jack had said to her. Did he mean that he was the right man for her, is that what he was trying to say? She had pushed her feelings for him aside for so long, it scared her to acknowledge those feelings. She had to admit that yes, she still had feelings for him but what could they do about it? He was always going to be her CO as long as she was at the SGC or unless he retired, but she couldn't see him leaving just yet. He was too valuable to the President and the Joint Chiefs, and to everyone at the SGC. He was well liked and respected and there was no one more qualified to run the base.
The thought came to her that Jack could stay as commander of the base and she could resign from the Air Force and do something else. With her doctorate degree, there were many other career opportunities. She could work as a civilian scientist, she could teach, she could do lots of things. She let her mind wander as she pictured being with Jack. Tears pooled in her eyes as she realized that she would give up the Air Force for him. She choked back the tears and reminded herself that they weren't together, that she was engaged to another man.
She sighed deeply as she thought about the wedding. Ever since she was a little girl, she felt that planning her wedding would be such a happy and exciting time. But she had to admit to herself that her heart just wasn't in it. Planning this wedding with Pete just seemed to be one big chore.
She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it.
§§§
Sunday afternoon, Sam hugged Cassie before she got into her car to go back to school. They had not discussed Pete or the wedding any more the rest of the day.
Monday morning as Sam got dressed, she looked at her wrist. It was still badly bruised and it hurt to bend it. She thought she probably should have Dr. Brightman look at it, but she knew she would have to lie about how she got the bruise.
As she drove to the base, she wondered how things would go today. Maybe she could just stay in her lab and not have to see Jack, but she knew she couldn't avoid him forever and she didn't want there to be any tension between them.
She noticed that the General's truck was there and she pulled into the parking space beside his.
After changing into her BDU's, she went to her lab and sat down as her mind wandered.
She and Jack had admitted their feelings over four years ago and neither one had mentioned it since. She didn't know if he was seeing anyone or not. As that thought came to mind, she realized that yes, she would be upset if he was. But since she was engaged to Pete, it was really none of her business. He was a very attractive man so how could she not expect Jack to see other women? He rarely discussed his personal life. Daniel usually knew what was going on with Jack better than anyone else, but she wasn't about to ask him and wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.
She stayed busy throughout the morning. Daniel had called and said that Jack had been in briefings with other teams and had conference calls with the President and Joint Chiefs, so Sam had not seen him.
Early that afternoon, she put her elbows on the lab table, closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Jack had been on her mind all day. How could she love Pete if she still had these feelings for Jack?
Jack stood in the doorway of Sam's lab, just watching her. She looked tired and he stared at her wrist as he took a few steps closer to her.
"Carter."
Sam jumped as she looked up to see Jack walking toward her.
"Hello, sir."
Sam quickly put her hands on her lab table and covered her right wrist with her left hand.
Jack reached out and gently lifted her arm.
"What's this?"
"It's nothing, sir. I just bumped it."
Jack could see from the look in Sam's eyes that she wasn't being honest but he decided not to push any further. He gently lowered her arm and let go.
"Well, just wanted to let you know that SG-12 came in with a few doohickeys for you and Daniel to play with. They're in Daniel's lab if you want to see them."
"Thank you, sir. I'll go do that right now."
They walked down the corridor together and got on the elevator.
"Did Cassie enjoy her weekend?"
Sam smiled. "Yes. Yes she did."
Jack nodded his head. They were both silent for the rest of the ride.
They entered Daniel's lab to see him sitting on a stool while holding a round-shaped glass object up to the light with both hands.
Sam walked up to Daniel. "What have you got there?"
"Have no idea. Has writings on it but I don't recognize the markings."
Sam held out her hands. "May I see?"
Daniel handed it to her and he saw the bruise.
"What happened to you?"
"It's nothing."
"Looks like something, Sam." He started to touch her wrist but she jerked it away.
"I said it's nothing!" she yelled as the object tilted and she tried to catch it but it hit the table, breaking into pieces. Several pieces lodged in her hand as she screamed.
Daniel had stepped back fast enough that none of the glass had gone into him.
It had all happened so quickly, Jack hardly had time to react, then he suddenly put his arm around her.
"Let's get you to the infirmary." Sam cradled her right hand in her left and Daniel followed.
Dr. Brightman saw them come in and told Sam to lie down as she and a nurse checked her hand.
Jack and Daniel sat down just outside the doors of the infirmary.
"Jack, did you see that bruise?"
"I noticed it when I saw her in her lab. She told me she bumped it."
"It went all the way around her wrist. It wasn't there Saturday night at the party, we would have noticed."
Jack rubbed his eyes. "I know."
A little later, Dr. Brightman came to talk to them.
"She'll be okay. We removed the glass, cleaned the cuts and bandaged it. I also gave her a shot to keep down the risk of infection. Since this was an alien object that broke and went into her skin, we never know what could happen. I'd like to keep her here tonight for observation.
"Good idea" Jack agreed.
"How about the bruise on her wrist?" Daniel asked.
"We put an ice pack on it."
Daniel turned to Jack as Dr. Brightman walked away. "I know that neither one of us likes Pete, but do you think he did that to Sam, or did she really bump into something?"
"I don't know, Daniel. I'll talk to her and see if she sticks to her story."
§§§
A little later, Jack entered the infirmary to see that Sam was asleep. He found a chair and sat down beside her. He looked at the ice pack on her wrist and her bandaged hand. He thought about what Pete had said to him and the warning he had given Pete that he had better not hurt her. If he found out that Pete had done this to her, he wasn't sure what he would do. Sam would probably tell him that it was none of his business and to stay out of it. But how could he? He would never let anyone mistreat her. He also knew that Sam was trained in hand-to-hand combat and she could take care of herself. If Pete had gotten rough with her, did she try to fight back or what had happened? He stared at her as a thought came to mind.
He went back to his office, closed the door and picked up his phone to call Cassie, but got her voice mail so he left a message to call him.
He finished one more stack of paperwork before returning to the infirmary. He came in to see that Sam was awake and he walked up beside her bed.
"You okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"What did you bump your wrist on?"
"The wall. It's no big deal. It's just a bruise."
Jack hesitated a moment.
"Are you sure that you bumped it or did someone give you that bruise?"
Sam turned her head. "I've already told you I bumped it. Now can we just drop it please, sir?"
Jack stared at her for a few moments, then walked away.
Sam turned over on her side to face the wall as she started to cry.
Jack walked into the corridor and waited. In a few moments, he peeked around the corner to look at Sam and saw that she had turned on her side and her shoulders were shaking, as she buried her face in the pillow.
'Bumped it, my eye!' Jack said to himself. 'I know exactly who gave you that bruise.'
He went back to his office and sat down in his chair, thinking that he needed to talk with Cassie to see if she knew what had really happened.
§§§
Before he went home for the night, Jack wanted to check on Sam one more time. As he got on the elevator, he decided not to mention her wrist.
He found her still lying on her side staring at the wall. She followed him with her eyes as he came to stand beside her.
"When you gonna spring this joint?" he asked with a grin.
Sam grinned back. "Tomorrow, I hope. I feel okay."
"Do you need anything?"
"No, sir."
"Well, I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning." He took a few steps toward the door.
"Sir?" Sam whispered as tears came to her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped.
He leaned over and looked at her.
"Carter?"
Sam shook her head and choked back the tears. "Nothing, sir. Just been a bad day."
Jack reached down and gently grasped her forearm.
"Get some rest."
Sam nodded her head.
He wanted to sit down beside her, take her in his arms and hold her and make her tell him that Pete had done this to her, but he couldn't.
§§§
Jack picked up something to eat on the way home. He entered his house, hung up his jacket and dropped his keys on the table. He went into the kitchen and put his dinner in the microwave to heat.
He sat down and turned on the TV and was glad to see that a hockey game was on.
Just as he finished eating, his cell phone rang.
"O'Neill."
"Hey, Jack."
"Cassie. How are you?"
"I'm fine. Did you need something?"
He hesitated a moment. "Cassie, Sam's been injured."
"Is she okay?"
"Yes. She was looking at an artifact that one of the SG teams brought back and she accidentally dropped the thing and it broke and some glass went into her hand, but she'll be fine. She's spending the night in the infirmary."
"Oh good, I thought you were going to tell me . . . "
"Cassie?"
"Nothing. I'm . . . I'm just glad she's okay."
"I want to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Did Sam hurt her wrist while you were here this weekend?"
Cassie closed her eyes and bit her lip. She didn't know what to say since she had promised Sam she wouldn't tell.
"I'm . . . I don't know."
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
"I can't say anything, Jack. I promised Sam and I don't want to break my promise."
"I knew it! It was Pete, wasn't it?"
"If you want to know what happened" Jack heard Cassie say as her voice broke "you'll have to ask her."
"It's okay, honey, I don't want you to betray a confidence."
"Please talk to her, Jack. Sam's like a mom to me and I don't want her to marry Pete." Cassie started to cry as she tried to talk. "I'm afraid he's going to hurt her. I tried to talk to her but . . . I can't say anything else but you need to stop this wedding and there is something you should know."
"What's that?"
"She admitted to me that she cares about you. Neither one of you is about to give up your jobs and I think she's tired of waiting. I think she feels she can never have you and that's why she accepted Pete's proposal. She doesn't want to wait any longer to have a life outside of work."
Jack rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm glad you told me."
"I have to go."
"Okay. Try not to worry. We'll work this out somehow."
"The best way for it to work out would be if you stop this wedding and marry her yourself, Jack. You need to seriously think about that. I'll call you later."
"Okay. Bye Cass."
"Bye."
Jack stared at the phone. He could feel the anger rising inside him as he stood up, walked to the window and looked outside. He just wanted to go track down Pete and punch him.
He couldn't tell Sam that he had talked with Cassie and she had not really confirmed anything but had hinted just enough that he would figure it out on his own.
He ran his hand through his hair, trying to decide what to do.
TBC