Chapter five
Janet and Sam were just on their way back to Jack's room when they heard Sam's name being paged. Picking up the pace, they practically jogged the rest of the way back, Mellie lolling in Sam's arms, while Janet carried the diaper bag. When they got to the nurse's station, Jack's doctor, Col. Dave Russell was waiting for them.
"Major Carter, Major Frasier, I have some good news for you both! I think the General is about to wake up. I knew you'd want to be here when he does, and that's why I called you," Dr. Russell said, looking directly at Sam.
"Thank you, Doctor!"
"Sam, give me the baby. I'll hold her," Janet offered as Sam stood next to Jack's bed. And since she really wanted to have her hands free to touch Jack just now, she agreed and handed the sleeping baby off to her friend. Janet went and sat down in the chair by the wall, rocking Mellie in her arms. Sam stepped closer to the bed and put one hand affectionately on Jack's brow. He was warm, but not too warm. Then she grasped his right hand in her left and almost immediately felt him squeeze her fingers.
"Jack! Jack, it's me! Wake up, sweetheart," she said softly as she bent over him, watching as his eyelids twitched. Then she felt more pressure on her hand, and saw his eyelids flicker and open. "Hey! There you are!" She stared at his deep brown eyes as they looked around for a few seconds, finally focusing on her face. And then he smiled at her, and Sam nearly fainted with relief.
"God, you're beautiful," he said gruffly.
"And you're obviously suffering from a bump on the head," she said with a chuckle. She got the small cup and straw from the table by the bed and offered him a drink. While he was taking a few sips of water through the straw, Dr. Russell walked into the room.
"Well! I see you've decided to come back to us, General!" the doctor greeted him warmly. The doctor was new here, but so far people seemed to like his bedside manner.
"How long was I out?"
"Can't say for certain, but you've been here for about fifteen hours. How are you feeling?" he asked as he shined a penlight into Jack's eyes.
"Fine! Or at least I was until you shined that damned light in my eyes!" he complained. Janet laughed openly and Sam just smiled. That comment certainly sounded like the old Jack was back!
"Sorry, Doctor, but the General is sometimes not a very good patient," Sam commented.
"I can vouch for that," Janet added as she came and stood next to Sam. Dr. Russell just smiled and wrote something down on Jack's chart.
"So, when can I go home?" Jack asked, and Sam rolled her eyes. There was another thing that told her he wasn't feeling very bad; he hated staying in the hospital!
"Not for at least twenty-four hours, Sir. Your body needs rest after your ordeal. I'll re-evaluate your progress tomorrow morning." Jack clamped his mouth shut in a grim line. Then the doctor nodded and smiled at all of them and left the room.
"Hey, Janet! What brought you all this way?" Jack asked his ex-CMO as she stepped closer to the bed.
"You did, General. I wanted to see how your head is holding up. I can see it's as hard as ever," Janet joked, giving Jack a big smile.
"You know you always had a weak spot for me. Admit it, Frasier," Jack said, winking at her. Mellie was awake now, and decided to get involved in the conversation. She saw Jack and reached out for him, lunging in his direction. Janet had to hold on tight to keep the child from literally jumping out of her arms.
"Da Da!" the baby yelled loudly. Everyone smiled and laughed, especially Jack.
"Well, I guess I don't have to worry about her calling me 'Uncle Jack' anymore," he said, looking at Sam. Sam clapped a hand over her mouth as she burst into tears. "Hey, honey, I didn't mean to make you cry," Jack said softly as he reached out and squeezed her hand.
"No...you didn't...make me cry. It's just...," she choked out between sobs and sniffs.
Janet decided this was a good time to leave her two friends alone. "I'm gonna take Mellie on home. I'll see you back there soon, Sam," Janet said, giving Sam a meaningful look. Sam knew that Janet wanted her to go home and sleep in her own bed tonight, instead of hanging out here at the hospital.
"I promise I'll be home by three. And I'll make fettuccine al fredo with chicken and broccoli," Sam promised, knowing the dish was Janet's favorite.
"Wow! I can't wait! Bye, General! I'll check on you in the morning before I leave for Earth," Janet told him. Then she held Mellie low enough for Jack to give her a kiss on her plump, pink cheek.
"Da Da!" she shouted, her plump little hands clapping together.
"Daddy loves you. Bye bye, sweety pie!" Jack responded as he waved at her.
Mellie held up both hands, opening them and closing them, doing her best imitation of a wave as Janet carried her out the door. Sam and Jack heard the baby begin to cry when she was no longer able to see them, and they gave each other a knowing look. They knew she'd be just fine, once she became distracted by something else.
"I'd sure rather have your fettuccine than the stuff they serve in here," Jack said conspiratorially in a low voice. She knew he really wanted to go home, and she had been a little surprised that he hadn't reacted badly when Dr. Russell had said he had to stay in the hospital another twenty-four hours.
"I guess I could bring you some later," she offered. Sam dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, thinking that she was beginning to feel like a basket case. She didn't remember being so emotional when she was carrying Mellie, but this time she was crying at the drop of a hat. And the thought of sleeping without Jack in her bed again tonight was about to bring her to tears all over again!
"I'd really like that, Sam," he said. "Now I think I'll take a little nap," he said groggily. "Oh, and thanks for teaching Mellie to call me 'Dad'.
"But I didn't! I was just as surprised as you, believe me!" In fact, Mellie had surprised her so much that she had burst into tears. 'It was just so damned touching,' she thought with a sniff. She wished Jack iwas/i Mellie's biological father, but he wasn't, and she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
"She kinda got to me too, Sam," he said, his eyes misty. She kissed his lips and murmured 'sweet dreams', and then his eyes closed and he was back in la-la land.
He was back in the past once again, and he and Sam were arguing, as was often the case early on in their relationship. They had been on Egeria for just a few weeks, and many things about the planet were still unknown to them. Winter had set in with a vengeance they hadn't expected. And when four scientists became lost in a blizzard, a team was needed to go out and find them. Feeling responsible for them, Sam had volunteered, or rather she had taken it upon herself to form a rescue team. They had been about to leave, when Jack discovered her intentions and called her and the men into his office.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Major? The last time I checked, I was still in charge around here!" he shouted at her.
"Then take charge and order us to go! We're all ready, so why are you hesitating?" she asked, her jaw set. He felt like slapping her, as they stood there in front of the two marines and one airman that she had gotten to accompany her on the rescue mission.
He had been justifiably upset, but she didn't see it that way. She thought he was being over-protective, while he thought she was being insubordinate and willful. He thought she should stay at her job in the lab where she was more valuable, while she thought he was using that as an excuse to keep her under his thumb. In the end he had sent out another team of his own making, and Sam had slammed out of his office and back to her lab, trudging through the knee-deep snow drifts as though the devil himself were following her. Jack had watched her until he could no longer see her through the swirling snow. Had he been over-protective of her? "Guilty as charged," he said aloud to himself.
The next day Jack was released from the hospital, but the doctor insisted he stay at home and rest for another week. Sam thought she'd have to tie him to the bed to keep him quiet, but to her surprise he didn't put up a fuss. He even let her take the baby to their neighbors, instead of watching her himself, which he sometimes did. When she got home from work at the end of his third day at home, and Jack was still not complaining, Sam really began to worry about him. She became even more concerned when he told her that he had spent the entire day at home reading. That just wasn't like Jack!
He had dinner waiting on the table when she got home from work. So she put Mellie in her high chair and quickly washed her hands before sitting down.
"It looks good, Jack. But you didn't have to cook. I could have fixed something," she said as she studied his face.
He seemed to be in a really mellow mood, and she certainly didn't want to spoil it. But she really needed to talk to him about the wedding. She wanted to postpone it until her father could come. But she was almost afraid to mention Jacob to him, since they really didn't get along. The last time they'd seen her father had been at Martouf's funeral, although she had spoken to him by radio a few times since then. At the funeral Jacob had gone on and on about what a good husband Martouf would have been for her. And of course she knew he was inferring that Jack was totally wrong for her.
And since Martouf's death, nothing much had changed; Jacob was still trying to get her away from Jack. The last word she'd had from her father was that he might be able to attend the wedding, if it was in the fall. That would mean postponing it for three months. Sam didn't think Jack would be very happy about that, but she really wanted her father there, and so she decided to talk to Jack about it.
Sam looked up as Jack put a plate down in front of her, realizing she'd been day dreaming.
"I like to cook. You know that. Now dig in. Our kid needs nourishment," he said, pushing her salad plate closer to her. "You don't eat enough to keep a sparrow alive."
"I do to! Just wait till I look like a beached whale. Then you'll wish I had watched my diet, mister!"
"You'll never look like a beached whale, Sam. You forget; I saw you when you were carrying Mellie. You looked great the entire time," he said as he chewed his food. He had this adorable way of chewing slowly and thoughtfully, as though he was learning the food, not just eating it.
"You really mean that?"
"I do! You make pretty fabulous kids too! So I've decided we should have five or six more."
"Oh, you have, have you? And who's gonna take care of all those kids, Jack? I think eight kids might be asking too much of our friends, don't you?" They currently had plenty of friends and co-workers willing to baby sit, but no one could be expected to take care of a brood, Sam thought shaking her head in consternation.
"That's why I've decided to retire," Jack stated as a matter of fact. He watched as Sam's head shot up.
"You've what?!" Sam couldn't believe her ears. Had he just said he was going to retire?
"I've decided to retire, Sam. When Hammond comes for the wedding, I'm handing him my resignation. Wheeler is due for his own command. He's ready," Jack said, as though that one fact should be enough of a reason.
"So Wheeler's ready for his own command...so what? That doesn't mean he's right for the job of leading these people, Jack! It also doesn't mean that you should give up a job you love! You bdo/b still love it, don't you? I mean I know there have been some difficult times, but we've overcome so much! And the people look up to you! You're a born leader, Jack. You can't quit now, when we've only just begun! There's still so much to do here!"
"There is a lot to do here, but I'm tired, Sam. I'm older than you, and I've paid my dues. I want to enjoy my retirement. I want to enjoy my kids, before I'm too old to get around. Besides, it's not like I'll be bored. I really ido/i want us to have more kids, Sam. One, two, three more. I don't know how many. You want that too, don't you?"
"I don't know, Jack! I haven't even had number two yet, and you're already planning a hockey team! I've got things I want to do too, you know, and I'm not sure I would have time to give to all those kids. I'm not saying I might not want more children. It's just that... Jack, I think we need to take things a little slower. I didn't even have time to plan for this baby, and you're already planning for several more. Could we just take it a little slower? Please?"
Jack's chair shot back and collided with the wall as he got up. His eyes looked as black as night, as he aimed them at her where she sat.
"You wanna take it slower? Sure! We can take it slower. Maybe you wanna put off the wedding. I mean after all, your dad can't make it until fall anyway," he spit, as he walked over to the living room. He stood looking out the window with his back to her.
"How did you know that, Jack?" she asked him, shocked that he already knew.
"I spoke to him today. He called. He really wanted to speak to you, but I guess you were in the test bunker. When they couldn't reach you, they put the call through here to me. Jacob seemed to take pleasure in telling me that you two had discussed postponing our wedding on account of him."
"I'm sorry, Jack. I was going to tell you. It's just that I know how much you dislike my father, and..." Jack's words interrupted her, his voice rising harshly.
"Oh, yah, blame everything one me! He disliked me way before I disliked him!" he yelled. Sam got up and walked toward him, her throat feeling constricted and her stomach clinching. She hated arguing with him; she always had.
"Jack, I'm not blaming you for anything. I know my father has never really given you a chance, but you've got to be willing to meet him half way."
"Fine! How about this; if he'll promise to stay the hell out of our lives, I'll promise not to retire! In fact, you obviously don't like the idea of me being here waiting for you each day, so maybe I'll put in for an assignment back on Earth!" he yelled, and then he grabbed his coat from the hook by the door and left, slamming the door shut behind him.
Sam clapped a hand over her mouth and just stood there staring at the door.
TBC