Chapter 4: Oh How the Time Passes
Sam awoke the next morning with the sun on her face. Stretching she felt someone in the bed next to her. Waking up a little bit more she realized that there was the warmth of the sun on her face and that the bed she was lying in was much more comfortable than a regulation cot. She sat up and clutched the sheet around her chest, wiping the sleep from her eyes and looked around.
The room had dark golden colored walls, delicate French doors that opened to reveal a balcony with shear cream curtains covering the opened doorway, there was a beautiful bureau and a large closet with all of her needed garments hanging up. The downed mattress on her bed was covered with white sheets and one of her mother's quilts, the entire bed was surrounded by muslin netting hanging from the ceiling.
There was a hand on her back brushing light caresses from shoulder blade to shoulder blade; sighing Sam twisted so she could lie in the crook of his arms.
"Hey." She smiled. "You've unpacked." Teal'c nodded.
"And Marisol has finished the majority of your dresses." Sam pushed herself up on an elbow.
"But I thought she said that they were going to be a few days." The corners of his mouth curved up and she reached out to trace them, he hadn't smiled in so long. She knew he would never say anything but he was so close with both Daniel and Jack; hell so was she but now… Well she just didn't know. And as if his current duties to the Jaffa council weren't enough Sam knew that Bra'tac was putting more and more pressure on him to pick up the position of leader that Garrek had left behind. His next comment startled her out of the morning musings.
"You have been asleep for almost two full days." Sam gasped a little before starting to laugh. It was a good five minutes before she had calmed down.
"I was supposed to meet with Kal'el. She's going to help me.. adjust."
"She has helped me to unpack. She also has stopped by daily to make sure you were not in any danger of any illness." Sam nodded and raised herself up again. She had really liked Kal'el from the first meeting by the Stargate. Although a bit younger than Sam the women was on the council and seemed to be more mature than her years. But fighting a war against slavery you entire life does do that to you. She turned to Teal'c.
"I have no idea where to start."
Seven Months Later
Sam and her belly made their way back from the midwife's apartments; she was coming up on 3 weeks over due. She and Teal'c had finally decided on a name for their daughter so now they were just waiting on her. Pushing open the front door Sam was assaulted by the smells of dinner.
"Good evening milady." Sam turned to find Kat standing in the entryway. Kal'el had insisted on finding some sort of help for Sam. Being married to one of the leading members of the Jaffa Council had just made the whole process that much easier.
"Good evening Kat. Anything happen while I was away?" Sam began removing her headscarf and outer robe.
"No ma'am. Madse Teal'c sent word that he would be on time as did Miste Kal'el se Gourge." Sam nodded and hung up her outerwear.
"I'm going to lie down. Please come wake me when there is a half hour before they arrive?" Kat nodded and Sam began climbing up the circular stairway. About half way up she stopped short and placed a hand on her stomach. "Kat?!" Sam sunk down the stairs as the young woman made her way over.
Pausing at the bottom of the stairs she looked up. "Is there something wrong milady?"
Sam paled. "I think my daughter has decided to finally come to us."
Kat rushed up the stairs and placed a hand on Sam's forehead and stomach. "Hold on milady." Kat raced down the stairs and into the back section of the house, returning not minutes later with Wilma, Karenna, and Jon in tow.
Jon, Teal'c's valet and husband to Kat, took one look at Sam and took off towards the Jaffa Council Chambers. Once Kat was assured she would not be needed immediately left in the opposite direction to get the midwife. Karenna, a matronly woman who had been hired to help with the baby, knelt down beside Sam and smiled warmly.
"Well sweetheart, it seems your little one is on her way." Sam tried to smile too but it just came out as a grimace, the contractions were setting in. Karenna turned towards Wilma. "Help me steady her, we need to get her into her bed before the contractions become worse." Wilma nodded and swung an arm under Sam's back.
"Fine time you chose to go into labor, milady. Madse Gourge, Miste Kal'el and Madse Teal'c would all be on their way for dinner. tsk, tsk, tsk" Sam breathed heavily as she tried to smile. Wilma was such a character, she had the tough head housekeeper profile on the outside but under it all she was truly a sweet heart.
A few minutes later Sam was studying the cracks on her ceiling through the white muslin. By the time the midwife got to her bedside Wilma had skirted the veil out of the way. Sam kind of missed it.
Her midwife, Leah, leaned over. "Okay honey, I want you to chew on this, it will help relieve the pain. Your body is getting ready to start the hard part." She waved over her shoulder for Wilma to bring her the water basin and a cloth. Sam struggled to sit up.
"I am not doing anything until Teal'c is right here," she jabbed a finger on the mattress, "next to me." Leah looked up worried; men were not normally allowed to be in the birthing room with their wives. As much as Miste Samantha had learned in the past six months there were things she refused to give up.
"You will not even chew on the leaf." Sam gritted her teeth as another contraction set but managed to shake her head. Leah sighed, she too was not originally from Dakara or the Jaffa culture and part of her understood.
"Kat darling, bring Madse Teal'c in when he arrives."
"He arrived not five minutes ago ma'am." Kat smiled.
"Wonderful, show him in." Kat exited quietly and was back in two minutes with Teal'c in tow. This was not the first child to be born to him but it was the first with Sam and the first he was to witness.
"Teal'c" Sam's dried out voice called softly.
"I am here my love." He sat down on the bed next to her, out of the way of the women, and held her hand. Sam smiled and began to chew the leaf. Leah had given to her.
"Alright Samantha, you need to push now." Sam gave it everything she had. Once, twice, she lost count and became positive that the leaf thing Leah had given her was nothing compared to what Janet could have offered her. Finally Leah sighed. "One last push darling, I promise." With her goal in mind Sam gave the biggest push she had yet and was rewarded by the screams of new life.
Within the hour Kat, Karenna, and Leah had cleaned everything up and had the baby back to Sam. Leah had left shortly there after with strict instructions and where she could be reached. Karenna was in the processes of organizing that nursery and making it useable. Kat brought Sam a glass of water and some fresh fruit with toast. Teal'c was holding his daughter. Kat smiled at the picture.
"What are you going to name her?" Leah had written down the time and date, height, weight, sex, and parents, all that was left was the name. Sam's tired face beamed with the simple pleasure of knowing that the baby Teal'c was holding was hers and that she was going to name it.
"Kamala Rose se Teal'c." Her daughter smiled too. Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
"It seems that she too finds this name acceptable." The adults laughed until Kamala began to whimper. Kat took her and handed her to Sam.
"It will release the pressure and pain on your breasts and nourish her much better than anything else could." Sam nodded and lifted her tiny daughter to her left breast. Kat watched from the bedside, she almost laughed as Sam's eyes got wide when Kamala first began to suckle, but soon satisfied that everything was going well she gathered the dishes and cleaned up the last of the mess.
She was eager to get back to her own daughter.