Chapter Sis

"God, I feel like I swallowed a watermelon!"

Sam groaned as she eased her nine-months-pregnant self out of her chair. "They always make this sound so easy, but it is SO not. This kid's tearing my insides to shreds!"

"Don't worry, Sam." Daniel put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "People do this all the time. By the way, WHY are you still working? Are you trying to prove something, or what?"

"No," she glared. "But if I just sit here and wait, it's going to feel like years before Junior's ready to be born. This way, I-"

She stopped, a strange look passing over her face, a cross between horror and relief. Slowly she looked down. A small pool of liquid was gathering around her feet. It widened steadily as she stood, motionless, watching it.

"Holy buckets!"

Jack drove as fast as he could through the busy afternoon traffic. There way no WAY he would allow himself to be late for THIS. As he drove, he prayed that the police were not out in full force; the last thing he needed was to be pulled over at this point.

He found himself breathing easier when the guarded entrance to Cheyenne Mountain came into view. He flashed his ID card to the airman on duty, flew through check-in, hurriedly presenting his handprint and scrawling a barely readable "J. O'Neill" on the clipboard before bolting for the elevators. It seemed to take forever as the giant metal box inched its way down into the bowels of the complex.

The elevator ground to a halt, and Jack nearly yelled in frustration as the doors slid open to allow Dr. Jackson to enter.

"Hi Jack."

"Daniel," he growled. "If I'm late I am SO gonna kick your ass!"

"Oh," Daniel looked nonchalant, and then as though the idea had just occurred to him. "Sam's having her baby, hope we get there in time, huh?"

It was all Jack could do not to strangle him.

Nothing in her Air Force training could have ever prepared her for this. The pain was worse than anything she'd ever felt before; a tearing, pulling sensation that seemed to rip through her entire body with each contraction. Suddenly, without warning, the feeling changed, became an unbearable need to bear down.

"OK," Dr. Lam came into view. "Time to push, Sam."

She bore down, feeling as through she were being torn apart.

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" It was torn from her lips, where was he now? She needed him so badly to be here with her!

Jack bolted into the room just as she cried out his name. He ran to her side, took her hand in his and felt her nails dig into his flesh.

"Oh, God," she cried, "I don't think I can do this!"

"You can," he told her. "I can see the head, you're nearly there!"

Sam could feel it now, a drawing, pulling, tearing sensation as the baby's head crested, then slid out of her. A final push, drawing an agonised cry from Sam, brought forth the infant, followed quickly by a mass of bloody tissue which Dr. Lam quickly wrapped up in the receiving blanket, to be disposed of later.

The baby was taken away and quickly cleaned, and before they knew it, Dr. Lam was bringing the blanket-wrapped infant back to them. A tiny cry issued from the child, and Dr. Lam smiled as she handed the infant over.

"Jack, Sam, say hello to your daughter."

They drew the blanket back together, gazing at the face of their newborn daughter.

"Hello, Jolinar," Sam whispered. Looking over at Jack, she saw that he was smiling.

After showing Sam how to feed the child, she left them to be alone. They looked down together, at the child taking its first life-giving colostrum from her mother's breast, and smiled.

"She's beautiful," Sam said, and Jack realised she was crying, tears running slowly down her face. She looked up at him, smiling through her tears. "We did this, Jack. We made her. I love her so much already, and we just met!"

He slipped an arm around her, drew her close. "I love you, Sam. I always have."

He drew away, looked deeply into her dark rimmed eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

Jolinar Charlene O'Neill bounced around excitedly, her little white dress floating around her. No child could be as happy as she, for today, her Mommy and Daddy were getting married. At a year and a half old, Joli had her mother's bright blond hair, done in curls for the occasion, and her father's deep grey eyes. She was a bright child who questioned everything around her. The only sadness in her life was that she had no surviving grandparents, but her family was so large that she never wanted for love and attention.

Without any warning, her Auntie Vala swooped in, catching her mid-bounce.

"Joli, you silly girl," she said, "Where have you been? It's about to start."

Joli loved listening to her Auntie Vala speak. She had such a pretty, musical voice. Everything came out sounding so pretty. She rested herself against Vala, playing with her pretty black hair. Everything about Auntie Vala was pretty. She always made Joli happy.

Vala carried the child into the chapel, hurrying to find their seats. She placed Joli down in between her and Daniel, who smiled over at her as she settled herself. Resting a hand on her not-so-flat stomach, she smiled. Soon enough, she'd have her own little one to take care of, and this time no one could take it from her.

Up front, the minister cleared his throat, and began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today, to join these two in Holy Matrimony…"

TBC…