A/N: Firstly, BIG HUGE thank you to everyone who's given feedback for this story. I'm really, really thrilled, pleased and encouraged that you all are enjoying it so much! I'd also like to apologise that I wasn't able to reply to many of you who reviewed Chapter 4, my computer was playing up and it wouldn't load the page, but thank you still!! Lastly, I found this chapter very hard to write, so I apologise if it's not quite up there.
On with the story..
Chapter 5: In which SG-1 gets rather a shock.
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Blackness began to fade from Samantha Carter's mind. A dull ache throbbed in her right leg. Her gut felt wrenched and sore. As feeling slowly returned to her, muffled sounds, voices, began to filter through into her consciousness. Her eyes flickered open, and she was greeted by the relieved smile of her Colonel.
"Well hey, there, Carter! You ok?" He asked gently. Opening her eyes fully, Sam surveyed the area from her infirmary bed. Jack sat at her left, Daniel on the next bed just behind him. Tea'lc stood protectively at the foot of her bed.
"Hey, guys," she smiled weakly. "I think I'm okay. Thanks." She turned her eyes to Jack. "Sir, I'm sorry. I should have noticed something sooner." She chuckled humourlessly. "Can't believe a little leg wound took me out."
"Carter," Jack's voice held a warning tone. "There was no way you could've known there'd be any stinkin' Jaffa waiting for us." He smiled reassuringly, hand hovering close to hers, but unwilling to touch.
"Indeed," Tea'lc confirmed. "There is no shame in being caught unawares by an ambush, Major Carter. That is, in fact, their intention."
"Yeah.. I guess. Thanks, guys." Tea'lc's head bowed in acknowledgement. She grimaced. "Oh boy, I left a mess in the gate room, too, huh."
"Oh, yeah, you ah, you sure did that," Daniel smiled at his friend, relieved to see her awake.
"Never mind Carter, there's enough mess to clear from there in any case after the hits it took." Jack commented. "We were lucky to all get out of there," he added seriously. The four team members contemplated the truth of his weighty statement. "Oh, Hammond's busy supervising the clearance, but he did send his regards for when you woke up," he smiled.
The sharp click of heels across the floor heralded the arrival of Doctor Fraiser. She perused her patient with a concerned frown.
"Sam. I'm glad to see you're awake, you gave us quite a scare there," a narrow smile flitted across her face, before being replaced again by the frown.
"Doc..?" Jack queried, standing up. "Everything okay...?" Janet's eyes flicked to Jack's, before dropping again to the chart she was holding.
"Sam's leg will be fine, yes..." She assured, trailing off in thought. "However, if you gentlemen would excuse us, I need to discuss something in private with Major Carter."
Faced with four confused frowns, the petite Doctor sighed. "Colonel, it will be brought to your attention all in good time. Right now, I need you to let Major Carter get some rest and hear what I have to say. So, if you don't mind..."
"But, she is okay, right?" Daniel asked. Tea'lc raised an eyebrow, whilst Jack folded his arms protectively. Janet's eyes locked with Sam's confused gaze.
"Yes. She's okay, yes. Now, if you please -"
"Okay, doc, okay." Jack grumbled, the three men walking reluctantly towards the door. "Carter, I'll come see you later. If you've been a good patient, I might even bring you some jello!" He winked cheekily before leaving.
"Janet..?" Sam, mind slowed by the pain medication, searched her friend's face for some clue as to what Janet could need to talk to her about. It was only a leg wound, after all, and healing already by the feel of it.
"Sam," Janet started, unsure how to proceed. She drew the curtain around the bed for privacy, and stood in thought, tapping the chart against her hand gently. "Sam, I ran some tests earlier to try and find the cause of your vomiting attack in the gate room. Whilst it's not uncommon for people to have that reaction to acute pain, it has never been attributed to you in your medical history."
"No, I know," Sam confirmed.
"Well," Janet continued, "I ran several tests to cover anything which might not have been picked up in your routine pre-mission check-ups."
"And?"
Janet paused, not quite making eye contact with Sam. After several moments, she sighed, looking her friend straight in the eye.
"Sam, you're pregnant."
"Wh.. Uh.. What?" Sam stammered uncharacteristically, her mouth opening and shutting in shock. "B-but, I can't be, Janet. That's impossible. What?"
"Sam, honey, I ran the tests twice to be sure. There's no mistake." The doctor smiled sympathetically at Sam.
"But Janet, you don't understand! I can't be pregnant. There's, there's no way. I mean... I haven't... You know, there's no physical human way that I can be pregnant!" She protested futilely. Janet stepped closer, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"Well, Sam, I don't know how to explain that. All I can tell you is the facts, and the fact is that you are pregnant, honey."
Sam couldn't respond. She sat in shock, trying in vain to comprehend what her trusted friend told her. She was sure on that count; if Janet was sure of something medically, she had to be right. She wouldn't lie to her, not about this. Staring ahead, unable to focus on anything, Sam spoke quietly.
"How long?"
"I'd say roughly six weeks, it's difficult to say exactly at this stage."
Sam thought back over the past few months. There was nothing she could think of, nothing even remotely that possibly could have caused this. No human way, certainly.
..--00--..
Shortly after their initial conversation, Janet informed General Hammond of Sam's situation. Sam determinedly attempted to convince the General of what she'd assured Janet of; she was positive she could not be pregnant, not having been intimate with anyone for longer than she cared to remember. Having recovered from the initial shock somewhat, Sam requested to tell the rest of her team herself. An hour or so later, then, she found herself once again with her three team mates gathered protectively around her bed, General Hammond and Janet off to one side.
"So, Carter," Jack broke the tense silence. "What's up?" The Colonel looked distinctly nervous, shifting around on the chair.
"Yeah, Janet said you were fine, but obviously..." Daniel pondered.
"Guys..." Sam began awkwardly. Her eyes sought out Janet, receiving a silent nod of encouragement. "I'm... Somehow, I don't know how..." The team waited with baited breath as Sam sighed deeply, gathering strength. "I'm pregnant."
Stunned silence filled the room. Daniel's mouth dropped open, Tea'lc's eyebrow rising. But the reaction Sam was looking for was Jack's. And it scared her. His face remained cold, impassive, emotionless. She practically saw his internal wall, his shield, raise, becoming unreadable. There was a faint trace in his eyes of something, but she couldn't tell if it was sorrow or anger. She held her breath.
"Well, congratulations, Carter," he said, his voice strained, little warmth in it. Desperation rose in Sam's throat. Whatever strange thing it was they shared, whatever possible feelings, for some reason she couldn't bear the idea that he should think she was pregnant by another man. She'd never particularly desired children, but one thing she did know what that she certainly didn't want them, at least not by anyone else other than one, impossible, unreachable, Jack O'Neill. And she hated that he thought she would.
"Sir, I.. I can't explain..." She took a deep breath, demanding his gaze. "I cannot be pregnant, Sir. I know I am, but... Believe me, I haven't been... Intimate, with anyone, for a very long time." Her eyes and voice pleaded with him, to recognise her, to understand. "I can't explain this, Sir."
To her immense relief, his expression softened somewhat, turning now to one of confusion.
"I don't understand... Carter, if you're so sure about that, then how exactly have you come to be pregnant?"
Janet stepped forward to intervene.
"We're not exactly sure about that, Colonel. My tests indicate that Major Carter is about six weeks pregnant, so if any of you recall anything unusual that happened around then... Maybe on a mission, or -"
"We were indeed on a fairly lengthy mission six weeks ago," Tea'lc interjected. Everyone turned to look at him for further explanation. "Our diplomatic mission to Caradonia, and the resulting festivities, occurred six weeks ago." He continued. Janet looked between the four members of SG-1, a thought suddenly occurring to her. She looked at Sam with concern.
"Sam, I understand there were quite extensive celebrations when you concluded the negotiations, yes?" All four nodded in confirmation. "Sam, I hate to suggest this, but is it possible at all that something got out of hand, maybe you were drugged in some way?"
Sam grimaced, sickened by the suggestion. Jack frowned as he recalled something.
"Carter, that creepy Werran scientist was all over you at the festival." His eyes narrowed in anger. "If that slimeball even thought about- "
"Sir, no," Sam shook her head emphatically. "I know I wasn't with you the whole time after my encounter with Werran, but... Sirs," she addressed her comment to Jack and the General. "I'm sure it wasn't that. I can clearly recall all of my actions at the festivities. Nothing like that happened," she assured them. A contemplative silence returned. Suddenly, Daniel let out a strange yelp. All eyes turned to him in confusion as the archaeologist bounced off the bed he'd been sitting on. He began to gesture wildly.
"I've, I've got it! That's it! Jack, Sam -" he turned to them. "New life! That's it, a baby! Don't you see? What does a baby bring to people, if not joy and, literally, new life?"
It took a moment for the other occupants of the room to comprehend this information.
"I believe Daniel Jackson may be correct," Tea'lc voiced his opinion. "Birth of a child would indeed accurately fit with those predictions."
"Colonel, Major? Is that possible?" General Hammond stepped in.
"I really don't know, Sir," Sam struggled to process the words. "Theoretically, I mean what Daniel is saying would make sense... But I have no idea how it may have been caused, Sir." Her head lowered to her hands. This was way, way too much to comprehend, even for her. Science, she could get. It was impartial, impassionate, balanced. But this... This involved, affected, her. Her body. Her future.. This was different. Way different.
"Could the altar you touched have been some kind of device that could have accomplished this?" Hammond asked.
"Sir, I really have no idea," Sam apologised. "It showed no signs of having any function at all. Clearly, that has to be something to do with it, but at the moment, I've no idea how. The technology to actually impregnate somebody without any visible sign or indication must be incredible."
"It's doubtful the Caradonian's even know how the device works," Daniel added. "They probably just know that it does, without ever having questioned how or why."
"Permission to go find out why, Sir." Jack's request was more a determined statement than an actual question. "If it was that device that's caused Major Carter's... condition... we should check it out. At least attempt to confirm that that was the cause."
"If you do, Colonel, I'm afraid Major Carter won't be coming with you," Janet warned.
"But Janet, I need to-"
"Ah, ah, I'm afraid this isn't negotiable, Sam. That leg needs time to heal still. In any case, if this is the start of morning sickness you're getting, I don't want to risk you going through the Stargate again."
General Hammond looked between his people, noticing the determination in their eyes. He nodded.
"Sorry Major, but I have to agree with Doctor Fraiser. SG-1, the rest of you have a go to determine whether or not the Caradonian altar was the cause of Major Carter's pregnancy, and any information you can pertaining to it's function. You leave in twenty minutes." The three men of SG-1 nodded in acknowledgement and thanks. "In the meantime," he looked at Sam, "Doctor Fraiser and I will discuss where we can go from here."
The men and Doctor Fraiser left to go about their respective missions, each pausing at the door to give Sam a reassuring smile. Jack lingered a little longer.
"Carter..." he struggled to find anything appropriate or comforting to say. "Just... Hang in there. We'll find out what's goin' on." He frowned slightly at his lack of finesse with words.
"I know, Sir. Thanks," Sam replied quietly. They shared a brief smile, and he left. Sam wished he knew that he didn't have to say anything at all. All she needed was that pause, that smile, that was enough to let her know. He didn't need to quantify it with words. She sighed, alone again, mind once more racing, calculating, wondering, how?
..--00--..
The midday sun was shining brightly again on Caradonia, lighting the village square not far from the Stargate. The villagers were going about their daily business, peaceful, unhurried. The nine village elders conducted business in an old building close to the centre of the village, working communally in a large chamber to conduct the affairs of the village each day. Kela sat at the head of the table, listening to and considering each matter. The elders, busy discussing their usual business, slowly became aware of some commotion outside the building. Unsure as to the reason, they rose to their feet to see what was happening. Before Kela had made it halfway across the room, the door to the conference chamber flew open, and the elders found themselves confronted with one very angry Colonel Jack O'Neill.
"Alright," he gestured furiously. "What the hell did your ritual do to Major Carter?" he shouted.
TBC
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A/N: There we are! Kind of an odd place to finish, but it's the same length as the other chapters, and I thought I'd get it posted while I can. Your thoughts and comments, as always, would be much appreciated! Thank you!