A/N: Sorry for the delay, my awesome beta Wendy (many thanks again) and I apparently got a life at the same time (hectic) and have been playing IM tag for a while. So here is the next installment. As noted before all chapters are done and with Wendy so you wont be left with an unfinished story I promise.

Now on with the show...and of course Reading and Review is encouraged and very much welcomed...feed the writer:D

O'Neill had arrived on time to watch Grace while Carter drove Liz back to the base. She had just lead him into the kitchen so she could throw the casserole into the oven when her house phone rang. He could tell she was talking to Daniel, and he knew it wasn't good. Hearing her hang up the phone, he knew by the look on her face that dinner was cancelled.

"Major O'Neill just suffered a major entropic cascade failure event. I thought she still had more time, but I guess she's more like me than I thought. With her already weakened body, Janet is rushing her down to surgery. It doesn't look good." Carter said, solemnly. "Daniel said…"

"Why don't you go? I have the girls, there is no reason Liz needs to see her mom in her current state and there is nothing she can do while her mom is in surgery." O'Neill suggested, "Besides how hard can watching two little girls be?" O'Neill added before taking in the full appearance of his 2IC. She looked like she had been to an all night kegger and had woke up in the middle of the party dish of chocolate and then someone had decided to douse the sleeping chick with flour. "Go ahead, I got it really. I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Carter raised her eyebrow, causing him to repeat himself, "really."

"Alright, well dinner is in the oven. It's spaghetti casserole and it has about," looking down at her watch, "20 minutes left. Salad is in the fridge, Grace has to finish her salad before she may have second helping of spaghetti. Liz, too. Bed time is at 8:30, and don't let them talk you into letting them finish watching a show." Carter kept the list going.

"Carter, I know how to watch a child. Trust me, I can handle it." O'Neill said, stopping her list in its tracks. "I will even make sure they brush their teeth, and read them a story. If I have any problems I will call you or one of the million numbers I see on the side of your fridge. Now go."

Running over to the girls playing in the living room, she gave Grace a kiss on the cheek and explained that O'Neill would be watching them. She then picked up her purse and ran towards the door, running a hand threw her hair in an attempt to shake the flour out of it.

Liz and Grace sat there in the middle of the room, looking at O'Neill as he made his way from the doorway towards them.

"Hey, munchkins. I was thinking, how would you like to go out and get ice cream after dinner?" O'Neill asked, "That is, of course, if you are good and eat all your dinner, including your salad." O'Neill added, no stranger to bribing kids to get what needed to be done. Both little heads bobbed up and down with enthusiasm.

"Sweet." Liz and Grace replied at once.

-----

Carter made her way towards the base; through all the checkpoints and down to the infirmary in record time. Daniel was waiting outside the infirmary, waiting for her.

"How is she doing? Any updates from Janet?" Carter asked while catching her breath.

Seeing Daniel's face she knew that the news wasn't good.

"Janet just came out. She said it's touch and go since she just had another episode of entropic cascade failure. They don't know if she can make it through another one." Daniel stated with a hint of sadness.

Carter just nodded that she understood all he had said. "Should I get Liz here now? So she can see her mom?" Carter asked, tentatively.

"Let's not give up on Janet or Major O'Neill yet, but you might want to tell whoever is watching her to be ready to leave just in case they have to get her fast." Daniel answered. "Sam?"

"Hmm?" Carter half answered since her mind was still thinking about Liz and Major O'Neill.

"She wanted you to have Liz incase she didn't make it. She said there is no one left to watch her." Carter took a seat at the news; thinking how much her life had changed in the last 24 hours. Lost in thought, she didn't notice Daniel leave her side or the fact that 2 hours had passed since she got there. It took the PA system paging SG-1 to the briefing room to pull her back to reality.

"What now?" Carter asked to herself.