"I've made a decision," Vala announced a few days later as she walked into the living room with a flair.
"Oh?" Sam asked, listlessly, from where she sat on the couch wearing one of Jack's oversized hooded sweatshirts and yoga pants.
"Yes. I want to learn how to grow some of these marvelous plants I've seen everywhere!" She said, looking at the wilting plants which littered the living room.
At any other time, Sam would have winced slightly at the realization that the living plants had been neglected while she and her family recovered from the loss of their expected baby. But instead, Sam looked at Vala with a somewhat distracted, yet still skeptical eye. "What?"
"I want to learn how to..."
"Garden. I know." She interrupted. "But...why?"
"Because it looks like fun." She said, seriously. "Why else would I do anything?"
Sam bit back a soft chuckle. She still wasn't in full spirits, but Vala's antics were still something to behold. Even in her current state of deep grief. "Truer words were never spoken," Sam said, shaking her head, gently.
"Sam can teach you," Daniel said, walking into the living room with a sandwich and apple slices on a plate which he offered to Sam. "She's good at that kind of stuff."
She tried to wave it away, but he placed it in her lap anyway. She sighed softly before she reached down for one of the apple slices and took a slow and methodical bite out of it. "I'm not that great..."
"You managed to grow violets in a lab without any direct sunlight."
She managed a small sigh. "Right..."
"Come on," he pressed, gently. "It could be fun. And I'm sure Grace would love to try too."
Sam inhaled softly. She wasn't going to win this one. "When Jack gets home, maybe...maybe I'll ask him to take me to get some plants."
Daniel and Vala looked at one another somewhat surprised. Sam hadn't left the house once since she'd gotten home from the hospital. In fact, this was the third day where Sam had actually left the bedroom, and even then, she hadn't been particularly active.
"Maybe we'll take Grace," she murmured, thoughtfully. "So she can choose the flowers."
Vala offered Daniel a small smile in celebration of their friend's slow, but consistent recovery. He managed a small reflection, but his eyes still showed their worry. Talking about leaving the house was one thing. Actually being willing to leave was another.
-
"Mommy!" Grace cried, running up the stairs to the living room after returning home from school.
Sam smiled softly. "Hi, angel," she murmured as her daughter threw her arms around her neck in a warm embrace.
They released one another, and Grace sat beside her mother on the couch, allowing Sam to wrap an arm around her. "How was school today?"
"It was good." She chattered. "It was Celia's birthday today, and her mom came in and brought cupcakes for the class. I got to eat a chocolate one."
Sam was quiet mostly, just grateful to hear Grace's many adventures from the day's events.
"Mrs. Martinez asked if you were feeling better," she said after a moment.
"And what did you say?"
"Well, I told her that I didn't know for sure. I said that you looked like you were feeling a little bit better."
Sam nodded. "I am feeling a little bit better," she admitted.
"Well, she said that she would call and talk to you."
"Thanks for telling me. I'll be expecting her call now." Sam said, kissing the top of her head, gently. She paused for a moment. "Grace?"
"Yes, Mommy?"
"You know how much I love you, don't you?"
Grace turned earnest eyes to her mother. "Yeah, Mommy. I do." She said, nodding.
"Good."
They heard the door open downstairs, and Grace hurried to the top of the stairs. "DADDY!" She cried, excitedly.
Sam slowly stood and walked over to greet her husband as he reached the top of the stairs. "Hi, Grace." He said, offering the little girl a hug.
He looked over at Sam, somewhat surprised. "Hi."
"Hi." She greeted with a sober smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently kissing his lips before she hugged him tightly.
He hesitated for a moment in surprise as he finally relaxed into the embrace, eventually allowing his arms to snake around her waist.
"I missed you," she whispered after a few moments.
"I missed you too," he returned, gently burying his face in her neck for a few moments.
They continued to hold one another before Sam finally pulled away. "You're home early," she said, softly.
He nodded. "President canceled one of our meetings while he's dealing with a crisis in South America."
"Ah."
"Thought I'd come home since I didn't have any other meetings for the rest of the day."
"I'm glad you did," she admitted with a small smile.
He looked down at Grace. "How was your day, kiddo?"
"Good." Grace said, excitedly. "It was Celia's birthday and..."
"You had chocolate cake, didn't you?" He asked, dusting a few small crumbs from her chest.
She gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah..."
He grinned. "It's the best kind."
Sam smiled softly as she moved to stand beside her husband, wrapping an arm around his waist.
He followed suit, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder, craving physical comfort from him.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek before gently guiding her back to the couch. "Today was a PE day, wasn't it?" He asked as Grace followed them.
Grace nodded. "Coach Hamburg wanted us to do the Presidential Fitness tests."
"And how did you do?" Sam asked, curiously.
"I beat everyone." She said, proudly. "I'm the fastest runner in my class!"
Sam chuckled softly. "Good for you."
"Where are Daniel and Vala?" Jack asked after a moment.
"I'm not sure," she said, looking around the room. "Teal'c's taking Doc on a walk, but...Daniel and Vala..."
"I'm sure they'll turn up." Jack said, gently easing her worry as he kissed the top of her head.
"I'm sure they will too," Sam said with a small smile. She inhaled as she recalled the conversation she'd had with her two friends earlier that morning. "Uh...Jack..."
"Hm?"
"I th-think I want to go out this afternoon."
His eyes widened slightly in soft surprise. "Oh?"
"Vala wants to learn how to plant flowers, and Daniel said that Grace might want to do the same, and so..."
"You want to go get flowers."
She managed a weak smile. "Not alone..."
"Can I come?" Grace asked, enthusiastically.
"Can I come too?" Jack asked with an understanding smile.
"Yeah." She said with a faint smile. She swallowed. "I was hoping you'd ask..."
"Let me change, and we can go."
"I should probably shower and change," Sam said after a moment. "I...I haven't done that yet today..."
"If that's what you want..." He said, looking over at her, soberly.
She smiled softly. "I think it is."
"All right then, I'll keep an eye on Grace while you shower and change, and then, we'll switch."
"I can read a book, Daddy." Grace said with an annoyed roll of her eyes as she reached in her backpack. "I'm a big girl, you know."
Sam tried to hide a small chuckle as Jack stood and bowed low in high apology. "My deepest apologies, mademoiselle, for having forgotten your age and sophistication."
Grace giggled. "You're silly, daddy."
Sam stood, reaching for her husband's hand. She gently interlaced her fingers with his as she looked at him. He could see that she still was tired and worn; she'd been truly broken when they'd lost their baby. And even though there were more good times than bad times these days, she was still a little lost in her grief. "Come on, let's go get ready." She said, mustering a small smile. "If we take too much longer, Grace is going to have finished her book, and we'll still not be ready to go."
Jack chuckled softly at her attempt to be humorous. "Yes...let's leave the "big girl" alone."
Grace had already sat on the couch, engrossed in her most recent read, and Sam gently tugged on Jack's hand.
He followed her, wordlessly, and closed the door behind them as they went into the bedroom. "How are you feeling today?"
She managed a small smile. "I'm okay. I just..." She didn't know how to word her feelings.
"It's okay to say that you missed me," he said with a faint smile as he remembered a time when she'd said the same to him.
"I did." She said, softly. "A lot."
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he murmured, holding her close for another few moments.
She clung to him. "I love you too," she whispered as she buried her face in his chest in an effort to feel the tangibility of his comfort.
"Hey, why don't you and I go out tonight, hm?" Jack asked after a few moments. "I'll take you to dinner, we can do something fun, a movie maybe..."
"Dinner would be great." She admitted as she looked back up at him. "I just...I need to do something different."
"I'll ask Danny to watch Grace then." He said, nodding. "Once we get back from the whole gardening expedition."
"It'll be fun, I think..." She murmured softly. "...digging around in the dirt." She turned a wry smile up to him. "Haven't really done that since I last took soil samples...which was a LONG time ago."
He chuckled softly as he bent in to kiss her lips gently. The lingering kiss set Sam's body on fire in a way she'd almost forgotten it could be. "Now," he murmured as he pulled away from her. "Off to the shower with you. I'll go make some reservations for dinner and change my clothes and we'll take Grace to pick some flowers."
"I love you," she whispered with a fierce passion she'd recently thought herself incapable.
He looked over at her, the same quiet passion in his eyes as he caught her gaze. "I know. I love you too." He swallowed. "We're gonna be okay."
She nodded. "I know."
A faint smile fluttered onto his lips. "Good. It's nice to know that you know."
"It's nice to know." She admitted softly before she turned and slipped into the bathroom.