Lena pulled right up to where the petite doctor stood, waiting with two male medics, and they opened the door. Nick was paler than Janet thought she had ever seen him. "Get him to the infirmary! NOW!" She ordered.
The medics lifted his body out of the car with little effort, and into the wheelchair. They instantly lifted the leg rest so that his leg was elevated, and they raced him to the infirmary while Lena parked.
Nick looked up at Janet while they were in the elevator heading down. "Remind me to NEVER spy on your daughter ever again in my life." He said, trying to chuckle.
Janet looked at Nick, surprised. "What did she do to you?!"
"It wasn't really her fault." He said, as a wave of pain reverberated through his leg.
"Nick, what happened?"
"Centrifugal force decided to teach me a lesson..." He said as he passed out.
Once Nick had been placed on an examination table, Janet took several x-rays of his left leg and winced when she saw the damage to his femur.
Janet turned to her nurses. "Get the OR prepped...I'm going to need to clean some of those bone fragments out and we'll also need some screws as well."
Lena hurried into the infirmary, frazzled by the evening's events. When she arrived, she saw them whisk her husband away. "What's going on?" She asked, the nearest nurse.
"Dr. Kosovich is suffering from a fractured femur."
Lena inhaled deeply in shock. This could effectively end his dancing days...
She nodded her understanding. "Was a compound fracture or a clean?" She asked.
"Definitely a compound."
Lena sighed. It wasn't impossible to come back from an injury like that, but it certainly wasn't going to be easy for her very active husband.
"Nurse!" Janet called, pulling the young orderly from where Lena stood, thinking.
"I'm sorry, ma'am..."
"No, go ahead." Lena said, brought once again to the matters at hand.
Lena picked up the phone on Janet's desk.
"Hello?" Sam's voice answered.
"Hi. It's me, Lena."
" Lena!"
"It looks like I'm going to be here for a while..."
"I gathered that from what Jack said about Nick's leg. Is he doing okay?"
"It's a compound fracture to his femur. Janet's taken him to the OR."
"Oh wow..." Sam said, sympathetically. She'd seen enough injuries at her tenure at the SGC to know how nasty fractures could be.
Lena sighed. "Keeping him off of it is going to be the hard part...you know Nick."
Sam chuckled softly. "Yes, I do. Keep us updated, ok?"
"Will do." Lena replied before hanging up the phone.
--
"I'm home," Cassie called as she entered the door.
"Cassie!" Sam said, having just hung up the phone with Lena. "How was your date?"
"It was great...except Nick was spying...where is he?"
"He's at the infirmary."
Cassie's eyebrows shot up. "Is he okay?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine..."
"You're not telling me everything."
"Your mom's a great doctor, she'll get him fixed up in no time…"
"What was the diagnosis?" She demanded.
"Cassie, you don't need to worry about..."
"Sam..."
"He has a compound fracture in his femur."
Cassie stood there, silent. "Oh."
"Look...your mom's a fabulous doctor...he'll probably be up and around in no time!"
"That requires surgery, Sam...I may be young, but I wasn't born yesterday."
Sam opened and closed her mouth as the young woman went to bed.
Sighing, she shook her head and went to go check on all of the children staying with them. It was amazing how quickly an otherwise excellent evening could change so quickly.
Tommy Kosovich and Nicky were already asleep, but Grace and Danny Kosovich were still awake. She was playing with one of her Barbie dolls while Danny was dutifully being Ken for her. The dolls were dancing a very nice basic waltz and Sam had to smile at this. "Okay you two, enough dancing for tonight." She said gently.
Grace began to pout but stopped immediately with a warning look from Danny. "Yes Mommy." She said, sounding unhappy to have her ballroom doll party broken up.
"We can play again tomorrow." Danny told her seriously.
"Okay. Goodnight, Mommy!" Grace said, putting her doll back in the plastic toy chest before coming over to hug and kiss her mother goodnight.
Danny walked toward his parents' room, to say goodnight. "Danny? Where're you going?"
"I'm going to tell my mum and dad good-night."
"Your parents aren't here right now." Sam said with a smile on her face so as to reassure the six-year-old.
"They're not? They usually tell me when they leave."
"Your Dad got hurt and your mom had to take him to see Aunt Janet."
Danny nodded. "Ah. Will you tell him I said good-night when he gets back?"
"If he gets back before you wake up, I'll be sure to tell him that." Sam said, trying not to make any promises.
The boy accepted this gravely before wishing both her and Grace a polite goodnight and heading into the room he was sharing with his twin and little Nicky.
Sam and her daughter watched him go. "Do you like Danny, Mommy?" Grace asked suddenly.
"Yes...why?"
"Because I'm going to marry him."
Sam managed to hide her amusement until Grace walked into the room that she and Cassie were sharing, thanks to the VERY full house. She chuckled for a moment, but by the time she reached her own bedroom, the feelings of confusion and worry reclaimed her.
Upon her arrival into their room, Jack noticed this immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
Sam looked at her husband, a smile on her face. "Okay...not nothing, but I just...I can't put my finger on it..."
"Other than the fact that Nick's in the infirmary?"
"He's in surgery right now...compound fracture to his femur." Sam said, effectively debriefing her husband.
"Ouch."
"No kidding. Lena called a few minutes ago. She said they'd be there for a while."
"I can't imagine how she's feeling right now...this could potentially end his dance career."
"Well, Lena didn't say anything, but I could tell that she was worried."
He nodded.
Sensing that she still had a lot on her mind, Jack pulled her onto the bed, where he held her. "You okay?"
She nodded, closing her eyes as she savored his embrace.
Jack stroked her hair, holding her close, and in a few minutes, he realized that she was asleep. This wasn't normal for the workaholic astrophysicist, and he kissed her forehead before laying her against the pillows. Tomorrow, he would make her see Janet, to figure out what was going on.
--
Nick opened his eyes slowly. His leg wasn't hurting at all and he felt like he was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the moment.
Rolling his head to the side, he saw Janet Frasier writing something on a clipboard. "Using me for one of your experiments now, are you?"
She gave a tiny chuckle. "No. I save that privilege for General O'Neill. You, on the other hand, have just awoken from the anesthesia given you during surgery."
His eyebrows raised. "Surgery?"
"Yes, Nick...surgery. On your leg."
"Oy..." he said.
"That's the last time I'm ever going bowling, I think..." He quipped lightly.
Janet shook her head as she turned away from him. "I'm going to go let Lena know you've woken up."
He nodded his assent to this course of action and closed his eyes again, though he really wasn't tired.
--
Lena sat in the infirmary, her head beginning to droop in sleep. She had been up all night waiting for Nick to awaken.
According to Janet, the surgery had gone well, but...she still wanted to make sure that he was all right.
" Lena?" Janet asked, gently shaking her.
"Huh?" She asked, awaking swiftly.
"Nick's awake if you'd like to see him..."
Her eyes snapped open, and whatever traces of sleep had been left in her weary body were erased quickly.
"Of course."
Janet smiled. "This way."
Nick looked up as his wife came in and he smiled. "Hello darling."
Wordlessly, Lena leaned down and hugged him tightly. Nick held and murmured gently in her ear, "It's okay...I'm fine."
"I know...but a compound fracture is nothing to sneeze at..."
"Did I sneeze?" Nick asked, looking at Janet, a teasingly confused look in his eye.
Lena had to chuckle, and she kissed her husband's cheek. "It's an expression, darling."
"I know." He said, a smile on his face, grateful that he had been able to get her to chuckle.
Lena smacked his arm lightly but still had a faint smile.
"As soon as we get a cast on your leg, you're free to go." Janet told him.
"Hmmm...I wonder how many people I can get to sign it..." Nick mused.
"I'm sure my nurses would love to be the first ones..." Janet teased. Nick had a smug grin on his face that earned him another smack from his wife.
"Be good." She admonished.
"How can I be what I'm not?" Nick asked, cheekily.
Janet's eyebrows raised for a moment as Lena blushed. She coughed. "All right...that's enough...it's time to cast your leg."
"Awww..." Nick groaned theatrically.
Janet had an evil smirk on her face. "Just remember, Nick...don't start something you're not going to be able to finish..."
Both husband and wife went red at this comment and Janet got her supplies ready with a satisfied smile.
--
Jack untangled himself from his wife's embrace as he heard the early-morning stirrings of the kids.
She tried to grasp him more firmly, but as he placed a kiss on her forehead, she relaxed and he was able to slip out of bed.
"What's goin' on?" She asked, sleep lacing her words.
"Kids are up...thought I'd save the neighborhood."
She nodded, though Jack could tell that none of the conversation had seeped into her mind. Undoubtedly she would awaken and ask him why he had gone...
He chuckled. His wife was certainly one of a kind...
--
After an awkward ride back up to the surface, Nick was placed in the back of the car with some Vicodin and crutches. He giggled the entire way home and Lena was beginning to question the wisdom of giving her already goony husband pain medication...
Turning off the engine, Lena helped Nick out and onto his crutches, which he handled like a seasoned pro. "Done this before?"
"Yeah...twisted my ankle when I was playing rugby at age 16." He responded.
Lena tried to picture her husband as a 16 year old boy playing rugby and just couldn't do it. "Somehow I can't see you playing rugby..."
"Of course not...my leg is hurt." He said, starting to snicker.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She returned playfully.
"Ah...I know it, do I?"
She rolled her eyes. "You've been dubbed the Ballroom Emperor, and you expect me to picture you as a rough and tumbling teenager playing rugby?"
There was a wicked glint in Nick's eye as he said, "If I didn't have these dratted crutches, I could show you just how rough and tumble I am..."
Arching an eyebrow, Lena replied, "Remember what Janet said...don't start something you can't finish, my dear..."
Turning away from him, she bent over and got the spare key out to let them both in. Before she could rise again, something swatted her behind and she whirled around to find Nick holding one crutch in both hands with a wide grin on his face.
"Okay, you two...not in front of the kids." Jack said, opening the door.
Lena had the grace to look abashed while Nick merely smirked as he tucked his crutch back under his arm.
"And be quiet...Sam's still sleeping."
Lena and Nick made it into the house, both with puzzled looks. "It's eight o' clock in the morning..."
"Yeah, I know..."
"Something wrong?"
Jack shrugged. "I was going to have her go see Janet when she wakes up."
"That'd be a good idea."
"Yeah...she should get some of this stuff..." Nick said, swaying a little with the effects of the Vicodin.
"No, darling, I don't think ANYONE should be on that stuff..." Lena said, stabilizing her husband for a moment. "Especially not you."
"But it makes me feel so good!" Nick protested.
Lena began leading him to the bedroom. "I know…"
"Got something in mind?" Nick asked, waggling his eyebrows.
"Yes. Bed." Lena retorted.
"Good choice." Nick's voice could be heard going down the hall.
Jack shook his head as he returned to the kids in the kitchen. "So…pancakes anybody?"
"What's wrong with Daddy?" Tommy asked, his eyes wide with surprise. His dad was goofy, but not THAT goofy.
"Nothing's wrong with him." Lena said, returning at that moment. "Aunt Janet gave him some medicine for his leg, and it's making him really funny right now."
Sam padded softly into the kitchen, dressed in pajama pants and a sweatshirt. "Good morning all…" She greeted warmly.
"Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty herself." Jack said, as he kissed her good morning. "I made your favorite!"
"Fabulous! I'm starving!" She said, picking up a couple of pancakes.
Jack smiled. "I know.
She looked up as she poured syrup on her pancakes to find Lena standing there. "When did you and Nick get back?"
"About five minutes ago. The Ballroom Emperor has officially been given painkillers, so...look out world!"
Sam's eyes widened as if in horror at the thought of Nick on painkillers. "I don't think the world is ready for that..."
Lena chuckled, helping herself to some of the pancakes. "I don't think I'M ready for Nick on painkillers."
Jack and Sam looked at each other. "And here I though Nick was already bad..." Jack muttered.
"Apparently he and his new friend Vicodin need to be separated as soon as is humanly possible..." She replied, trying not to laugh.
"Dad is acting like a goon." Danny observed.
"Ya think?" Jack replied sarcastically.
"More than you do..." The youngster shot back.
"Daniel Evan!" His mother admonished.
Jack merely laughed. "I asked for that one, Lena...you're a pretty sharp kid, Danny."
The boy nodded gravely. "I take after my father."
Sam reached into the fridge and pulled out the orange juice. "So...anybody got any plans for today?"
"You do." Jack said, retrieving the bowl of fresh fruit from the countertop.
"I do?" She asked, surprised.
"Other than the fact that SG-1 was SUPPOSED to have a mission this morning..." Jack said before his eyes widened. "Crap! I have to get the base!"
Sam's eyes widened as well. "Why'd you let me sleep so late?!"
They both ran to their room as Lena stifled a yawn. She walked over to the guest room that Cassie was sharing with Grace and knocked on the door. Cassie opened it, sleepily. "Yeah?"
"Can you watch the kids?" Lena yawned again. "I was with Nick all night last night, and Sam and Jack just remembered that they need to be at the base…"
"I'll be there in a sec…"
"Thanks Cass...you're a life saver."
"I know...but don't worry, I'll collect someday." The young woman said with a laugh.
"Perish the thought." Sam replied dryly as she walked past to get back to her breakfast.
Cassie cleared her throat a couple of times before asking, "So...how's Nick?"
"Oh, Nick is FINE." Lena replied with a slight chuckle. "He's on Vicodin, and he's giggling up a storm...or at least he was until he tried to place the moves on me and ended up asleep in bed..."
Cassie's eyes widened. "Oh... Lena, did you REALLY have to share?"
"I'll have you know we're not any worse than your parents or Sam and Jack..."
"But at least they don't TRY to scar me...it just happens as a result of my own natural curiosity, but...you and Nick..."
Lena chuckled as she yawned. "Try and hurry, please. I think I may fall asleep..."
As she returned to the kitchen, she could hear the running around of Sam and Jack as they tried to get ready for work. "Sam...relax, I'm the base commander...I can give you the day off!"
"But Jack, I don't want special treatment!"
"Sam...you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow last night...even if you weren't married to me, I'd have found out you weren't feeling well eventually..."
"I'm feeling FINE, Jack...just a little tired. But I've had a house full of guests, so that's normal!"
"Look...please, just...go see Janet...let's figure out if something else is going on..."
"I've already been to see Janet, Jack...it's called a pre-mission physical."
He nodded. "That's right...I forgot about that..." There was a brief silence as Jack continued. "I guess I'm just overreacting a little..." Jack admitted.
"It's sweet of you to worry about me, but I'm fine." She replied.
"I'm NOT sweet." He grumbled.
"No kidding!" Cassie called.
Sam smiled. "Okay...you're not sweet...to anyone except me."
He nodded, accepting this compromise.
"Well, we oughta go..."
She nodded. "Besides, there's...something I wanted to tell you on the way..."
Jack drew his eyebrows together. "Something IS wrong and you're just not telling me?"
"There's a reason I want to talk in the car." She said, sternly as she hurried out to the car.
Jack was surprised by his wife's bashfulness...surely after seven years of marriage they had gotten past the blushing bride stage...
Jack got into the car beside his wife, who was nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket.
"Something wrong?"
"No."
"Sam, you told me that inside, and then you said you needed to talk to me out here."
She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to say anything in there, because I'm not really sure..."
"Not really sure about what?"
"I think...I think I might be pregnant.."
His eyebrows shot up. "What?"
She gave him a nervous grin. "I think we might be having another baby."
He grinned, foolishly. "You're kidding!"
She shook her head. "No…"
"No, I mean…I know you'd never joke about something like this, but…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "We're going to have another baby."
She returned to her realistic nature, still somewhat unsure. "Jack, I…please…I don't know for sure…I mean, it's possible that this is just it, and we can't…"
"Sam…" He said, reaching to her hand. "It's okay…baby or not…I promise."
She almost looked relieved, but she also looked somewhat disappointed. "Right…"
"But…" He said, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I would be ecstatic if we were to have another baby."
She smiled as he kissed her. "Me too." She said as he parted from her and leaned his forehead against hers.