Now that they knew that a baby girl was coming, Sam could work in the nursery. Since Jake already had his own room, they decided to turn the other guestroom into a nursery. And for that they enrolled Daniel and Teal'c help who was on Earth for a brief period of time. And were both very happy with the news that they were going to be uncles again. Cameron was away with his family but had promised to help when he returned.
So while Sam decided to paint Jake's crib in a light yellow, Daniel and Teal'c offered to put new shelves on the walls and also help Jack paint the walls. Sam had chosen a darker yellow for the walls and with the help provided by their friends the nursery was ready in record time. Many of the baby basics like the crib, rocking chair, and the like, she already had from Jake. Saving her the trouble of going shopping for new things. All she had to do was resupply wipes, shampoo, lotion, and some more other basics.
Of course all this movement in the house didn't went unnoticed to Jake. As soon as the nursery was ready, Jack and Sam decided it was time to explain things a little better to their firstborn. So Sam decided to take his photo albums and show him the pictures when he was inside her and when he was a newborn. She reminded him that she also looked after him too when he was inside her belly by showing him pictures of her pregnant with him. Jake was a little confused at first but with a lot of patience and care, Sam eventually made her point.
"See, inside is your baby sister", she said pointing to her belly.
Slowly, Jake put one hand in her belly.
"Very good, Jake", she said caressing his hair. "You have to be gently with mommy's belly because the baby is inside sleeping", she said as he started to make slow caresses.
"When she awakes?", he asked.
"It still takes time, buddy", Sam said. "But I'm still here for you. Mommy loves you, Jake", she said kissing and hugging him.
"Play with me?", he asked.
"Yes, honey. What do you want to play?", she asked.
"Puzzle", he said immediately and going to get his latest puzzle box.
Sam smiled. His favorite activities were running or doing puzzles. He came back and dropped all the puzzle pieces on the coffee table. The two started to make his puzzle with Sam watching proudly his son quickly putting the pieces in the right places. Damn Carter genes. They were really strong.
"Your grandfather would be really proud of you, Jacob Carter-O'Neill", she said kissing his forehead.
Jake smiled when he finished the puzzle.
"Well, it appears I just have to buy you a harder one", she said.
Without really realizing, except for the increasing volume of her belly, Sam entered her third trimester. So far she hadn't murdered anyone and both her house and the Mountain were intact. She counted that as big wins. Especially because her mood swings were starting to be a serious problem. Her work at the Mountain had become suddenly incredibly stressful. The galaxy appeared to be against her second pregnancy and new enemies started to appear from nowhere, making her role more demanding. And requesting her presence there. Which made her more prone to sudden mood swings despite her best efforts and Colonel Harriman warnings to everyone on the base.
So by now, pregnant on her 30th week, everyone in the Mountain knew very well that their commanding officer could snap without no reason at all. She started to delegate more on Harriman and only deal what was absolutely necessary. She also started to spend more time in her lab alone to avoid the sudden outbursts.
At home despite everything, she and Jack had managed so far to avoid any big discussion. Nothing compared of what they had gone through Jake's pregnancy. But one day Sam arrived home after a very stressful and difficult day at the Mountain and found their house completely turned inside out. Toys everywhere, clothes hanging from chairs, pizza boxes on the floor, cans of soda all over the place and loud music coming from their backyard. She put her car keys down and went there to see what was going on.
The old SG-1 team, Jack and Jake were all having fun with an inflatable swimming pool where Jake was splashing along with Cameron who was throwing him water through their garden hose. Vala was in a pink bikini catching sun with a loud stereo near her and Daniel was seated apparently reading a book. Jack and Teal'c were playing rackets. So, a full backyard party!
She just stood there, her back aching terrible, trying not to lose her shit. Jack eventually noticed her and smiled.
"Hi honey!", he said waving.
All the rest of them turned around and sheered. She didn't move a muscle and Jack immediately knew that something wasn't right. Especially when she turned around and left. Without saying a word.
"Okay, guys. I'll be right back", he said putting the racket on the grass. "Ah… Vala maybe shut down the music", he said as he walked through the big windows that led to their house.
Vala turned the music off. "Sure General", she said.
Jack was with only his shorts so he quickly grabbed his t-shirt. That he found on the back of the couch. Fuck! The house looked like it had been hit by a tornado. He had hoped to clean it before she arrived home but got distracted with the guys and the time.
"Sam? Honey?", he called as he climbed the stairs.
He grabbed the handle of their bedroom's door but found it locked.
"What the fuck?!", he said shoving it hard.
The door shook but it stayed put.
"Sam!? Why is the door locked?", he asked trying to keep calm.
He got no answer. So he gave it another push. He started to get a little angry. Okay so maybe the house was messed up but he had their friends spending the afternoon there. They were having a good time. Jake enjoyed spending time with his uncles and Vala. Why was she mad?
"Sam! Open this fucking door right now!", he ordered.
Again, complete silence. Jack took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Daniel, in the meantime had climbed the stairs and was by his side.
"Is everything okay, Jack?", he asked.
"Sure, Daniel", he said. Putting his forehead against the door.
"I'm just letting you know that we're leaving. We cleaned a little bit downstairs. Do you want me and Vala to take Jake with us?", he asked.
"Do you mind? I think it's better if he's not in the house right now", he said. "I'll pick him latter".
"Of course. Say Sam we're sorry about the mess", he said patting his shoulder.
"Nothing to be sorry about, Daniel. We're just having a good time", he said.
"Yeah…but even so", he said.
"Thank you. Tell the guys and Vala I'm sorry", Jack said trying the handle again. Still locked.
Daniel decided to leave. Jack knocked on the door.
"Sam, honey, please open the door", he asked again.
Suddenly the door was unlocked and Jack quickly opened it. Sam was walking towards the bed. She had already taken her maternity uniform and was just wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts. He noticed the room was almost completely dark. The curtains were closed and she had the lights turned off.
"Are you alright?", he asked entering the room.
"I have a headache", she said getting inside the bedsheets and turning her back towards him.
Jack approached the bed.
"Do you want me to get you anything? Pain killer?", he asked sitting on the bed.
"No", she said.
Jack knew her well and she might be indeed having a headache but her voice told him there was more to it. Starting with her reaction when she saw them in the garden.
"The guys have already left. Daniel and Vala took Jake", he said starting to explain.
She turned around. Her eyes were shining but her face was ice cold.
"Why did they take Jake?!", she asked.
"So you can have a break. They sensed you're not very okay. Were they wrong, Sam?", he asked slowly.
"Oh they sensed that? I wonder how? Through the loud music and the chaos…", she said turning around again.
Jack sighed. So she definitely hadn't liked their little get together.
"I'm sorry if the music was too loud. But we were just having some fun, Sam. We're allowed to relax and have fun with our friends, honey", he said.
She continued with her back to him.
"Talk to me, Sam. What's the problem?", he asked.
"Leave me alone, Jack. Go and have fun", she said bitterly.
That hit Jack's nerves.
"So I can't have our friends come over and hang out?! I just have to stay home with Jake, day after day and wait for you to come home? I'm not allowed to have some adult time anymore?! Is that what's bothering you?", he asked raising his voice without noticing it.
"I really don't want to fight you, Jack. So please leave", she asked him. Again.
"Oh you don't want to fight? Is that why you locked our door?", he asked.
"Yes, Jack. So please leave me alone", she said.
Their conversation was interrupted with her cell ringing. She immediately grabbed it and answered.
"General Carter".
Despite the dim light in the bedroom, Jack could see her tense shoulders as she listened to however was on the other side of the call.
"I see. What is their ETA?", she asked.
So it was someone from the Mountain. Probably Harriman.
"No, it's okay. I'll write them myself. Tomorrow morning when I arrive. I know what Dr. Bloom said. Goodbye Colonel", she said hanging up.
Now Jack was confused. What had happened that involved Lisa?
"What happened?", he asked.
"Business as usual", she said putting the cell on her nightstand.
"That didn't sound like business as usual. Come on, Sam. Talk to me", he asked sensing that something was very wrong.
"Leave me alone, Jack. Please, just leave", she said again.
"I'm not leaving before you tell me what the hell happened and what Lisa has to do with it! Are you alright?", he asked putting one hand on her shoulder.
She shook it immediately.
"Fuck, Jack. LEAVE ME ALONE!", she yelled. Burring her head in the pillow.
Jack took a deep breath. He knew that the sensible thing was to leave her alone but his gut told him that something must have happened in the Mountain to leave her like that.
"No, I'm not leaving", he said adjusting his pillows and taking his shoes. He sat on the bed next to her. Getting as much comfortable as he could. His head resting on the headboard.
"Fuck, fuck", she mumbled still with her head buried in the pillow. But he still heard her.
"You might as well tell me", he said starting very slowly to rub her back. This time she didn't shook him. Instead he could feel her body starting to tremble.
"And you can cry as much as you want", he said continuing to rub her back.
However instead of crying, her wife's body become stiffed as a wooden board. God, she continued stubborn as hell.
"Don't fight me, Sam. I'm here to help you, not fight you", he tried again.
Her body started to trembled again but after a while become still again. For crying out loud, she was fighting against her own body. That was it! Jack lost his patience.
"Okay, enough is enough", he said putting both hands on her shoulders and making her turn around.
As he expected she had her face wet with tears. Silent tears that she had been fighting.
"God, Sam! Don't do this to yourself", he pleaded. Lowering himself in the bed to be on the same level as her. Eye to eye.
She closed her eyes. He gently removed some of the hairs from her wet face.
"Don't make me call Lisa and ask her what happed today. I'm worried about you", he said.
Sam opened her eyes immediately. And what he saw was anger. Pure dark anger.
"Don't you fucking dare!", she warned moving his hand from her face.
He would never do that to her but at least she was talking to him again.
"So talk to me", he asked.
She continued to look at him with her blue watery eyes like she wanted to murder him but Jack didn't flinch.
"We had a problem with one of the teams. That's all", she finally said.
"That's not all, Sam. You wouldn't be like this if it was just a simple problem", he said.
"Nobody said it was a simple problem", she said still looking at him.
"Okay, so it was a serious problem", Jack said. It felt like going to the dentist and having your teeth pulled out. Without anesthesia. She could be pretty difficult when she wanted.
"I lost half a team", she said. Her voice almost devoid of emotion like she was sedated.
"Jesus, Sam! Why didn't you tell me that?", he asked trying to grab her hand.
She expertly avoided him.
"And I broke down crying in the control room", she continued. Her eyes still locked on his.
It took all Jack training in black ops not to show his surprise.
"Okay... It's normal under the circumstances. Your hormones are all messed up", he managed to say.
"I'm the CO of that base. It doesn't matter if my hormones are messed up or if I'm pregnant with triplets! I'm the one responsible for all of them. I don't get the luxury of breaking down", she said in a cold controlled fury.
"You are human, Sam. No matter that sometimes you seemed to believe otherwise", he said trying to reason with her. "So you got emotional over losing some men. It's perfectly understandable".
"Don't patronize me, Jack. Don't fucking do that!", she said her voice trembling now.
She was starting to lose control again. And she didn't want to do that. It was one of the reasons why she had gone to their room and locked the door. She didn't want anyone else to see her lose control. Not even Jack. Especially Jack. Not after what had happened in the Mountain. Not after what she had heard in the infirmary when Lisa had given her a mild sedative to calm her down.
The words were still in replay on her brain. Non-stop: "I'll bet her husband never cried when he lost men. That's why women should never be in command. They're too emotional when shit happens".
"I'm not. I'm just stating a fact. You're pregnant and your hormones are messed up. It happened with Jake it's happening now. Why was Lisa involved?", he asked.
"Protocol", she just said. Turning on her back and thus avoiding his eyes.
But Jack knew that trick very well.
"So I can call her and she will confirm that?", he asked calling her bluff.
Sam clenched her jaw and greeted her teeth, not answering. Jack had his answer.
"Why Lisa was involved, Sam?", he asked again.
"She gave me a mild sedative. Because of my blood pressure", she finally admitted.
Jack almost jumped on the bed.
"What the fuck, Sam!? And you didn't call me?! WAIT? Did you drive here? By your own?!" he asked almost hysterical.
Sam closed her eyes, trying to block everything. She used to do that so well when they weren't married.
Jack got off the bed and quickly ran down the stairs. In the direction of their garage. When he got there he took a deep breath. The Escalade wasn't there. At least that. She hadn't drove by herself. In the kitchen he drank some water trying to calm down. After some minutes he returned to their bedroom.
She continued in the same position, eyes still closed, hands on her belly. Knees bended. He got on the bed again.
"Okay, at least you let someone drive you. I'll go to the Mountain with Daniel and bring the Escalade back. Can you please tell me what else happened today?", he asked in a much calmer tone.
"No", she simply said.
"Fuck, Sam. Don't make me call Lisa", he warned.
"Do whatever you think you have to do, Jack", she said in a daring tone.
Jack knew very well what was a stake. Her authority as base commander. If Jack started to make calls asking what had happened, he would be undermining her authority. But if didn't, he wouldn't know what really had happened besides what she had told him. And he was sure that there was a lot more she wasn't telling him. So he was between a rock and a hard place.
"Very well Sam, you win this round. I won't bother you anymore", he said.
He didn't want her more stressed than she already was. He would find out eventually. Now she needed to rest.
"I'll let you rest. Call me if you need anything", he said kissing her forehead. Which was damp.
So she was a lot more stressed than she had let him know. God! Forcing himself to leave, Jack got off the bed and left the bedroom leaving the door half opened. He went to the living room and finished cleaning what the guys had already started. Then he called Daniel and said that he was going to pick Jake. He took his truck keys and got out.
Once at Daniel's he quickly explained what he knew had happened and asked Daniel to go with him to the Mountain to pick the Escalade. He said obviously yes. With Jake secured in the back seat the two friends went to Cheyenne Mountain. Sam's Escalade was at the usual parking spot. When Jack was getting inside the SUV, Dr. Lisa Bloom was leaving the Mountain with her car keys in her hand. She liked fast cars, like Sam. They had that in common. Lisa drove a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo.
"Hi General", Lisa said waiving.
"Dr. Bloom…", Jack said trying to decide what to do.
Luckily the good doctor decided for him.
"So how is Sam? Is she more relaxed? Today was a shitty day…", she said passing a hand through her a short black hair.
"She's resting. I left her on our bed. She's not very talkative", he said.
"Ah…", Lisa said with a knowing expression.
"Yeah", Jack said not knowing what else to say.
"One of the teams suffered heavy losses. Half of them died off-world", she said as a matter of fact. She knew Jack had enough clearance to be told what happened in the Mountain. Even if his wife and base commander wasn't sharing at this moment. Which she understood perfectly. But he needed to know.
"Ah…that she told me", Jack said.
"Right. They were our youngest team. Right from basic training after the Academy. Still boys actually. General Carter seemed particularly affected by that", she added.
Okay. That make sense. Jack could now see why Sam was so disturbed. Half of her "baby team" like she used to call them, had died. Shit!
"I see. She liked them a lot", Jack said. His feet making a small circle in the dirt of the parking lot.
"Yeah. She had a small meltdown in the control room. Colonel Harriman had to call me. I need to give her a mild sedative because of the baby and her high blood pressure", she said.
"Yes she told me that also", Jack admitted.
"So you know most of what happened", Lisa said surprised.
Jack almost smiled.
"It wasn't easy", he said.
"But she didn't tell you about the nasty comment, I bet?", she asked curious.
Jack lifted his eyebrow.
"What comment?", he asked.
Lisa hummed.
"Right. I'm not sure I should, General…", she said playing with her car keys.
"If you feel you're betraying the confidence of your CO, then don't. If you think you're helping the husband of your patient, then please help me", Jack said honestly.
Lisa looked at him for a while, like she was studying him.
"Okay, so I'm talking to the husband of my patient. You can tell Sam that by the way. If she has a problem with that she can talk to me later. When she was in the infirmary there were some airmen there that didn't saw her. And they were talking. I happened to enter and heard them and so did Sam", Lisa explained.
Jack knew he wasn't going to like what was coming.
"Go on", he just said.
"It was something about your time as CO at the base. They were comparing the leadership of a man and a woman", she said.
"I'll bet it was more than that, doc", Jack said knowing very well how airmen liked to gossip.
"Yeah. It wasn't nice. More in the line that you surely never cried when you lost men and that's why women should never be in command. The old crap that we're too emotional when shit happens", Lisa said in a disgusted tone.
"Fucking assholes!", Jack said under his breath.
"My thoughts exactly", Lisa agreed.
"And Sam heard that?", Jack asked. That explained a lot of her behavior at home.
"I'm afraid so", Lisa said.
"Anything else, doc?", he asked almost afraid of asking.
"I advised her to stay home tomorrow. I doubt very much she'll take that", she said.
"I'll try my best but you know how stubborn my wife can be", he said.
Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Oh yes, General. I know", she said.
Jack patted her shoulder.
"But thanks a lot. Now at least I know what I'm dealing with. She's in a bad place right now and isn't letting me in", he confessed.
"It was a hard day for everyone. But I sensed she took it personally", Lisa said.
"Thanks again, doc. I won't take more of your time", he said, getting into the Escalade.
Lisa waved him goodbye and went to her car. She felt better after telling him what had happened with her CO. It wasn't easy being a woman in command but at least Sam had a good husband who understood better than anyone what it meant to be all alone at the top.
When Jack returned home with his son, he gave him dinner, read him a story and put him to bed. He was tired enough from playing with his uncles so he was fast asleep when Jack closed his bedroom's door. Them taking a deep breath he opened his own door. Sam was still in bed, on her side, apparently sleeping.
He quickly undressed and just with his boxers got inside the bedsheets. She was still facing the window, so had her back to him. He gently placed his hands around her waist, resting in her growing belly. She moved slightly but didn't woke up so Jack stayed there. Just spooning with her. He kissed her back and closed his eyes. In minutes he was sleeping.
Some hours later, Jack woke up with Sam tossing and turning in bed.
"Hey, you're okay?", he asked when she turned towards him.
"Sorry, can't get comfortable. Go back to sleep. I'll be quiet", she said starting to turn around.
Jack had other ideas. He put his arms on her shoulders and made her lay on her back. Then he started to snuggled from his side, kissing her slowly.
"What are you doing?", Sam asked half asleep, half surprised.
"Kissing you", Jack said.
"Now?", she asked confused.
"Trying to get you relaxed", he said moving his lips to her neck.
"Oh…", she said, feeling his hand on her breast.
Jack continued his caresses, very slowly and very gentle. And her body eventually did start to relax. More. She started to get aroused.
"Jack?", she said breathing faster.
"Hum." He continued to move his lips to her jaw.
"Can you stop, please?", she asked blushing furiously.
He stopped immediately.
"Why? Did I hurt you?", he asked confused.
She swallowed but shook her head.
"No. It was very nice but if you continue I can't sleep. And I'm very tired", she confessed.
"Oh…Right", he said starting to take his arms away from her.
She stopped him.
"We can cuddle", she said quickly.
Jack started to smile.
"Okay", he said resuming his position.
They stayed quietly on bed and soon were both asleep.