A/N Thank you to the person who left a review last week. I write for my own enjoyment, but it's good to know other people like the story too. Reviews always appreciated!

Chapter 8

The young woman led them to a croft at the far edge of the village. She knocked softly at the door and was admitted, the two doctors entering behind her.

The dwelling was much like their own, but slightly larger, with what appeared to be a separate bedroom to one side. A high-pitched keening, the unmistakeable sound of a labouring woman, issued from the room.

The inner door opened, a slim, grey-haired woman somewhere in her fifties slipped out.

"Dr Beckett, good to see you, though I wish it was in better circumstances."

"Aye, me too. Sasa, I'm told there's a woman in pre-term labour?"

The woman nodded. "Dr Cole said that Ayla's baby was not due for another four cycles, but it is definitely on its way."

She turned back towards the bedroom door, Carson and Tamsin following her. Sasa, clearly the village midwife, gave them a quick outline of Ayla's history.

"Carson, how long is four cycles?" Tamsin asked quietly.

"It's about six of our weeks," he replied.

That would make the baby about thirty-four weeks gestation, she thought. She knew with advanced medical care, the baby would stand a good chance of survival, but the outcome here would be less certain.

Carson glanced at Tamsin. "How much OB experience do you have?"

She shook her head. "Beyond university? Limited, and nothing complex."

They made their way into the bedroom, both crossing to wash their hands in a bowl of hot water stood ready by the fire.

The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, let out another squeal, panting as the contraction eased.

Carson caught Tamsin's eye. "I'll have a look at Ayla. You take a scanner and check the baby, then we'll get an idea of what's happening. If we're lucky, we might be able to get her back to Atlantis and delay the labour for a while."

She nodded, happy to follow Carson's lead. In a trauma situation she would have been the one to step up, but this was beyond her area of expertise.

Tamsin watched from the corner of her eye as Carson explained to Ayla what was happening and moved to examine her. Although he kept his tone light and friendly, she could see the efficiency in his movements, not wasting any time.

Running the scanner over Ayla's abdomen, Tamsin located the baby's heartbeat. With a sinking feeling, she realised the rate was too low, suggesting the baby wasn't coping well with labour.

"Carson." She kept her voice low and neutral, angling the screen so he could see the readout. "Aye, I see it," he replied. "Just keep monitoring it for now."

Having finished the exam, Carson again quickly spoke to Ayla again. Tamsin knew that this could be a frightening experience for a woman back on Earth, let alone one with limited experience of medicine and technology. Ayla looked understandably nervous, but seemed reassured by Carson's words. Tamsin couldn't help feeling reassured as well; he just had that way about him.

She kept monitoring through several more contractions, but their initial concerns were confirmed. The baby was showing late decelerations, a sign that it wasn't getting enough oxygen and was in distress.

Carson started an IV, then took Tamsin and Sasa to one side.

"I don't think there's any chance of getting Ayla to Atlantis. The drugs should keep the baby stable for now, but it's not going to hang on."

Tamsin frowned. "Shouldn't we call for back-up? It's an hour's walk to the gate, but I could probably run it in half an hour, even in the snow."

Carson shook his head. "I daresay you could, but I'll not let you go out there on your own. I'll ask Sasa to send a couple of the villagers." He looked her in the eye. "I need you here, anyway. I've a strong feeling this is going to require a caesarean delivery and I can't do that alone."

She looked away, not able to meet his intense gaze. He'd said he needed her, albeit professionally, but this was stirring the feelings again. Really, really not the time, she thought.

Time went on, the villagers were dispatched and it became clear that getting the baby out was a priority. Ayla had borne everything thrown at her so far and Tamsin was filled with admiration for the young woman.

Decision made, they swung into action. Carson issued orders, the area was set up for surgery and they were ready to go. She felt the familiar surge of adrenaline as Carson announced he was making the first incision. After that, time seemed to compress, as it always did for Tamsin during surgery. It seemed no time at all before Carson was passing the baby to her waiting hands. He quickly clamped and cut the cord, leaving her to attend to the baby. She gently rubbed, warming the small bundle, which started, flinging its arms and legs out in a stiff arch. It gave a surprisingly loud squall, squirming in her hands. She couldn't help the huge grin as she met Carson's eyes, even though she knew he couldn't see her expression under the surgical mask. He returned the smile; at least his eyes did, before looking back to his work.

Manoeuvring her stethoscope with one hand, she checked the baby's lungs and heart as best she could, as it continued to wriggle against her. "A little small but vitals are steady."

Tamsin passed the baby to Ayla, smiling as she did so.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Carson prompted gently from the other end of the bed.

"I forgot to check," she mumbled. She gently looked under the drapes wrapping the baby. "It's a little girl. Ayla, you have a daughter."

"Thank you." Ayla's flushed, but happy expression told Tamsin everything she needed to know. She regularly dealt with people in the worst situations, who didn't always make it, but just occasionally, she would get moments like this. Proof that, ultimately, her job really was all about life.

SGA

Shortly after the baby had been delivered, Amanda Cole had arrived in a Jumper, along with two nurses from the infirmary. They were currently preparing Ayla and her daughter for transport back to Atlantis. Though the surgery had gone well, there was still a high chance of complications and the infirmary was the best place for the two of them.

Carson and Tamsin had stepped out to get some air. They leant against the wall of the croft, neither of them speaking. Carson glanced over at Tamsin, who seemed to be shivering.

"Are you cold, love?" he asked, concerned.

"No, it's fine, just the adrenalin wearing off. I'll be okay in a minute." She shook her head, waving a hand in the air. "You did good tonight, to quote our American friends."

"Aye, well, just doing my job." Carson ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. Praise for a job well done always left him faintly embarrassed. Unlike certain physicists he could think of. "You didn't do too badly yourself."

"Me? I didn't do anything," she scoffed.

"I couldn't have done that on my own. I'm glad you were here."

It was Tamsin's turn to look away in embarrassment.

They lapsed into silence for a few more minutes. Carson snuck a look at Tamsin. Her shaking had worsened, but she was trying to take deep breaths. This clearly wasn't the first time she had experienced an adrenaline crash.

"You're not fine, are you?"

Again she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not usually this bad."

Carson couldn't help himself. He closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Wha.. what are you doing?" she muttered, continuing to shake.

"Something I should have done earlier. Just keep breathing."

She seemed to accept it and relaxed against him, her forehead resting on his shoulder.

Despite the fact they both wore thick winter jackets, Carson knew the heat he was feeling wasn't entirely coming from his jacket. He tried to tell himself this was purely about comfort, as she'd done for him, but he realised that his feelings from earlier hadn't subsided. He still wanted to protect her, but being this close he couldn't deny the growing physical attraction he felt.

Some minutes later, Carson noticed Tamsin had stopped shaking, but hadn't pulled away. He looked down. She had shifted slightly, her face turned towards him. Her eyes were closed and he wondered if she had fallen asleep. They couldn't have had much more than an hour's sleep before being called to Ayla.

"Tamsin?" he said, softly.

"Mm?"

"You've stopped shaking."

"Mm, I know. Stopped a while ago." She raised her head, opening her eyes and flattening her palms against his jacket. She was so close. He felt his heart race and his eyes dropped automatically to her lips, before meeting her gaze again. He couldn't read the expression in her eyes, but he knew he must be giving away everything.

"We should go back inside." She looked away, breaking the moment.

He blinked a few times, clearing his throat. "Aye, we should."

Reluctantly, he let his hands drop from their position high on her back as she stepped away.

"I'll join you in a minute." He needed to gather his thoughts.

"Don't get cold." She turned, boots crunching in the snow as she slipped back into the croft.

He leant back against the wall, eyes closed. He'd never been great at hiding his emotions, and now he was pretty sure he'd just put all his cards on the table. Tamsin, on the other hand, had given little away. She'd stayed with him, seemingly wanting the contact, but did that mean she was interested in more than just friendship?

He sighed. He'd resigned himself to spending the rest of his days alone, but did Tamsin represent another chance or a whole heap of trouble?

SGA

Sometime later Tamsin returned to the croft. She had said goodbye to Ayla and promised to visit them in the infirmary on her return. Carson had gone with Amanda to the jumper, leaving Tamsin alone for the first time in the better part of a day. Although she was used to living in close proximity with other people, this time it wasn't proving so easy and she relished the brief solitude.

Perhaps if things had not gotten so intense back there, she wouldn't have let Carson hold her like that. If she hadn't realised he was attracted to her before, she definitely did now. He couldn't have made it any clearer how he was feeling, although Tamsin couldn't be certain it was intentional. She wondered if she hadn't spoken, just waited a moment longer, would he have kissed her? While a part of her desperately wanted to take whatever he was offering, her head told her it would be a huge mistake. She had only pulled back out of self-preservation – she wasn't sure she could put her heart on the line again, not after the last time.

With a groan she laid her head on the table.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she told herself, softly banging her forehead on the wood in time with her words.

SGA

Carson crunched through the snow back to the croft. Ayla was safely on her way back to Atlantis and he was hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before he and Tamsin had to 'gate to their next planet.

The croft was dark as he entered. At first, he thought Tamsin had gone to bed, but he noticed her sat at the table. She groaned, laying her head down. He jumped as she started banging her head on the table, muttering. It sounded like "stupid, stupid, stupid", but he couldn't be sure.

She couldn't have known he was there, and he felt suddenly uncomfortable at witnessing the scene. She was clearly upset - he'd put money on it being about their intimate moment earlier on. Silently thanking god he hadn't attempted to kiss Tamsin after all, he slipped quietly out of the croft, leaving her to her thoughts.

SGA

As it turned out, the rest of Carson and Tamsin's week off-world was uneventful. They had left P8S-624 the following day, travelling to four more planets to offer their assistance. Neither of them had mentioned the moment outside the croft and they had not been alone since.

After a short debrief with Jennifer on their return to Atlantis, they had parted company slightly awkwardly, both realising they needed space to process the events of the last week.