AN: Sorry about my lack of motivation. I haven't been on the computer all day. Happy Ship Day everyone and I might be my store's new ASM. Hopefully.
Chapter 1 - The Hammond
"I'm sorry sir… she had you listed as the first contact for emergencies." The medical officer told General Jack O'Neill over the phone.
"It's fine Lieutenant. She doesn't have a lot of family. Are they sending her down or keeping her on the ship?" Jack said tiredly, trying not to let the fear and worry show in his voice.
"Under the circumstances, Col. Peirce deemed it unwise to move her at this time."
Jack sighed. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Sir, she does have a Dr. Daniel Jackson listed as well as her brother, would you like us to contact them?"
"No, I have them both on speed dial." Jack told the young man trying to be courteous. "I'll inform the rest of Col. Carter's family once I have better information."
"Yes sir." The young man said.
Jack sighed and hung up the phone. It wouldn't do any good to panic he reminded himself. She'd been hurt before. She'd survived those times. She'd survive this time.
"I'm getting too old for this." Jack muttered. He punched the intercom to his outer office. "Cindy, I'm going to be out of the office for a few days, an emergency has come up." He told his efficient secretary.
"Is everything all right sir?"
"Not really." Jack evaded. "I'll let you know when I have some information, I may need you to call Dr. Jackson and Officer Carter."
"I'll pull their numbers sir."
"You do that." Jack said as he pulled the small white device out of his desk drawer where it was kept for emergencies. He toggled the communication button. "One to beam up to the Hammond." Jack said, not even trying to be funny this time.
He was gone before his secretary could even ask him where he was going.
"So tell me why you can't send her down to earth?" Jack asked Col. Pierce.
"Normally there is no issue sir but medically we're a little worried that it might cause more harm then good."
"You said she's stable."
"Yes, well, now, but… there's a complication."
"What kind of complication?" Jack speared the shorter, brown haired man with his dark eyes, his discontent obvious even to the usually unflappable surgeon.
"Ah…. Well…" the other man hedged. Technically he wasn't supposed to divulge medical information to anyone but next of kin and sometimes not even then.
"Spit it out Colonel." Jack growled.
"Well, sir, it's um… private medical information."
"Colonel, a decorated officer under my command has been gravely injured and you refuse to release her for more through treatment. Now either you can tell me why it's not safe to move her in her current condition or I can have you busted down for insubordination. Which one is it going to be?" Jack growled as he loomed over the other man, ignoring the extremely uncomfortable medical staff avoiding making eye contact with either of them lest they too be speared with the General's laser like gaze.
The shorter man gulped. He had no doubt the General had meant every single word he'd just uttered. "Er… she's pregnant sir." He stammered.
Jack frowned deeply. "How far along is she?" He asked, his voice tightly controlled.
"No more than a few weeks. She most likely didn't know herself yet."
"I see." Jack said.
"We're worried moving her might aggravate the previous internal bleeding and if it does, she might lose the baby." Col. Peirce finally admitted.
Jack nodded slowly. "It was the right call." He said. Pierce was right, she most likely didn't know… but she'd want this baby. That he knew for certain. "Can I see her?"
"Right this way sir." The doctor told Jack, relieved that the General had at last relented.
Col. Pierce passed Col. Carter's iso unit for the umpteenth time, and, since his arrival, General O'Neill had not moved from her side. He was getting a little ripe after several days in his Class As although the jacket was currently flung across the back of the chair. He wouldn't have thought anything more of it had he not overheard the General's soft words to his unresponsive companion.
"Yah know, Carter… normal wives would just hand a guy a pregnancy test, not try to get themselves blown up to make a dramatic statement about the situation." He quipped softly as he brushed his lips on Col. Carter's left hand, lingering where her wedding band would reside on the rare occasions she wasn't on duty.
Frank went to his desk and retrieved something from the center drawer and quickly returned. "Ah, sir?"
"Colonel?" Jack answered absently. His tired eyes not leaving the still form of Col. Carter though he'd lowered her hand when he'd heard someone approaching.
"We took these off during surgery. They were in my desk drawer for safe keeping. Until I operated on her, I didn't know she was married, sir… and, until just now, I didn't know to whom." He admitted as he held out Sam's dog tags, a simple gold band hung on the chain next to the ring holding the tag.
"Thank you, Colonel." Jack said, his tone indicating extreme fatigue as he accepted the chain from the doctor.
"We think she'll pull through this, sir. They both will." He tried to reassure the other man. He didn't know his CO very well, but he respected her, and he'd do his best to keep them both alive.
Jack's eyes shifted from Sam to the doctor. "Thank you." He said again, as though anything more would strain his emotional resources to the breaking point.
Pierce nodded in understanding. He'd seen his share of terrified spouses desperately clinging to even the smallest hope. "We should be able to remove the vent tomorrow morning sir. Her throat is going to feel like hell but she's breathing normally on her own finally."
Jack smiled a little. "She's always been a fighter."
"Yes sir." The doctor agreed and discreetly left the General to his vigil.
"Did you have a nice nap?" A familiar voice asked Sam as she blinked groggily several days later.
She blinked to clear her vision until the blurry blue blob congealed into the shape of Jack O'Neill. "Sir?" she croaked at him.
Jack made a dismissive motion and bussed his lips rudely. "I think we're past that Colonel." He admonished her as he held out a cup of water and helped her get the straw to her mouth.
Sam sucked on it in relief. Her throat was raw. They must have intubated her. He looked like hell. Like he'd slept in his uniform for a week or more. His jacket was off but his tie hung haphazardly around his neck and he'd smelled better.
"How much do you remember?" He asked her softly after she'd released the straw and he'd sat back down with an exhausted but cheerful half smile.
She shook her head. "Not much. An explosion… and… I think... yelling…" she put her hand to her head trying to focus.
"Don't sweat it Carter." He told her and patted her hand gently. "Everyone got out okay." He assured her. "Including both of you." He said with an amused twinkle to his eyes.
"Both of us? I don't… sir I don't… is there another me on the ship?" she asked him confused.
Jack broke out into a huge grin. "Get some sleep Carter. We'll talk about it later." He said and brushed her hair gently away from her face.
Sam blinked in confusion at his affectionate gesture. Hadn't they agreed about not doing that when on duty? But her eyes were so heavy. She turned her head and saw a nurse by her IV. Had they drugged her?
"Jack..." she slurred but was out before she could finish her protest.
"You sure that stuff is safe for the baby?" Jack asked the nurse for the umpteenth time this week.
"Much safer then the stuff they gave her during surgery. The baby is fine sir. We did an ultrasound this morning while you were talking to the Pentagon."
Jack sagged in relief. By her confused reaction to his comment she didn't know. Well Carter, he thought, you're in for quite a surprise when you wake up next time he thought with amusement.
It took a while for the drugs to wear off so Jack found someone to borrow a pair of fatigues from and took a shower, knowing Sam was in good hands and wouldn't die on him while he did so. It had been a little touch and go a couple of times the last few days.
"Good morning Star Shine." Jack said with a smile the next time Sam opened her eyes.
She blinked at him. "Don't you dare drug me again." She warned him.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Jack agreed.
She looked around. "Why am I still on the Hammond?" She asked him. Standard protocol was critically injured crew were beamed down to Earth the second they made orbit to receive intensive care.
Jack hummed. "About that…"
"Jack I got here as soon as I could… Col. Pierce said she's awake?" Daniel blurted as he stumbled into the room.
"Hello to you too Danny. Take a seat." He said, waving at the metal chair across from Sam's bed.
Daniel looked at it dubiously then at Jack whom he suspected had it imprinted on his ass from the last few days. He'd texted Daniel to keep him apprized of the situation but told him there was no point in them both sitting vigil until she woke up or got worse. "I'll pass. How are you Sam? He asked her, ignoring Jack's glower.
She smiled brightly at him. "Better now that I'm awake. How long was I out?"
"I don't think we need to get into that right now." Jack interrupted Daniel before he could answer. "Daniel, I'm sure Sam is starving, think you could scrounge us up something?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Daniel rolled his eyes. Jack could have just told him to scram. "Sure. Anything in particular Sam?"
"Um… Jello?" She asked hopefully.
"I'll see what I can do." Daniel agreed and left the room.
Jack frowned thoughtfully at his friend's back as he left.
Sam coughed indiscreetly. "Care to tell me why you sent him on a fool's mission?" Sam asked Jack archly.
Jack turned and gave her a thoughtful look. "They kept you on the Hammond because you had internal bleeding." He told her.
"That's not SOP." Sam objected.
"It's not." He agreed.
"So why didn't you overrule them?" She demanded.
"Because I agreed with their decision." He hedged.
"Sir, why on Earth would you ever do that?"
Jack frowned deeply. "Because it was the right decision in the moment."
"That's not an answer Jack." Sam said sharply.
He threw up his hands in frustration and searched the room for inspiration… and his eyes landed on her medical chart that the last doctor had forgotten on the small diagnostic table in the corner. He walked over, snagged it and returned to her bedside and held it up in front of her face. "Read it."
Sam gave him an annoyed frown but started reading her chart, noting her internal injuries, the lacerations and contusions… and hCG levels consistent with… "Holy Hannah." She breathed.
"Yah." Jack agreed, trying desperately not to grin like an idiot.
"I…"
"Col. Pierce figured you weren't far enough along when you were injured to have even known. It was just a lucky catch that your hormone levels had spiked."
Sam's hand shook. "Jack… I'm…."
"Yah." He said with a grin.
"And it's safe? I mean nothing happened due to the surgery or injuries or—"
"You're both fine Sam. They did an ultrasound on you the other day to confirm everything was all right. There's a minor possibility the baby was effected but it's just that. Minor." He reassured her.
Sam looked down at her stomach and put her hand on it. "But…"
Jack shrugged. "He was worried if they moved you it might put the pregnancy at risk. He and I agreed that the best course of action was to give you both the best chance to recover safely." He wasn't really succeeding at keeping the stupid grin off his face any more. For the last two weeks he'd been too worried about his wife to let himself process why they had kept her on the ship. Now that she was awake and knew… well…
Sam broke out into a nova bright grin and started bawling at the same time as she put her hand out to take his. "Jack…" She hiccupped.
"Hey I don't know how but I managed to scrounge you up some Jello… what's going on?" Daniel asked them as he entered the room.
"Daniel… I'm pregnant." Sam said with a watery smile.
"Get out of town." Daniel said in disbelieve. "Really?" He asked Jack.
Jack couldn't take it any more. He beamed at Daniel and drew him in for a hug. "Really." He said.
"Well I guess congratulations are in order." Daniel told them and hugged Sam too. "Vala is going to be really miffed that she's the last to find out." He said with a laugh.