AU: When an exploration mission goes way off the left field, Jack and Sam are left to patch up their lives. Will that door stay open?
Disclaimer: All recognisable characters are the property of MGM/Amazon. No copyright infringement intended. I am once again taking my favourite two Gaters for a walk in an Alternate Universe. Takes place after 5.05 Red Sky with some canon episodes skipped (overlooked) and others referenced.
I have decided to start putting weekdays at the beginning of each chapter to help with the timing of events rather than ambiguous references like 'same day' or next day'.
Rating: Mature. No triggers this chapter.
Chapter 22: Helping Hands
Sunday morning – Jacob and Sel'mak
Taking a deep breath, I waited for the Gate to connect. The mission had gone a lot longer than expected. Tanith's escape from before the supernova followed by our subsequent and unexpected return to the Milky Way galaxy gave us the opportunity for an undercover mission tracking his movements through Goa'uld space. We had reason to believe that Tanith was working for another, more powerful Goa'uld, though, as yet we had not been able to ascertain who that was.
The news that Sam had been seriously injured three weeks ago had not been passed on by the Council, though I had personally not been surprised, what shocked me was that it did surprise Sel'mak. She still held the Tok'ra as immutable despite experiencing their singlemindedness on more than one occasion over the last few years, not that I blamed her. They were her brothers and sisters for several millennia.
Had Sel'mak not specifically requested to receive any messages from the Tau'ri, I doubt I would have been even told that she lay in an infirmary bed. Thankfully Sel'mak had maintained control, enabling me to rage internally over the injustice I experienced as a host. They wanted me to leave my past and family connections behind, but that felt awfully a lot like not being given a choice. The Tok'ra prided themselves on not taking unwilling hosts, but then expected those hosts to give up everything to become one with the Tok'ra, a sentiment that I refused to abide by. Sel'mak agreed, which was the only reason I was standing here now.
At the sound of the kawoosh, I sent my ID through to the SGC and waited for the signal to proceed. Coming out the other side, the first person I saw was Jack. He looked tired, drawn and even a little pale.
"Jacob." He greeted with a smile that did not fill me with encouragement. That fact that he hadn't called me 'Dad' just added to my apprehension. Something that happened. Something between him and my Sammy. I knew that nothing could legally happen between them, but I wasn't ignorant enough to not know how much they cared for each other. He was a good man despite the initial reservations I had regarding his character.
"Jack. No offence, but you look like shit." I responded with my own smile and a shake of his hand.
"None taken, Sir." He responded rather formally.
"How is she?" I asked, noting the slight wince. Filing it away for later, I smiled and let him lead me somewhere more private.
"Probably best to talk to the Doc about that." He responded as he turned to leave the Gate room.
"I'd rather ask you." I told him. Since I knew that the information he could give me would be less clinical, more to the point and it would give me the chance to observe his body language. Jack O'Neill was, as a rule, hard to read, except when it came to my daughter.
He wore his regard for her on his face, even if he didn't mean to. When I first met him, I thought he was a stick jockey. A no-good flyboy who would have my daughter wrapped around his finger. I had been wrong. His care and concern for her every time we worked together over the last three years had shown me a man who respected and loved my Sammy with his whole being. If anything, she had him wrapped around her finger. He would do anything for her, even give his own life, or so Anise informed me a year ago.
We crossed the briefing room floor and into the General's office. "Where is George?" I asked, noticing the pristine desk.
"He's on vacation, back on Friday." He responded as he took a seat in George's very comfortable chair. "Left me in charge."
"Making a move to General soon then?"
"God, I hope not. I'd like to think I still have a few field years left in me." He replied. I stood watching him while he drummed his fingers on the table and swivelled in the chair. "So… how was the puddle?"
"It was fine, a little cold, but fine. How is Sammy?" I pressed.
"She's… look, you probably should talk to Frai…"
Taking a seat, I interrupted him, "Jack. You are worried, I can see it written plainly on your face, so let's not bullshit each other any further." He looked down, then up, then left, right and back down before focusing back on me, a clear sheen of unshed tears lining his eyes. He picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers.
"We were ambushed. Carter was hit by shrapnel. She had amnesia for a bit but has most of her memories back." He explained while he dismantled the pen. "She needed to relearn a few things, but she's smart and picked most of it up faster than normal."
"So, what is the problem?" I pushed, wanting to get as much information as possible before I saw her.
"Fraiser calls it emotional dysregulation. The smallest things set her off. She has no filter and no notion of consequences." He explained. Ah huh. There it was. They had done something that was against the regulations, and he didn't know how to deal with it. His nervousness and the way he resolutely tried to keep his face devoid of emotion screamed how much he wanted to accept whatever it was that she had offered him that would normally be blocked by red tape. I felt for him. I had the privilege to love and be loved by one of the most amazing women to walk the Earth. Sammy was so much like my Debra; how could an old warhorse like Jack not fall in love with her.
I smiled at the man across from me, "My Sammy and no concept of consequences is something I am well acquainted with my friend." I said, coming to my feet and cocking my head to look at him. "Sorry, but you don't stand a chance." He gaped at my words which made me smile.
"Jacob... the regs…."
"Jack." I interrupted, leaning on the desk. "When she finally sets her mind to it, the regs won't stop her getting what she wants. Believe me. If what she wants is you, well suffice to say, you can either go with it or find some way to avoid her until she gets her wits back. Good luck with that by the way." I informed him, then stood and walked out of Hammond's office to go and see my girl.
"That was mean, Jacob." Sel'mak admonished me. I could sense a smile in her tone.
"I know, but it was fun watching him gape and squirm." I responded quietly, smiling as I walked down the corridor.
"Things have progressed with them." Sel'mak noted.
"Yes, but to what extent?"
"I think you know as well as I do, Jacob."
"Yeah."
When Sammy's mother passed away, she went a little off the rails. That had been completely my fault since I had closed myself off from the world. Smoking, drinking, under age sex, the works. It wasn't until I caught her with a bag of pills one night some four years later, that I snapped out of my drudgery and gave her a choice. Buck up, finish school or go through USAF basic training. She fought back with all the attitude of an almost 17-year-old girl who had spent four years getting away with blue murder because of her ability to charm the socks off any male, and most females. I drove her to Lackland myself. A trip that took the better part of three days instead of the normal thirteen to fourteen hours. She had come out the other side the old Sammy that I remembered with her high school certificate after pulling extra hours to finish her final exams during Basic, acing them all and still coming out of Lackland at the top of her class, enabling her to walk straight into the Academy.
Barely ten minutes after leaving Jack, I walked into the infirmary. Doctor Fraiser looked up from her place treating Sergeant Siler.
"Jacob." She greeted with a smile while she stitched his eyebrow. "Sam is in her quarters. I can take you when I finish here."
"That's OK. I can see myself there, Doctor. How has she been?"
"She's getting better. I'll brief you better once I am finished here."
"Sure. Do you mind if I try the healing device?" I asked just in case she had reservations.
"By all means, I had hoped you would offer that as an option, though her external wounds are mostly healed. Some of the deeper injuries on her arm and the one on her head could do with some TLC. Aside from that, she is still unsteady on her feet." She replied with a glance before returning to Siler's eyebrow. I noted she didn't mention the emotional dysregulation, not that we would be able to do much about that.
"Getting a makeover, son?" I asked the Sergeant.
"Yes, Sir. Master Sergeant Harriman thought I needed an eye lift. We were trying to dislodge a seized cog in one of the MALP's by hitting it, I got in the way." Siler responded. Tipping my head on the side, I smiled then shook my head.
"With what?"
"Torque wrench, Sir. Ow!" He winced when Janet's needle hit a little deep.
"Sorry, Sergeant. Keep still." Janet admonished him when he tried to turn his head to look at me.
"I'll leave you to it." I replied as I left the infirmary to head towards Sam's quarters. Knocking on her door quietly a few minutes later, I heard her murmur permission to enter. Opening the door slowly, I poked my head in.
"Hey. How's my girl?" She looked up at the sound of my voice, an expression of worry crossing her face. Her lip trembled and eyes fluttered. Then she drew her hands up to her face and choked out a sobbing cry. Crossing the room hastily, I drew her into my arms. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry… I'm… I didn't… Daddy, I didn't mean to!" She cried, hiccupping between every word as the tears poured down her face.
"Didn't mean to what?" I held her face in my hands and looked at her, "Sweetheart. Didn't mean to what?" I asked, my minor concern skipping over medium and straight to very concerned. My daughter did not cry like this, not even when her mother died.
"I did something… I'm…" She stuttered just as Janet walked in the room. Looking up over my shoulder, her face fell sullen and the words stopped.
"Hi Sam. Time for your check up." The doctor said. I looked at Sammy. She briefly flickered her still red puffy eyes over mine and shook her head so slightly that I'd have missed it if I was not 100% focused on her at that moment. Whatever it was, she did not want Janet to know.
"OK." She replied, as she laid down on her bed and presented her arm for the blood pressure cuff. Janet did her rounds checking ears, eyes, temperature, and a myriad of other things while the cuff did its thing on Sam's arm. The whole time I looked at my daughter.
"Jacob."
"Yeah, I think I know as well, Sel." I responded quietly to her observation.
"Are you going to try and fix me Dad?" Sammy asked.
"We'll see what we can do." I told her.
"My crying jags?" She asked.
"Probably not." I replied. If her emotional issues were only related to the accident, it was likely that we could remedy some of it, but if it was related to what I suspected her condition was, then there was no chance of fixing it.
"OK." She replied, looking towards Janet as she took the cuff off and busied herself with making notes. After a while, Janet stopped her noting and merely stood observing. It was clear she wasn't going to leave, so we prepared ourselves. Dipping my head, I allowed Sel'mak to drive.
"Are you ready, Samantha?" Sel'mak asked while I took a back seat. Sam nodded and closed her eyes. Feeling the familiar buzz through my body and hands when Selmak activated the healing device, I focused on the influx of information coming into my mind through Sel'mak. She never hid anything from me where Sammy was concerned, and for that I was grateful.
I watched as Sel'mak started on surface injuries – what was left of them – then moved deeper, repairing some soft tissue and minor synapse damage in her brain. Hopefully that helped with her unsteadiness. Finally, Sel'mak focused lower without moving the device. Images flashed through my mind, images with a strong and steady heartbeat different to that of my daughter. It was beautiful. I smiled to myself, and I felt Sel'mak doing the same, though I knew my outward expression remained unaffected by the tumultuous emotions I was feeling. Love, happiness, and excitement on top of a desire to ring Jack O'Neill's neck. We had healed Jack often enough to recognise his unique marker. Based on the discussion I had had with Jack earlier; he didn't know yet.
"We are done." Sel'mak stated, then dropped her head to allow me to resume control while she rested.
"How are you feeling now?" I asked my girl.
She smiled, "A little better. I bit less foggy. I think."
"We fixed a few minor things, but emotional distress is one of things we can't guarantee. Though hopefully you'll have enough control that you won't resort to physically injuring someone." I explained with a cheesy grin. I knew my daughter. She smiled back.
"How long are you here for?" She asked.
"Not long this time, but I'll be back in a few weeks."
"Promise?"
I smiled sadly, then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Mindful that Janet was still bustling around the room, I whispered, "Take care of my grandkid." Then kissed her temple and drew back to find her smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Daddy." She replied in a small voice, one I had not heard since I patched up her severely grazed knees when she fell heavily on a gravel walking trail as a six-year-old. Smiling again, I left her room and made my way to the Gate determined to get this next mission done so that we could come back in time for Sam's first ultrasound.