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.
Rating: Mature. No triggers.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have two chapters for you to make up for it. Last weekend, my family and I were visiting my parents in country Western Australia. This weekend, we were on a Scout camp. Nothing quite like campfires, sleeping in a tent, and cooking and cleaning for 25 kids between 8 years old and 14 years old plus about 8 adult leaders.
Chapter 25: Concealment
Late Sunday/Early Monday (while Shadow Sam torments Jack) - Janet
"OK, spill it, Daniel." I demanded when he returned to my bed downtrodden and clearly troubled despite our recent fun.
"What?"
I narrowed my eyes at his attempted rebuff. "I am wearing your favourite ruby nightgown and robe after having a very vigorous session of mind-blowing sex and you look like your dog has died. What gives?" I outlined for him. He smiled wryly and twirled his finger through one spiralled curl as it sat on my shoulder.
"I don't have a dog."
Raising my eyebrow at his obtuse statement, I replied, "Fine, you look like your priceless artefact turned to dust."
Giving me a pensive look for a moment, before his face dropped, "Have you noticed anything about Sam?" He asked, "It's just I think that…"
"Apart from her propensity to abuse people and throw things?" I queried. "Look, her father may have been able to fix most of the physical damage, but the emotional dysregulation may become a problem. She is going to have to see MacKenzie to deal with that, in fact, I have her booked in on Wednesday." I confessed, even though strictly speaking I shouldn't be telling him anything.
"But you aren't on base this week. Why are you sending her to MacKenzie when you are off duty?"
"Warner will have the floor. He is more than capable of making sure Sam goes to her appointment. He may not think outside the box all the time, but he is a brilliant doctor." I explained, knowing he was talking about my unfortunate experience where Warner insisted things could not be done.
"Janet, he kept kyboshing your fevered ideas when Machello's bugs had you and Jack in their slimy little… whatever they have that isn't paws. If it wasn't for Sam insisting on trying, you would be… well I don't know, but it wouldn't be nice!" He lashed out with words, his tone suggesting just how much he didn't appreciate the Doctor's lack of faith. "I'm sorry, Janet. It's just..." He shook his head and sighed heavily.
Laying my hand on his shoulder, "Daniel. Everything will be fine." I told him. He looked away from me, finding something on the floor more interesting.
"You know William and James are thick as thieves." He murmured. It was true. They had been the on base doctors for years before the program kicked off. It was only natural for them to become friends. "I just don't want to see Sam suffer anymore, not now that we have Jack back on board and seeing her again." He said, looking down at the floor.
I scoffed, "Seeing her? He is not seeing her at all! He is observing her through glass and sneaking in her room when she is asleep. He is exasperating the problem, Daniel." I truly did not understand what the Colonel's problem was. Did he think everything would magically fix itself? Sam was suffering. She missed him terribly. He maybe her CO, but he was also her friend. A friend she needed now more than anything.
"I know, but he won't listen. Believe me, I have tried." He explained, still looking at the floor. This wasn't like him. Daniel never shied away from confrontation. There was something else bothering him. I could tell by the way he would not meet my eyes and how his fingers had moved from twirling to twisting while his other hand gripped my hip through the soft fabric.
"Daniel. What else is bothering you? And don't say it's nothing because I know you and it's not nothing."
"Sam's been sick." He replied, finally raising his eyes to mine.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not surprised with all the adrenaline rushing through her body after she throws a tantrum." I replied. His blue eyes bore into mine and I saw what he was getting at. Sam was sick. Not just once, but more than once. So why hadn't I seen evidence of it. "Oh, that kind of sick." He nodded. Why… I sighed, not bothering to voice that question. "She's been hiding it hasn't she?" I asked. He nodded again. "How long?" I needed to know, because the results from my tests were still inconclusive. Maybe her naquadah was masking the other hormones in her body. If that was the case, none of the traditional tests would show anything.
"At least since the day after the nightmare, that much I do know. It's mostly in the early afternoon, and if she is physically sick, it's never for long. Teal'c and I… well… shit. He winced and looked away again, dropping his hands.
"Daniel." My eyes went wide, "Daniel, are you… are…" He closed his eyes and refused to look at me as he picked up his boxers and put them back on. "Helping her? W-why… would you hide that from me? Her tests have been inconclusive, Daniel, I should be adjusting her tests, looking harder. Dammit!"
"That's why Janet. God, she's like my sister. She is a member of my team and pregnant to her commanding officer. A man she loves wholeheartedly even if she won't admit it. So, sue me for trying to keep her and my best friend safe from bureaucrats!" He barked, hands on his hips.
"Those bureaucrats are my superiors as well Daniel! What about my career? If I don't report a pregnancy, it is my career on the line, and not just my Air Force career, my whole career as a doctor! If I am discharged without honour due to negligence, I will never practice medicine anywhere ever again! Dammit!" I cursed and ran my hands through my hair.
"Sorry, I didn't think…"
"No, you didn't think." I bit back savagely. "Look! I know you don't like the regulations Daniel, but whether you like it or not, it is part and parcel of working with the military. As CMO, I shouldn't even be letting this thing happen." I said gesturing between the two of us. Despite Daniel being civilian, he was on a forward team which meant my decisions about him would be affected by how I felt about him.
"Then why are you?"
Taking several steps forward, I turned him to face me. "Because I am as human as the next person. I work long hard hours in a highly classified facility doing things that I can never talk about with anyone from the outside. I have an alien daughter who has an aunt and three very doting uncles, one of whom means a great deal to me." I told him, unsure if I should say more despite our post elevator kiss and confessions.
"You mean a lot to me as well." He murmured. There was no repeat of the words he'd said a few days ago. Almost as if he were scared to move past his love for Sha're. His heart was still firmly in her possession even though she was gone. I never knew Sha're, but I didn't have to. Just hearing him talk about her was enough for me get an understanding of how much he loved her even though they were thrown together in an arranged marriage of sorts.
"There's something else." He whispered, looking down at his feet. "I promise you, nothing has happened... Sam's my friend." He said, blinking away his sorrow. "She's naming me as her child's father." He finally said, looking at me. "In case anyone asks." I didn't know what my face looked like to him. "Jack doesn't know." He added with a frown.
"What? Daniel, he's... he's going to be devastated. How could you take something like this away from him?" I asked my lover. Daniel had been by Jack's side the longest. He knew what losing Charlie did to his best friend.
"You know why Janet. The frat regs can't touch them if I'm listed as the father. Jack will understand."
"I hope you're right. I really do, Daniel, because if your wrong..." I didn't want to finish that sentence. Daniel just nodded his understanding. He didn't need me to tell him what would happen if Jack didn't see the positive side of what he was doing.
"Do you have to go in… now that you know?" He asked.
"I'll call Stephanie." I said, referring to Lieutenant Nicolls by her given name. "She's the best nurse I have on base and is already aware that this might have been coming. She won't betray your secret." I reassured him.
"Will she be discreet?"
I smiled, "All of my staff are, but Steph is the best. She knows what is at stake better than anyone. Her older sister found herself in a similar situation a few years ago, only she didn't have a friend like you." I told him with a smile.
"What happened?"
I took in a deep breath. "She fell in love. Unfortunately, her CO wasn't as honourable as Jack. She was forced to transfer to another facility unless he married her, which he couldn't because he was already married. Sadly, her CO shacked up with another female officer under his command within days of her leaving. He was court martialled, demoted from Colonel to Major and spent a year kicking back in Leavenworth amongst other things." I revealed. "She will likely never move past the rank of Captain unless she can get a better posting."
"Shit." He cursed, running his hands through his hair. I wondered if he realised how many of Colonel O'Neill's tics he had acquired over the years.
"Yeah. I'd like to say that your little ploy will go off without a hitch, and that they are going to come out of this unscathed. If it doesn't work, maybe they will be a little better off than most because of the classified nature of the programme, but I think you had better prepare yourself for a shake-up just in case." I told him honestly.
"How are they going to know? Short of a DNA test - that both parents have to consent to - after the child is born." He asked incredulously. I smiled, the Air Force had a long memory. Even if a DNA was never performed, if that child so much as even looked like Jack, they would ask questions. All it would take would be for the child to have dark brown eyes instead of the blue colour that both Sam and Daniel had.
"Perhaps they won't." I placated him. "Even once she is better, Sam cannot go through the Gate while pregnant."
"Sha're did. It didn't harm her child."
"Yes, but Sha're wasn't going into potentially hostile situations either. Putting yourself in danger is one thing, but putting the life of an unborn child is an entirely other thing. If she is pregnant, Sam will have to decide what she wants. Her field job, or a safer job and a family."
"What about what Jack wants?"
I pouted, as much as I believed the father should have a say, it was Sam's choice whether to go through with it or not, assuming we were not jumping the gun and she actually was pregnant. "Why don't we take one step at a time." I told him, purposely not mentioning that Jack wouldn't get a say since Daniel was playing dad. Moving to my mobile on the bedside table, I picked it up, and dialled the infirmary.
"Warner."
"Doctor, it's Doctor Fraiser."
"Evening Janet. How can I help you?"
"Is Lieutenant Nicolls around?"
"What do you need her for?" He asked. I didn't want to say over the open line what I needed, nor did I want to tell him since only Steph and I knew that Sam and Jack had been intimate. No sense in alerting anyone else if it wasn't necessary.
"I forgot to ask her to test Major Carter for a suspected UTI." I told him, knowing he would divert to a female nurse to assist with that procedure. The test was a standard litmus which would hopefully give us something other than the crickets I had been receiving from the other tests I had been running. Steph would know what the look for and contact me if any markers for pregnancy were present.
"Lieutenant Nicolls is on break. I'll get Fisher to do it." He replied. Damn. Fisher would report any anomalies back to Warner immediately which was not ideal.
"Major Carter is comfortable with Steph. The test can wait until she returns from break. Fisher isn't as patient with Sam's current eccentricities. I am sure I don't have to remind you about Fisher changing the bed sheets." I reminded him of Sam's screaming fit over getting a green blanket instead of the blue blanket she wanted. Sam had been inconsolably argumentative while Fisher tried to explain that green was a perfectly acceptable colour, the rest of SG-1 looking on with faces that ranged from smirks to smiles and lifted eyebrows. In the end, Steph had come to the rescue with a blue blanket. Fisher had not had anything to do with her since.
"Ah, no. We don't want that. I'll send Nicolls when she is back." He replied.
"Thank you. See you at changeover on Friday. Good night, William."
"Good night, Janet." I hung up and looked at Daniel. "If the litmus shows anything, Steph will text me."
"What about the paperwork?"
"She is testing for a UTI, so she will record the results of that, not anything else. You have to trust me, Daniel. Stephanie is as good as they come." I told him with a smile, trying not to show my trepidation for the storm that this may cause. "Now, let's go to bed." I said, slipping off the robe to reveal the rest of my tiny negligee that I had on and climbing under the covers.
As he snuggled behind me, arms wrapped around my waist. As much as I would have liked more of what we had earlier, I knew he was emotionally wrung out. We spent a few minutes cuddled together enjoying the silence when my phone chimed. Picking it up, I looked at the message. 'Maybe. Hard to tell.' with a smiley face. The same as always. The markers were there, but not in the quantities required for a potential five week pregnancy to confirm anything. Shooting her back an acknowledged, I put my phone back thinking about Sam and what she had ahead of her. To say that I was a little jealous that she was pregnant to a man she loved deeply, but couldn't be with, and had another man than was willing to accept all the responsibly that went with parenthood to keep them both out of trouble was a wake up call for me. I thought I was happy with just Cassie. Cassie had become my life outside of the SGC and I loved her dearly, but to have a child with the man of your dreams was something else. Something that I had not craved even once until tonight. Dropping my head back to the pillow, I snuggled in deeper into the man who was already snoring gently behind me. I had the next four days off, the testing could wait until Friday.