SGC - 1997

"Dad?" Sam answered as she picked up the phone, which had rung while she was still looking at Cassandra's scan results.

"Sammy, how are you, sweetheart?" asked her father's voice.

"Dad, I..."

But Jacob didn't let her finish and continued right away. "I'm passing through your city, and I thought we could have lunch together."

Sam exhaled a long sigh. Cassandra was being prepped for surgery after they discovered the object implanted in her chest, and right now, the last thing Sam wanted was to have lunch with her dad and pretend everything was fine.

"Actually, Dad, I'm pretty busy at work right now. But I'll call you as soon as I can." She hung up without waiting for a response, fully aware she'd pay for hanging up on General Carter later.

Daniel approached her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he whispered, his blue eyes meeting Sam's.

She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile as she put her phone away. "Hey," she replied.

"Janet sent me to tell you the surgery is about to start."

Sam nodded slowly, feeling worried and stressed about the operation's uncertain outcome. "Thanks," she responded hesitantly.

Daniel seemed to think for a moment before gently pulling his friend into a comforting hug. "Come here," he murmured, drawing the woman he saw as a sister into an embrace meant to soothe.

Sam let herself be held, not resisting the comforting hug her friend offered. But she couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she felt his strong arms around her.

"Mm," Daniel groaned. "It's never good for the ego when a woman laughs in your arms, you know? Even if she's your sister."

Sam smiled and playfully pinched his arms. "You've been hitting the gym more than the history books lately, haven't you?" she asked with a grin, though her eyes remained sad.

Daniel flexed his muscles with a playful look. "Jack makes me train with him every week, and I think it's paying off."

Nodding, Sam's smile faded slightly at the mention of Jack's name. She averted her gaze, and before she had time to react, another wave of anxiety hit her when a lieutenant approached to announce that the surgery was about to begin, and Dr. Fraiser had authorized them to observe from the viewing room.

Walking through the hallways, Sam finally turned to Daniel, her face filled with worry. "I don't even know why I'm reacting like this," she paused, turning a corner. "I mean, this isn't the first orphan I've met, and it won't be the last, but..." She trailed off, not sure how to finish the thought.

Daniel stepped ahead of her to open the door. "But with Cassandra, something clicked inside you."

Sam froze for a moment. "Yeah," she replied, scratching her head, thinking about what she'd confessed to Janet just hours earlier.

Closing the door behind them, Daniel sat down and seemed to ponder for a moment. "Parvati," he finally said. Seeing Sam's confused look, he explained. "In Hindu mythology, Parvati is the mother goddess, wife of Shiva, and mother of Ganesh and Kartikeya. She represents maternal strength, with a particular focus on love and protecting her children. She's often depicted as the ideal mother, both gentle and protective, ready to defend her children from any threat."

He paused, and Sam raised her eyebrows. "Okay... But I don't know if you've noticed, my name's Sam, not Parvati," she quipped, thinking for a moment before adding, "Parvati Carter doesn't have a great ring to it."

The archaeologist rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to compare her to Jack with that kind of response, the way they always diverted the conversation when it got a little too personal. "Your reaction to Cassandra, Sam," he explained, speaking as if to a child.

"Hm?" she replied, her eyes drifting back to the image of the little girl intubated and lying on the operating table, her mind already calculating probabilities and assessing the risks of the surgery.

"It's called maternal instinct," Daniel concluded.