It was Friday afternoon and it was raining non-stop. Jack had picked up the boys from school and everyone was hanging around in the living room.
Ben was painting a picture and Alex sat across from Jack, Jack's chess board in between them. He was curious to learn the game he had seen his mom playing with Jack every so often and Jack was patiently teaching him the rules.
Sam tried to relax on the sofa. 'Tried' being the operative word. With only three weeks to go her belly had grown a lot in the last week and the baby was pressing on her bladder constantly.
Jack observed her closely. The whole day already she seemed to be restless. And again she stood up, went to the bathroom and took a detour to the kitchen on her way back. A glass of water in hand she sat down again and rubbed her belly unconsciously while Ben approached her to show her his painting.
"Look mom, that's for you!" He handed her the panting, beaming proudly.
"That's beautiful, thank you Ben!"
"That's our family."
"Really?" Sam asked, "There's a lot going on in that picture."
"That's Alex and me," Ben told her, pointing to the two smaller people, "That is you, you're pushing the stroller with Charlotte in it." He showed her the blond tall figure. "And that's Dad!"
For a moment she held her breath, trying to process who he meant by calling Dad.
"Dad?" She asked as casually as possible, glancing over to Jack, just to see him pretending not to listen to their conversation. Sam knew better, she knew Jack noticed everything, but wondered why he seemed so calm. He didn't even flinch at the word 'Dad'.
"Of course, Jack is playing with us while you're caring for Charlotte." Ben explained.
Not to make a big deal out of it as it seemed to be pretty normal for Ben to call Jack dad, Sam pointed towards something in the picture that, she was very sure, was a dog.
"And what's that?"
"This is our dog!" He told her as if it was a stupid question.
"Our dog? We don't have a dog, honey."
"I know, mom. But we should! Jack says every kid on earth has to have a dog!"
Jack was suddenly very interested in explaining the chess figures to Alex again.
"Oh he said that, hasn't he? Perhaps we should wait until the baby arrives and allow ourselves some time to adjust before we dive into the topic of getting a dog." She looked over to Jack and saw him smirk.
This man was ruthless, using the kids to push for a dog. She always knew that when Jack was retired he had planned to get himself a dog, beside kids they are his favorite people, and she couldn't say no forever, but for now she wanted to focus on the baby.
"Okay!" Ben was fine with her answer, handed her the picture and kissed her before he turned to Jack and Alex. He talked Alex into playing with him and so the boys retreated to their room.
Jack put the chessboard away and sat down beside Sam.
"I know what you're trying here, Jack O'Neill!"
"Is it working?" He asked innocently, knowing fully well that getting a dog wouldn't happen until later on. Sam was right with wanting to adjust to the new situation first, but a man has to plan ahead, hasn't he? Trying to ease the idea into her brain and not spring it on her, almost as if it was her idea.
"Maybe!" She smiled back at him, "You know I love dogs, Schrödinger was just a bit less complicated to handle while going off world, hence the cat. Let's wait a little until we dive into getting a dog, huh?"
"Sure!"
"So," she started, not sure how to approach the topic, "Dad?! When did that happen?"
"Well, when I picked him up on Monday he was telling a friend that his new dad would go ice skating and when we were done skating and were about changing our shoes he said 'I love you dad!'. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it in case it was just a spur of the moment. And honestly I wasn't sure how you'd feel about him calling me dad. I don't want to replace Pete. He'll always be their father, but I'm proud when they trust me enough to call me dad."
She leaned in, cradling his face gently in her hands, so she could softly press her lips against his.
"That's great Jack! You're here for them, doing all those things Pete would have done with them. So it's not surprising that they will start calling you 'dad' eventually. I hope you don't mind. You deserve this and I'm so thankful to have you in our lives."
"It's scary how much I love you all." He whispered before he kissed her back.
"And we do love you!" She told him and nestled into his arms. Jack gently rubbed her back and tried to ease the tensions he could feel in her lower back.
It didn't take long and Sam had to get up again.
"You're restless today, everything okay?" Jack was worried.
"I honestly don't know. It feels like she's dancing on my bladder the whole time and that makes me slightly nauseous, it's annoying. And I've had this backache since this morning, it comes and goes. And…"
No sooner had she said that a sharp pain shot through her. "Argh!!!" She had to hold on to the doorframe and focus on her breathing.
"Sam! What's wrong?" Jack was by her side in just a second.
"Either she's offended that I said she's making me nauseous or I'm in labor."
"Now?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.
"Yes Jack, now! There's no timetable, she's ready when she decides that she is. But let us wait for a bit before we go start calling Cassie. I think it's still early."
The next contraction came 10 minutes later so Jack decided to call Cassie, hoping she wasn't working right now.
"Hey dad, what's up?" Cassie greeted him happily.
"Hey Cass, I was wondering if you're working today."
"I just finished my shift and got the weekend off. I'm on my way home, why?"
"That's great! Would you mind taking the boys? We might make our way to the hospital later, Sam's in labor."
"Oh wow, of course I'll take them. I can stop by on my way back so I can pick them up. Do I need to hurry? What's the status?"
"No need to hurry, she has had back pain the whole day but only two contractions so far."
They heard Sam groan in the background and Jack chuckled. "Let's make that three. But they're about 10 minutes apart, I think we've got a bit of time before we need to leave. Drive safe, I'll let the boys know that they're staying with you."
When they ended the phone call Sam's contraction had also stopped. Jack made sure she was okay before he went to the boys room.
He knocked slightly on the door and joined them on the floor where they were playing, his knees cracked as he sat down.
"Hey Jack, you wanna play with us?" Alex offered.
"No, sorry buddy, but Cassie is going to come and get you, you'll stay with her tonight. I'm sure she's going to play with you. Look, your mom thinks the baby is coming today, or probably more like tonight. So Cassie will look out for you while I take care of your mom."
"Really? The baby is coming?" Ben asked, his voice laced with excitement.
"Yeah, it looks like it. And I promise to come and get you when she's here so that you two can be the first ones to meet her. Why don't we pack your things? Cass will be here soon."
"We just need to pack a few toys and we're ready to go. We packed our overnight bag for this last week with mom. Just in case." Ben told him proudly.
"That's great, then bring me the toys you need and I'll put them into your backpack."
It didn't take them long to get everything they needed and they decided to wait for Cassie while keeping Sam company. They jumped down the stairs to the living room where Sam was pacing in front of the fireplace.
"Hey Mom, Jack told us the baby is coming."
She sat down on the couch, the boys next to her.
"Yes, she is. However I'm sure it will take some time until she's finally here."
"Does it hurt?" Alex wanted to know.
"A bit, every contraction feels a bit more intense, but it's not hurting too much right now. It will though, later on. But that's when it won't take long until the baby is born."
"I can't wait to see her."
"Me too, honey, me too." She told him, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to breathe through the next contraction and not to scare the boys too much. She doesn't want them to see their mom in pain.
And as if on cue the doorbell rang. Jack opened the door for Cassie and let her in. Instantly she was surrounded by two excited boys.
"Cassie, Cassie… The baby is coming."
"Cassie, can we sleep in your bed all together?"
"Cassie, I've packed my dinosaurs. Can we play with them?"
A smile appeared on her face, she loved those boys, but damn she hadn't ever looked after them when they were this excited.
"Of course we can. While you get your bags I'd like to check on your mom, okay?"
"Okay!!"
Jack had decided to stay in the background for now but took over the boys while Cassie talked to Sam.
With Jack's help Alex and Ben put their things into Cassie's car. As they prepared to leave, Sam enveloped both of them in a warm embrace, her arms wrapping around them tightly. The goodbye felt bittersweet, she held them close for a moment longer, allowing the affection of the hug to speak volumes about their bond before they finally released each other.
As they waved goodbye, Jack's arm was comfortably draped around Sam's shoulders, in a gesture of unwavering support. With a playful smile, he turned to Sam and asked, "So, shall we head to the hospital now?" His voice carried a mix of determination and lightheartedness, a perfect blend to ease the tension of the moment. They both knew the road ahead might be challenging, but in that shared embrace and the warmth of their love for each other, they found strength to face whatever awaited them together.
"Yes, I think we should go. Would you get my hospital bag? I feel like I need to move a little before I get into the car." Sam asked him.
"Of course, I'll get it and close up the house. Here, please put on your coat." He handed her the woolen coat before he made his way around the house.
In the meantime Sam walked up and down the driveway, trying to ease the pain that was slowly building up. When Jack closed the front door Sam had her hands pressed against the passengers door, going through another contraction. He threw the bag on the backseat and joined her, carefully he rubbed gentle circles on her back. When she could breathe normally again she leaned into him, her hands rested on his waist, his arms wrapped around her.
"We're really doing this." She said more to herself than to him, but he answered anyway.
"Sure we do, I can't wait to hold her for the first time. You'll do great, I promise. I'm here with you, you can squeeze my hand as hard as you need to." He promised her with a kiss on her head.
"Thank you! Alright, let's go."
It was a short drive to the hospital and Sam had to endure only one contraction in the car before they got there. At the hospital they checked on her and led her to the delivery room where they could get comfortable. But it wouldn't be Sam when she just sat down to wait. She felt the need to keep walking and the nurses supported her decision, so not long after they arrived Jack found himself walking up and down the corridors next to Sam. With every contraction she leaned on him and he was willing to be her rock. That's what they did for nearly an hour before Sam decided to go back to her room, she needed her strength later on when it's time to push. So they sat down for a while, regaining some strength and just talked in between the pain that was now up to 6 minutes apart.
Once in a while a nurse came checking on her, telling her she was halfway through and already 7cm dilated, only 3cm to go.
But those last centimeters took her 3 long hours. Sweat running down her face and Jack had changed his supporting hand a few times to make sure they were not broken by Sam. She decided against an epidural, because with her physiology after Jolinar the last two times it didn't work at all, so why bother now.
As promised, Jack was her anchor. Making sure she drank enough, wiping her face with a cold wash cloth, offering her little bites of an energy bar and most importantly massaging her back during every contraction until the contact became too much for her.
When the midwife entered the room and told her it was time to push Sam was beyond ready.
30 minutes and a lot of work a soft cry filled the air. There she was, pink and wrinkly and just perfect. Little Charlotte.
The midwife placed her on Sam's belly and both Sam and Jack couldn't tear their eyes from this perfect little girl. Sam put her hands carefully around her and one of Jack's big hands found hers, supporting the baby. They both cried happy tears and when she looked up his lips were on hers immediately. All his love for her lay in that kiss.
"Congratulations, mommy! She's perfect!"
Sam beamed at him and he was honestly relieved that this little girl was the spitting image of her mother.
Her "Thank you!" was barely more than a whisper.
Only then the midwife broke the silence.
"Do you want to cut the umbilical cord, daddy?"
He wasn't prepared to be called this in regards to Charlotte, but when he looked at Sam he knew that's what he'd be for her. He'd be the only daddy she'll know. And he would give his very best to fill that part.
"Yes!" He stuttered and cut the cord.
He then supported Sam who still needed to deliver the placenta, meanwhile Charlotte was getting cleaned up. She was handed to Jack while Sam got cleaned up herself.
Jack enjoyed the short moment he had with Charlotte, before Sam was ready to go to her room. He talked softly to the girl while he memorized every little detail about her.
Exhausted Sam was lying in bed, holding the baby against her chest with her left hand, trying to nurse her for the first time.
Jack couldn't turn his eyes away as those small lips closed around Sam's nipple to suckle for milk. He sat next to Sam's bed, his hand firmly gripped her free hand as if to keep contact with them.
"It's always a miracle. Thank you that I could be here with you. That meant a lot to me."
"No, I need to thank you. I'm not sure if I could've done this without you." She wrapped her hand around his neck, guiding him closer to her. "Congratulations, daddy!"
When Charlotte was finished she was already half asleep. Jack quickly changed her diaper and joined Sam on the bed. The baby lay peacefully on his belly and Sam's head was on his shoulder. Bonding time for the three of them. They called Cassie to let her know that Charlotte was born and she offered to bring the boys in the morning to see their sister. She was curious herself to see the baby girl.
It was the middle of the night so Sam and Jack took the opportunity to shut their eyes for a bit and get some sleep. Something which they won't get much of anytime soon.