Like Jack had done when Alex was born, he flew out to meet the new addition to the Carter/Shanahan household.

He instantly fell in love with Ben, as easily as he had with Alex. The whole time he visited Alex never left his side. Happy that uncle Jack was finally here and ready to play with him.

Sam had seen Jack with many children over the years, Cassie, Merrin and some other children of their allies, but none had been so young like hers now and she witnessed a whole new side of Jack O'Neill. She didn't know he could be this patient. He took his time explaining things to Alex multiple times until the little boy got it. And he rebuilt the tower of building blocks again and again, while Alex grew impatient with every new try that didn't work, but Jack managed to calm down the boy until the tower was exactly like they wanted it.

She wondered if he'd been like this with Charlie.

When Jack and Alex went to the playground it gave Sam and Pete time to adjust with Ben and Alex could bond with his godfather.

Over the next years both children grew to love their uncle even if he was living thousands of miles away.

Sam and Pete had created a home filled with love and laughter. They managed a perfect balance of their work and family life. Ben is about to turn three in a few weeks and Alex will start elementary school in summer. Sam is still working at the SGC, but goes off world only when necessary. They had won the fight against the Ori, Daniel was working in Atlantis a lot and Teal'c mostly lived with Ishta and the free Jaffa.

And as far away as they all lived now they do manage to get together on a regular basis.

Jack was in a meeting with the President when Sam called. He tried to ignore the buzz of his phone for now, but when it started the third time he knew it was an emergency. Taking out his phone he saw the caller ID: Carter! Usually Sam calls him once and if he doesn't pick up she waits for his response, so he knows something must be wrong.

President Hayes watched him closely, this wasn't Jack's normal impatient squirming.

"Something urgent, Jack?" He asked, not willing to let this meeting be interrupted.

Jack contemplated for a moment before he answered his commander in chief.

"I think so, Sir. It's Colonel Carter, it might be important."

Hayes watched Jack's face with a sense of worry when he saw the General speaking in a hushed and soothing voice.

"Carter! What's wrong?" He asked and from the tone of her voice he could tell that she'd been crying, but she clearly had put herself together to make this phone call.

"It's Pete, he's brought to the hospital this morning. He was shot during his shift and now I'm at the hospital…it..it doesn't look good."

"Oh Sam, I'm sorry!"

"Look, I have to pick up Alex and Ben in a few hours, but I can't leave Pete and I can't bring them here. They shouldn't have to see this. Daniel is in Atlantis, Teal'c is god knows where with Ishta and Cassie is somewhere traveling through Europe. I don't know what to do, Jack. I'm alone and can't seem to sort my thoughts enough to think straight at the moment."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise! Just let me talk to the President quickly. I'll call you back as soon as possible, okay? Don't worry, we'll manage."

"Thank you, Jack!" It was barely a whisper.

"Always, Sam. Always!"

He hung up and turned around to see that most General's had taken his call to step out for a little break. Hayes on the other side waited patiently for Jack to tell him what's going on.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I need to be in Colorado Springs as soon as possible. I know the Odyssey is in orbit and I ask for your permission to use the beaming technology."

"Jack, I can't let you take advantage of it when I don't know what's going on. Something happened at the SGC that I'm not aware of right now?"

"No, earth is safe for now. It's Carter, Sir. Her husband got shot and she has no one to look after the kids while she's at the hospital. She hasn't said much, but it doesn't look good."

"That's awful, but Jack…"

"No Sir, there is no 'but'..."

"Jack!"

"Henry! Listen, there's no way I'm letting her go through this alone. And I'm not willing to accept that she has no other opportunity than to take the kids to the hospital. Sir, you'll have my resignation letter on your desk faster than you can say 'no'! We both know I'm trying to retire for much longer than anyone else…"

"Alright," the President sighed. "I grant you leave for an unknown amount of time, but that's not retirement for now, we'll have to discuss this when you return. I'm not willing to let you go easily, General. Do you need to pick up some clothes or are you ready to go as you are?"

"I'm ready. Thank you, Sir!"

"You're welcome Jack! Take care of Colonel Carter and the children. I really hope that her husband makes it and gets better soon."

"Yeah, me too." Jack answered.

It was cleared with Landry that Jack would be beamed there. He already knew about Carter's situation and had a car waiting for Jack to use while he was there. He took his phone and called her immediately.

"Carter!"

"Sam, I'm here. As I don't have car seats for the kids I'm coming to the hospital. I assume you have your car there?"

"Oh my god, Jack. Thank you!" Her eyes filled with tears as soon as she realized he was already there to help her. "Yes, I've got the car seats with me."

"Alright, I'm there in fifteen. How's Pete?"

"They're still trying to stabilize him. They're trying to get the bullet out, but it already did a lot of damage. And if that wasn't enough they discovered Pete suffers from a heart disease. That doesn't help him fight. Jack, I don't know what to do if…" She wasn't ready to say it out loud.

"You're not alone, Sam. And Pete is strong, he's a fighter and he will fight. For you and the boys. Don't think about it until you know for sure!"

She straightened herself, feeling the hard plastic of the waiting room chair underneath herself, helping her to find the brave soldier again that she always is. Thank God she was the only one waiting there. The smell of her surroundings made her nauseous, the mix of disinfectants, bandages and sterilizers. Her head was aching too, but for now she managed not to throw up.

The familiar sound of footsteps on the clean floor minutes later told her that she wasn't alone anymore. Looking up she saw Jack rounding the corner, searching for her in the waiting room. No words were needed as he closed the distance and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

His arms were wrapped around her shoulders and she had her face pressed to his chest. Her arms around his upper body clinging desperately on his shirt beneath his dress blues jacket.

He managed to move them a bit to sit down, her grip never losing him.

"I'm here, we'll get through this. Still no news on his condition?"

Shaking her head, she replied "No, they're still working on him."

"Damn."

"You can say that." She wasn't able to say more, because that moment a woman walked in. She sat down with her coffee in hand, prepared to wait herself.

Her perfume and the smell of her black coffee was what made Sam lose the content of her stomach. She made it just in time to the toilet, with Jack on her heels. He opened the door carefully, making sure she was the only woman in there.

"Can I help you with something?"

"No, I was surprised I didn't lose it before. Honestly, that smell of the hospital is making me sick. I've never had this before, but then the perfume of the woman was what brought me over the edge."

"I hate to say it, but you're looking awful. Let me get you some water, you need to stay hydrated. Did you eat at all today?"

"Not much, I don't feel like eating."

"I do understand that, but you need to try a bit." He handed her the bottle of water and an energy bar. The woman from the waiting room was gone and Jack took the opportunity to open the window, getting the smell out and some fresh air in.

"So, when do I have to get the boys?"

"In about an hour. I called to let the staff know you're going to get them. But my plan doesn't go any further than that."

"That's alright, I can keep them busy as long as you need me to. Should I take them to my house or do you want me to stay in your guest room? Maybe the guys are more comfortable at home, I mean, they don't expect me to be there instead of mom and dad."

"I agree. Don't tell them yet about Pete. We don't know anything by now, so they don't need to worry. I'll come up with something to explain it to them."

"I wish I could be there for you too. You shouldn't be completely alone here."

"I'm a big girl, Jack. And I've been sitting in an infirmary, waiting for news far too often. It's good that I don't have to worry about Alex and Ben. That's an enormous help to me."

"I told Landry to inform the guys. Maybe we can rely on Daniel and Teal'c in a while. I know they would want to know and want to help too."

He gently took her hand in his strong hands, the warmth of his touch a silent reassurance of the chaos surrounding them. In that moment, words were insufficient, but the strength of his grip conveyed a steadfast support that transcended any verbal comfort. Though the situation felt overwhelmingly bleak, his presence offered a flicker of hope, a reminder that she was not alone in this struggle.

On his way to pick up the boys he took a detour to his house, changing out of his uniform into some jeans and an old sweater. Jack also packed some clothes for his stay with the kids. He called Cassandra and could hear that she was fast asleep before he called.

"Dad? You do know that there actually is a time difference between Italy and the United States, right?"

"I know Cass, sorry to interrupt your sleep and your vacation. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't really necessary."

Her demeanor changed immediately, sensing the weight of his call.

"What happened?"

"It's Pete, it doesn't look good. He was shot while on duty today. They try to stabilize him and get the bullet out, but they've discovered a heart disease, they don't know if his heart and his body is strong enough to make it. I just left Sam at the hospital to pick up Alex and Ben."

"Oh gosh, that's horrible. I'll take the next flight. I want to be there to help."

"I'm sure Sam will appreciate it. Sorry to cut your vacation short."

"No, thanks for telling me. Family is more important than anything else."

"I only hope Daniel and Teal'c will get the news and are able to come too. I have the feeling we'll need them."

"I'll call Sam now, even if she doesn't want to talk, maybe the feeling that someone is with her will help."

"Do that Cassie, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear your voice."

As promised she called Sam and talked for a while. In between Cassie booked a flight back home and if everything goes as planned she'd be there in the next 20 hours.

Ben and Alex were enthusiastic to see their uncle Jack. It was hard on him to keep the worries out of his face, but he told the boys that mom and dad had to work longer so he was here to play with them.

He carefully put them in their seats and as soon as the car was rolling the chatter began.

"Uncle Jack, today is pasta day. Mom always cooks pasta on Thursdays, with tomato sauce." Alex informed him. A bit scared that he wouldn't get his favorite meal today.

"Is that so, Alex? Let's see what we can do. I'm sure I'm able to find the ingredients for it at your home. You're up for pasta too, Ben?"

"I love pasta, uncle Jack." Ben giggled. It was the same giggle as his mother and Jack was about to say 'No giggling, Carter'.

"Pasta it is! And whatever is missing, we can go and get from the grocery store around the corner." He had to keep them entertained somehow and if a trip to the shop helps pass the time, he'd do it.

He was stunned how independent the boys had become, they helped to cook and didn't need much support while eating.

His phone rang and as agreed Sam called to say goodnight. She didn't get to say much as Alex and Ben were happily chatting about their day.

"Mom, we helped uncle Jack to cook. He even let me put the salt into the water…"

"And mom, guess what. He put fresh…What was it called uncle Jack?"

"That was basil, Alex."

"...right. Mom, Jack put fresh basil into the sauce. First we weren't sure because it's green," He made a face of disgust as if everything that was green wasn't delicious. "but Ben and I liked it very much."

Sam's heart filled with happiness, hearing her son's joyful explanations.

"And now we're off to bed. We are already wearing our pajamas. Jack promised a bedtime story and he says he will clean up the kitchen afterwards."

And for the first time today Sam had a reason to laugh. She could clearly imagine how her kitchen would look like when Jack had been cooking and the boys had helped.

"Sounds like you had a great day. Good night boys, be kind to Jack, okay? He'll bring you to daycare and preschool tomorrow and I'll see you after that."

Not knowing about her mother's distress, the boys were excited to spend time with their favorite uncle.

"Okay Mommy, I love you!"

"I love you too, Mom! See you tomorrow."

Jack took the phone back and spoke quietly with Sam.

"Still no news?"

"No, they promised me some news till now, I'll go and see what I can find out. Again, thank you Jack. I don't know what I would do without you!"

"I'll call you when the boys are sleeping. Then we can talk more."

When he was looking for the two he found them in their parents bed. Jack figured that this was their reading spot. He took a seat in the middle, Alex left to him and Ben on his right side with a book in his arms. When Jack reached the third chapter he recognized both boys sound asleep, so he carried them to their beds and laid them down. Stroking their faces lovingly and kissing them goodnight.

Before he called Sam again he cleaned the kitchen and made himself comfortable in the living room. The phone only rang once before he heard her familiar "Hey!"

"Hey!"

"The doctor just left, he gave me a short report of what had happened and what they did. They were able to get the bullet and did damage control. One kidney was completely destroyed and the other one is damaged as well. Add to that his heart problem, they are not sure what's the first thing that makes his body give up." Tears were now streaming down her face and he could hear it. "He's dying, Jack. They just don't know when."

He had to fight against the lump forming in his throat. Even if he had rather married Sam than seeing her marrying another man, he accepted the man in her life a long time ago, even grew to like him. And precisely because he loved her so much he didn't want to see her suffer.

"Fuck, Sam. I'm so sorry! I feel so helpless right now. Is there anything I can do for you? You shouldn't be alone right now."

She closed her eyes, thankful for having such a good friend.

"You're already helping. I have one thing less to worry about. I'm allowed to stay with Pete. The nurses are very kind. They say he might wake up tomorrow before it all goes down. I don't want to miss that."

"I hope he will. If there are any changes or if you just want someone to talk to don't hesitate, I have my phone next to me."

"Thank you!...Jack?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"What am I going to do if….when…" Her voice broke and she was crying.

"We'll deal with it. Together!"

"Okay."

"Take care of yourself, Sam."

"Okay. Good night, Jack!"

"Night, Sam!"