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Story Notes: Songbook Series 20: SPOILERS: none

ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack and Heliopolis please.

AUTHORS NOTES: A huge thanks to my two beta gal's, Kes and Jenn!

FEEDBACK: Very much appreciated and cherished.


Jack put the finishing touches on the table, having made Sam’s favorite breakfast of crispy bacon and scrambled eggs with cheese. She hadn’t been eating a lot lately, and Jack was starting to get worried. She’d been nauseous on and off for the past week or so, and Jack had to catch her the day before when she’d gotten up too fast and almost fainted. Add to that the fact that all she seemed to do was sleep, and he thought he had good reason to be concerned. He looked up as the object of his thoughts walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, sleepy,” he greeted her with a smile.

“Hey,” she replied, tiredly.

He watched her as she looked at the breakfast he’d made, turning an interesting shade of green. “Sam?”

She didn’t reply, just turned and ran out of the room. Jack found her in the bathroom, leaning over the toilet bowl, having obviously been sick. “You okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah,” she replied quietly. She flushed the toilet as Jack got her a glass of water. “Thanks,” she told him as she accepted the glass, rinsing her mouth out and taking a small drink.

She turned to her husband, who was giving her that look. The same look he’d been giving her for the past week. “Okay, I’ll go and see Janet when we go to the base. She’s just going to say the same thing I’ve been saying though. I have a virus and it’s just a little harder to kick than normal.”

“And if she says that, I’ll be satisfied. Sam, you can’t just shrug off being sick now. You’re body can’t fight like it used to.”

She glared at him. “Don’t you think I know that?! God, Jack, I’m not a kid! I can look after myself.”

Giving an exasperated sigh, Jack led her out of the bathroom. “I know you can look after yourself, but you’re my wife and I love you. I had to sit next to your hospital bed and watch you fight for your life because of an infection. I never want to have to go through that again.”

Sam had the good grace to look contrite. “I’m sorry. I guess feeling sick is just making me grumpy.”

He smiled, kissing her on the forehead. “Get ready for work and I’ll get you some apple juice. Do you want to try something to eat?”

She shook her head, swallowing back another wave of nausea at the thought of food. “Just some juice please. It might help settle my stomach.”

He nodded, leaving her to get ready while he got her juice and cleaned up the breakfast he had made.

*****

They arrived at the Base, and Jack decided to escort Sam to the infirmary, much to her displeasure. “Jack, you don’t have to come with me. I’m feeling a bit better now.”

He ignored her, continuing to walk down the corridor. As they walked through the doors and into the infirmary, the only person visible was Lucy. “Hey, you two. Haven’t you guys got a mission briefing this morning?”

Sam nodded. “We do, but Mr. Overprotective here thinks that I’m about to keel over from a virus.”

“Hey! I’m not the one that’s been worshipping the porcelain bowl all week,” he returned, earning himself a dirty look from his wife.

“You haven’t been feeling well?” Lucy asked, ushering her over to a bed.

“Just a little nauseous. It’s nothing.”

“Well, Sam, you can’t afford to take chances. Remember, your immune system isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“How could I forget,” she replied dryly.

Lucy dutifully ignored her comment. She knew that her friend found Jack’s protectiveness frustrating at times, but she also seemed to ignore the fact that she had to be more careful now. “Stay here and I’ll go and get the boss,” she instructed them, heading off to find Janet.

“Hey,” Janet greeted as she walked in a few minutes later. “Lucy said you’re not feeling well.”

Sam shrugged. “I’ve been feeling a little queasy.” She ignored her husband’s snort at her understatement.

Janet nodded and took the chart that Lucy had fetched for her. “So it’s just the nausea?” Janet asked, writing notes.

“She had a dizzy spell yesterday and she’s been tired for the last couple of weeks,” Jack interjected.

Janet nodded, noting it down. “Well, I think you should give this mission a miss, just to be on the safe side. We’ll do some more tests while your husband boldly goes where no man has gone before.”

“You don’t think it’s anything serious?” Jack asked, clearly reluctant to leave his sick wife.

Janet gave him a reassuring smile, not wanting to voice her first thoughts in case she was wrong. “It’s probably just a virus. I’ll run the tests, just to be on the safe side, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”

Jack nodded. “Alright, I’ll swing by before we head out, okay?”

Sam nodded. “You better hurry up, Jack. You’re late for the briefing.” She kissed him briefly before pushing him towards the door.

“Okay, okay. I’m going. Anyone would think you were trying to get rid of me,” he groused as he left. As soon as the doors closed behind him, he raced off to the briefing room.

He hurried into the room, immediately noting that the General was not impressed by his tardiness. “Sorry, sir, I was in the infirmary with Sam. She won’t be joining us for this one,” he told the older man, before he could start yelling at him for being late.

“Is everything okay?” Daniel asked, concerned.

“Janet’s pretty sure it’s just a virus. She’s been feeling off for a few days. It’s just not worth risking her coming on this mission if she’s not well.”

Hammond nodded his approval. “Very well, son. Let’s get started then.”

*****

The briefing seemed to last forever and when it was finally over, they only had an hour to gear up and be ready to depart. Jack headed to the infirmary as soon as they were dismissed. When he walked in, he couldn’t see Sam anywhere. Lucy walked over to him as soon as she spotted him. “Hey there, you getting ready to head out?”

“Yeah. Where’s Sam?”

She pointed to a curtained off bed. “She nodded off half way through the tests, so Janet decided to just let her rest for a while.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll try not to wake her,” he said as he walked over there.

He quietly pushed the curtain aside, smiling slightly at the sight of his wife, curled up on her side and sound asleep. Walking over to the bed, he brushed the hair off her forehead before dropping a soft kiss on it. “I’ll see you when I get back, angel,” he whispered. She stirred slightly, blue eyes opening to meet his. “Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Mmm, that’s okay. I shouldn’t even be asleep,” she replied through a yawn.

“Sleep’s probably the best thing for you if you’re not well. Anyway, I can’t stay long, I just wanted to pop in and say goodbye before we headed out.”

“You be careful, Jack O’Neill. Don’t make me come and rescue your ass, okay?”

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her. “I promise. Take it easy, baby. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“I love you,” Sam said after returning his kiss.

“Love you too.”

*****

Jack was pleased that the planet they had ‘gated to was uninhabited. Teal’c was doing Sam’s usual job of collecting samples, and Daniel was yapping away over some artifact. While they did this, Jack thought about his wife. He knew Janet would find out the problem, but he was still concerned that she hadn’t started to feel better after a week. A thought flittered through his mind, but he firmly pushed it away as wishful thinking. Sam had only stopped taking the pill four months ago, and Janet had made it clear it could take more than a year before Sam was ready to conceive. Thinking that way would only lead to disappointment.

Daniel stopped talking, realizing that his friend’s thoughts were far away. “Hey, Jack? Are you in there?”

Giving himself a mental, Jack turned his attention to his friend. “Huh? Oh, sorry Daniel. What were you saying?”

“Are you okay?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. I’m just worried about Sam. It’s not like her to get sick, and after she was shot...”

Daniel nodded his understanding. “It’s harder for her to fight off an infection.”

Jack sighed. “Yeah.”

“She’s in good hands, Jack. Janet will look after her.”

Jack nodded. “I know.” With some effort, he brought his attention back to his friend. “So what were you saying about the rocks?”

Shaking his head, Daniel went back to his explanation.

*****

They returned to the Stargate a few hours later, Daniel having collected all the data he needed and Teal’c having gathered all of the necessary samples for analysis. Daniel dialed them up and they headed home.

“Welcome back, SG-1,” Hammond greeted as they walked down the ramp. “I trust you had a good mission?”

“Thrilling as always, sir.” He looked around, having thought that Sam might have been there to greet them.

“Dr. Fraiser sent her home to rest,” Hammond told him, as if reading his thoughts. “Go and have your medical exam and then you can go home to her. We’ll debrief at 0900 tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Jack hurried to the infirmary, ready to grill the CMO for information on his wife. He was very disappointed to find that Janet had left for the day and Doctor Warner was doing their exams. Warner claimed to have no knowledge on Sam’s condition, so Jack just demanded he hurry with his
exam so he could go home. Warner gave him an indulgent smile, but Jack was sure the doctor deliberately went slower.

Once his exam was over, Jack quickly showered and changed into civvies, before heading out of the mountain for the drive home. As he drove, he allowed his mind to wander. Surely Janet would never have allowed Sam to go home if she’d suspected something was seriously wrong with her. The thought made him feel better. ‘It’s probably just a virus, like Sam said,’ he thought to himself.

It was after ten by the time he pulled into the garage, parking his Jeep next to Sam’s Mustang. He wondered briefly how she had gotten home, but shook the thought when he realized it didn’t matter. He grabbed his bag and headed into the house.

Sam had left a light on for him, but the house was silent and Jack assumed she must have turned in for the night. Locking up behind him, he made his way up the stairs and stopped in the doorway of their bedroom. He smiled as he saw his wife. She was curled up on her side, the covers up around her chin as she slept. He crept into the room and undressed, trying hard not to wake her. He succeeded until he got into bed, the movement stirring her from slumber. “Jack?” she called, sighing when she felt him spoon up behind her.

“Hi, beautiful,” Jack whispered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her ear. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm, hey. I’m okay, just tired,” she replied, snuggling back into his arms.

“What’d Janet have to say?”

“She doesn’t think it’s anything to worry about. The test results should be back in the morning.”

He pulled her closer, so their bodies were touching from head to toe. “Then you should get some sleep,” he whispered.

She nodded her head, and Jack heard her sigh, her breathing soon telling him she was asleep.

*****

Janet yawned, having got very little sleep the night before. Cassie had been throwing up half the night, and Janet was beginning to think that a stomach virus may be circulating. She’d seen two officers already that morning, not to mention Sam the day before.

She still wasn’t sure what to make of Sam’s illness, but if others were sick, maybe her first thoughts had been wrong. The thing was, if it was a simple stomach virus, her body should have started to fight it by now. Even though Sam had lost her spleen, it was not the sole area for fighting infection. It was worrying to say the least.

A nurse walked into her office, interrupting her thoughts. She smiled as the nurse handed her the results for the various patients who she had performed tests on the day before. She shuffled through the pile, looking for one name in particular. Finding the file marked ‘Carter, S.’ she dropped the rest and opened the file. She scanned the page, the results confirming her suspicions.

She picked up the phone, swallowing in an effort to keep the emotion from her voice. “Hey, Sam. You wanna come down so I can go through your test results with you?” After receiving a positive reply, she hung up the phone and tried to work out how she was going to break the news to her friend. In hindsight, she should probably have told her to bring her husband with her.

Janet was pulled from her musings as the object of her thoughts walked into the room. She gave her a sympathetic smile as she saw her friend’s pallor. “You’re still feeling off?” she asked.

Sam nodded. “Oh, yeah. Whatever it is, it sure as hell doesn’t want to go away.” She looked at her friend. “But you’re gonna help with that, right? I mean, I gather with all those tests you did yesterday, you know what’s wrong with me?”

Janet couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. A huge grin threatened to split her face.

“What?” Sam asked, noting her friend’s Cheshire cat impersonation.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

“Ah, bad news,” Sam replied nervously.

Janet chuckled. “You’ve been hanging around Jack too long.” She took a seat opposite her friend. “Okay, the bad news is that you won’t be going through the Stargate for quite a while.”

Sam’s face paled. “What?! Why? What’s wrong with me?” she asked, alarmed.

If it was possible, Janet’s grin widened. “Well, that’s the good news. Congratulations, Sam, you’re pregnant.”

Sam was sure she’d heard wrong. “As in having a baby?” she asked, shocked.

Janet laughed. “Yes.”

Sam couldn’t believe it. She was sure her mind was playing tricks on her. “Do you know how far I am?”

“The tests indicate about six weeks.”

“Six weeks! But I had a period a few weeks ago. I mean, it was lighter than normal, but... does that mean there’s something wrong?”

“Relax, Sam. It’s not uncommon for a woman to have a period after conception.”

Sam sat there in stunned silence for a moment. “I can’t believe it,” was all she could say. A huge smile suddenly lit up her face and the tears welled as the news sank in. “I’m gonna have a baby!” she squealed and accepted Janet’s hug enthusiastically.

*****

Sam headed straight to Jack’s office once she left the infirmary. She scolded herself for being nervous as she walked along the corridor, but the butterflies kept fluttering in her stomach as she stopped outside Jack’s office. Taking a deep breath she walked through the open door. “Jack?” she called tentatively.

“Hey, Sam. What’s up?” he asked, not looking up from the report he was trying to write.

“Um, I went and saw Janet about my test results.”

He nodded, distracted. What she was saying wasn’t really registering. “Yeah, what’d she say?” he asked, while trying to figure out how to spell ‘decipher’.

He looked up when she didn’t say anything and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw the tears in her eyes. He jumped to his feet and hurried to her side. “Angel, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s nothing bad,” she assured him. “Jack... we’re going to have a baby.”

He just stared at her for a few seconds, his mouth working but no sound coming out. Then he pulled her to him, hugging her close. She could feel the tears on her skin as he buried his face into her neck. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

They were both crying as their lips met in a trembling kiss that affirmed their happiness at the turn of events. It was only when Sam started feeling light headed that they pulled apart. Jack quickly led her to his chair and sat her down, forcing her head between her knees until the faintness passed. “Okay?” he asked, when she lifted her head.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I guess I better get used to that... and the morning sickness.” She grimaced at the thought.

“It’ll be worth it,” Jack told her.

She nodded, looking up at him with large eyes. “I have to admit, Jack, I’m a little scared. I mean, there’s still a lot of things that could go wrong...”

Jack put a finger to her lips. “Don’t you go thinking like that, angel. It does no good. We are going to have a perfect little baby. You just remember that.” He placed a hand over her flat stomach. “This is our little miracle.”

She gave him a watery smile, reaching out to caress his cheek. “Are you happy?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“More than happy,” he replied, reaching up and grasping her fingers in his. He just looked at her for a moment, taking in her shining eyes and glowing face. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” she replied and captured his lips once more.

*****

Jack and Sam decided to hold an impromptu dinner party, so they could tell their friends the good news. Sam would have preferred to wait until the second trimester, just in case, but since she could no longer go through the Stargate, she figured her friends would need to know why. She was disappointed that they’d been unable to contact her father, but the King family, Lucy and Brett, Daniel, Janet and Cassie were all in attendance. They had invited General Hammond as well, although he already knew the news, but it was Kayla’s birthday so he had to pass.

Sam was playing with Jocelyn’s baby, Laura, when Janet walked up to her. “Getting a bit of practice in?” she asked quietly, making sure no one else heard her.

“I think I need it,” Sam replied with a smile.

Janet shook her head. “You’re gonna be a great mom, Sam.”

“I hope so,” Sam returned.

Across the other side of the room, Brett had cornered his friend. “So what’s this all about?” he asked Jack.

Jack handed his friend a beer. “All in good time, buddy,” he replied with a grin.

Brett looked back at him, suspicious. Jack was positively beaming. Whatever it was, Brett had a feeling it was going to be good.

Jack got everyone a drink, handing Sam her orange juice last. She looked around at everyone else, who were looking curiously back at her. Jocelyn’s eyes were sparkling, and Sam had a feeling her friend had figured out what was going on.

“You ready?” Jack asked her.

She nodded, cuddling into him as Jack asked for everyone’s attention.

“I guess you guys are wondering what the last minute party was about. Well, Sam and I got some good news today, and we wanted you guys to be the first to know.” He paused, smiling at Sam. “We’re gonna have a baby,” he told them all.

The room erupted as everyone congratulated the happy couple. The guys patted Jack on the back, while the women all hugged Sam with glee. Questions were thrown at them left, right and center, leaving Sam feeling a little overwhelmed. If announcing her pregnancy didn’t get everybody in a frenzy, passing out in front of them all certainly did.

Thankfully, Jack caught her before she hit the floor, and had her lying on the couch in a matter of seconds. “Come on, baby,” he coaxed, gently patting her cheeks. “No need to get too dramatic on us.”

Her eyes flickered open and she looked at him, confused. “What...”

“You fainted, Sam,” Janet explained. “Everyone spinning you around for a hug isn’t a good idea when you’re pregnant.”

“This’ll go away soon, right?” Sam asked as she slowly sat up.

Janet nodded. “Your blood pressure tends to be lower during pregnancy, which causes the faintness. My obstetrics is pretty rusty, but I seem to remember that it usually passes during the second trimester.”

Nodding in relief, Sam looked at Jack. “Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

“Spoken like a true pregnant woman,” Jocelyn piped up.

Everyone laughed and made their way to the dinner table, while Janet helped Jack serve dinner, insisting Sam take it easy.

*****

The guests left fairly early, after the guest of honor fell asleep and was carried to bed by her husband. Jack bid them all farewell before locking up and heading to bed himself. He started unbuttoning his shirt as he walked into the bedroom, only to pause when he saw Sam. Even as she slept, she had a small smile on her face. The lines of worry had disappeared from her brow. She looked at peace. Jack smiled as he saw her hands lying protectively over her stomach.

He finished getting undressed and slid into bed with her. Spooning up behind her, his hands joined hers over their baby. “I promise you, I’ll protect you both,” he whispered. He gently kissed her nape. “We’ve won the battle, we’ve made a baby against the odds and now we start our happy ever after.”

Sighing contentedly, Jack closed his eyes and followed his wife into dreams of their baby.

*****

I've loved you forever
In lifetimes before
And I promise you never
Will you hurt anymore
I give you my word
I give you my heart
This is a battle we've won
And with this vow
Forever has now begun

*****

COMING SOON- Songbook Series 21: If My Heart Had Wings




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