A slightly trembling hand reached out, cupped his shoulder and shook it gently. He groaned something which almost sounded like, "not now I'm sleeping." He followed that up by inserting a hairy finger in his nostril before turning on his other side, his back facing her, allowing sleep to overwhelm his senses once again.
The same hand reached out once again to shook his shoulder a little harder. A soft voice, the barest hint of pain audible, called out his name, "Jack?"
"Hmmm," he grunted and a string of other uncomprehendible words followed.
The woman suddenly gulped for breath. For the next few seconds she could be clearly heard taking deep, labored breaths. After it had slowly died away she turned on her side, in his direction, pushed herself upright on one arm and leaned over the still form of her husband. "For crying out loud, just wake up," she half-pleaded.
She finally had enough when he did not reply except to utter a loud snoar.
"Jack O'Neill if you don't wake up right this instant I swear I'll have your baby right here and now!" she nearly yelled in his ear. That was followed by one hand slapping him across the cheek, without any real force involved, before falling back onto the matress, her energy spent for the time being.
"Wha…what…WHAT?!" He jumped upright in the bed, head turning in all direction, eyes wild.
"Finally decided to join the land of the living?" came a dry, sarcastic reply from her ash-white lips.
With eyes still clouded over with the after-effects of sleep he turned his gaze in her direction and inquired in a dragging voice, "S-am?" His one hand rubbed across his burning cheek before inquiring, "What's happening, why'd you wake me?"
Sam rose a hand in the air, another rested on her stomach, "Ah I don't know…maybe 'cause my water just broke?"
"WHAT!" he yelled in shock, rolled out of bed and nearly fell over his own feet in his rush to reach her side. His mind was immediately wide-awake, working in overdrive, and with one look he took in first the soaking wet sheets and then the fact that his wife was shivering due to pain and cold raking through her body.
"Right," he commented a slight tremble in his baritone voice. "This is it. I can do this. I've been through all of this before."
"Uh…Jack?" Sam tried to get out of bed, her fringe plastered to her forehead, small drops of sweat planted all over her face.
Still consumed by his own motivational attempt Jack continued, "We also didn't have all of those classes for nothing."
"Jack I swear to God if you don't pull yourself together right here, right now, I'm going to -" She never got around to finish the sentence since a contraction decided to creep up on her right at that moment. Maybe it was just as well since her last few intended words were better left for the inner sanctuary of her mind. Already half-way out of bed, only one leg was really hanging over the edge but to her it felt like a major achievement, she had no choice but to grabbed hold of the closest support, the blankets strewn all around her, and ride it out.
Jack knelt at her side and took hold one of her cold hands in his welcoming warm ones. When it appeared as if the worst had passed he inquired in a loving, caring tone, "You're okay?" Brushing a few runaway hairs away from her forehead he added, "How far apart are the contractions?"
Squeezing his hand to give him a silent thank you for his support she replied, "I…I'm not sure. It doesn't appear to come at regular intervals." Biting on her bottom lip she whispered fearfully, almost as if she was afraid that some unseen force might overhear her, "I'm so scared Jack. What if I won't be able to do this? What if I won't be a good mother? What if -"
"Shush," Jack answered softly, putting two fingers in front of her lips to stop the sudden flood of words.
"B-ut," she tried to get in another word of self-doubt but a solid, yet very careful, bear hug from her husband immediately drowned it out.
After a while he let go of her. Putting two hands on both sides of her head he stated in a stern, yet loving voice, "Listen to me. I don't wanna hear any of this nonsense, 'k? You'll be one hell of a mother. Our kid will be the envy of all his friends one day -" then seeing the strange look that passed behind Sam's eyes he added quickly, "uh…or of all her friends one day."
"For a moment there I started to wonder," she said, the faintest of smiles on her face. Suddenly she tensed up and whimpered, "please help me up."
"Sure? You sounded kinda down there for sec." He took his two hands away from her face and continued, not registering that his wife's face was slowly, but steadily turning different shades of white and gray.
"Yeah, just…help…me up," her breath started to intensify, but still Jack was too caught up in his attempt to boost his wife's morale.
"You know I went through all of this with Sarah and she had the same self-doubt. So don't worry 'bout it. It is not uncommon for pregnant woman to feel this way and - "
"Jack!" Sam's hands grabbed hold of his arm and her fingernails bit deep into exposed flesh. The sudden sharp pain that run up and down his arm was enough to let Jack forget any further thoughts regarding morale boosting.
"Wh-hat?" he half-stuttered, confused at the sudden severe change in his wife's demeanour. The guilty hand released his arm and with shock he stared open-mouth at the red, ugly marks that was left behind. At two places small drops of blood started forming on the surface of the skin. He could not help but be amazed at the strength his wife was capable of.
Sam took a few deep breaths before she was finally, sort off, able to talk and when she did it was not quite the words that he expected, "Shut…up…and…help…me out of…this bed."
"But -"he tried to get a word in.
"NOW!" she ordered, almost viciously. She could not care less about how she might appear or sound to her room companion. She was only aware of the fact that a hospital and a nice big pain-relief needle were all she required at that moment.
"Right," he replied and quickly helped her to get of the bed.
It was as she got out of the confines of the bed that her whole body all of a sudden felt like one big ice-block. "Cc-cold," was all she managed to say between an intense shivering and shaking competing for control over her body.
"Uh…uh…um." Jack's eyes darted between his wife's trembling form and the surrounding room.
Noticing the slightly open window of the bedroom he rushed in that direction, caught his foot on a corner of a blanket laying on the floor and with a loud, "Oomph," went flying through the air, arms swaying in all directions. When gravity finally pulled him back to mother earth he connected his head on the side of the bed. For a few seconds he laid flat on his stomach, stunned as to what exactly happened and trying to fathom how an experienced soldier like himself could turn out to be so clumsy.
When he finally managed to pull himself together it was with the insistent, yet at the same time slightly annoying, voice of his wife ringing in his ear from across the room, "Jack. Jack. Talk to me. Jack. Are you all right? Jack. Jack!"
Groaning he rolled on his back and grabbed his head in both hands, his knees drawn up.
"Jack?" This time the voice was a bit less annoying.
"Yeah." The reply was barely louder than a whisper. Realising she would not be able to hear him from where she stood he continued, a bit louder, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Sure?" came the reply back.
"Had worse."
"Good. In that case can you do something for me."
"No problem."
"Well, it's nothing much, ya know. Actually it's something very small."
"Listening." Groaning again, his hand touch the side of his injury, a definitely bruise was forming.
"Can you maybe, you know only when it really suits you, get over here and help me get to the hospital. It's not like I'm in any really discomfort or something. Compared to yours mine's nothing."
Registering the sarcasm in his wife's voice he quickly jumped up. "Yeah, `course. Ss-orry," he stuttered for the millionth time that evening. All thoughts of pain and suffering were forgotten - including a certain open window. Without wasting any more precious time he made his way to his wife's side.
One look at his wife's wet night-gown told him what the real cause was for her extreme cold, but at the same time he could feel all self-confidence abandoning him. It was not quite like he was actually there when his ex-wife, Sarah, went into labour. If he could recall correctly he was on some mission and Sarah's stern, no nonsense, Irish father stayed with her…
"Jacob!" he exclaimed loudly without any warning; "Jacob would know what to do. He's not a snake-head for nothing and he just so happens to be right down the hall."
With that last remark he tore his wife's wet night-gown off her body before turning around and running out of the bedroom, screaming, "Jacob…Dad…Jacob…"
***
"Is that really what happened daddy?" the little girl asked, her dark-brown eyes wide, her matching brown curly hair giving her an angelic look.
"Pretty much," the man said and then seeing the loud yawn coming from his daughter, the apple of his eye, he added gentle, "I think it's time for a certain somebody to go to bed. Do you know who that someone is?"
"Nope. No idea," the little girl replied, but the mischievous twinkle in her eye informed the universe that she was indeed her father's child.
"W-w-e-ll, in that case," the man concluded, pretending to be very serious, "I have no choice but…to… do the claw."
"No daddy! Please, don't. I wanna hear another bedtime story," the girl cried out, laughing in advance for what she knew was coming.
"Too late!" With those words the man started tickling his daughter and for the next few minutes the jubilant laughter of both parent and child was heard vibrating throughout the house.
"Hey, what's going on here," suddenly came from the door entrance. "Jack…Grace. No guys, that innocent look won't work on me."
Entering the room the woman, the mother of the child, walked to the bed where her husband and daughter were sitting, staring at her with identical, almost goofy-like, smiles on their faces.
"Ah Sam…Mommy," came the replies at almost the same time.
With her arms crossed across her chest, her left foot tapping slightly on the soft carpet decorating her daughter's bedroom she replied in a stern voice, "Uhuh, none of that. It won't work on me this time 'round."
Turning her full attention to her husband she added, "Shame on you Jack. You know Grace needs a good night's sleep. Especially since it's going to be her first school day tomorrow."
"I was just telling her a bedtime story."
"And typical you, you decided to go and add a few more tails to it."
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, right next to her husband, Sam looked at Grace lovingly and said, "Come on baby. Time for little angels to go to sleep." Kissing her daughter on the forehead she pulled the blankets away to let her slip underneath.
"Night mommy, night daddy," Grace said sleepy before closing her eyes and turning on her side.
"Night baby…night sweetheart," her parents replied and exited the room, their entwined hands telling the truth of their powerful feelings towards each other, even after many years of being married.
TE
Story Notes: E-Mail: ngeldenhuys@wol.co.za
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Spoilers: None
Season: Future Season
Rating: PG
Content Warnings: None
Archive: S/J Archive, Yes. Everybody else just ask me please
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Spoilers: None
Season: Future Season
Rating: PG
Content Warnings: None
Archive: S/J Archive, Yes. Everybody else just ask me please
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]