The Right Point Of View

Chapter 5

Colonel O'Neill stood in General Hammond's office while General was speaking on the phone.

"Yes sir. I understand sir. Thank you sir. " General stated as he hung up the phone.

"They can stay." Hammond expressed with hesitation.

"That was quick." O'Neill expressed.

"Too quick. God knows what we're getting ourselves into." Hammond stated with slight objection to the decision.

"Well, the combined IQ of earth might go up a few points having two Carter's around." O'Neill stammered, trying to make light of the situation. General Hammond doesn't appear convinced.

"It just doesn't sit right. Some lines aren't meant to be crossed. Nonetheless, I've been encouraged to find a way to incorporate them into this Command." Hammond replied.

"Ok. Um, in the meantime, do you want me to tell them?" O'Neill asked.

"Very well." Hammond stated.

As O'Neill begins to walk towards the alternate Samantha Carter's quarters, he realizes he might not be ready for this. He knocks on the door, and enters.

"Just put it on the table and close the door on your way out." Dr. Carter stated with a tremble in her voice.

She was still lying on the bed but did not turn around to see who it was that entered.

"I'm sorry, put what on the table...? " O'Neill asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Dr. Carter quickly dried her tears, and turned around.

"JACK. I'm sorry, come in." she stated, as her stomach turned.

"Your, uh, Dr Fraiser keeps insisting that I eat something." "She keeps saying I got to keep my strength up for the ba-" she didn't finish her sentence, for she was not sure O'Neill was aware of her pregnancy.

O'Neill winces knowing what she was going to say...

"Ah. Well, she's your Doc Fraiser now too." He stated with a smile.

"You're in. They said yes." "That's good." Dr. Carter stated but with obvious uncertainty. She was relieved, but nothing more.

"Yeah, I can see you're overjoyed." O'Neill sarcastically interjected as he always did. She turns away from him and starts to cry.

"I just never expected this. It's so...so hard." Dr. Carter cried out, trying to hold back the sobs but she couldn't.

"Look. I can't ever begin to know what you've been through. I know, uh,...I know you've lost a lot." O'Neill stated trying to comfort her with words.

"I lost you. I watched you die Jack. Three days ago, trying to defend the mountain. And here you are, alive and safe in this perfect world, and you don't even know me." She cried looking into his eyes.

"Well I...I sort of know you." He stated as he sat down beside her.

"You know her. You don't even see her that way, do you?" She asked, noticing she was making him uncomfortable.

He suddenly glanced at some photos propped up on the night lamp. He couldn't believe what he saw. I mean Dr. Frasier did mention her condition in the briefing room, but seeing the sonogram from a distance put a lump in his throat. She realizes he was looking at the pictures. She quickly removes the sonogram photo hoping he was just glaring at the wedding photo.

"I take it where you're from we were..." O'Neill paused, trying to tread lightly...

"Married." Dr. Carter finished his sentence.

"Ah" was O'Neill's response.

"This makes you uncomfortable." Dr. Carter stated as she saw his expression.

"No, no, not at all. I just...I get confused. " was O'Neill's escape of an answer. A knock on the door breaks the awkward silence. It was an airman with food sent by Dr. Fraiser.

Dr. Carter gets up goes over to the table where the tray is set, hoping it would make the situation a little less uncomfortable.

"I haven't had a hot meal in forever". "It was just a couple of weeks ago, we were celebrating."

O'Neill interrupts, "Celebrating?" O'Neill proceeded with caution, knowing the answer to his question,...

"Um..." she sat back next to him "well I guess you'll know soon enough...Jack we were celebrating the news of a baby, our baby. O'Neill didn't realize he was staring down at her abdomen. I found out I was pregnant, and planned this dinner to tell you, well, him. We had been trying for awhile, I was almost 3 months along, and was so excited on telling you." She paused.

"You were almost?" O'Neill again treading lightly...

"I am..." Dr. Carter confirmed.

"Jack... he was so excited. He just held me and kept saying "a baby, seriously, a baby?..."She stated.

"He got on his knees and placed his hands on my belly, and just started talking to it..." She said as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"Then we got the call that the Goa'uld ships had been spotted entering our solar system. We just left everything. You blew out the candles and I turned off the oven. We just left. They didn't hit Colorado Springs from orbit like most of the big cities, so the table must still be set." She said, mentally drifting away to that night.

"I guess that explains the dizziness huh..." O'Neill says.

"Yeah"...Dr. Carter says, trying not to sob.

O'Neill started towards the door. He was never really good at these kind of situations.

"Listen, um, I should probably be..". he stated, trying to leave.

"Stay." She practically begged.

"Sam..." saying her name was something he wasn't used to.

"Please." she again pleaded with him.

"Look, you're dealing with a loss right now that I can't even begin to...What I mean is, maybe I'm not the right person to help you." He said.

"Yes, you are. You're the only one who can. Look, I know you well enough to know that you don't have clue what to say. You don't have to say anything." She stated, losing the battle of the sob that was so close to pouring out of here. With-out knowing what to say, all he could say was "Come here."

And he held her close. As she sobbed into his chest, with her voice breaking, all she can say is was...

"Oh, I miss him...". He held her close to him, and allowed her to release her deepest cries. She hadn't really been able to mourn his death, with the Goauld attack in her reality. But here, although she was mourning the death of her Jack, with the Jack of this reality, allowed her to release some the anguish she was feeling. He felt her legs give way. She had been through so much. And her current condition, he knew that this wasn't helping her any. He lifted her and placed her in the bed. He tried to leave, and with her voice still breaking she asked...

"please stay Jack, just till I fall asleep, please"...he was hesitant, knowing this might not help the situation, but he complied.

He slowly laid down beside her, and held her close. She practically cried herself to sleep. Her breathing started to regulate itself, which gave him a sign that she had fallen asleep. But before he removed his hand from her waist, he felt a flutter on his hand.

"Was that, no? it's to soon" he thought...and there it was again. The child inside her, fluttered. O'Neill quickly moved away, while not trying to wake her, but it was just becoming an uncomfortable situation. He wrapped her body, with the blanket, by the foot of the bed, and slowly closed the door behind him.

"Unless it's urgent Airman, don't let anyone disturb her." He stated. "She's had enough drama for today." "Yes sir." The airman replied. As he walked away, he didn't know what he was going to do. Another Sam is pregnant with another Jack, yet the DNA was exactly the same.

"How in the world can any of this make sense?" he thought to himself. He knew that Major Carter would figure something out. She has too.