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It was into the third day when she realised what she’d thought was ‘flu, wasn’t. The exhausted, run-down feeling was text book, as was bringing up everything she ate. However, she didn’t remember sensitive breasts being a symptom.
She knew, even before she dragged her shivering ass out of bed and drove two blocks to the pharmacy. Knew as she waiting for the inevitable pink lines. Damn it all, but that was going to put a severe dint in her offworld missions.
Sam broke into the packet of gingersnaps (she’d been that sure) and nibbled on one as she debated whether or not to ring the SGC and tell him – well, yell at him some – or wait until he got back and present the indisputable evidence she was pregnant with his baby.
A minute later, she realised that she’d stopped nibbling and was sat with what was undoubtedly a dopey expression on her face. She was pregnant. She was having their baby. Cool.
Oh shit.
Oh God, they’d been out last week and she’d gotten so drunk. Not to mention Gate travel. Was being broken down into constituent molecules harmful to an embryo? And then there were the varying forms of radiation...
Sam took a deep breath before hysteria really got a handle, and tapped out a message, ‘Come home now.’
Of course it would take him a while to extract himself, and then there was the drive home. Assuming he bothered; knowing him, he’d just- Her skin pricked a warning, giving her just enough time to avert her eyes from the bright glare of an Asgard beam. She really needed to talk to him about that.
“What’s wrong?”
Okay, she must look awful if he was foregoing the chance to berate her for interrupting whatever he had been doing. His expression radiated concern, but the panic still lay heavy on her chest. She struggled to breathe, never mind talk. Then his gaze fell on the test stick.
His eyes widened, just marginally, and then he blinked twice. A furrow appeared on his forehead and Sam knew he took the stick and her current state and reached entirely the wrong conclusion. Damn hormones. She needed to speak. Her throat still wasn’t co-operating.
“Oh,” Baal said. He actually looked rather crushed. Her heart went out to him, further complicating her incoherent state.
Frustration rose. The adrenaline helped a little: it loosened her limbs so she could get up. She went to the sink and ran a glass full of water. Swallowed it and the lump of fear clogging her throat down. The band around her chest released and she took a deep, shuddering breath in.
“It’s not like that,” she told him. Hell, now she had to explain, and she wasn’t overly sure what had happened herself. “I just… I don’t know. Is Gate travel safe?”
Baal blinked again. “What?”
“Well, I don’t know, do I?” Her voice was high and she suspected the hysteria was making a return call. “It could be! It’s not like I’ve been particularly careful. I’m supposed to be careful!”
He rolled his eyes, but strode over and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sure everything will be fine. Calm down.”
The dangers seemed far less significant when she was snuggled against his firm chest. Sam buried her face in his shirt and forced herself to breathe slowly. The panic ebbed, leaving her weak and trembling violently.
“I just thought of the past couple of weeks and… well, freaked.” Pointing that out was probably unnecessary, but Sam thought he was owed an explanation for her behaviour.
“Yes.” His tone was vague. She sensed a deep tension within him. “Are you okay, now?”
She smiled and stroked his arm. “Yeah. It’s not ‘flu though.”
“No. I should have known.” He tensed further. “Perhaps I should have taken more care.”
Perhaps she should kick his ass. “Last time I looked it up, it required two people.” She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I’m not upset about the result, Baal. Just a little freaked at the timing.”
“Are you… pleased, then?”
He was so cute when he was uncertain. Pity that didn’t happen very often. Sam gave him a misty smile and nodded. “A little shell-shocked, but yes – I’m happy. I take it you are?”
“Now that I’m less inclined to believe that you’d rather face an army of Ori than carry my child, yes.”
His child. Sam glanced down to where her stomach pressed against his. There was no outward sign, unless she counted the vomiting, nor could she feel it yet, but it was there. She was pregnant. They were going to have a baby. A wave of glee rose within her, only to gut at another realisation.
Hey eyes jerked to up his face. He rolled his.
“No,” he said. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“How can you be sure? I’m going to guess this particular scenario hasn’t happened before.”
“Well, I can’t be certain,” he admitted. “But it is highly unlikely. I think.”
“You don’t know, do you?”
Baal hitched a shoulder. “I’m not completely sure that I do. It isn’t something either of us can know until the child is born.”
Sam rested her forehead against his chest. What the hell was she carrying? If it wasn’t bad enough that its father wasn’t human, there was both Tok’ra and Goa’uld DNA thrown into the mix on top of that, plus it was being sustained by her naquadah-tainted blood. If it was born normal, she’d be shocked.
“Crap,” she said aloud.
“It’ll be fine,” Baal said, tone reassuring. Was he telling her or himself? Sam wasn’t sure. “Whatever happens will be nothing that we cannot handle together. That is, after all, how we got into this in the first place.”
With a rueful laugh, she lifted her head and nodded. “Yeah. I suppose so.” She frowned slightly. “So you don’t mind, then? You’re going to be a father. That seems awfully domestic for someone who once planned to rule the galaxy.”
“I have had offspring before, Samantha. I am two thousand years old, after all.” His arms tightened as she tried to move away, stung. “This is, however, the first one I truly care about. As I care about his mother.”
She sniffed. “Her mother.”
“Whatever. I am less concerned about its gender than I am that you are both safe and well.”
Promptly reminded that she’d been unwell, Sam felt an all too familiar twist of her gut. “Hold that thought,” she muttered and then broke from his embrace to bolt for the bathroom. Okay, pregnancy was fine but morning sickness sucked big time. Especially since it wasn't restricted to just mornings.
“I think we should seek Doctor Lam’s advice,” Baal told her from the doorway as she dry retched. “You are in danger of becoming severely dehydrated.”
“She’ll find out. I’m sure not I’m ready for the entire base knowing that I’m pregnant.”
“She is discrete. And you are unwell. I fear that I have to insist, Samantha.”
She winced at her full name – that meant he would brook no argument, so she didn’t even bother. Being ill had left her drained and not up to fighting with him. She let him lift her up and then felt the tug of the beam. Great; one more thing to worry about.
Once she was safely installed in an infirmary bed and on a drip, Baal relaxed into his usual self and proceeded to boss the medical staff around until Carolyn came out of her office. One of the few people that he actually paid attention to, she quickly got him in hand and Sam was treated to the rare sight of him, head down and abashed, as he was thoroughly scolded. He got another lecture when they revealed the nature of the “illness”.
“Are you two completely insane?” Carolyn demanded. “Did neither of you think that this might need to be monitored carefully?”
“I only found out half an hour ago,” Sam said. “And we weren’t actually trying.”
“And were you taking precautions?” she asked. Sam winced. “My point exactly.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. Do I have something to be worried about?”
Carolyn placed the ultrasound transducer on Sam’s stomach and moved it as she watched the screen. After a moment, she allowed a small smile and moved the monitor around.
“Apparently not,” she said.
Sam stared at the blob on the screen. It only vaguely resembled something human. However an odd knot formed in her throat. She was really pregnant. She was really carrying a baby. Whoa.
“I’d say you were about six weeks, which ties into the symptoms you described. Your baby is very well established and has a great heartbeat.” She gave Sam a look. “I’d still recommend caution, especially while you’re so sick. I can give you something to ease the worse of it, so you can at least keep food down, but you have to take things easy. You’ll tire quickly and be prone to fainting. Hopefully, it’ll settle down in a couple of weeks.”
Sam pulled a face. “I hope so. It’s not very pleasant.”
“I want to monitor you closely until you feel better. Maybe until the twelve week mark. The baby seems pretty viable, but we’ll know for certain by then.”
“What about tests?”
“What tests?” Baal asked, tone hard. He didn’t look very impressed either.
Carolyn met his eyes without flinching. “There are routine tests that are carried out on the baby to detect certain abnormalities.” Her gaze shifted. “With this pregnancy, normal is out of the window. Unless you have a particular concern, I think we’ll stick to less invasive testing.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sam said weakly, mind racing.
Baal squeezed her hand. “It’ll be fine, I promise you. Try to relax.”
“He’s right,” Carolyn said. “You’ll just make yourself sicker by worrying. At the end of the day, the prevalent DNA is human and… well, close to human. If you weren’t compatible, then you wouldn’t be pregnant.”
Sam nodded. “Okay.” She stifled a yawn. “Can we wrap up so I can get some sleep?”
“Indeed we can.”
Carolyn cleaned her up and then moved her to a bed in a darkened corner. Baal took the chair next to the bed as the doctor pulled the curtain around and left them alone. Sam yawned widely again and settled into a more comfortable position.
“Pregnancy is exhausting,” she noted. “I think we should take turns.”
Baal chuckled and kissed the back of her hand. “No can do, I’m afraid.”
“You’re carrying a symbiote. Same difference.”
“Not really.” He scanned her face. “You’re pale. Go to sleep and get some rest. I think Carolyn put something in the drip to ease your illness. Maybe you’ll be able to eat later.”
“I hope so. I’d kill for chocolate about now.”
He got to his feet and kissed her forehead. “If my Queen wishes chocolate, then chocolate she shall have. If she’s feeling up to it, at any rate.” He kissed her again, lingering on her lips until sleeping was the last thing she wanted to do. “Later, my love.”
“Bye,” she murmured. Carolyn must have put something more than just the anti-sickness drug into the drip, because her eyelids got heavy despite the arousal running through her. “Baal?”
He stopped at the curtain and looked back.
She smiled sleepily. “Love you.”
“I know. Now go to sleep.”
It didn’t bother her that he didn’t say it back. Despite the fact he was eloquent on every other subject, he still found it difficult to couch his emotions into words. He far preferred action. No wonder she was pregnant.
Sam chuckled herself to sleep.