A Life Unlived, by Amaranth Traces

-- Chapter 5 --

Over the next few days, Sam started working on finding out what happened to her and how she could get back home. Occasionally, Daniel would pull her away from her work to tell her about their life together. He brought out photo albums and journals and they went through everything. Their life was simple and peaceful, and Sam was amazed at how much love she saw in the photos of her other self and Daniel.

As the weeks passed, Sam found herself more easily distracted from her research. The baby growing inside of her made the truth of her situation all too real. Daniel was very supportive of her efforts, but it was obvious that he was also pleased that she was spending more time with him and less with her notebooks and other documents.

One morning, everything changed. Ten and a half weeks after waking up in the hospital, she felt the baby kick for the first time.

It was a tiny miracle and it changed Sam’s life. She looked down at the table in front of her. It was covered in books, charts and notes. The papers represented everything that Sam had been studying to find a way home. Pushing her chair away from the table, she stood up and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. She leaned against the counter, drinking her water, lost in thought.

That evening, Daniel lit a fire in their fireplace. They lay on the sofa together watching the flames. She was settled between his legs, leaning back against his chest. Daniel’s arms were wrapped around her, his outstretched fingers spread over her now swollen tummy. Sam placed her hands over his, her fingers touching her stomach through the gaps between his fingers.

Daniel gave a contented sigh and kissed her earlobe. Sam smiled and turned to gaze at him.

“I love you, Daniel.”

His eyes searched hers. “You do?”

Sam nodded. “I do.”

“You haven’t said that since your fainting spell,” he said slowly.

“I’m sorry...I—” She didn’t know what to say.

“Do you remember us now?”

“No, but I want to, Daniel. And I do love you.”

He smiled and whispered, “I love you too, Sam.”

“Actually, I have something for you.” Sam got up and went to the table that was covered in her research. She gathered everything up into a pile, carried it back into the room, and then stood at the end of the sofa.

Daniel looked at her and the research she was holding and frowned, clearly confused.

Once Sam was certain that Daniel had recognised the documents in her arms, she smiled warmly at him, and then tossed them into the fireplace.

“Sam! What are you doing?” Daniel leapt to his feet. He reached for the papers, but she caught his hand in hers before he could burn himself. It took only a few moments for her work to be devoured by the flames. He looked at her, obviously upset. “You’ve been working on that for weeks!”

“For the last ten weeks I’ve been trying to get home. I realised this morning that I was already home.” Sam took his hand and placed it on her belly. “I’m having your baby, Daniel, and I’ve never been happier.”

His expression turned from one of disbelief to one of awe. “Sam...” His voice was husky. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.

“I love you, Daniel.”

“Oh God, Sam, I love you so much.” There were tears pooling in his eyes. “Thank you.”

She gasped softly as she felt the fluttering sensation of the baby kicking. “Here, meet the one who finally made me realize how stupid I was being.” She took his hand and placed it on her stomach as the baby kicked again.

Daniel was speechless; the tears fell from his eyes. Sam beamed at him. “That’s our baby,” she whispered.

That night, Sam suggested that Daniel move his things out of the guest room where he had been sleeping since her fainting spell, and back into their bedroom. He readily agreed. Her first night with him was loving and tender, and everything she had imagined. She found herself fascinated by a group of three freckles on his chest. They were in an almost perfectly straight line that looked exactly like Orion’s belt. Trailing kisses along them led her to discover other incredibly stimulating activities with Daniel.

A few days later, at Sam’s request, they had a small, quiet ceremony in which she and Daniel renewed their wedding vows. The ceremony was mostly for Sam’s benefit, because she didn’t remember getting married in the first place.

Her pregnancy progressed perfectly and she went into labour just one day after her due date. The delivery, however, did not go completely according to plan. The placenta had prematurely torn away from Sam's uterus and she began to haemorrhage. The doctors performed an emergency hysterectomy when they were unable to stop the bleeding. Several tense hours later, the doctors told Daniel that both mother and baby were going to be fine.

It was a boy. They named him Jonathan Jacob Jackson, in honour of their late friend Jack O’Neill and Sam’s father, who had died from cancer a year before Sam and Daniel’s wedding. Sam was saddened at the news that they couldn’t have any more children, but the sight of their beautiful son quickly dashed away her unhappiness.

As she held her new baby, Sam was overcome with joy. She looked up at her husband who was grinning proudly at them and smiled. This is a perfect life, she thought, I wouldn’t want things any other way.

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