Title: Old Wounds
Author: Moonshayde
Season: Nine
Category: Ship,
Angst
Spoilers: The Fourth Horseman
Pairing/Character: Sam/Pete
Summary: Sometimes all it takes are a few words to heal old
wounds.
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Disclaimer:
Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and
back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko
Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the
story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story
cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes
only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story
is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned
establishments
Sam rubbed her hands
together as she hovered by the hospital door. With the door opened a crack, she
could only catch brief glimpses of the activity inside, something that just
made the knot in Sam's stomach tighten even more. She caught sight of a nurse.
A doctor. And more medical equipment than she would have ever expected.
She just wanted this to be
over. All of this.
"Ma'am, you can come in
now."
She nodded to the nurse,
took a deep breath, and entered the room. Inside, she saw balloons, get well
cards, and some flower arrangements, but overall, the room felt cold and
lonely. Sam tore her gaze off the
flowers, focusing on the hospital bed and the sad, still form that lie there.
Pete.
While Sam had mentally been
preparing herself for this for days, the actual sight of Pete's withering form
was too much. She brought her hand to her mouth and choked back the sob that
threatened to escape from her lips.
He looked terrible, a mere
shell of the man that she had once loved. Gone was the cheerful smile that used
to greet her every morning. Gone was the light in his eyes that would brighten
her days. Now, he was a mess a dark circles, pasty skin, and lackluster eyes.
Sam closed her eyes.
"Hey."
When she opened them, she
found that she and Pete were alone. He watched her from his bed. "Now, I
can't be that bad," he said.
She forced a quick smile,
grabbing a chair to sit by his side. "No."
He let out a broken laugh.
"Now, you're lying? This is why I always won at strip poker, you
know."
Sam smiled at the brief
memory, but the joy quickly faded as she continued to assess his condition.
"Maybe I let you win."
"Sneaky," he said.
"A man could grow to like that."
She couldn't help but
chuckle at the comment. No matter how badly his body was broken, Pete was still
in there. Sam just hoped it was enough.
She tucked her hair behind
her ear, shaking off her growing insecurities as she got down to business.
"The doctors say you're going to pull through. Luckily, they were able to
administer a cure in time."
"Cure." He nodded
and stared at her. "It's some alien thing, right?"
"Pete…"
"I mean, it has to
be," he said. "You wouldn't be here otherwise."
Sam swallowed hard and
looked at her hands. She felt a spark of anger over Pete's accusation, but also
a twinge of guilt. She bit her lips and closed her eyes.
She hadn't wanted to end
like it did. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Pete. She didn't want
to hurt anyone, yet she always did somehow.
"We keep sidestepping
it, Sam."
She gazed up at him. "I
know."
"Was it so
terrible--?"
"No." She thought
of all the happy mornings on her porch, the dinners, the movies, just unwinding
in her home, the two of them alone, together. "No," she said again.
"It was great."
He frowned. "Then,
why?"
Her thoughts turned to the
house. She saw herself sitting inside, gazing out the window, as she sat alone,
dog by her feet, baby napping in the bedroom. She saw herself touch the
windowpane, trying to reach the stars that were just out of her grasp.
"I just…wasn't ready
for that kind of life," she said, gazing at him directly. "I'm not
ready for that kind of life. I couldn't do that to either of us."
"Why not just tell
me?" he asked, his voice hard. "Why, for once, couldn't you just tell
me? You keep everything bottled up and I—" He looked away and sighed.
"I thought we were great together."
Sam wiped away a tear. She
cleared her throat, trying to chase away the pain that had settled in her
chest. Hesitating only briefly, Sam reached over and grabbed his hand. When he
turned to her with surprised, she squeezed his fingers.
"I didn't come here
just on business," she said.
Pete stared at her.
"No?"
She shook her head.
"Pete, things…the way it ended, we…and now…" She took a swallow of
air and brought her chin up a little higher. "I just wanted to see you
again."
He squeezed her hand in
return. "I've been wanting to see you, too." He paused, as if gauging
her reaction. Then, he took a deep breath, his gaze never wavering. "Maybe
we could see more of each other?"
Sam found herself smiling.
"I'd like that." And when she said those words, she didn't realize
just how much she met it. She slid her chair closer to his bed, her smile
breaking into a full grin. "I'd like that a lot."
THE END
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