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She had never really given motherhood much thought. Sure, at the beginning of her marriage she had entertained the idea, but she had been focusing on her career at that point. And her husband had not been the most supportive man, he would have preferred her to just become a homemaker. But that was just not in her blood. She came from a military family, had been around hardworking people her whole life. She wanted to prove herself, and had. Needless to say, it had been a marriage doomed to fail from the start.
Then Captain Carter had brought this 11-year-old girl from another planet into her infirmary. Cassandra. Orphaned, and completely alone in a completely different world. The bond Cassandra and the Captain shared had been immediate and strong, but Janet had noticed a reluctance to take on that responsibility from her colleague. And Janet, filled with a sense of duty, not only as a medical professional with unique insight into this child’s physiology, but also as a human, as a woman, she felt fiercely protective of Cassandra already and did not feel comfortable handing over the responsibility of her care to anyone else.
So here she was, a Captain in the Air Force, CMO at the SGC and now also, foster mother to an alien child. To say she was nervous about the endeavor was an understatement. It was daunting, especially considering the amount of trauma Cassandra had gone through. But Janet was nothing if not determined, and she knew that she could count on the support of the whole SG-1 team, not least from Captain Carter. She had promised to come around often to help out and be there for Cassandra. She was already being helped out by them. The whole team having taken Cassandra to the park for her first outing outside the base, while Janet was at home trying to prepare her house to make the girl as comfortable as possible.
***
***
Janet had set up Cassandra’s room, prepped the bathroom, and filled her fridge with all the foods she thought the girl might like. Just as she sat down on the couch, taking a breather from all the preparations, she heard a soft knock at the door. She went to open the door and found Cassandra on the porch, together with Carter and a… dog?
“Jack gave me a dog, he said it’s what all children of Earth have.” Cassandra said shyly as she walked into the house.
“Oh, did he now?” Janet asked, her eyes widening. Leave it to the Colonel to add to her list of responsibilities.
“I’m sure we can find a solution for any care needs the dog might have, Doctor,” Carter said, having noticed the slight panic in Janet’s voice.
“Janet, please, we’re not at work now, Captain, ” Janet said, trying to convey her thanks with her eyes.
“Okay, Janet, then you call me Sam,” Sam said looking into her eyes and smiling. Janet met blue eyes and smiled back. Sam, it had a nice soft ring to it, and it lingered in her mind. She had of course learned the Captain’s name in the few months she’d worked at the SGC but up until know their relationship has beed strictly professional. It was only in the past few days they had begun to know each other beyond that, and already Janet could see the potential for more.
“So, I can keep him?” Cassandra asked expectantly.
“I think it’s best he stays with me for a bit, while you get settled here,” Sam said before Janet time to reply, “then we can see what happens.”
Janet felt very thankful for Sam’s interjection. While it was really sweet of Jack to get the girl a dog, it was not really what she needed right now. This was going to be hard enough without the added stress of a pet.
“I think that sounds like a great plan, thank you, Sam,” Janet made sure to meet Sam’s eyes and try to convey all her gratitude, “Now, how about I show you around and then I was thinking we could order something for dinner.”
“Can you stay for dinner, Sam?” Cassandra looked up at Sam with pleading eyes, obviously not wanting to let go of the one person that had become her sense of security in a short time.
Sam looked at Janet questioningly, and Janet nodded, of course Sam could stay. The most important thing right now was to make Cassandra feel comfortable.
“Uh, yeah. Of course I’ll stay for dinner,” Sam said.
***
***
Cassandra had wanted to try pizza for the first time, so that is what they ended up having for dinner. She had loved it, and had made Sam promise to come over for pizza night already next Saturday again. Sam had agreed and also said she would bring her chessboard, so they could continue playing like they had in the infirmary.
But now, Janet was helping Cassandra with what she needed before getting ready for bed. She could sense nervous energy radiating from the girl and asked her about her usual bedtime routine, if she had ever had one.
“My mom…,” Cassandra started as tears were forming in her eyes, “my mom would sometimes read to me, or tell me a story and then she’d sit with me until I fell asleep.”
“Ok, well I think I have a few books lying around, we could see if any of them would be interesting to you.” Janet said softly, trying to encourage Cassandra.
“Do you think maybe… maybe Sam could read to me?” Cassandra asked quietly.
Sam was waiting in the living room, as she had promised to stay until Cassandra was asleep. And Janet assumed she would be up for the task, grateful for the help in trying to soothe Cassandra’s worries on this first night.
“I’m sure she would be happy to, sweetheart, “Janet said smiling reassuringly, “how about we finish getting ready and then you can go ask her?” Cassandra nodded.
***
***
Janet sat on her couch, trying to read a book, slightly distracted by the soft hum of Sam’s voice as she was reading. The dog was at her feet, asleep. The night had gone well so far, but she knew it was just the first of many. And even though she knew that officially she was just the “temporary custodian” of Cassandra, she had a feeling she would not be able to let her go that easily. The girl had been through enough to have to move around. Besides, it’s not like the custody of Cassandra could fall on just any civilian.
Janet’s thoughts were interrupted by feet softly padding down the hall.
“She’s asleep,” Sam said in a whisper, “but she made me promise I’d send you in to check on her after I left.”
“Of course, “ Janet said.
There was a moment of silence between them. Sam stood at the end of the couch looking like she was deliberating something. “I uh, I should probably get going then,” she said in the end, having apparently reached a decision, urging the dog to come with her.
“Yeah, I’ll follow you to the door,” Janet said and stood up.
“Thank you for your help tonight, “ Janet said and looked up at Sam as they walked to the hallway.
“Of course… no problem. I love that kid already, you know?” Sam said a bit sheepishly. Janet nodded in understanding. Cassandra had already made her way into both their hearts.
“So, uh, if you ever need anything just call me, okay? Or have Cassandra call, and I’ll be here as soon as I can.” Sam continued, as she seemed to have a hard time making herself leave.
“Of course, and thank you again, Sam.” Janet said with a soft smile. “I don’t think tonight would have been half as smooth if you hadn’t been here.”
Sam smiled. They stood in silence again. As if both struggling to let go of the emotional support the other gave them in the moment. In the end, the silence was broken by the dog signaling a desire to leave.
“Well, I guess that is my cue, “ Sam said and opened the door. “Goodnight, Janet.”
“Goodnight, Sam.”
Janet watched Sam load the dog into her car before she slowly closed the door, locking it and making her way to Cassandra’s bedroom. The girl was sleeping soundly as Janet pulled the blanket over her. She leaned in and carefully stroked some hair out of her face before she left to get ready for bed.