"Wait Dr. Rowan! Please stop! You don't understand!" Sam shouted, watching the Cajun woman tear down the hall. She couldn't let her go, after what she'd read last night, read to Jack in bed. The woman was brilliant, her writing was superb, and if Daniel would just give her a chance...
There was a slow to her step and Dr. Rowan turned to face the general, now the professional woman that she had met in the car, not the one who had just freaked out on one of her oldest friends.
"General I apologize for my outburst, I'm just, well, I'm sorry but I can't think about the possibility of a position in such a hostile work environment..."
"Please," Sam cut her off, holding up her and, "give me a little longer to explain. Would you walk with me?" she invited, extending her hands in front of her down the long corridor. The woman didn't say word in protest, quietly following behind as Sam continued to walk forward.
"On the left here is the Infirmary, it's a state-of-the-art facility, leading in research medicine. It's run by doctor Carolyn Lam, you might want to look her up, very accomplished surgeon, we're quite proud to have her..."
"Wait?" her guest paused as she peered into the bustling medical facility, " you have an infirmary in a Pentagon research facility?"
Sam smiled, "Yes we do, and more. If you would please..." she continued her pace, her destination ahead. She wasn't wrong about this woman, she had a feeling, even Jack said there was something about her, the name was familiar, he remembered the name so this wasn't just some strange crazy person she had flown to Washington.
"I'd like to apologize for Daniel, before we go on," she said as she came to a halt in front of a large set of double doors, preparing her speech.
"I'm not sure I understand general..."
"My name is Samantha, Sam, call me Sam," she corrected quickly, after all, this woman was a civilian, a civilian that she didn't want to lose, not yet, not until she got a chance, "Daniel's been through a lot these past few years, much more than you can imagine..."
The woman didn't seemed convinced.
"I can imagine a lot."
Sam sighed, taking a breath, wanting to smack Daniel for that outburst, "Just take whatever you imagine and make it worse, far worse."
The Cajun nodded, listening as Sam tried not to remember Daniel after the Destiny's last message came in, Daniel after Vala has stormed off world calling him every name in the book for breaking up with her, Daniel at the very few and far between group get togethers as he sat in silence...
"I need someone here to work with him, really work with him, push him. After everything that's happened, the only thing he has to hold on to anymore is his work. It's what he throws himself into now, throws himself into to the point of sacrificing himself. He needs someone, a professional like you to serve as his research assistant so he will stop killing himself."
Dr. Rowan frowned again.
"Assistant? That sounds more like a babysitter, for a grown man.
"It's not a babysitter," Sam shook her head, "I assure you. He's a researcher, we need a researcher, another researcher in there for him to continue his work because right now he's not doing anything but drowning in something that he can't handle on his own."
"I do miss research," the woman whispered, not surprising Sam in the least.
"And I've read your file, I've gone through your records. His work is the most important thing to him and I don't think I need to know you better to know that it's the most important thing to you as well. Professionally, I think the two of you could get a lot accomplished together."
Yet, her guest still didn't seem convinced. Damn Daniel and his damn fits. Why in the hell did he attack a woman about her recently deceased father? If anyone, he should have used more tact.
"This used to be a learning facility," Sam continued, "We used to come up with new ideas, learn about things, research, create projects and now we don't and I want to hire you to bring that back. I want you to create projects and research," she paused letting it sink in before continuing, "I could tell from your Smithsonian application alone that you are the kind of person we are looking for."
"Thanks General, I mean Sam, that's very kind but I-"
"Just one more thing," Sam interrupted, "one more thing before you refuse," and without giving the woman a chance to do just that the general hit a button on the wall, the double doors crawling open leaving Adrienne Rowan staring at a large ring made a substance she couldn't identify.
"What's that?" she asked, confused, her dark eyes cutting at Sam.
"That's the Stargate," she answered with pride, "Imagine instead of digging behind a civilization after they existed, after they're long gone that you could walk through that and be in ancient Rome, in ancient Greece, or Egypt, Mesopotamia..."
"What do you mean?"
"Adrienne, that is a special gate. It's a wormhole that takes you to other planets and through space and to worlds that have human beings like us, worlds beyond your wildest dreams."
"This is a joke right?" Dr. Rowan inquired, mystified as Sam shook her head, taking this risk just one step further.
"It's not a joke. In fact, some of the people that passed us in the hallways are not even from Earth. I can show you video, files, anything you want to see to make you believe me, but that's not what I want you to really consider. If you believe nothing else, believe this. You love to learn, I can tell, anyone can tell just by reading your blog. Between the gate and that man sitting back in the boardroom, if you take this job you'll learn things beyond your wildest imagination because I really don't think there's a limit to what Daniel can teach you if you're just willing to learn."
"So," she stammered, "you're offering me the job? Even after I made a total ass of myself?"
"I am," Sam smiled.
Take it, she thought, take it and bring him back to us because I see so much of him in you...
Adrienne Rowan fell quiet.
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