We're going to be fine (Comfy-vember day 27)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
"Damnit." Jack swore as he punched the large rock beside him.
"I thought you were watching your language around the ladies." Peggy said.
"You're hardly a lady in some cases, Marge. And I've heard you swear a lot more and worse than that."
"Not wrong." Peggy admitted with a wry smile.
Unlike Jack, she wasn't banging on the walls, but sitting on the ground, her head resting against the rocks behind her.
"You should sit down and stop fussing so much, Jack. You're wasting our oxygen." She said.
"How can you be so calm? We're buried I don't know how many meters under tons and tons of debris, trapped in a pocket of air that's held together by I don't know what miracle, and you're just sitting there."
"I'm realistic. As you so rightly pointed out, there's nothing we can do in our current position. It kills me as much as you to admit it, but right now there's nothing we can do but wait for help, which must already be out looking for us."
Jack ran a hand through his hair again before sighing and dropping down next to Peggy, inches from her, their shoulders touching. "I hate it when you're right." He muttered.
Peggy didn't reply verbally, but smirked.
"How much time do you think we have?" She asked.
"Before everything collapses or we run out of oxygen?"
"Oxygen."
Jack didn't answer immediately, observing their alcove by means of the flashlight Peggy was still holding. "Two hours maybe. You're breathing too hard for a lady, after all."
"Screw you Thompson."
"That's Chief Thompson for you." Jack replied. It was a recurring joke between them. A few years ago, Jack might have been sincere in reminding her of his rank, but after all they'd been through together, he was no longer blind enough to believe himself superior to her. Peggy surpassed him in many areas, and Jack considered himself lucky to be able to work with her. And that she was still willing to work with him after all he'd put her through.
But this wasn't the time to think about that.
Deciding to save their strength and oxygen, the two friends fell into silence.
Around 1h30 later, just as the air was starting to thin and breathing was becoming a little more difficult, their flashlight failed and they were plunged into total darkness.
"That's all we needed." Jack muttered.
Peggy didn't answer, but the blond felt her tense at his side. The brunette seemed to debate with herself for a good while before sighing softly and seeking Jack's hand with her own, clasping his fingers firmly in hers when she found them.
"I didn't see you as the type to be afraid of the dark, Marge." Jack sniggered, making no effort to free his hand, instead tightening his fingers briefly on Peggy's.
"I'm not. Afraid of the dark, that is. Afraid of dying, maybe more."
"Who isn't afraid to die?" Jack said rhetorically. "But I thought you'd have more faith in Sousa and the others to get us out of here. And your fear of death hadn't hit me until now, not with the stunts you pull every time we're in intervention."
"Maybe not." Peggy agreed, in a voice far less assertive than sometimes. "But things have changed." She added in an almost distant voice.
"You okay, Peggy?" Jack asked, frowning and turning his head toward his friend, even though he couldn't see her.
"I... Yes, I'm fine but..." Peggy took a deep breath but Jack heard it was shaky, as if Peggy was holding back tears. "Jack, I have a confession to make."
"Wow, you know I'm not Sousa, right?" Jack asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly even though he was starting to get really worried. He'd never heard Peggy in this state and it honestly scared him a little. "Hurry up and get us out of here, Sousa, your wife needs you." he thought.
"I... Daniel doesn't know. I haven't found the time or the courage to tell him."
"I won't tell him you want to break up with him for you, Carter." Jack challenged, trying desperately to make her laugh. Or to piss her off or anything, he just wanted her to react, to stop being... like that. A weak, trembling, self-doubting Peggy Carter was largely destabilizing, not to mention downright worrying.
"I..." Peggy resumed, taking a deep breath before launching forward. "I'm pregnant." She blurted out quietly.
Jack froze, and his world with him. Had he... had he heard her right? Had Peggy really just said what he thought she'd said, or was his hearing playing tricks on him? No, he knew what he'd heard. And if he'd heard right then...
"Shit." He swore. "Are you... are you sure?"
"Yes."
"How long have you known?"
"A week."
"And... Daniel doesn't know yet?" Jack checked.
"No... I couldn't find the time to tell him..."
Jack winced. He really wasn't ready to have this kind of discussion and was totally lost. But if Peggy had told him, it was for something and he couldn't just brush her off.
He tried to think why Peggy hadn't told Daniel, and an unpleasant thought popped into his head. "Was it... was it planned?" He asked, a little hesitantly.
"Not really. But it wasn't a total accident either."
"So Sousa's cool with it?"
"I think so." Peggy replied, trying to sound confident but Jack could still hear the tremors in her voice. "I was going to tell him, this weekend. I wanted to wait a few more days but... here we are."
Jack nodded and another question came to mind. If even Daniel, the child's father, didn't know yet, why was Peggy telling him? "Why tell me? Don't get me wrong I'm honored, but why tell me when even Sousa doesn't know yet?" he asked.
Peggy took a sharp intake of air before replying, her voice trembling even more. "Because if I'm going to die here, I want someone to know."
"Nobody's going to die here Peggy." Jack argued in a strong voice. "Sousa can't be far now, he and the others will get us out of here and everything will be fine."
"Face the truth, Jack." Peggy said, and the blond heard with horror that his friend had started to cry. "We've been here nearly two hours, it's getting harder to breathe, and we have no idea when help will arrive."
A sob escaped her and Peggy curled in on herself. Not knowing what to say, but also knowing that he couldn't just do nothing, Jack put his arm around Peggy's shoulders and pulled her against him. Peggy almost threw herself against him, burying her face in his neck, crying in his hug. Although a little surprised, Jack only responded by hugging her a little tighter. It wasn't in either of their habits to hug, but clearly Peggy needed it.
"I-I don't want to die here, Jack. I don't want my unborn child to die before they had a chance to live. I don't want Daniel to lose his wife and child at the same time." Peggy sobbed.
"It's gonna be okay, Peggy. We're going to be fine, all of us." Jack said, gently stroking his friend's back.
Peggy cried for a little while longer before her sobs subsided. But she didn't move, and Jack didn't break the embrace either.
"If..." Peggy resumed in a voice a little hoarse with tears. "If I don't survive but you do-"
"I'm stopping you right now, Marge. We'll all get through this. All three of us."
"Jack, please. I want it too, but if I ever..."
Jack didn't answer right away, still against the idea, but eventually sighed, giving his attention to Peggy, who thanked him by squeezing his hand a little.
"If I don't survive but you do, please don't tell Daniel I was pregnant."
"What?! Are you seriously asking me not to tell him?" Jack repeated, incredulous.
"Please, Jack. If he ever finds out I was pregnant... he'll never forgive himself." Peggy pleaded.
Jack gritted his teeth. Yes, he understood Peggy's reasoning, but that didn't mean he liked it. Because maybe Daniel wouldn't forgive himself, but it also meant that Jack was going to have to live with this knowledge. Peggy must have been thinking the same thing he was, because she resumed. "I know it's selfish of me and unfair to ask you this..." she said softly.
Yes, it was extremely unfair and no doubt in this scenario Jack would come to resent Peggy but hey..." What's one more heavy, unmentionable secret to carry when you've already got one?"
Peggy tensed a little against him but didn't pull back. "I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, I understand." Jack said gently. "But we'll be fine Peggy, we're going to be fine. You're always fine in the end. After all you've survived, it's not something as silly as a lack of oxygen that's going to finish you off, anyway."
Peggy chuckled, but it was empty. "Surviving the war and the Russians only to be killed by a rockslide. Pretty shabby for an SSR agent." She muttered, her words slurring.
"Rather formidable you mean." Jack argued.
Peggy didn't answer and neither did Jack, letting the conversation die down.
And it was only then that the blond realized that breathing had become rather complicated. He still managed to do it steadily, but it felt as if his lungs weren't filling up completely, and that was far from pleasant.
But he couldn't help it and tried to relax a little more, keeping one arm around Peggy's shoulders and gently stroking her shoulder with his thumb, trying to be there for her.
It was a few minutes later that Jack realized Peggy's breathing was slow and deep beside him. And he really hoped she'd simply fallen asleep, and hadn't passed out from lack of oxygen, but he knew that was also a possibility.
He tried to reassure himself that as long as she was breathing, everything would be all right, but it was getting harder and harder to hold out hope. He knew help was on the way, but he was beginning to wonder whether it would arrive in time.
The more time passed, the harder it became for Jack to concentrate, and he began to struggle to stay conscious, his eyes closing and finding it harder and harder to reopen.
"'m sorry Peg..." He murmured as he felt unconsciousness overtake him. "Sorry little one..." He added, thinking of the child now growing in his friend's belly. "Sorry Sousa... couldn't keep them... safe..." were his last words. He thought briefly of Daniel, who would probably find them like this, and felt sorry for the dark-haired man.
Before sinking completely, he thought of what might have been. For a moment, he imagined Daniel and Peggy, both smiling broadly with a child running around them. And Jack promised himself that if, by some miracle, he and Peggy pulled through, he'd do anything to protect the family that had welcomed him with open arms, even after all he'd put them through.
And it was on this last thought, on this promise he made to himself, that Jack lost consciousness, his arm still around Peggy, holding her to him.
An indefinite amount of time later, Jack felt himself regain consciousness when he heard voices above him.
"...-found...! ... breathe- .... weak!"
He didn't really understand what was going on, but when he felt the air on his face, he thought they might be out of the woods.
He managed to half-open his eyes, but had to close them again because of the bright light.
"Chief!" Someone exclaimed, Jack didn't know who. "Chief Thompson... -hear? Open... eyes."
With difficulty, Jack managed to reopen his eyes, squinting at the light, but he managed to make out the face of someone in front of him.
"Perfect. It's okay, chief. Let's get you out of here." This person said.
It took Jack a moment to understand what was happening, but when his brain reconnected a little, he turned his head to the side and saw that Peggy was still there, still against him. And still unconscious.
"Peg..." He managed to gasp, looking at the brunette.
With his vision blurred and his brain slowing, he couldn't see if she was still breathing and was starting to panic a little.
"She's okay, Chief." Answered the agent in front of him immediately. "She's still unconscious but breathing, she's gonna be okay. We're going to get you both out of here."
Jack didn't really know why, but he kept talking. "Careful... she's pregnant."
There was a blank and Jack continued a little. "Don't tell anyone. Just... medics and stuff." He asked, not wanting this information to spread around the office, but also knowing that it was important stuff to know for the medics and doctors who would be taking care of her. And he wasn't sure he could be with her at the right time to tell the right people, so telling someone who wasn't likely to pass out at any moment was a good idea. It probably was. He hoped so. Either way it was too late to turn back now.
The agent snapped out of his stupor and nodded. "Okay chief, I'll make sure the medics know but I won't tell anyone else, I promise."
"Good man." Jack sighed, closing his eyes again, exhausted.
"Chef! Chief don't go back to sleep!" Asked the agent, gently shaking his shoulder.
"'not sleepin'..." Jack replied, slurring.
"Good. We'll get you out of here."
The next few minutes were a blur, and Jack vaguely remembered being moved by several people and hoisted out of where he and Peggy had been trapped. It seemed to him that he called out Peggy’s name several times, but the people with him always replied that she was fine. It was too vague. But there wasn't much he could do but let it happen, so that's what he did.
And as the two agents he was leaning on carried/dragged him towards what he thought was an ambulance...
"Jack!"
Ah, he recognized that voice. With an effort that seemed superhuman, Jack raised his head and saw Sousa crutching towards him, limping even more than usual.
The blond didn't have time to think more about it as Daniel almost collided into him, his left arm going behind his back and holding him tight.
"You absolute moron." The dark-haired man sighed, but Jack could hear the slight tremor in his voice.
Jack removed one of his arms from the shoulders of one of the agents and passed it around Daniel's shoulders, no doubt leaning on him because his legs were definitely not carrying him fully. "'m sorry." The blond whispered. He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he did it anyway.
Daniel squeezed him one last time before pulling back a little, still supporting him. "It's okay. You're okay, that's all that matters."
Jack nodded but continued anyway. "Peggy's still out there... but they told me she's okay."
"Yes I know, they told me too. Thank you Jack."
"Didn't do much." The taller one said, trying to shrug.
But this simple gesture only succeeded in making him wobble, and without the intervention of Daniel and the other two agents, he would probably have ended up on the floor.
"Wow, let's get you to the hospital." Daniel said without waiting for a reply.
Jack didn't even try to protest and let the three agents drag him to the ambulance, where he quickly left for the hospital, while Daniel stayed behind to find Peggy.
In the end, Peggy and Jack were very lucky. Rescue had found them quickly enough that they'd never completely run out of oxygen. So neither of them suffered any damage from it, just fatigue and weakness for a few days.
The two spent a few days in hospital under observation, and to their dismay, they couldn't even share a room, supposedly because Peggy was a woman or something like that. Jack could have told them that they had no idea what Peggy had shared with men before that day, but he knew it wouldn't go down well, so he just grumbled to himself.
Luckily, by the end of the second day, he was feeling well enough to move from his bed and room, and with the doctor's permission and a SSR agent accompanying him to make sure he didn't collapse in the middle of the corridor, he crossed the few corridors that separated him from Peggy's room.
Again thanks to this agent, he knew that the brunette had woken up the previous evening but had not yet been allowed to leave her room or even get out of bed. Jack tried not to let this worry him too much.
He arrived safely in front of Peggy's room and, knowing that Daniel was already there, was able to ask the accompanying agent to stay put.
"Thank you, Agent Thomas, you can stay here." He said simply.
Agent Thomas simply nodded and Jack knocked on the door, entering when he received authorization.
So he entered with a small smile on his face. "Hey, miss me already?" He asked, closing the door behind him.
"Jack." Peggy smiled, sitting up in bed with Daniel's hand in hers. "Come here."
Having long since learned to do as Peggy said, Jack approached and sat on the edge of Peggy's bed when she invited him to do so with a wave of her hand.
Peggy then held out her hand and Jack was fooled like a beginner, falling into Peggy's arms when she pulled him hard towards her. He still managed not to crush her completely, but that didn't seem to be on the brunette's mind when she put her arms behind his back.
"Thank you." She said simply.
"I didn't do anything Marge, no need to thank me." Jack replied, without trying to pull out of his friend's embrace.
Peggy pulled back a little and Jack straightened up, looking the brunette in the eye, the latter still with her hands on his shoulders. "You were there. And that helped me a lot. So thank you, Jack." She said sincerely.
Jack could only return a slightly tense but equally sincere smile. Then he got up and sat down in one of the chairs next to Peggy's bed, opposite Daniel.
The latter spoke for the first time since Jack had entered the room. "I'm still mad that you knew about my child before me, but I'll get over it." The dark-haired man smiled.
Jack was taken aback for a moment and glanced at Peggy, who only smiled. "I told him." She confirmed. "I couldn't not."
The blond nodded and crossed his arms behind his head with a small smirk. "Well, after that you can only name him after me."
"We're not naming our son Jack!" Daniel replied immediately.
"Why not? It's a perfectly acceptable name." Jack said, cocky.
"What if it's a girl?" Peggy interjected.
"Jaqueline is a perfectly timeless name.”
Peggy sighed with a small smirk as Daniel shook his head, looking desperate. "We won't name our child Jack or Jaqueline." Peggy decided.
"Oh come on!" Jack exclaimed.
8 months later, Elisabeth Margaret Carter was born, and although Jack pouted falsely when he learned her name, and therefore that his proposals had not been accepted, he nearly fainted when Peggy told him that he was the little girl's godfather, as well as being her honorary uncle.
And when Jack took Elizabeth in his arms for the first time, not even 10 hours after the little girl's birth, he reiterated the promise he'd made to himself when he thought he was going to die in that hole with Peggy. He would never let anything happen to this little girl, he promised.
@comfy-vember
