I knew it would be worth it to look into Sam's mind in that story! #2 makes me hurt for Sam. #3 rings so true. And the juxtaposition of 1, 2, and 3 with the emotional flow from each in a finite space of time is very natural. She goes from Defiance to Grief to Relief. An SG-1 abbreviated version of the 7 stages of grief (http://www.proactivechange.com/psychotherapy/grief/stages.htm) perhaps?