Heat Chapter 21
It was the buzzing of the insect that finally awakened him. Some damn alien fly-thingy kept landing on his face, probably trying to tap some nourishment from the dried blood. He brushed the pest off and squinted into the morning sun.
As his eyes adjusted to the emerging light, he saw something he had missed during the night. Sam, still sleeping with her back towards him, had bloodstains on her torn white shirt. She was also a target for the annoying insects. What a fine mess. Now that daylight had finally arrived, she and he would need to take a closer look at each other and check for hidden wounds.
A sudden groan from Karnak reminded him that the man's legs were first priority this morning. They would have to find a way to splint them if possible.
Reluctantly, Jack pulled away from his sleeping partner and cautiously stood up. God, how his body ached. The back of his head itched and he could feel a slight dampness as his fingers probed the injury. They came away red. The laceration must be deep, still oozing.
He shuffled over to Karnak and saw that the man was trying to sit up.
"Hey, let's not be too adventurous. Sam and I are going to find some wreckage to use as splints and get you mended, best we can."
Karnak, usually quite talkative, did not reply. Instead, he stopped his efforts, shut his eyes, and quietly lay back. The man was pale and quite, quite weak. Jack found a water bottle and the pain pills and administered what seemed to be the final dose. He wanted to take the edge off before they applied the splints.
Sam had not yet stirred. He hated to wake her but he was already beginning to feel the rising heat from the morning sun. They had to turn the parachute into a canopy now to provide what little shade they could. Shade, water, splints - the early morning's agenda.
Jack walked around and knelt in front of Sam. She looked so peaceful; he didn't want to wake her but knew he must. They were a team, as she reminded him. He couldn't do all the morning demanded without her help.
"This is your wake-up call. Sam? Come on. Open those pretty blue eyes."
She opened one and fixed him with an irritable stare.
"Go away."
This was the former 2IC who was first to rise when they had been camping out on off-world missions. He had to chuckle.
Sam wrinkled her nose, both eyes shut, and inquired, "What are you laughing about?"
"You. I'm laughing at you. Where's your get-up-and-go? The Carter I knew could leap tall buildings with a single bound and prepare a mean cup of morning java."
He got her attention.
Both eyes flickered open as she noted, "That Carter didn't spend a night in the desert after surviving a plane crash. This Carter doesn't do coffee and is wishing a certain General would just go away."
"Okay, have it your way. While you're lying there, I'll take a look at your shoulder and back and clean them up a bit."
"Jack. That can wait. We have to splint Karnak's legs." She was now pushing herself up, wincing a bit, but done with the morning's games and ready to respond.
She looked as bad as she probably felt, bloodied and pale. But she was now on her feet, left arm drawn across her stomach, taking the water Jack offered her in her right hand. Her hand shook a bit but she seemed steady on her feet.
"Didn't mean to be so stubborn. It's just that I was having the oddest dream. I was submerged in water; it felt so cool, so peaceful …"
She could see the surprise on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I was having the same dream."
Bewildered, she stared at him.
"That's very weird. You interrupted my dream. How did yours end?"
Jack was caught off guard and a chill crept through him. He was not about to share his version. So he lied.
"Don't know. I woke up."
"Well, it could be possible, but highly improbable. It takes scientific investigation to convert possibility to probability approaching certainty. I think there are about a half-dozen scientific demonstrations of dream telepathy …"
Jack put his hand up to signal an end to the conversation. The whole idea was too unsettling and they had work to do. Besides, there was no large body of water in the near vicinity and, strangely, that calmed him.
"I gave Karnak the rest of the painkillers. Let's find some wreckage to use as splints and hang this parachute for shade."
They now took a better look at their surroundings. Beyond the immediate crash site, there seemed to be nothing but sand, sand dunes, and a few rock outcroppings - a barren, rugged terrain. It looked as unfriendly as it did from the plane.
Sam could already feel the heat on her face and knew they had to work quickly.
"Good. Let me help you spread out the chute. Can you attach it to what's left of the overhang and strut rods on the plane?"
She saw that Jack was once again rummaging through the survival kit. He turned and held up the swiss-army knife and a roll of duct tape.
"I can McGyver anything with this!"
He then hoisted himself up and secured the chute to parts of the damaged plane.
"Thank God for duct tape."
"Personally, I'd rather have my laptop", replied Sam.
They both took the remaining ends of the chute and extended the canopy as far as they could, providing a wide area of tent-like shelter beneath. They anchored the outer edges of the canopy with several of the rocks found nearby. It was a temporary solution but served its purpose: Karnak and their gear were now out of the sun.
They then walked into the desert, looking for anything that could provide stability for Karnak's broken legs. Jack saw something protruding from the sand and realized it was another strut rod. The sun's rays burned into their backs, sweat starting to take its toll. They knew they had to ration what little water they had left and couldn't afford to dehydrate.
"Let's head back. We can't be out here much longer." Jack could see how flushed Sam's face had become.
"We'll improvise. You're right." She turned and held one end of the heavy rod while Jack carried the other. "Beggars can't be choosers."
The pain was making itself known with every step she took. Carrying the added weight, even though she was favoring her right arm and side, still sapped the little energy Sam had left. By the time they got back to Karnak, she was breathing heavily and feeling lightheaded.
The shade was so welcomed. Once they dropped the rod, she sank to her knees and put her head down to ride out the weakness. Jack's hand was soon on her back, rubbing soothingly.
"Once you're ready, let's examine his legs and then I'll set the splint between them and wrap gauze around to tether his legs together. It's cockeyed but at least we'll be able to keep his legs secure."
Just having Jack near and so attentive provided the impetus to regain strength enough to minister to their critically injured comrade.
"I'm good to go", she assured him.
"Then let's get the dirty part over with before this guy wakes up."
Karnak's breathing was shallow, pulse very faint and thready. He was now unconscious more than asleep. It was a blessing in disguise as they tried to set his legs without anesthetic. Sam stayed at his head and shoulders while Jack pulled on the badly damaged limbs, attempting to straighten and align the bones temporarily. After several firm attempts and deep moans from Karnak, Sam told Jack to stop.
"Primum non nocere", she found herself whispering.
"What?" Jack looked up.
"It's Latin, medicine … 'First, do no harm'."
Sam knew that they could only do so much and she didn't want to further aggravate Karnak's injuries. His legs now rested at a more natural angle and, given the extent of the bone damage, this would suffice. She would continue to monitor the dressings and blood flow. He was in urgent need of medical intervention. What she really wanted was a plane to swoop in and carry him to surgery.
Sam undid the old bandages and tried to swab the penetrated skin with alcohol wipes found in the stowaway kit. She was glad to see that the open wounds on his legs were not bleeding profusely but knew that the chance of infection was high. The survival kit did not carry any oral antibiotics, just topical creams for the open wounds. She gently applied the ointments to the injured sites and then applied fresh gauze pads atop them.
Karnak still did not stir. Sam looked at Jack who was kneeling across from her. She could see the worry in his face too.
"We have to get him out of here, sooner rather than later."
Jack nodded and then reached out and caressed the side of her face. Once again, they communicated with their eyes, conveying the love that burned between them so many years ago when she was trapped behind the shield on Apophis' ship.
"He won't die. We won't let him die. We'll all get through this, Sam."
She was tired and tears slipped down her cheeks. She shook her head and simply affirmed Jack's hope.
"I so want to believe that."
Jack took over the next part of the treatment, carefully placing the rod between the unconscious man's legs and then wrapping the roll of gauze around both legs. Sam guided him while holding the legs and the rod steady.
"Careful. Don't wrap too tightly, allow for the swelling."
Finally, she helped to tie off the gauze, strategically placing the pressure points near the open wounds. They then lifted his legs and placed them back onto the propped up flight bag. Jack returned to the desert and brought back several more rocks to place under the airplane wing Karnak was lying on, creating even more of a downward angle for his head and upper body.
Sam was spent after helping Jack raise the wing to adjust its angle. She checked Karnak's vital signs one more time and then lay on her back looking up at the sun-drenched canopy. Jack crawled next to her, offering water once again. Both took several sips from the same bottle and then stowed the remainder. This was their lifeline to survival. Conservation was needed.
As they lay quietly, gathering their wits for the new tasks ahead, Jack reached for her hand. He held it up and realized that she had cut it while in the plane. He tenderly unwrapped the small bandage and examined the gash. It had stopped bleeding but did need some antibiotic ointment and re-bandaging. None of them would be out-of-the-woods regarding infection until this gig was over.
He sat up, reached for the medic kit and swabbed her hand with an alcohol wipe while she lay and watched him. He then applied the cream and found a small gauze pad which he taped to her palm.
He felt her eyes on him. "What?"
"You have a very nice bedside manner. Who would have thought …"
"That I can be gentle? Quietly attentive? Not rambling at the mouth or, worse yet, putting my foot in it? Sam, there are things about me that you don't know, that I want you to know very much."
She gave him a weary smile.
He choked up.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
"I hope I get to experience your bedside manner more often."
"Lady, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait 'til we get out of this shake-and-bake situation. For now, though, you'll have to settle for my checking you out and applying some band-aids. Let me take a look at your back and shoulder …."