Chapter Twenty

"Daniel." The voice was low and close-by. But how could that be? He was alone. Had been alone here for as long as he could remember, he had to hold on against the storm. Yet, he could not hear the storm anymore, there was a quiet now, the quiet and the warm coaxing voice. Then there was warmth spreading across his frozen shoulders, an arm held him and suddenly he knew that voice! Daniel opened his eyes, he'd forgotten they were closed, and saw Sam stood next to him on the ledge. Though his glasses were smudged with the rain and muck he could still make out her blonde head and the voice became familiar to him.

"Daniel, you can let go now." Sam said softly relieved that her friend was now responding.

Daniel blinked hard feeling and awareness returning slowly to his extremities.

"Teal'c is going to lower you down to the Colonel, Okay?"

Daniel nodded he didn't yet have the wherewithal to speak, but he did understand what she was saying.

"All you have to do is let go." She said.

This took a moment, to process; let go? Wasn't that exactly what he'd been trying desperately not to do for as long as he could remember? The single thought that was ping-pong-ing around his head repeating like a mantra- 'don't let go, don't let go, don't let go'.

But this was Sam, Sam whom he loved and trusted, Sam was telling him to let go. He felt her warm arm around him softly stroking his frozen shoulders. Daniel pried one hand from the cliff face and slowly freed the other. Sam held him steady against the wall and then yelled to Teal'c somewhere above them.

"Teal'c! Take the slack." Daniel felt the rope on his harness tighten. "Okay, Daniel just step down off the ledge and Teal'c will lower you down." Sam took her hand off his back and he instantly missed the warmth of it, but those thoughts were over-ridden by the realization that without either Sam's or his won holding him he was falling backwards! But after a few degrees the rope caught and he did as Sam said and stepped off the ledge he felt himself lowering slowly.

Daniel's legs gave way as they touched solid ground he crumpled into a heap as Jack disconnected the lines around him and unclipped the pack from his back. The weight gone Daniel sighed in relief and rolled on to his back. Jack hastily dragged his friend into the small alcove in the side of the mountain.

Daniel began to shake and shiver violently, the ice of his body had begun to melt and every part of him was screaming out at the cold and stiffness that he could now feel in its entirety. He curled into a ball in a vain attempt to get warm. Sam and Teal'c dropped on to the edge and ducked inside the cave as Jack was trying to check Daniel's vitals.

"Teal'c will you hold him still for me?" asked Jack. "I need to check him over."

Teal'c nodded and proceeded to roll over the struggling man and hold him on his back. Sam knelt down next to him rubbing Daniel's hands and chest for warmth and comfort.

"Damn," said Jack, "he's so cold."

"He's hypothermic and he's going into shock."

"Ya think?" snapped Jack and instantly regretted it. "Let's just get him out of these wet clothes and wrapped in a couple of thermal blankets."

Sam nodded and began to unsnap Daniel's vest. "Teal'c, keep him steady." She said.

The Jaffa, nodded and moved Daniel's rigid limbs to help them undress him. Jack went for the boots and yanked each one off with great difficulty.

Jack glanced back at his teammate as the sun went down, Daniel was wrapped up head to toe in Mylar blankets and each of his teammates jackets draped over the top.

"I still can't believe he held on all night." He said as he drained his cup and reached for the pot on steno stove they'd set between them at the mouth of the cave.

"Daniel Jackson has great strength in mind and body." said Teal'c, "Though I too was pleasantly surprised he survived such a test of that strength."

Jack looked up at Sam who was staring intently into the light from the stove.

"Sam?" she looked up a little startled.

"What?"

Jack gestured to Daniel.

"Oh, well I think that if there was any way for anyone to stay in that position all night it was Daniel."

"What makes you say that?"

"Teal'c and I had a good ledge, but there was no room to re-maneuver the ropes. I was tethered to Daniel and to Teal'c, if Daniel fell I'd have been yanked off and Teal'c would have had to have held us both in mid-air. Now I do not doubt your skills Teal'c, but that was a hell of a storm and in all probability, if Daniel had fallen, we would all have gone over."

"So Daniel didn't hold on to save his own life, he did it to save our lives?" Jack considered this for a second and realized that it was true. Had Daniel been alone he might have given in, but because someone else's life was on the line he stuck it out under the worst possible conditions.

"He saved us, sir." said Sam

Okay, so he didn't fall...yet. :-D

Cynic