A/N Thanks Guest for your review! Sorry about the short chapter here, I really struggled with where to break it. Hope you all enjoy!
After what seemed an eternity of tumbling and crashing the jumpers descent stopped abruptly. Jessica slowly opened her eyes, she'd squeezed them shut during the fall. She couldn't see anything, it was pitch black. She was dangling from the webbing she'd held onto. If her sense of direction was correct, though with her head still spinning she wasn't sure it was, then her feet were hanging towards the rear hatch.
"Head count." Brown croaked.
Everyone responded one by one except for Lieutenant Edison.
"I need a count of injuries." Jessica ordered just as Brown asked if anyone had a torch.
Wright's voice came from the other side of the jumper, "I think I'm near the torches. And I'm not injured, more or less."
"See if you can reach a torch." Brown ordered before adding, "I'm also relatively fine but I have Edison here."
Jessica nodded even though no one could see. She knew Edison would be her first point of call.
A torch flicked on and Jessica blinked rapidly while her eyes adjusted to the light. Wright hung from the webbing across from her. Looking down she saw Emily and Lucas now sitting on the rear hatch, awake but both looking battered. She glanced up. Brown was wrapped around the bottom of a chair, hanging onto Edison. The Lieutenant had blood dripping from a gash on his head.
"Doc I need you on the floor, or what's now the floor." Brown ordered, "Corporal, you need to take Edison and lower him to the Doc."
Jessica climbed her way down the webbing onto the rear hatch, feeling stiff and bruised. Glancing at the two scientists she was a little concerned they hadn't spoken except for the head count. She'd have to deal with them later though, first they needed everyone down and she needed to check over Edison. As carefully as he could with one hand Wright grabbed the Lieutenant and lowered him to Jessica. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him, trying to bring him down as gently as possible. Even though he wasn't a big guy her muscles still protested the extra work after straining to hold on during the fall.
Managing to get him lying on the floor, she was vaguely aware of Brown and Wright climbing down.
"Which one of you is first aid trained?" She asked. While she worked on Edison she could get them to check over the scientists.
The two airmen exchanged glances, "Edison is."
Jessica shook her head, murmuring "And this is why they wanted two. Fine, just stay out of the way."
She quickly started checking over Edison, pleased to see his breathing and heart rate were relatively steady, if a little elevated. Wright quickly handed her the torch when she asked for it and she checked his pupil respond, glad to see they were equal and reactive. Handing the torch back she cautiously opened Edison's jacket and instructed Brown to get the first aid kit. She needed scissors to cut his top open. While she waited she palpated his abdomen. The last thing they needed now was for his organs to have ruptured. When that was fine she took the scissors Brown offered and cut his top open, grimacing at the sight. The black tshirt had hidden the blood that seeped out of his chest.
The light wobbled slightly as Wright caught sight of the jagged bone thrusting out of the Lieutenant's skin. Swearing Jessica rummaged in the first aid kit for bandages and tape. Not wanting to move him to be able to wrap the bandage around him she settled for taping it on, using rolled gauze to secure the bones.
Once his chest was tended to she moved onto the rest of him, arms were fine. Legs were fine until she reached the bottom of the second leg. Frowning she ran her hand back over it again. The tibia wasn't quite where it was suppose to be. Diving back into her medical bag she pulled out a brace and slipped it on his leg. Happy there were no other obvious injuries she gave him a shot of morphine knowing he'd be in a world of pain when he woke.
Finally done she sat back and looked up at the airmen, "Do either of you know signs of distressed breathing?"
"I do." Brown replied.
"Good. Keep an eye on him, let me know if anything changes."
Brown nodded and Jessica turned to face the scientists. Glancing at both she moved to Lucas first, his pale demeanor concerning her. She started with his head before moving onto his chest, both were fine. The problem became obvious when she checked his arms. One shoulder was dislocated and the other elbow was either broken or torn tendons, she'd need an X-ray to tell.
Giving him some painkillers, she pulled a roll of bandage out and handed it to him, "Dr. Martin, Lucas, you've dislocated your shoulder. I'm going to relocate it. It's gonna hurt like a bitch but it'll feel a bit better afterwards. Put this in your mouth. Don't want you accidentally biting your tongue."
Lucas tried to protest but Jessica insisted it had to happen, especially since they didn't know how long they'd be stuck down here. Eventually he relented and put the bandage in his mouth as Jessica reset his shoulder. A scream escaped while she did it and he breathed heavily once she was done.
"You did good." She said quietly, a comforting hand on his good shoulder.
Gently Jessica put his arm in a sling and braced his bad elbow before moving onto Dr. Garcia. Emily had withdrawn into the corner her legs pulled up and arms wrapped tightly around them.
"Hey Emily," Jessica whispered reassuringly as she began to check her over, "You're okay, we're gonna get out of here okay."
She knew her friend was quietly panicking. The thought of being trapped down here in the dark was terrifying her after being trapped in an underwater cave as a teenager. Emily didn't respond, just obediently let Jessica check her. She'd managed to come out of the fall unscathed but for a small cut on her check from flying dishes and most likely several bruises would show up later.
After Emily Jessica gave the two airmen a once over, she suspected Brown had a broken rib or two as well but otherwise they'd just be sporting some heavy bruising.
"Corporal." Brown said looking over at the younger man, "Climb up and see if you can get anything going."
Wright nodded, handing the torch to Brown and awkwardly climbed his way to the cockpit. Managing to edge his way onto the pilots seat he put his hands on the controls. Hope sparked in everyone as the jumper whirred to life, the lights momentarily blinding them until it just as quickly died again plunging them back into mild darkness. When he tried again, nothing happened.
"Sorry Sergeant. It's not happening."
"Back down here then." Brown sighed, "Right. Our check in for Atlantis is in just over three hours. We just wait here until then."
Jessica felt Emily shiver beside her and realized how far the temperature had dropped now the adrenaline was wearing off and they had no climate controls. Grabbing the first jacket she found off the floor she threw it around Emily's shoulders before putting another over Lieutenant Edison.
"We can't just sit and wait!" Dr. Martin exclaimed, "What if it happens again? If we don't do something we'll freeze to death anyway!"
Brown glared at him, "And what do you propose we do, Dr. Martin? If you haven't noticed yet, you're sitting on the only way out of here, unless somehow you plan on going through the window made to hold back the vacuum of space?"
Lucas gave him a look of indignation, "Well we have to do something."
"And if you have any reasonable ideas then I'm all ears. Until then, dress warm." Brown finished as he threw a jacket at the botanist.
Glaring at the Sergeant, Lucas closed his mouth and shrugged the jacket on. Jessica exchanged a look with Wright as they found jackets as well, it was going to be a long three hours.