Author's note: I've had this one happen to me, so it's not so improbable,
I promise! Cliffs can fall on you : )
~~*~~**
They lay there for a moment, not moving, although Teal'c's strong hands still had hold of the rope that was holding Nate's safety line.
"Jack!" Daniel was the first to rush to their side, covered in dust from the pieces of cliff that had broken into the smallest pieces.
"Tell me again... why I'm camping?" Jack mumbled as he lay still, taking a quick inventory of how he felt.
"Because General Hammond ordered you to," Teal'c said, sitting up and looking up the cliff side.
"Oh... yeah."
"You okay?" Daniel asked as the boys gathered around and Nate dropped down next to them, worry in his eyes.
Jack and Teal'c looked awful. They'd taken the brunt of the falling rocks from about a hundred feet up. But many of them had been slowed by contact with the pins, and even further by breaking up from the main piece of stone. It could have been much, much worse. As it was, the entire group was dusted with debris, and Jack and Teal'c had a few nasty bumps and cuts where the larger rock had landed. Mostly on Teal'c's shoulders, and Jacks chest, since Teal'c had still been wearing his helmet, and Jack had been looking up after pushing Shawn aside.
"Yeah, we're fine." O'Neill looked over at Teal'c. "We're fine, right?"
"I am not injured seriously, O'Neill." Teal'c confirmed. "Are you?" It was hard to tell with all the bruises Jack already had.
"I just had a cliff fall on me," Jack muttered, looking up at Nate for an explanation. The man just shrugged.
"No clue what happened, Jack. Must have been a crack in the cliff. It happens occasionally, although it hasn't happened here before." The climber turned to the boys. "You guys are all okay?"
"Fine."
"Dusty."
"A bit dirty. Jack? Murray? You're okay?"
"Indeed. Do not concern yourself Andrew."
"We'd better get you two to the Nurse, though," Nate said, looking around. "We'll have her check all of you out, just to make sure."
"Damn." Jack muttered it so softly that Teal'c was the only one who heard him, but the Jaffa couldn't agree more.
~~**~~
The Nurse didn't even seemed surprised to see the group walking toward her cabin, which doubled as the camp infirmary. She noticed immediately that they were all incredibly dirty, and noticed that Jack and Teal'c were bleeding. She also noticed the look of pain that creased Jack's face with every step he took. His shirt, which was dirty and dusty, was also bloody in some spots. Teal'c's shirt was bloody as well, and he, too, seemed to be grimacing with each step.
"What happened?" She asked.
"The cliff fell on us!" Answered Simon.
"The whole thing. It just came right down on us."
"On Jack and Murray, mostly."
"Yeah."
"Are they okay?"
"We'd better get them inside and check them," she told the boys.
"Check the kids, first," Jack ordered.
"All of you come inside."
Jack sighed and led his group of kids into the cabin, followed closely by Teal'c and Daniel.
"I'm going to go tell Gary what happened, Jack," Nate told him. "He'll want to have the cliff checked for any more flaws before we let anyone else climb it."
"Of course he will..." Jack said, feeling pretty abused at the moment. He watched as the Nurse told the boys to take their shirts off, and checked them all for any bruises from rocks they might not have noticed. They were all clean.
"You boys need showers," she told them all. "Go get cleaned up while I check Jack and Murray."
They started to protest, but Daniel stepped in before they could get too far.
"Come on, guys. By the time you get cleaned up, she'll be done with Jack and T-Murray."
They went, although very reluctantly, and when everyone was gone, the nurse turned to them. "Shirts off, guys."
"I will not remove my shirt," Teal'c told her calmly. Jack winced, trying to figure out how to get by this one. Obviously Teal'c couldn't take his shirt off. Not with his pouch. Damn. Damn. Damn.
"If you're shy, Murray, I assure you I – "
"I do not suffer from shyness," Teal'c informed her. "I- "
"Murray," Jack stopped him. "Let me talk to her for a sec." Jack looked at the nurse, who looked confused, and he walked to the far end of the room, pulling her along behind him.
"Murray has... a scar... that he's very... um... sensitive about."
"I can't make sure he's okay until I check him out, Jack, and I can't do that without his shirt off."
"Maybe we can cover the scar?"
"Sure."
"Be right back." Jack went back to Teal'c and looked around, scowling for a second, as he had a habit of doing when he was thinking. A towel proved him with the answer he was looking for.
"Take your shirt off and wrap this around your waist, Teal'c," He told his friend, handing him the towel. "I told her you have a scar you're sensitive about, so she won't think anything of it."
Teal'c nodded and pulled his shirt off, and Jack winced. The Jaffa's broad shoulders had a few cuts and deep purple bruises that showed clearly, even against his dark skin.
"Ouch."
"I will heal quickly, O'Neill. Do not concern yourself." Teal'c wrapped the towel around his waist, hiding the x on his stomach, and Jack called the nurse over.
She walked over, smiling reassuringly at Teal'c, who watched as she examined his shoulders and chest. Obviously impressed with his musculature, she wasn't so concerned about the bruises and cuts as she might have been if he'd been scrawny. He had enough mass to be protected from serious injury. She slathered his cuts with antiseptic and bandaged him, then turned to O'Neill.
"Your turn."
Jack had stiffened up a little as he'd been watching her treat Teal'c and found he had a bit of trouble raising his arms to get his shirt off. The reason was obvious when the nurse helped him pull it over his head.
"Ouch."
He looked down, and had to agree it looked bad. Of course, it felt bad, too, this time. His chest had a few deep bruises, mostly up by his collarbone, although there was a nasty one on his shoulder as well. Most of the cuts were minor, just caused by sharp edges of rocks getting through the thin fabric of his shirt, but there were a couple that she looked at long and hard before deciding that he probably didn't need stitches. The nurse also noticed that O'Neill had his own fair share of scars, as well, and wondered what he did to get most of them. A few looked like they'd been fairly nasty, including a deep penetration scar at his scapula that she saw had an exit scar on his back, and another nasty looking one on his right arm, up by the meaty part of his shoulder.
"What do you do for a living, Jack?" She asked him, too curious to contain the question.
"I'm in the Air Force."
"Ah." Well, that probably explained it, then, she thought. Training accidents or something. "Well... you're going to want to ice that shoulder, and the bruises on your chest, for at least twenty minutes. Hopefully, there won't be much swelling, and we'll try to keep you from stiffening up, as much as we can, anyways. How's your head? Anything hit you there?"
She couldn't tell through the other bruises, and really could understand where he'd gotten all the scars if the man was so accident-prone at his regular job. Of course, having a cliff fall on you wasn't something that could be categorized as his fault.
"Head's fine. Thanks."
She wasn't completely convinced, but she didn't say anything else as she treated the cuts and bandaged them. Jack was just as glad that she didn't, certain that the first words that would have come from her mouth were 'I told you so'. He just took the pain pill she gave him, drank the glass of water and he and Teal'c made their escape as quickly as they could. All he wanted was a shower.
"Oh, and no shower," she called as they walked out the door. "I don't want you getting the bandages wet. You either, Murray."
Damn.
~~*~~**
They lay there for a moment, not moving, although Teal'c's strong hands still had hold of the rope that was holding Nate's safety line.
"Jack!" Daniel was the first to rush to their side, covered in dust from the pieces of cliff that had broken into the smallest pieces.
"Tell me again... why I'm camping?" Jack mumbled as he lay still, taking a quick inventory of how he felt.
"Because General Hammond ordered you to," Teal'c said, sitting up and looking up the cliff side.
"Oh... yeah."
"You okay?" Daniel asked as the boys gathered around and Nate dropped down next to them, worry in his eyes.
Jack and Teal'c looked awful. They'd taken the brunt of the falling rocks from about a hundred feet up. But many of them had been slowed by contact with the pins, and even further by breaking up from the main piece of stone. It could have been much, much worse. As it was, the entire group was dusted with debris, and Jack and Teal'c had a few nasty bumps and cuts where the larger rock had landed. Mostly on Teal'c's shoulders, and Jacks chest, since Teal'c had still been wearing his helmet, and Jack had been looking up after pushing Shawn aside.
"Yeah, we're fine." O'Neill looked over at Teal'c. "We're fine, right?"
"I am not injured seriously, O'Neill." Teal'c confirmed. "Are you?" It was hard to tell with all the bruises Jack already had.
"I just had a cliff fall on me," Jack muttered, looking up at Nate for an explanation. The man just shrugged.
"No clue what happened, Jack. Must have been a crack in the cliff. It happens occasionally, although it hasn't happened here before." The climber turned to the boys. "You guys are all okay?"
"Fine."
"Dusty."
"A bit dirty. Jack? Murray? You're okay?"
"Indeed. Do not concern yourself Andrew."
"We'd better get you two to the Nurse, though," Nate said, looking around. "We'll have her check all of you out, just to make sure."
"Damn." Jack muttered it so softly that Teal'c was the only one who heard him, but the Jaffa couldn't agree more.
~~**~~
The Nurse didn't even seemed surprised to see the group walking toward her cabin, which doubled as the camp infirmary. She noticed immediately that they were all incredibly dirty, and noticed that Jack and Teal'c were bleeding. She also noticed the look of pain that creased Jack's face with every step he took. His shirt, which was dirty and dusty, was also bloody in some spots. Teal'c's shirt was bloody as well, and he, too, seemed to be grimacing with each step.
"What happened?" She asked.
"The cliff fell on us!" Answered Simon.
"The whole thing. It just came right down on us."
"On Jack and Murray, mostly."
"Yeah."
"Are they okay?"
"We'd better get them inside and check them," she told the boys.
"Check the kids, first," Jack ordered.
"All of you come inside."
Jack sighed and led his group of kids into the cabin, followed closely by Teal'c and Daniel.
"I'm going to go tell Gary what happened, Jack," Nate told him. "He'll want to have the cliff checked for any more flaws before we let anyone else climb it."
"Of course he will..." Jack said, feeling pretty abused at the moment. He watched as the Nurse told the boys to take their shirts off, and checked them all for any bruises from rocks they might not have noticed. They were all clean.
"You boys need showers," she told them all. "Go get cleaned up while I check Jack and Murray."
They started to protest, but Daniel stepped in before they could get too far.
"Come on, guys. By the time you get cleaned up, she'll be done with Jack and T-Murray."
They went, although very reluctantly, and when everyone was gone, the nurse turned to them. "Shirts off, guys."
"I will not remove my shirt," Teal'c told her calmly. Jack winced, trying to figure out how to get by this one. Obviously Teal'c couldn't take his shirt off. Not with his pouch. Damn. Damn. Damn.
"If you're shy, Murray, I assure you I – "
"I do not suffer from shyness," Teal'c informed her. "I- "
"Murray," Jack stopped him. "Let me talk to her for a sec." Jack looked at the nurse, who looked confused, and he walked to the far end of the room, pulling her along behind him.
"Murray has... a scar... that he's very... um... sensitive about."
"I can't make sure he's okay until I check him out, Jack, and I can't do that without his shirt off."
"Maybe we can cover the scar?"
"Sure."
"Be right back." Jack went back to Teal'c and looked around, scowling for a second, as he had a habit of doing when he was thinking. A towel proved him with the answer he was looking for.
"Take your shirt off and wrap this around your waist, Teal'c," He told his friend, handing him the towel. "I told her you have a scar you're sensitive about, so she won't think anything of it."
Teal'c nodded and pulled his shirt off, and Jack winced. The Jaffa's broad shoulders had a few cuts and deep purple bruises that showed clearly, even against his dark skin.
"Ouch."
"I will heal quickly, O'Neill. Do not concern yourself." Teal'c wrapped the towel around his waist, hiding the x on his stomach, and Jack called the nurse over.
She walked over, smiling reassuringly at Teal'c, who watched as she examined his shoulders and chest. Obviously impressed with his musculature, she wasn't so concerned about the bruises and cuts as she might have been if he'd been scrawny. He had enough mass to be protected from serious injury. She slathered his cuts with antiseptic and bandaged him, then turned to O'Neill.
"Your turn."
Jack had stiffened up a little as he'd been watching her treat Teal'c and found he had a bit of trouble raising his arms to get his shirt off. The reason was obvious when the nurse helped him pull it over his head.
"Ouch."
He looked down, and had to agree it looked bad. Of course, it felt bad, too, this time. His chest had a few deep bruises, mostly up by his collarbone, although there was a nasty one on his shoulder as well. Most of the cuts were minor, just caused by sharp edges of rocks getting through the thin fabric of his shirt, but there were a couple that she looked at long and hard before deciding that he probably didn't need stitches. The nurse also noticed that O'Neill had his own fair share of scars, as well, and wondered what he did to get most of them. A few looked like they'd been fairly nasty, including a deep penetration scar at his scapula that she saw had an exit scar on his back, and another nasty looking one on his right arm, up by the meaty part of his shoulder.
"What do you do for a living, Jack?" She asked him, too curious to contain the question.
"I'm in the Air Force."
"Ah." Well, that probably explained it, then, she thought. Training accidents or something. "Well... you're going to want to ice that shoulder, and the bruises on your chest, for at least twenty minutes. Hopefully, there won't be much swelling, and we'll try to keep you from stiffening up, as much as we can, anyways. How's your head? Anything hit you there?"
She couldn't tell through the other bruises, and really could understand where he'd gotten all the scars if the man was so accident-prone at his regular job. Of course, having a cliff fall on you wasn't something that could be categorized as his fault.
"Head's fine. Thanks."
She wasn't completely convinced, but she didn't say anything else as she treated the cuts and bandaged them. Jack was just as glad that she didn't, certain that the first words that would have come from her mouth were 'I told you so'. He just took the pain pill she gave him, drank the glass of water and he and Teal'c made their escape as quickly as they could. All he wanted was a shower.
"Oh, and no shower," she called as they walked out the door. "I don't want you getting the bandages wet. You either, Murray."
Damn.