Something was pressing against Jack's head and chest, and it hurt to
breathe. He tried to move, and realized that he couldn't. Either from pain,
or from whatever was holding him down being too heavy, he didn't know. He
opened his eyes, but all he saw was white. All around him, white. He lay
still, trying to figure out what had just happened, but all he could
remember was something coming at him. Something heavy? Something big, that
was for sure.
He felt something move next to him, and that hurt, too. Jack groaned and tried to move away from the pain. And only managed to hurt himself further. He grunted again, turning his head painfully, trying to see what was pressing down on him that was causing so much pain. It was dark against the white of everything else, and his mind formed the word before he fully realized what it was.
"Inner tube..."
"Hold still, O'Neill."
The voice was deep, and familiar, and Jack stayed still as it told him to. He couldn't have moved anyways. Not just then. Again something moved beside him, but this time Jack didn't try to escape the pain. He was vaguely aware that he was clutching something in one arm. Something soft and yielding but it wasn't moving. His mind screamed at him that this was bad, but Jack couldn't figure out why.
He heard a hissing sound, and the pressure against his head and chest eased, but the pain didn't. Suddenly he could move a little, and breathing wasn't quite so hard. The person who'd spoken before spoke again, and Jack realized it was Teal'c.
"We are buried, O'Neill," Teal'c told him. "The inner tube appears to have kept us from being crushed, and I've let the air out of it to give us more room, but we must get to the surface of the snow before we suffocate."
"Yeah." Jack looked up. It had to be up, because the rubber that had been the inner tube was lying on his chest, and raised his free hand to touch the snow above him. "How deep?"
"I am uncertain." Teal'c moved again, and Jack heard the unmistakable grunt of pain coming from his friend.
'You okay?"
"I am injured as well." It didn't matter, though, and Jack knew it. His mind told him to get off his back and start digging out, otherwise all the injuries in the world weren't going to matter in a little bit. Especially with three of them breathing what little air they had.
Three of them.
"Andrew!"
"He is unconscious, I believe," Teal'c said, leaning over Jack to look at the boy O'Neill was clutching so firmly in one arm.
"We've got to get out of here." Jack tried to struggle to his knees in what little space there was, and watched detachedly as blood slowly dribbled to the white surface of the snow beneath him. He almost blacked out as pain washed over him at the motion, but he stubbornly fought it, although his hand caught Teal'c for support. And he heard another grunt of pain.
'Sorry."
The two of them were on their knees, now, in a tiny space made even tinier by the vanishing air. They were lucky to have that much, though. Lucky that the inner tube had stayed with them, and landed on top of them. Jack reached up and pushed against the hard snow above them, but it didn't move. His knee hurt so bad that he felt like it was going to fall off, but he tried to ignore it. He had to ignore it, for now.
"We'll have to dig."
They didn't waste any more time. They didn't have any time to waste. They started pulling the snow down by the handful, both of them hoping they didn't bring their little cave down on all three of them. They packed it as well as they could, trying to save a much room as possible, and the snow went from white to even lighter and lighter the more they dug. Which Jack devoutly hoped meant they were close to the surface.
Teal'c's hand broke through only a moment later, and Jack felt a rush of fresh, cold air. Immediately, he turned his attention to Andrew, leaving Teal'c to open the hole a little more, and try and see where they were.
"Oh, God..."
The boy was unconscious, as Teal'c had surmised, and Jack was glad that he was. A thorough, but gentle check, told Jack that both of Andrew's legs had been broken, and Jack thought that he probably dislocated his shoulder. O'Neill ran his hands gently along the boy's skull, feeling for bumps that could mean a concussion – or worse – but he didn't feel anything.
"See anything, Teal'c?" Jack asked.
The Jaffa was standing up in their little snow cave, although he was favoring one leg. His head was the only part of him that wasn't in the hole, and Teal'c was looking around him, trying to see the lodge or anything else that looked familiar. Seeing nothing, he knelt back down and shook his head, turning his attention to Andrew as well, and running a gentle hand along the pale cheek.
"We must have been carried down the mountain quite a ways, O'Neill. I do not recognize anything."
"We've got to take care of Andrew's legs before he wakes up." Jack said. He winced and closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness, trying to think past the pain.
"They are badly broken," Teal'c said, sliding his hands along the boy's legs.
'I know. We're not going to set them, just immobilize them."
"How do you propose we do that?" Teal'c asked, sitting down next to O'Neill, who had stretched his legs out in front of himself to try and ease the aching. The Jaffa had a nasty cut on his cheek – most likely caused by impact with some debris or a rock - and it was bleeding freely.
"I'm thinking."
"Perhaps the inner tube?"
Jack shook his head and then wished he hadn't. "If we had a knife to cut it into strips, maybe. As it is, it's too bulky to be..." He trailed off, looking at his own leg. "We'll use the elastic bandages on my knee. Can you help me get these pants off?"
He felt something move next to him, and that hurt, too. Jack groaned and tried to move away from the pain. And only managed to hurt himself further. He grunted again, turning his head painfully, trying to see what was pressing down on him that was causing so much pain. It was dark against the white of everything else, and his mind formed the word before he fully realized what it was.
"Inner tube..."
"Hold still, O'Neill."
The voice was deep, and familiar, and Jack stayed still as it told him to. He couldn't have moved anyways. Not just then. Again something moved beside him, but this time Jack didn't try to escape the pain. He was vaguely aware that he was clutching something in one arm. Something soft and yielding but it wasn't moving. His mind screamed at him that this was bad, but Jack couldn't figure out why.
He heard a hissing sound, and the pressure against his head and chest eased, but the pain didn't. Suddenly he could move a little, and breathing wasn't quite so hard. The person who'd spoken before spoke again, and Jack realized it was Teal'c.
"We are buried, O'Neill," Teal'c told him. "The inner tube appears to have kept us from being crushed, and I've let the air out of it to give us more room, but we must get to the surface of the snow before we suffocate."
"Yeah." Jack looked up. It had to be up, because the rubber that had been the inner tube was lying on his chest, and raised his free hand to touch the snow above him. "How deep?"
"I am uncertain." Teal'c moved again, and Jack heard the unmistakable grunt of pain coming from his friend.
'You okay?"
"I am injured as well." It didn't matter, though, and Jack knew it. His mind told him to get off his back and start digging out, otherwise all the injuries in the world weren't going to matter in a little bit. Especially with three of them breathing what little air they had.
Three of them.
"Andrew!"
"He is unconscious, I believe," Teal'c said, leaning over Jack to look at the boy O'Neill was clutching so firmly in one arm.
"We've got to get out of here." Jack tried to struggle to his knees in what little space there was, and watched detachedly as blood slowly dribbled to the white surface of the snow beneath him. He almost blacked out as pain washed over him at the motion, but he stubbornly fought it, although his hand caught Teal'c for support. And he heard another grunt of pain.
'Sorry."
The two of them were on their knees, now, in a tiny space made even tinier by the vanishing air. They were lucky to have that much, though. Lucky that the inner tube had stayed with them, and landed on top of them. Jack reached up and pushed against the hard snow above them, but it didn't move. His knee hurt so bad that he felt like it was going to fall off, but he tried to ignore it. He had to ignore it, for now.
"We'll have to dig."
They didn't waste any more time. They didn't have any time to waste. They started pulling the snow down by the handful, both of them hoping they didn't bring their little cave down on all three of them. They packed it as well as they could, trying to save a much room as possible, and the snow went from white to even lighter and lighter the more they dug. Which Jack devoutly hoped meant they were close to the surface.
Teal'c's hand broke through only a moment later, and Jack felt a rush of fresh, cold air. Immediately, he turned his attention to Andrew, leaving Teal'c to open the hole a little more, and try and see where they were.
"Oh, God..."
The boy was unconscious, as Teal'c had surmised, and Jack was glad that he was. A thorough, but gentle check, told Jack that both of Andrew's legs had been broken, and Jack thought that he probably dislocated his shoulder. O'Neill ran his hands gently along the boy's skull, feeling for bumps that could mean a concussion – or worse – but he didn't feel anything.
"See anything, Teal'c?" Jack asked.
The Jaffa was standing up in their little snow cave, although he was favoring one leg. His head was the only part of him that wasn't in the hole, and Teal'c was looking around him, trying to see the lodge or anything else that looked familiar. Seeing nothing, he knelt back down and shook his head, turning his attention to Andrew as well, and running a gentle hand along the pale cheek.
"We must have been carried down the mountain quite a ways, O'Neill. I do not recognize anything."
"We've got to take care of Andrew's legs before he wakes up." Jack said. He winced and closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness, trying to think past the pain.
"They are badly broken," Teal'c said, sliding his hands along the boy's legs.
'I know. We're not going to set them, just immobilize them."
"How do you propose we do that?" Teal'c asked, sitting down next to O'Neill, who had stretched his legs out in front of himself to try and ease the aching. The Jaffa had a nasty cut on his cheek – most likely caused by impact with some debris or a rock - and it was bleeding freely.
"I'm thinking."
"Perhaps the inner tube?"
Jack shook his head and then wished he hadn't. "If we had a knife to cut it into strips, maybe. As it is, it's too bulky to be..." He trailed off, looking at his own leg. "We'll use the elastic bandages on my knee. Can you help me get these pants off?"
