Teal'c did most of the work when it came to unwrapping O'Neill's leg and
transferring the bandages to Andrew's. Jack was fighting hard to remain
conscious when the one thing he wanted to do most was simply drift off and
forget about how badly he hurt. He had other responsibilities, though, and
that part of him that held responsibility over all else was driving him to
stay awake and make sure Andrew was taken care of first. So Jack fought,
and so far was winning.
Teal'c wrapped Andrew's legs tightly with the bandages. Luckily there were a lot of them, since Shelby had been adamant that Jack's leg be immobilized fairly well. Since both legs were broken, and they didn't have anything to use for a solid bracing, Jack told him to wrap both together, and hopefully they could brace each other. It was all they had. Just for good measure, when Teal'c had the boy's legs wrapped up, Jack had him put his snow pants on Andrew, sliding both legs into one of the legs of Jack's pants. Andrew was small, and the pants were made of a stretchy material, so it worked. It was tight, but as far as the two men were concerned, tighter was better. When Andrew woke up, they didn't want him thrashing and hurting himself.
"It is getting dark, O'Neill," Teal'c said once they'd finished, and Jack had collapsed next to the unconscious boy, panting because he couldn't take any deep breaths without hurting himself.
"Yeah." Jack looked up at the hole Teal'c had made in the snow. He'd pretty much come to the conclusion that they were going to have to stay where they were. The little cave wasn't all that warm, but it was better than being out in the wind, and the snow would insulate them, and protect them. Of course, that was assuming there wasn't another slide. If that happened, they'd most likely get buried again, probably deeper, and this time there'd be no inner tube to save their asses.
While he and Teal'c had taken care of Andrew, they'd discussed that, and had weighed the risks. But it was simple. Out in the open, exposed to the cold, Andrew and Jack would most likely not make it through the night. Teal'c was already feeling his pains beginning to fade as his symbiot started healing his injuries. In the cave, they ran the risk of being buried, but it wasn't as big a risk. They'd stay put, at least until morning. Barring anyone coming to rescue them, of course.
~*~
The area was flooded with people and vehicles. Less than an hour after Carter had called Hammond, the Military Command Post tent was set up right next to the Search and Rescue command tent, and they'd placed themselves under the command of the leader of the Search teams. The man knew the area far better than the Military teams did, so it was pretty much a no-brainer that they'd just be the support role in this situation. Hammond himself showed up less than half an hour after that, accompanied by a team of medics led by Janet Fraiser.
Hammond walked into the Military Command Post tent, and saw Carter sitting there, talking to the leader of the civilian S&R teams. She'd been given a heavy jacket, since hers wasn't as warm, and was drinking a cup of steaming coffee.
"Any word, Major?" Hammond asked as he waved Carter back into her seat.
"The Search and Rescue teams haven't found anyone yet, but they're almost to the lodge, Sir. They've had to go on foot most of the way, because they don't want to risk bringing down any more of the mountain. When they get to the lodge, we'll know a little more."
"Have you tried calling O'Neill or Dr. Jackson on their cell phones?"
"Repeatedly, but they're not answering." She gave him a helpless shrug. "But I was trying before the avalanche, too, so they might just have them turned off."
Carter gestured to the man she'd been speaking with. "Sir, this is Jeff Kindell. He's the head of the Search and Rescue. Jeff, this is General Hammond, my CO."
"It's a pleasure, Sir."
"Likewise, Mr. Kindell."
"Chad, please."
"Do you have enough lights? Enough help? Anything else I can get you?"
"We have as many as it's safe to have right now, General." Kindell assured him, gratefully. "Your men don't know the area, and we've teamed them up with folks that do. That way we're not going to end up sending out search teams to find the search teams later on when it gets full dark. It's really easy to get turned around up here at night."
"So what do we do now?"
"We wait until the forward teams reach the lodge. Then we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."
~*~
The adults were still out on the deep snow pack when the first of the Search and Rescue teams arrived. They heard the dogs first, and turned to see a small pack of German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers come out of the woods on the other side of the ski slope. Attached to the long leads of these dogs were a group of men and women dressed in bright orange jackets and hats, and dragging toboggans behind them.
They saw the adults, and waved, and made their way over to them, practically dragged by the dogs, who were just as eager to search here as they were to search in the trees.
"God, are we glad to see you!" Darrin called when they drew close enough to hear.
"We're just as happy to see you," a woman replied, taking off her hat so she could remove her goggles. The sun was going down fast, now, and they didn't need the protection from the glare anymore. "Let's go inside for a moment and you can tell us exactly what happened, and who we're looking for."
"We can't go inside!" Miyra said, still frantically using the long pole she was carrying on the snow in hopes of finding Andrew. "We have to find my baby!"
David was no less frantic to find Andrew than she was, but he wrapped his arms around his wife, and pulled her to the side, despite her struggles.
"They have to know what's happened, or they're not going to be able to help. You know that. Besides, they have more dogs. We'll get them something of Andrew's and hope they have more luck than Shadow did."
He was talking fast, and trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her, but it worked, and she eventually nodded and reluctantly went inside with the rest of them.
The Search and Rescue team walked in with their dogs, and everyone who was inside looked up, hopefully.
"Did you find them?" Shawn asked.
"Where are they?"
"These are people from the Search and Rescue teams, guys," Scott told the boys, who had gathered around. "They just got here, but now that they're here we expect we'll have a lot better luck finding Andrew, Jack and Murray."
There was a low growl from near the fireplace as Shadow caught scent of the other dogs and warned the strangers to stay away. Curiously, the leader of the group looked over the tangle of boys and adults and saw the black lab with the mass of little tan bodies arranged around her on the comforter.
"Take the dogs into another room, guys, before we have trouble," she told the dog handlers. They all looked over as well, and nodded agreement. Nothing more dangerous than a mother protecting her babies.
"We have to find them!" Miyra said, stepping forward as the dogs were taken to warm up in front of the fireplace in the other living area.
"We will, Ma'am. Can you tell us exactly what happened?"
The searchers listened intently as Shelby told them what had happened, and gave them descriptions of Jack, Andrew and Teal'c.
"What about him?" The search leader asked, pointing at Daniel, who was still seated on the couch.
"What about me?"
"Were you hurt in the avalanche?"
"No. I was hurt skiing."
"He hit a tree!"
"Face first!"
"His leg was really swollen."
The search leader looked at all the boys arranged around her, each clamoring to be heard over the others.
"Maybe we should evacuate these boys? Their parents are probably worried."
Actually, their parents didn't have a clue what was going on, but the boys were a distraction she didn't need just then, and she could justify it by saying that there was always a danger that another avalanche could hit the lodge. Better to get them to safety. Obviously, Shelby had come to the same conclusion.
"That's a good idea. Do you have a way of getting them to safety?"
"We have sleds. A couple of my people can take them back before it gets too dark out. We have more people on the way here, so we won't miss the manpower. And they'll be safer."
"Kids, go get bundled up," Shelby told them. She was willing to trust this woman if she said the boys would be safe with her people. It was better than keeping them here, with no heat and the added worry of the search going on around them.
The boys all did as she told them, and turned to go get their snow clothes once more. All but Shawn, who was still sitting next to Daniel.
"You, too, Shawn." Daniel told him, gently.
Shawn's fist closed tightly around Jack's dog tags, and the little boy shook his head.
"I want to stay here, Daniel."
"You should go where it's safer."
The little chin came up, and Daniel wondered if Shawn had any idea how much he was like Jack already. That pose was so much like Jack's when he was about to get chewed out, or was about to defy orders, that it made Daniel's throat close up.
"I won't be in the way, Daniel. I won't say a word. I promise. I have to be here, though. I have to."
He looked at the leader of the search teams, his little face set in determination, and his body tense. She looked at Daniel, and then at the boy again, and obviously decided that if Daniel wasn't going to have any luck moving him, then she wasn't going to. She shrugged.
"He can stay."
Teal'c wrapped Andrew's legs tightly with the bandages. Luckily there were a lot of them, since Shelby had been adamant that Jack's leg be immobilized fairly well. Since both legs were broken, and they didn't have anything to use for a solid bracing, Jack told him to wrap both together, and hopefully they could brace each other. It was all they had. Just for good measure, when Teal'c had the boy's legs wrapped up, Jack had him put his snow pants on Andrew, sliding both legs into one of the legs of Jack's pants. Andrew was small, and the pants were made of a stretchy material, so it worked. It was tight, but as far as the two men were concerned, tighter was better. When Andrew woke up, they didn't want him thrashing and hurting himself.
"It is getting dark, O'Neill," Teal'c said once they'd finished, and Jack had collapsed next to the unconscious boy, panting because he couldn't take any deep breaths without hurting himself.
"Yeah." Jack looked up at the hole Teal'c had made in the snow. He'd pretty much come to the conclusion that they were going to have to stay where they were. The little cave wasn't all that warm, but it was better than being out in the wind, and the snow would insulate them, and protect them. Of course, that was assuming there wasn't another slide. If that happened, they'd most likely get buried again, probably deeper, and this time there'd be no inner tube to save their asses.
While he and Teal'c had taken care of Andrew, they'd discussed that, and had weighed the risks. But it was simple. Out in the open, exposed to the cold, Andrew and Jack would most likely not make it through the night. Teal'c was already feeling his pains beginning to fade as his symbiot started healing his injuries. In the cave, they ran the risk of being buried, but it wasn't as big a risk. They'd stay put, at least until morning. Barring anyone coming to rescue them, of course.
~*~
The area was flooded with people and vehicles. Less than an hour after Carter had called Hammond, the Military Command Post tent was set up right next to the Search and Rescue command tent, and they'd placed themselves under the command of the leader of the Search teams. The man knew the area far better than the Military teams did, so it was pretty much a no-brainer that they'd just be the support role in this situation. Hammond himself showed up less than half an hour after that, accompanied by a team of medics led by Janet Fraiser.
Hammond walked into the Military Command Post tent, and saw Carter sitting there, talking to the leader of the civilian S&R teams. She'd been given a heavy jacket, since hers wasn't as warm, and was drinking a cup of steaming coffee.
"Any word, Major?" Hammond asked as he waved Carter back into her seat.
"The Search and Rescue teams haven't found anyone yet, but they're almost to the lodge, Sir. They've had to go on foot most of the way, because they don't want to risk bringing down any more of the mountain. When they get to the lodge, we'll know a little more."
"Have you tried calling O'Neill or Dr. Jackson on their cell phones?"
"Repeatedly, but they're not answering." She gave him a helpless shrug. "But I was trying before the avalanche, too, so they might just have them turned off."
Carter gestured to the man she'd been speaking with. "Sir, this is Jeff Kindell. He's the head of the Search and Rescue. Jeff, this is General Hammond, my CO."
"It's a pleasure, Sir."
"Likewise, Mr. Kindell."
"Chad, please."
"Do you have enough lights? Enough help? Anything else I can get you?"
"We have as many as it's safe to have right now, General." Kindell assured him, gratefully. "Your men don't know the area, and we've teamed them up with folks that do. That way we're not going to end up sending out search teams to find the search teams later on when it gets full dark. It's really easy to get turned around up here at night."
"So what do we do now?"
"We wait until the forward teams reach the lodge. Then we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."
~*~
The adults were still out on the deep snow pack when the first of the Search and Rescue teams arrived. They heard the dogs first, and turned to see a small pack of German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers come out of the woods on the other side of the ski slope. Attached to the long leads of these dogs were a group of men and women dressed in bright orange jackets and hats, and dragging toboggans behind them.
They saw the adults, and waved, and made their way over to them, practically dragged by the dogs, who were just as eager to search here as they were to search in the trees.
"God, are we glad to see you!" Darrin called when they drew close enough to hear.
"We're just as happy to see you," a woman replied, taking off her hat so she could remove her goggles. The sun was going down fast, now, and they didn't need the protection from the glare anymore. "Let's go inside for a moment and you can tell us exactly what happened, and who we're looking for."
"We can't go inside!" Miyra said, still frantically using the long pole she was carrying on the snow in hopes of finding Andrew. "We have to find my baby!"
David was no less frantic to find Andrew than she was, but he wrapped his arms around his wife, and pulled her to the side, despite her struggles.
"They have to know what's happened, or they're not going to be able to help. You know that. Besides, they have more dogs. We'll get them something of Andrew's and hope they have more luck than Shadow did."
He was talking fast, and trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her, but it worked, and she eventually nodded and reluctantly went inside with the rest of them.
The Search and Rescue team walked in with their dogs, and everyone who was inside looked up, hopefully.
"Did you find them?" Shawn asked.
"Where are they?"
"These are people from the Search and Rescue teams, guys," Scott told the boys, who had gathered around. "They just got here, but now that they're here we expect we'll have a lot better luck finding Andrew, Jack and Murray."
There was a low growl from near the fireplace as Shadow caught scent of the other dogs and warned the strangers to stay away. Curiously, the leader of the group looked over the tangle of boys and adults and saw the black lab with the mass of little tan bodies arranged around her on the comforter.
"Take the dogs into another room, guys, before we have trouble," she told the dog handlers. They all looked over as well, and nodded agreement. Nothing more dangerous than a mother protecting her babies.
"We have to find them!" Miyra said, stepping forward as the dogs were taken to warm up in front of the fireplace in the other living area.
"We will, Ma'am. Can you tell us exactly what happened?"
The searchers listened intently as Shelby told them what had happened, and gave them descriptions of Jack, Andrew and Teal'c.
"What about him?" The search leader asked, pointing at Daniel, who was still seated on the couch.
"What about me?"
"Were you hurt in the avalanche?"
"No. I was hurt skiing."
"He hit a tree!"
"Face first!"
"His leg was really swollen."
The search leader looked at all the boys arranged around her, each clamoring to be heard over the others.
"Maybe we should evacuate these boys? Their parents are probably worried."
Actually, their parents didn't have a clue what was going on, but the boys were a distraction she didn't need just then, and she could justify it by saying that there was always a danger that another avalanche could hit the lodge. Better to get them to safety. Obviously, Shelby had come to the same conclusion.
"That's a good idea. Do you have a way of getting them to safety?"
"We have sleds. A couple of my people can take them back before it gets too dark out. We have more people on the way here, so we won't miss the manpower. And they'll be safer."
"Kids, go get bundled up," Shelby told them. She was willing to trust this woman if she said the boys would be safe with her people. It was better than keeping them here, with no heat and the added worry of the search going on around them.
The boys all did as she told them, and turned to go get their snow clothes once more. All but Shawn, who was still sitting next to Daniel.
"You, too, Shawn." Daniel told him, gently.
Shawn's fist closed tightly around Jack's dog tags, and the little boy shook his head.
"I want to stay here, Daniel."
"You should go where it's safer."
The little chin came up, and Daniel wondered if Shawn had any idea how much he was like Jack already. That pose was so much like Jack's when he was about to get chewed out, or was about to defy orders, that it made Daniel's throat close up.
"I won't be in the way, Daniel. I won't say a word. I promise. I have to be here, though. I have to."
He looked at the leader of the search teams, his little face set in determination, and his body tense. She looked at Daniel, and then at the boy again, and obviously decided that if Daniel wasn't going to have any luck moving him, then she wasn't going to. She shrugged.
"He can stay."
