There was a flurry of activity on the entire mountain. Fraiser was
airlifted with a medical team out to the site where O'Neill and Andrew had
been found, but only medical personnel had been allowed on the chopper.
There just wasn't room for anyone else. That included Sam, who was
desperate to get to Jack's side.
The search teams had found Andrew and Jack, but the word was still out on what, exactly, O'Neill's condition was. Andrew had broken legs and a broken shoulder, among other injuries they still needed to check out, but they'd given him a shot of a potent painkiller and had attached an IV and were stabilizing him. Once the pain was gone, Andrew told Teal'c that Jack had been awake and talking to him right up to when the dogs came. He didn't know what had happened, but one minute Jack had been talking, the next he was still, and not answering.
The searchers had been concerned about O'Neill. Worried enough that they hadn't moved him out of the hole in the snow just yet. They'd moved Andrew as soon as they could without adding to the boy's injuries, and had left the bandages Teal'c and Jack had applied to his legs where they were, since they were well immobilized, and had put him on a back board and strapped him down tight.
Andrew would have been terrified by the treatment, except that Teal'c was with him, and one of the searchers had handed the boy a radio so he could prove to his mother and father that he was alive and well. He hadn't said much more than 'hi' before they'd taken covered him warmly with emergency blankets and extra coats, and had moved him to the side of the slope to make room for the helicopter that was coming.
Jack was another matter entirely. They'd wiped the blood from his face, revealing a couple of cuts that had probably been caused by impact with some kind of debris during the fall. These were serious in that they were surely causing him a lot of pain, but the internal injuries were even more serious, and they were having trouble getting him stabilized with the portable equipment they carried with them. His heartbeat was erratic, his breathing was even worse, and they didn't dare move him until they could get him on a board. Which they couldn't do until they got him more stable.
When the helicopter landed – further down the slope where it couldn't cause any shifting in the snow above their position – Fraiser jumped out before it had completely settled to the ground, and rushed over to the hole. She gestured for the other doctor to go check on Andrew, and to get him on the helicopter and ready to go, then slid down into the hole that the rescuers had made bigger to accommodate the extra people.
"Colonel?"
He was pale and cold, and Janet rested her hand on his neck for a moment to check his pulse. It was there.
"Colonel? I need you to stay with me." She ran her hands down to his chest. The rescuers had cut open his coat and shirt, looking for bleeding to explain his stillness, and she could feel the swelling all along his sides that was a sure sign of broken or cracked ribs. Not just one or two, either.
"We need to get him on a board and get him someplace we can get a better idea of what's wrong," she told the rescuers.
'We can't risk moving-"
"I can." She had to. Besides, she knew what he could take. She'd seen him with worse. Hopefully. "Just be careful. Don't jolt him any more than you have to."
She checked the IV they'd attached, and found it to be satisfactory, then held his head still as the others cleared the hole and rolled him carefully onto a back board. They strapped him down firmly around the legs, but she wouldn't allow anything on his chest. His ribs were too damaged already.
"Teal'c!"
The Jaffa left Andrew's side and came over.
"Help them get the Colonel out of the hole. You take the end of the board." She trusted the strong Jaffa to be the most able to keep from jarring O'Neill. Teal'c did as he was told, and they all eased the board out of the cave. The Jaffa didn't relinquish his hold, then, though. He carried O'Neill all the way to the waiting helicopter, setting the pace carefully and scowling whenever someone slid in the snow and made the board move in any direction but forward.
Janet followed O'Neill into the chopper, and moved so Andrew's board could be loaded next. Teal'c and the other medics joined her, and no one complained when the Jaffa took the spot between O'Neill and Andrew. Fraiser didn't need it; she was on the other side, watching Jack's vitals, and there was another doctor – a pediatrician – on Andrew's side. He wasn't in the way, and even if he was, there were only two other people on the helicopter brave enough to say anything, and one was unconscious, and the other was tending him.
~*~
"They're in the air," Hammond said.
"How are they?"
"Fraiser didn't say." He shrugged. "I'm sure she would have told us if it was serious."
"Or she's so busy trying to keep them alive that she didn't have time..." Sam knew Andrew was going to be all right. She'd heard his voice on the radio when he spoken to his mother. She hadn't heard anything from Jack, though.
"They're going to USAF Academy Hospital, Major, and we'll be going there, too, in just a bit." Hammond turned and took Kindell's hand, shaking it warmly.
"Thank you so much, Chad. Please, pass on our appreciation to the rest of your crews. The military units will help you get everything cleaned up for as long as you need them."
"Thank you, General. We're glad everything worked out."
"So are we."
They heard snowmobiles outside the Command tent, and they all went outside. A couple of the machines were arriving, bringing back the first of the people who'd been in the lodge overnight. The first machine was pulling a rescue sled, with Daniel bundled up warmly on it, and the person sitting behind the driver was Shawn. He jumped off and ran over to Carter as soon as he saw her and Hammond.
"They found them!"
Sam pulled the boy into a hard bear hug, holding him far longer than she'd meant to.
"I know. Are you all right?"
"I was inside. Jack sent me..." Shawn looked up at Sam, realizing that something wasn't right. "Is Jack okay, Sam?"
"We hope so," Sam said, brushing away tears she couldn't stop. Shawn bit his lip, his brown eyes filled with concern.
"He'll be fine," Daniel said, hobbling over with a little help from his crutches and a lot of help from the guy that had been driving the snowmobile.
"What happened to you?" Carter asked, giving Daniel a careful hug. She was so glad he was all right.
"You ever see the Wide World of Sports?"
"You wiped out skiing?" Sam asked.
"I was getting the hang of it."
"Until that tree jumped out at him." Shawn said, reaching up and taking Sam's hand in his.
Sam laughed, despite her concern, which was what Daniel had intended.
"It's good to see you're all right, Doctor Jackson. You too, Shawn." Hammond said as he walked over to stand on the other side of Carter.
"Thank you, General."
"Thanks, General."
They watched as another snowmobile arrived carrying Miyra and David, and gestured for those two to join them as well.
"The helicopter is taking your son and Colonel O'Neill to the hospital at the Air Force Academy. We're going to go see how they're doing. You're welcomed to join us."
"Thank you, we appreciate it."
They all went to a waiting Suburban, and although there was a bit of a struggle to get Daniel into the front seat with his leg sticking out so awkwardly, they were soon on their way.
The search teams had found Andrew and Jack, but the word was still out on what, exactly, O'Neill's condition was. Andrew had broken legs and a broken shoulder, among other injuries they still needed to check out, but they'd given him a shot of a potent painkiller and had attached an IV and were stabilizing him. Once the pain was gone, Andrew told Teal'c that Jack had been awake and talking to him right up to when the dogs came. He didn't know what had happened, but one minute Jack had been talking, the next he was still, and not answering.
The searchers had been concerned about O'Neill. Worried enough that they hadn't moved him out of the hole in the snow just yet. They'd moved Andrew as soon as they could without adding to the boy's injuries, and had left the bandages Teal'c and Jack had applied to his legs where they were, since they were well immobilized, and had put him on a back board and strapped him down tight.
Andrew would have been terrified by the treatment, except that Teal'c was with him, and one of the searchers had handed the boy a radio so he could prove to his mother and father that he was alive and well. He hadn't said much more than 'hi' before they'd taken covered him warmly with emergency blankets and extra coats, and had moved him to the side of the slope to make room for the helicopter that was coming.
Jack was another matter entirely. They'd wiped the blood from his face, revealing a couple of cuts that had probably been caused by impact with some kind of debris during the fall. These were serious in that they were surely causing him a lot of pain, but the internal injuries were even more serious, and they were having trouble getting him stabilized with the portable equipment they carried with them. His heartbeat was erratic, his breathing was even worse, and they didn't dare move him until they could get him on a board. Which they couldn't do until they got him more stable.
When the helicopter landed – further down the slope where it couldn't cause any shifting in the snow above their position – Fraiser jumped out before it had completely settled to the ground, and rushed over to the hole. She gestured for the other doctor to go check on Andrew, and to get him on the helicopter and ready to go, then slid down into the hole that the rescuers had made bigger to accommodate the extra people.
"Colonel?"
He was pale and cold, and Janet rested her hand on his neck for a moment to check his pulse. It was there.
"Colonel? I need you to stay with me." She ran her hands down to his chest. The rescuers had cut open his coat and shirt, looking for bleeding to explain his stillness, and she could feel the swelling all along his sides that was a sure sign of broken or cracked ribs. Not just one or two, either.
"We need to get him on a board and get him someplace we can get a better idea of what's wrong," she told the rescuers.
'We can't risk moving-"
"I can." She had to. Besides, she knew what he could take. She'd seen him with worse. Hopefully. "Just be careful. Don't jolt him any more than you have to."
She checked the IV they'd attached, and found it to be satisfactory, then held his head still as the others cleared the hole and rolled him carefully onto a back board. They strapped him down firmly around the legs, but she wouldn't allow anything on his chest. His ribs were too damaged already.
"Teal'c!"
The Jaffa left Andrew's side and came over.
"Help them get the Colonel out of the hole. You take the end of the board." She trusted the strong Jaffa to be the most able to keep from jarring O'Neill. Teal'c did as he was told, and they all eased the board out of the cave. The Jaffa didn't relinquish his hold, then, though. He carried O'Neill all the way to the waiting helicopter, setting the pace carefully and scowling whenever someone slid in the snow and made the board move in any direction but forward.
Janet followed O'Neill into the chopper, and moved so Andrew's board could be loaded next. Teal'c and the other medics joined her, and no one complained when the Jaffa took the spot between O'Neill and Andrew. Fraiser didn't need it; she was on the other side, watching Jack's vitals, and there was another doctor – a pediatrician – on Andrew's side. He wasn't in the way, and even if he was, there were only two other people on the helicopter brave enough to say anything, and one was unconscious, and the other was tending him.
~*~
"They're in the air," Hammond said.
"How are they?"
"Fraiser didn't say." He shrugged. "I'm sure she would have told us if it was serious."
"Or she's so busy trying to keep them alive that she didn't have time..." Sam knew Andrew was going to be all right. She'd heard his voice on the radio when he spoken to his mother. She hadn't heard anything from Jack, though.
"They're going to USAF Academy Hospital, Major, and we'll be going there, too, in just a bit." Hammond turned and took Kindell's hand, shaking it warmly.
"Thank you so much, Chad. Please, pass on our appreciation to the rest of your crews. The military units will help you get everything cleaned up for as long as you need them."
"Thank you, General. We're glad everything worked out."
"So are we."
They heard snowmobiles outside the Command tent, and they all went outside. A couple of the machines were arriving, bringing back the first of the people who'd been in the lodge overnight. The first machine was pulling a rescue sled, with Daniel bundled up warmly on it, and the person sitting behind the driver was Shawn. He jumped off and ran over to Carter as soon as he saw her and Hammond.
"They found them!"
Sam pulled the boy into a hard bear hug, holding him far longer than she'd meant to.
"I know. Are you all right?"
"I was inside. Jack sent me..." Shawn looked up at Sam, realizing that something wasn't right. "Is Jack okay, Sam?"
"We hope so," Sam said, brushing away tears she couldn't stop. Shawn bit his lip, his brown eyes filled with concern.
"He'll be fine," Daniel said, hobbling over with a little help from his crutches and a lot of help from the guy that had been driving the snowmobile.
"What happened to you?" Carter asked, giving Daniel a careful hug. She was so glad he was all right.
"You ever see the Wide World of Sports?"
"You wiped out skiing?" Sam asked.
"I was getting the hang of it."
"Until that tree jumped out at him." Shawn said, reaching up and taking Sam's hand in his.
Sam laughed, despite her concern, which was what Daniel had intended.
"It's good to see you're all right, Doctor Jackson. You too, Shawn." Hammond said as he walked over to stand on the other side of Carter.
"Thank you, General."
"Thanks, General."
They watched as another snowmobile arrived carrying Miyra and David, and gestured for those two to join them as well.
"The helicopter is taking your son and Colonel O'Neill to the hospital at the Air Force Academy. We're going to go see how they're doing. You're welcomed to join us."
"Thank you, we appreciate it."
They all went to a waiting Suburban, and although there was a bit of a struggle to get Daniel into the front seat with his leg sticking out so awkwardly, they were soon on their way.
