Daniel couldn't handle his rope by himself. Not that he was a weakling; he was in far better shape than he'd ever been in his life, but he'd had a rough day himself, and wasn't at his best. Luckily, there were plenty of people now to help him. The other search teams were all converging on the site, and the first of them had arrived. While the original team had already pulled SG-3 up the hill and were carrying them back to the Stargate, the newcomers were helping Daniel and Teal'c pull on the ropes. They could only hope that Jack was on the other end.
Of course, Daniel was fairly certain that Sam wouldn't have pulled the rope and given the signal if she hadn't found Jack and Jaffer, so Daniel was certain Jack was going to be on the end of the rope, he was just praying that he was okay.
Sam was the first to be pulled up. The Major had both arms wrapped around Jaffer's big body and as soon as her head cleared the top of the crevasse, hands reached down and grabbed Jaffer's collar, using the leverage to pull the big lab out of the hole, while others reached down and took hold of Carter's jacket to help pull her up as well.
"Watch out for that ledge!" Daniel warned loudly. That was all they needed was for the rescuers to fall as well, although they were all still tied together. If enough ground gave way, they could lose a lot of folks.
They moved back, pulling Sam and Jaffer with them, even though the black lab and Carter were both struggling to get free so they could get back to Jack, who wasn't too far behind. Daniel and his group hadn't pulled quite as effortlessly as Teal'c had, after all, and Jack's ride up the hill had been bumpy. Not as bumpy as the fall down had been, though.
"We got him!"
The cry went up the minute Jack's head appeared over the water that was rushing down into the crevasse, and a few of the rescuers stepped forward once more, this time to grab Jack and pull him up and out of the hole, and then away from the unstable ground.
A medic knelt down next to him as a rescuer covered him with a blanket, and two others held up a large piece of canvas to block the rainfall. It also muted the sound of the downpour enough that no one would have to yell. Sam came over and knelt next to him as well, and Jaffer pushed his way past them all to stand over him also.
Carter was worried, but not desperately so. She'd already talked to him, and knew he wasn't seriously injured. Jack was pale and his eyes were closed, but he was breathing. They could see his chest moving in the light of the spotlights.
"Colonel?"
He opened his eyes and looked up, and then around.
"Daniel?" He coughed, and his voice was rough, but they all could understand what he was saying.
Daniel had knelt down with Sam, and he reached out to take Jack's hand, but pulled back when he saw it was bleeding badly.
"I'm here Jack."
"I found out where all your water was escaping to..."
Daniel smiled, despite the worry.
"Yeah? Did you take pictures?"
Jack grinned, but started to cough when he was going reply.
"That's enough talking Colonel," the medic chided him, reaching out and putting a bandage on his bleeding wrist while Jaffer watched intently. "We've got to get them back to the SGC," the medic said, steadying Jack while the rescuers put him on a backboard which would double as a stretcher on the way back. It was a measure of how awful he felt that Jack didn't even complain. He just closed his eyes, and reached a hand out to rest it on Jaffer's shoulder.
Then the medic pointed at Daniel. "Put him on one, too."
"What? I don't need to be carried."
"You took a fall and could be injured."
"I'm fine."
Despite this protest, Daniel ended up on a board as well, grumbling every moment while they strapped him down tightly. Tighter than they needed to as far as he was concerned, he complained. Sam smiled, running a hand along O'Neill's cheek as one rescuer took one end of his stretcher, and Teal'c picked up the other. She was glad they were both okay enough to complain.
"Are we ready?" Sam asked the rescuers as they picked up Daniel's stretcher as well.
Daniel noticed something just then, and freed a hand from the restraining strap with difficulty, and then reached out to take hold of Sam's, pulling her a little closer.
"When did you get that?"
Sam smiled leaned over, pulling her hand from his and pressing her cheek against his very cold one. There were way too many people around for her comfort. She wasn't ready to share her and Jack's relationship with anyone that she wasn't close to.
"I'll tell you later," she whispered in his ear.
Jack had opened his eyes again, though, at the sound of Daniel's voice, and had turned his head at the sound of surprise in Daniel's voice. He saw his friend holding Sam's hand, and knew immediately what he was talking about, even though he didn't see the ring Daniel had just noticed.
"I got it for her," he said, his voice raspy.
"You need to stop speaking, Colonel," The medic told him, worried about how hoarse he sounded. He nodded, and looked over at Daniel, who was staring at him, and then at Sam. Sam smiled, delighted that Jack hadn't tried to hide it. Especially with so many people around.
"Let's move out!"
"Yes, let's..." O'Neill whispered, closing his eyes again. "The sooner we get off this planet, the happier I'll be."
Daniel couldn't agree more. Besides, the sooner they got off the planet and back to the SGC, the sooner he could corner Sam and find out more about the ring that had appeared on her finger from out of nowhere.
With Carter walking between the two stretchers with Jack (the dog) at her side, and Jaffer walking beside Jack's, making sure that O'Neill had a handy hand rest, the group struggled up the hill – with a lot of help from ropes and people on the top – and headed for the gate, and home.
Of course, Daniel was fairly certain that Sam wouldn't have pulled the rope and given the signal if she hadn't found Jack and Jaffer, so Daniel was certain Jack was going to be on the end of the rope, he was just praying that he was okay.
Sam was the first to be pulled up. The Major had both arms wrapped around Jaffer's big body and as soon as her head cleared the top of the crevasse, hands reached down and grabbed Jaffer's collar, using the leverage to pull the big lab out of the hole, while others reached down and took hold of Carter's jacket to help pull her up as well.
"Watch out for that ledge!" Daniel warned loudly. That was all they needed was for the rescuers to fall as well, although they were all still tied together. If enough ground gave way, they could lose a lot of folks.
They moved back, pulling Sam and Jaffer with them, even though the black lab and Carter were both struggling to get free so they could get back to Jack, who wasn't too far behind. Daniel and his group hadn't pulled quite as effortlessly as Teal'c had, after all, and Jack's ride up the hill had been bumpy. Not as bumpy as the fall down had been, though.
"We got him!"
The cry went up the minute Jack's head appeared over the water that was rushing down into the crevasse, and a few of the rescuers stepped forward once more, this time to grab Jack and pull him up and out of the hole, and then away from the unstable ground.
A medic knelt down next to him as a rescuer covered him with a blanket, and two others held up a large piece of canvas to block the rainfall. It also muted the sound of the downpour enough that no one would have to yell. Sam came over and knelt next to him as well, and Jaffer pushed his way past them all to stand over him also.
Carter was worried, but not desperately so. She'd already talked to him, and knew he wasn't seriously injured. Jack was pale and his eyes were closed, but he was breathing. They could see his chest moving in the light of the spotlights.
"Colonel?"
He opened his eyes and looked up, and then around.
"Daniel?" He coughed, and his voice was rough, but they all could understand what he was saying.
Daniel had knelt down with Sam, and he reached out to take Jack's hand, but pulled back when he saw it was bleeding badly.
"I'm here Jack."
"I found out where all your water was escaping to..."
Daniel smiled, despite the worry.
"Yeah? Did you take pictures?"
Jack grinned, but started to cough when he was going reply.
"That's enough talking Colonel," the medic chided him, reaching out and putting a bandage on his bleeding wrist while Jaffer watched intently. "We've got to get them back to the SGC," the medic said, steadying Jack while the rescuers put him on a backboard which would double as a stretcher on the way back. It was a measure of how awful he felt that Jack didn't even complain. He just closed his eyes, and reached a hand out to rest it on Jaffer's shoulder.
Then the medic pointed at Daniel. "Put him on one, too."
"What? I don't need to be carried."
"You took a fall and could be injured."
"I'm fine."
Despite this protest, Daniel ended up on a board as well, grumbling every moment while they strapped him down tightly. Tighter than they needed to as far as he was concerned, he complained. Sam smiled, running a hand along O'Neill's cheek as one rescuer took one end of his stretcher, and Teal'c picked up the other. She was glad they were both okay enough to complain.
"Are we ready?" Sam asked the rescuers as they picked up Daniel's stretcher as well.
Daniel noticed something just then, and freed a hand from the restraining strap with difficulty, and then reached out to take hold of Sam's, pulling her a little closer.
"When did you get that?"
Sam smiled leaned over, pulling her hand from his and pressing her cheek against his very cold one. There were way too many people around for her comfort. She wasn't ready to share her and Jack's relationship with anyone that she wasn't close to.
"I'll tell you later," she whispered in his ear.
Jack had opened his eyes again, though, at the sound of Daniel's voice, and had turned his head at the sound of surprise in Daniel's voice. He saw his friend holding Sam's hand, and knew immediately what he was talking about, even though he didn't see the ring Daniel had just noticed.
"I got it for her," he said, his voice raspy.
"You need to stop speaking, Colonel," The medic told him, worried about how hoarse he sounded. He nodded, and looked over at Daniel, who was staring at him, and then at Sam. Sam smiled, delighted that Jack hadn't tried to hide it. Especially with so many people around.
"Let's move out!"
"Yes, let's..." O'Neill whispered, closing his eyes again. "The sooner we get off this planet, the happier I'll be."
Daniel couldn't agree more. Besides, the sooner they got off the planet and back to the SGC, the sooner he could corner Sam and find out more about the ring that had appeared on her finger from out of nowhere.
With Carter walking between the two stretchers with Jack (the dog) at her side, and Jaffer walking beside Jack's, making sure that O'Neill had a handy hand rest, the group struggled up the hill – with a lot of help from ropes and people on the top – and headed for the gate, and home.