SAMARITANS Part 9

A/N : Wow, all these reviews. Thanks guys. Just a short part this time, but only one more to go...

Rescue

Ford, Markham and Teyla loaded their packs with any equipment that might be needed, food, water and first aid kits, then left the jumper and started towards the cliff. The sun was making a welcome appearance, but the going underfoot was treacherous from the runoff after the storm. Walking single file they hiked up the cliff path towards the cave, when Ford thought he heard a shout.

Moving quickly on ahead he came round a corner just in time to see Major Sheppard lose his footing and begin to slide towards the edge. Mindful of the still turbulent water beneath, not to mention the sharp rocks, Ford threw himself forwards, managing to catch the Major just before he went over. Panting, he pulled his CO back to safety.

Sheppard lay on his back; eyes closed for a minute, then opened them and said, "Thanks Ford…really thought I was a goner then…"

There was another pause while both got their breath back, then Sheppard added, "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

Ford smiled his boyish grin, saying, "I could say the same for you, sir. What happened?"

"Long story Ford…long story. Give me a hand."

Scrambling to his feet, Aiden extended a hand to his CO, noticing how hot Sheppard's hand felt as he helped him to his feet, then steadied the man as the Major showed signs of going down again.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"I've been better," admitted John, "it's been a long couple of days."

Teyla approached them. "Where is Dr. Beckett?"

"He's inside," Sheppard gestured vaguely in the direction of the cave. "He's in pretty bad shape, got knocked about quite a bit when our boat was destroyed."

Bracing his numb leg, he hobbled inside the cave, moving quickly across to the doctor and knelt carefully down beside him.

"Carson…Carson," he said, gently shaking the Scot when he wouldn't immediately rouse.

"'S'matter?" responded Beckett, not opening his eyes. "Five more minutes, Mam."

"Carson its John. Help's here…they found us."

Teyla knelt down on the opposite side of Beckett. "What happened?" she asked, breaking out one of the first aid kits.

"We were in a boat that got attacked by some sort of sea creature. Last thing I saw before going under was Beckett getting the stuffing knocked out of him when its tail turned the boat into matchsticks. Next thing I knew, we were on this island. I don't think what you've got in that pack is gonna help much. We really need to get him back to Atlantis. His leg's broken and I know it's infected. There's lots of bruising on his chest and arm too and he's running quite a fever. Oh, and don't forget the concussion."

Teyla gently peeled back some of the makeshift bandaging Sheppard had applied to Beckett's leg. She looked questioningly at the Major. He shrugged ruefully.

"We lost everything when the boat went down. No packs, no weapons, just the canteens. I had to make do with what I could find."

She said nothing, merely nodded, and replaced the bandages. Beckett had hardly stirred.

"I agree with the Major," she said to Ford and Markham. "There is very little we can do to help here. We should get them back to Atlantis."

Markham said "There's a stretcher in the jumper. I'll get it," and left.

"How about you, Major?" asked Teyla. "You seem to be unwell yourself."

"I'm tired," he admitted, "it's been a difficult two days; no food, no sleep, and I ran into some of the…er…local inhabitants…got a nice memento stuck in my leg."

"Let me see," demanded Teyla.

Sheppard peeled back the leg of his pants.

"That will also need attention."

"I know it will," he said, "But we can worry about it when we get Beckett back where I know he's going to get looked after." John sat back, and closed his eyes, content to let others do the running about for a while. When he opened them again, Markham had returned with the stretcher; the pilot and Ford were loading Beckett onto it. Sheppard winced as Beckett cried out even though they were being as gentle as they could.

"Have you got any morphine?" he asked Teyla.

"Yes, but we can not give any to Dr. Beckett, as he has a concussion. He taught us this himself."

Sheppard nodded, but still, he hated seeing Carson in so much pain. Teyla put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It will be painful for him to be moved," she said, "But once he is in the jumper, it is a short trip back to Atlantis."

The Major agreed but the trip down to the beach wasn't one any of them would forget in a hurry. Every jolt to the stretcher caused Carson acute discomfort and though the Scot tried to hold back, it only made the times he did cry out the worse to bear. Sheppard found that Teyla stayed pretty close to his side on the trip back down the path, John grateful for the support. Now there was someone else to take over, the fatigue was overwhelming, and his own leg was getting worse, though he wasn't ready to admit to it until he'd seen Beckett safely back. After the third or fourth time his leg had given out he was only too glad to have Teyla put his arm across her shoulders, and take some of the weight.

She had been right, once they were comfortably settled in the jumper; it had seemed only a short time before they were back at the Stargate. Maroni had turned out with some of his villagers to see them off, feeling somewhat responsible for what had happened to them. He asked Sheppard about Dalen but the Major could only reply in the negative, and Maroni hung his head in sorrow. John asked for their condolences to be passed on to Dalen's family, and both parties assured each other that the unfortunate events would in no way hinder the trade agreements previously reached. Once short goodbyes had been said, the wormhole back to Atlantis was established and the puddle jumper made its way home.

TBC