Chapter 5 - Of Colonels and Scientists
Jack regained consciousness with a decided lack of enthusiasm. His entire body hurt. What had woken him? There it was again. A small tap on his cheek, followed by his name.
"Jack. . . . Jack? Come on, Colonel, wake up. We need to move."
Jack opened his eyes to see a rather damp Ariana staring down at him. She helped him sit up and Jack reached out to steady himself as the world spun. Bad idea - he swallowed an involuntary whimper as his weight came down on his left arm. Ariana grabbed him before he fell over.
Cradling the offending limb to his chest, he panted, "I think it's broken."
Ariana nodded her head in rueful agreement. "I think you may be right. If you can get up, I'll take a look at it. Both of our radios are out - we're going to have to hole up for the night. I found a cave up near the tree line."
Jack nodded and accepted the scientist's help to stand, only to discover that he'd also injured his bad knee. The resulting pain made him dizzy enough that he needed her guidance and she draped his unhurt arm over her shoulders. The walk to the cave was a study in concentration for Jack, but he did notice Ariana's harsh breathing when she settled him against the cave wall.
Ariana unhooked the pack that was miraculously still attached to her vest and paused to cough harshly, a look of pain crossing her face as she did so.
"Farrell, are you alright?" Jack asked. Experience told him that he had a pretty severe concussion to go along with his other injuries, but he'd had worse and lived. The ethnobotanist, on the other hand, was his responsibility and he needed to know how badly she was hurt. Jack tried to concentrate on Ariana's face, but it kept wavering in and out of focus in time with the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him.
"I think I may have cracked a couple of ribs," she shrugged, wheezing. "I'm okay."
Ariana straightened. "Try to get comfortable, Jack, I'll be right back. I'm going to get a fire started."
Jack wanted to tell her to stay where she was but had to concentrate on subduing the next wave of nausea. His last sight before the spinning darkness and pain overtook him was Ariana silhouetted by the setting sun in the mouth of the cave.
ooOOoo
When Jack next woke, he found Ariana sorting through the contents of her pack by the light of a roaring fire. He groaned slightly as he shifted position, causing her to turn in his direction.
"Oh good, I was just about to wake you again. Let's get that jacket off so that I can look at your arm. Once we've taken care of that I'll move on to your knee."
"What, you're not gonna shine your damn light in my eyes, too?" Jack asked; the words out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Stupid concussion, he thought, through the rhythmic throbbing of his head.
Ariana stared at him for a moment before replying, "Why? Do you want me to?"
Jack grunted. "No not really."
Ariana gave a small cough and smiled. "Good. I already know you're concussed; you were unconscious the entire time I was examining your skull and I can tell that your pupils are unequal from here. There's no need to torture you unnecessarily with my penlight."
Ariana helped him to a sitting position and with the judicious use of a pair of scissors from her med kit they were able to finally remove his jacket. Jack hissed as she probed his arm at the break. The scientist winced in sympathy and looked up at him.
"Sorry, Jack, I know that hurt. It looks like you've got a transverse fracture of both the radius and ulna. I'm not happy about the swelling in your hand - it means that the blood supply's being compromised. I'm going to have to set this now. Unfortunately, with your concussion, I really don't want to give you any morphine. I can give you some Percocet, but that won't kick in for a bit. We're going to have to do this cold."
He nodded. "Just do it and get it over with, Farrell."
Gathering the necessary supplies the ethnobotanist placed them within easy reach and took a calming breath. Then Ariana grabbed the colonel's wrist and, applying steady pressure, manipulated his arm until the bones realigned themselves while Jack concentrated on keeping his groan from becoming a scream. Taking a piece of what looked like stiff yellow foam, she folded it in half and molded the splint to his arm, securing it with an ace bandage. She produced a sling from somewhere in her pack and helped him into it. At her request Jack wiggled his fingers and Ariana sat back, satisfied with her handiwork.
"Well, Farrell," Jack panted, "Now I do believe you're a doc - you're definitely better than Carter at setting bones. Was this stuff in your modified goody bag?" Jack motioned at the splint.
Ariana nodded, handing him a couple of painkillers and her canteen. "Uh huh. Redi-splints are easy to carry and can be used to splint just about anything. Here's your Percocet. If you don't pass out again, I'll give you something stronger if you need it later."
Jack swallowed the pills obediently as Ariana turned her attention to his injured knee. She unlaced the boot and released the hook on the boot band around his pants leg before using her scissors to slice the material up past his knee.
"Doesn't look too bad," Jack commented on seeing his knee. It throbbed in time with reggae band in his head and was red and swollen looking, but his kneecap seemed to be where it was supposed to be – always a good sign, Jack knew.
Ariana carefully manipulated the area, feeling both sides of the knee as well as the back. Jack jerked slightly as she touched the back of his knee and she looked up at him sharply, a question on her face.
"Sorry," Jack muttered, face reddening slightly. "I'm a little ticklish there."
Ariana raised an eyebrow, Teal'c-like, and grinned slightly. "Good to know."
Her expression became more serious as she continued her examination of the colonel's knee. "So, Doc, what's the prognosis?" Jack asked. "Am I gonna make it?"
"Well, Jack, you obviously hit your knee on the same rocks that I managed to become so well acquainted with. You've got a nice case of acute onset bursitis, with all of the accompanying pain and edema."
"And?"
Ariana frowned. "And you're going to need to be able to use that leg to get out of here tomorrow."
"Ya think?" Jack snapped and then sighed. "Sorry. So what do we do."
Ariana sat back, mentally reviewing the contents of her med kit. "I think a shot of hydrocortisone and several rounds of ice packs should get the swelling down enough that you'll be mobile by tomorrow morning."
Jack grimaced. "Oh swell. That's gonna hurt like a bitch."
Ariana graced him with a small smile. "It won't be that bad, Jack. I've got some lidocaine that I can mix with the hydrocortisone – that should alleviate most of the pain."
"Okay, then I guess you'd better get on with it. Poke away, Farrell."
Ariana disinfected the skin with an alcohol wipe, prepared a syringe and efficiently injected the mixture into the muscles around the colonel's knee. Almost before he knew it, the procedure was over and Jack was holding a newly activated cold pack to his knee as Ariana elevated his leg on a pile made of both their vests.
Just as Jack was starting to relax, Ariana turned back to her med kit and began to fill another syringe. "What's that?" he asked warily. He watched as the ethnobotanist cum doctor pulled down her waistband to expose her flank. After using another alcohol wipe, she injected herself before replying.
"Penicillin. You and I swallowed half of that river we just went swimming in. That puts us at risk for developing pneumonia. You're next, Jack," she said, filling a new syringe for him.
Jack grumbled, but rolled to the side so that Ariana could give him the injection. "You're as bad as Fraiser, that woman's always mistaking me for a pin cushion."
Ariana tried to giggle, but it turned into a coughing fit. Jack looked on helplessly, rubbing her back with his good hand. His concern grew when he noticed the blood on her hands. "You are definitely not okay, Farrell."
She sighed cautiously. "Damn! I guess slamming into that big boulder in the river wasn't such a good idea, huh?"
"We need to get back across," Jack said.
Ariana nodded. "I'm afraid you're right. It's not going to be fun, though. The river doesn't look very deep here, but the bank on the other side is pretty steep."
"We'll figure it out in the morning. For now, we need to try and get some rest." When Ariana looked like she would argue, Jack frowned.
"That's an order, Farrell."
She grinned at him weakly. "You can't give me orders, Jack. I'm a civilian, remember?"
Jack shook his head. "You're as bad as Daniel. What happened to calling me 'Colonel?"
"I've decided it doesn't suit you. It'll have to be Jack - unless I can come up with something better."
"Why does that sound like a threat?" Jack wondered aloud.
"Oh..." Ariana groaned, clutching her side. "Don't make me laugh."
"Sorry. Come here," Jack motioned her over to where he was reclining against her pack. "You're not going to be able to sleep lying flat with those ribs and it got pretty cold last night."
He positioned Ariana so that she was sharing the pack with him, her back leaning against his chest. Wrapping his good arm around her, he settled her head on his shoulder.
"Jack?"
"Try to sleep, Farrell. Like I told Carter once... it's just my sidearm."
"You promised not to make me laugh..." she accused.
"Sorry. What?" he asked.
"They will be looking for us won't they, Jack?"
"Carter, Daniel and Teal'c? Sure they will - we don't leave our people behind, Farrell. Besides - Daniel's going to want a chance to gloat."
"Huh?"
Jack laughed tiredly. "He's usually the one that gets hurt."
ooOOoo
Ariana looked up the cliff face before them while Jack finished tying them together with the rope that the ethnobotanist had produced from her seemingly bottomless pack. The colonel found himself wishing for the rope that had been in his pack, but realized that one rope was better than none. Jack once again thanked the fates that the scientist's gear had managed to accompany them on their unplanned trip down-river.
After a rather uncomfortable night in the cave during which neither of them had slept, they'd crossed the river at first light without too much difficulty. Several rounds of cold packs during the night had combined with the effects of the hydrocortisone shot to reduce the swelling of Jack's knee considerably and his arm throbbed only when he moved it, rather than constantly. His 'pickaxe-to-the-brain' headache had also subsided enough that Ariana decided a small dose of morphine wouldn't hurt. She'd given him an injection before crossing the river, just to blunt the edge of his pain. Watching Ariana closely, Jack thought that the ethnobotanist could use a dose herself.
When he suggested as much to her, however, Ariana vetoed the idea. "Can't - I'm allergic to morphine. Besides, I've already taken half a dose of Percocet. The oxycodone in it is a cough suppressant, but it can also depress your breathing - something I don't exactly need right now. I'll take some more later."
The admission worried Jack. Ariana was still in a lot more pain than she would admit - even with the meds. He squared his shoulders and gestured toward the cliff face.
"Let's do this, then. Ladies first."
Ariana picked her way through the tumble of rocks at the base of the cliff and started her slow ascent. The going was slow, but the climb wasn't too difficult, something for which she was immensely grateful. If it had been, neither one of them would have been able to even attempt the ascent.
As she climbed, Ariana thought about the man struggling along below her. The colonel had been a tower of strength, despite his injuries. Contrary to all of the stories Janet Fraiser had regaled her with, Jack had not complained all that much. Ariana thought it might be due to the fact that the colonel was worried about her. Jack had held her during every coughing fit she'd had the night before and subjected to all of her examinations without a word. Now, though Ariana knew he was still in pain, Jack was making her lead the way - protecting her in spite of his own limitations.
Ariana dragged herself over the lip of the cliff edge, turning to anchor her rope around a convenient tree to keep the tension steady as Jack continued his tortuous climb. He finally made it to the top, grunting with the effort as she helped him over the edge. Jack looked at Ariana wryly as they both sat panting for breath.
"Told you all this was a piece of cake."
ooOOoo
Several hours later Jack indicated that it was time for another rest break. His last dose of morphine was wearing off and he was certain that Ariana's Percocet was as well. Easing himself to the ground, Jack fumbled with the pack that he'd been carrying for the last couple of hours. He'd teased the scientist for getting hurt just so that he'd have to carry her pack but in reality he was glad to have it with them.
Fishing out the bottle of Percocet one-handed, Jack shook it at Ariana. "Time for your next dose, Farrell."
The ethnobotanist shook her head, wheezing slightly. "Can't, Jack... Having a little trouble breathing. Just give me the Ibuprofen."
He frowned at her but did as she asked, replacing the Percocet and handing her several packets of Ibuprofen.
Ariana took two of the 500-mg pills and looked at the colonel questioningly. "Do you want some of these instead of the morphine or Percocet?"
Jack nodded and swallowed the proffered pills dry. "I'll take these over the hard stuff any day, Farrell."
"Bad experience?" she asked softly.
"Yep. Not one that I ever want to repeat," he replied shortly. He fiddled with the sling holding his splinted arm. He looked up in surprise at the light touch on his shoulder. Ariana smiled at him in gentle understanding. She motioned to the sling.
"Let me take a look at that before we go, Jack."
Jack was glad she'd changed the subject. Watching her check the wrappings on his arm he had a disturbing thought.
"Damn!"
"What?" Ariana asked, looking up at him.
"I was gonna go fishing next week. Guess that's out of the question now, though."
"You like to fish?"
Jack shrugged. "Sure. I have a cabin up in Minnesota with its own lake. Not that I ever catch anything, but that's okay."
"My dad always says that the act of fishing itself is what's important - it doesn't matter if you catch anything. . . What?" Ariana trailed off when she saw the look on his face.
"Never mind… I think I'd like your dad," Jack shook his head. "Hey, would you like to go sometime? Nobody else ever wants to come with me."
"Sure, as long as you don't expect me to bait my own hook."
ooOOoo
"I've got it," Ariana wheezed a short time later.
"What?" Jack huffed.
They were slogging painfully along through the undergrowth lining that part of the cliffs, Jack trying to find the easiest path. He peered at the area around them wondering if it looked familiar, or if he was just imagining things.
"Fearless. . . "
"Huh?"
"As in 'Fearless Leader'. . . You know - your new nickname..." Ariana waved her hand distractedly, concentrating on where she was putting her feet.
"Hmph. I guess it's better than Space Monkey."
Ariana pressed a hand to her side and winced. "I thought you promised not to make me laugh! You know he still hasn't figured it out?"
"Have you?" he asked, suspicious of a trap.
"Curious George Gets a Medal or Space Ghost?"
"Pick one, Farrell," Jack chuckled. "Are you gonna tell Daniel?"
"Are you kidding me? It's more fun to watch him trying to figure it out," she snorted.
The snort turned abruptly into a coughing fit that brought her to her knees. Jack kneeled awkwardly beside her, his concern increasing as the attack showed no signs of ending. He cradled her to him, wiping the blood from her face with his good hand.
"What do I do, Farrell?" he asked.
She could only shake her head at him, the paroxysms that wracked her body robbing her of speech. He could see the fear he felt reflected in her dark eyes as she struggled to breathe.
"Farrell!" Jack shouted as she slumped unconscious in his arms. "Damn it, Nana, don't do this to me..." he said, frantically searching for a pulse. He found one, faint and thready, but she wasn't breathing. Jack tilted her head back and started rescue breathing, ignoring the twinges in his broken arm as he used it to hold her chin. After two breaths he sat back and rechecked her pulse, waiting to see if she would breathe on her own.
"Come on, Farrell, breathe!" he yelled, moving back to resume the mouth-to-mouth. As he breathed deep for a second breath, he heard his name being called in the distance.
"Over here - hurry!"
It seemed to Jack that it took the people who'd shouted his name forever to reach him. His world was centered on the woman lying so still on the ground before him. Jack was silently chanting to himself, two breaths, check for pulse, see if she breathes - do it all again. He was startled when a hand touched his arm.
"Colonel, you can stop now - we've got it."
Jack looked up into the serious eyes of Janet Fraiser. He let her guide him to his feet as the medics of SG8 took his former position at the ethnobotanist's side.
"Doc?"
"What happened, Colonel? I need to know," Fraiser looked worried.
Jack shook his head numbly. "She broke several ribs, was coughing up blood. She started coughing a few minutes ago and couldn't stop. She passed out - wasn't breathing."
Janet nodded and turned to her patient. Jack started violently as a member of SG8 touched his sleeve. "Let me take a look at you, Colonel."
Jack pushed the man's hand away irritably. "I'm okay, Sergeant. Farrell's got me all patched up till we get home. Take care of her."
"Are you okay, Jack?" Jack gazed into the worried eyes of Daniel and the rest of his team. The archaeologist was white under his tan, gripping his friend's arm to steady him as he swayed on his feet.
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. Tired."
Before anyone could reply, Janet was beside them. The doctor looked worried. "She's breathing on her own, but we need to get her back to the infirmary as soon as possible. She's got a pneumothorax; I've decompressed the lung but I need to put in a proper chest tube and I can't do that here."
The trip back to the gate was a nightmare. They had to stop twice to administer mouth-to-mouth to the unconscious scientist, Fraiser's face growing graver after each stop. No one spoke, each of them listening for the labored breathing clearly audible from the stretcher. Jack could have sworn that they covered the last mile to the gate at almost a run. He was determined to keep up so he just gritted his teeth and maintained the grueling pace with a little help from Daniel, who slung his CO's uninjured arm around his shoulders. Carter actually did run ahead to dial the gate so that they could immediately go through.
Dr. Fraiser and the men carrying the stretcher stopped on the other side of the gate only long enough to transfer their patient to a gurney. As they exited the gateroom, Dr. Fraiser yelled over her shoulder, "Bring Colonel O'Neill to the infirmary."
ooOOoo
General Hammond found SG1 in the infirmary. They were clustered around their team leader, trying to look as though they were unconcerned about what was happening at the other end of the ward, where a flurry of activity could be heard in one of the critical care rooms.
The colonel was complaining vociferously to Dr. Warner, who was applying a cast to his arm. "You didn't have to x-ray my arm – or my knee. I told you Farrell set it for me and took care of my knee last night."
"Dr. Farrell did an excellent job of setting your arm, Colonel. We just needed to make certain that the bones hadn't moved during your trip back to the gate. As for your knee, I'm sure it's sore, but the hydrocortisone Dr. Farrell gave you should do the trick; with rest it should be fine in a few days," Dr. Warner said soothingly.
"And I don't need any more stupid shots, either," continued the colonel, a stubborn set to his jaw. "Farrell said that we could catch pneumonia because of the swim we took, so she gave both of us penicillin."
Dr. Warner looked faintly surprised. "She did? When?"
"One dose yesterday and then another one again this morning," said Jack.
"I take it that was the correct protocol for the situation?" Daniel asked, curious.
Dr. Warner nodded. "That's exactly what needed to be done. Bacterial pneumonia is a complication that can result from exactly the type of situation the colonel and Dr. Farrell faced."
Jack shrugged. "She looked like she knew what she was doing. Farrell said that the doc didn't like the supplies we carry in our regular med kits, so she and Fraiser threw in some extra stuff as a sort of experiment. Where do you think I got that nifty splint and sling from?"
Dr. Warner looked even more surprised than before. "I thought that Dr. Fraiser or someone from SG8 had given you that for the trip back to the SGC."
Jack shook his head. "Nope. Farrell just kept pulling crap out of that pack of hers - splints, slings, cold packs, meds, ropes. We wouldn't have gotten as far as we did if she hadn't managed to somehow keep her gear."
"Any word on Dr. Farrell's status, Dr. Warner?" the general asked, worriedly.
The doctor shook his head. "Sorry, sir. Dr. Fraiser's team is still working to get her stabilized. With blunt force chest trauma like that, it can be really touch and go."
Jack looked at his CO. "We had to climb up a cliff and hike for several miles before the rescue team reached us, sir. Farrell started coughing up blood last night. I should have waited for the rescue team to find us - it's my fault if anything happens to her."
Dr. Warner interjected before the general could reply. "You're wrong, Colonel. Dr. Farrell would have known what her symptoms meant. She knew that she needed to get back to the SGC as quickly as possible. You both did exactly what was necessary."
At that moment, Janet emerged from the critical care unit. Daniel stepped to Jack's side and gripped his shoulder tightly. Jack wasn't sure if the archaeologist was giving support or asking for it. He reached up and squeezed his friend's hand in silent understanding.
"How is she, Janet?" asked Carter, obviously the only one of them brave enough to voice the question.
Dr. Fraiser sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, she's stabilized. We were able to insert a chest tube and re-expand the collapsed lung . If she doesn't develop pneumonia or any secondary infections, she should be okay."
"May we see her?" this was from Daniel, whose grip on Jack's shoulder had not lessened.
Fraiser looked at him for a moment before replying. "She was asking about the colonel, but you can go in with him, I suppose. Just a few minutes, mind you."
"Teal'c and I will come back later and check on both of you, sir," said Carter. The Jaffa nodded his agreement and the two of them left.
"I'm glad you're alright, Colonel. Dr. Fraiser, please keep me informed of any changes in Dr. Farrell's condition," General Hammond smiled at his 2IC and nodded in the doctor's direction before he, too, left the infirmary.
Janet motioned the two men to follow her and they left Dr. Warner's nurse cleaning up the detritus of making Jack's cast. They entered the critical care unit, aware of the nurses bustling about quietly, checking monitors and making notes on charts. The pallor of the face lying on the pillow struck both Jack and Daniel - its normal peachy hue almost matched the white of the bed linens.
They each took one side of the bed, careful not to get tangled in any of the wires or tubes coming from the still form. As if she could sense their presence, Ariana stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled weakly when she saw both men, her large dark eyes like bruises in the paleness of her face.
Daniel perched himself on the edge of her bed, careful not to disturb anything. Taking Ariana's hand in his, he smiled at her gently. "Hey, Sugar, how are you feeling?"
"Like dancing," she croaked.
Her reply made both men laugh. Ariana turned to Jack and whispered, "O-kay?"
Jack gave her a small smile. "Right as rain, Farrell. Doc Warner managed not to undo all your good work and didn't even stick me in the butt with his needles. What do you think of the color?" he asked, waving the fiberglass cast in her direction.
"Red's. . . my favorite. . . "
Janet cleared her throat. "Time's up, gentlemen. Ariana needs to rest."
Ariana looked at the doctor imploringly. "Stay?" she whispered, tightening her grasp on Daniel's hand.
Fraiser gazed at them and sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll have some food sent up for you. But, you have to promise me you'll rest, Ariana, or I'll kick them out."
"We promise."
"Scout's honor, Doc."
"Promise. . . "
They all spoke at once. Janet just rolled her eyes and left the room, trying to suppress a grin.
ooOOoo
None of Ariana's visitors ever gave Janet, or any of her staff, cause to throw them out of the infirmary, though there was a steady stream of them during the ethnobotanist's weeklong stay. The members of SG1 were the most frequent guests, but others came to visit her as well. The general stopped in to check on the scientist at least once a day - he seemed to have developed a soft spot for his fellow Texan. Also, the CO and other members of SG2 dropped in to see her on several occasions.
This last set of visitors piqued Janet's interest the most. There seemed to be a little infighting going on as to whom the good scientist actually "belonged." Word had traveled through the SGC grapevine that the scientist would be permanently assigned to SG2, once her wounds were healed and her rotation with the flagship team had ended. However, SG1 seemed to feel that they had the most claims to Ariana, especially the team's CO and archaeologist.
War was unofficially declared after Lieutenant Gutierrez presented Ariana with a gorgeous bouquet of yellow roses. After that, not an hour of the day passed without a member of SG1 being present. Teal'c amused everyone on the medical staff by reading the newest Harry Potter book aloud to Ariana after she mentioned that she hadn't read it yet. The rest of the team usually brought work with them to their vigils. Major Carter brought her laptop with her, as did the colonel - who actually managed to get caught up with all of his paperwork despite being hindered by his cast. Daniel also brought work, but spent most of his time discussing various artifacts and translations with his slowly recovering friend.
It came as no surprise to Janet, then, when the colonel dropped by her office to ask a question on the evening before she released Ariana. Janet smiled and shook her head as the man left her office, whistling a jaunty tune in pleasure at her answer.
ooOOoo
"Hey. . ."
The crowd of people in Daniel's office turned to see Ariana leaning in the doorway. Daniel smiled up at his friend from where he and Teal'c had been peering closely at an artifact. Sam, loitering about on the other side of the worktable, waved the ethnobotanist into the room.
"I didn't know that Janet was letting you out," she said with a grin.
Ariana grinned back at her. "Time off for good behavior. The good doctor has given her permission for me to leave the infirmary under supervision."
"Do you need someone to stay with you?" asked Daniel with a frown.
Ariana shook her head. "Nope. Thanks, Daniel, I'm just waiting on my ride."
At that moment, Jack stuck his head around the corner. Seeing Ariana, he said, "There you are. You ready to go, Farrell?"
Daniel looked faintly shocked. "Jack's taking you home?"
"No."
"Where are you going, then?" asked Sam, confused. Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
Ariana and Jack looked at each other for a moment before saying together, "Fishing!"
ooOOoo
They made it all the way to the elevator before they started laughing. Ariana held her ribs as she gasped for air, as they were still quite tender. Jack bent over, bracing his good hand on one knee.
"Did you see their faces?"
"I didn't think Teal'c's eyebrow could go any higher!"
"The delivery was perfect."
"I thought Daniel was going to pass out."
"Serves him right. You ready for some major relaxation, Farrell?"
"Yeah sure, ya betcha. . ."
"Oh, For cryin' out loud!"
The End
