The Coldest of Hearts – Part Eight
NL3 found a place to climb the cliff and quickly half the unit were despatched up. Con sent the rest of his men to walk slowly up the road, searching for signs of life.
At the top of the climb, Con ordered two men to the right, to move towards the camp. The other two he kept with him and headed for the point from which the body had taken a dive.
The snow was heavy, their visibility severely compromised, and they made a slow journey, battling against the cold and wind as well.
They found the place the body had apparently fallen from. There weren't many tracks, but signs on the very edge, where the snow didn't settle properly, pointed to the evidence of the fall. The heavy fall of snow covering everything as it settled, the drifts piling deeper, hid everything else.
He gave the signal to spread out and one of his men stumbled against a drift not far from the edge.
"Stu, you okay?" he used the microphone and still had to shout to make himself heard above the wind.
"Yeah, fuck, Sir ... it's a body!" exclaimed Stu, as he brushed at some of the snow.
They quickly uncovered the body, while the other man stood guard. "Carconi!" he breathed in relief as he double-checked the man was actually dead, although having the back of one's head blown away was usually a reliable sign. Quickly he spread his men out and they began to check the other drifts.
"Sir!" yelled Stu, as he scrabbled to uncover another body.
They found Jack O'Neill on his side. One arm laid across his face protectively. Lt. Colonel Con Rhease quickly removed his glove and pulled at the Colonel's arm so that he could check for a pulse. The fact that arm moved easily gave him a little hope, in these conditions bodies tended to stiffen pretty quickly. At first he couldn't feel anything and disappointment sickened him. He looked up to shake his head at his men and stopped when he felt the slight tremble beneath his cold fingers. He pressed harder and waited.
"Slow pulse, dead slow, weak, but he's alive". He scrambled in his pocket and withdrew the small mirror he carried. He watched carefully as tiny puffs of mists formed on it, confirming that the man was breathing. His head dropped in silent relief and he fingered the button on his radio.
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"We've found Carconi. He's dead. We have Colonel O'Neill. He's unconscious and bleeding, but alive, barely. No sign yet of Mayer or the other one. Conditions are bad out here. Over."
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"Can you get him here?" asked Draper, oblivious to the stares of SG1 as he concentrated on Con's information.
"Affirmative. ETA approximately forty-five minutes. Mike, he's hurt bad. I've applied field aid, but ..."
"Okay Con, get him back, we have a great medical team waiting. Recall the rest of your unit to the base."
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Janet Fraiser had come to stand with SG1, waiting.
Colonel Draper gave them a grim smile. "Jack's alive. He's hurt pretty bad, but alive."
"I can meet them on the road," said Janet at once.
"Negative Doc, the wind's blowing and the snow's getting deeper. Visibility is poor out there. I'm recalling all my men to base. There's no way they're going to find Mayer and the other one out there in this, and they're the only ones unaccounted for now. The safety of the rescue unit and the survivors is now my prime concern."
"Then I need more information on Colonel O'Neill's condition, Colonel."
The Colonel nodded. He knew she needed to get prepared and he needed to check on the helicopters ...
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Janet wasn't happy. The little information she got as to the Colonel's injuries did nothing to belie the worry she had building that it was only a matter of time before the radio gave them the message the Colonel had expired.
The news that the transport was grounded due to the storms gave her a pit of cold dread, the shocked silence that followed the Colonel's announcement showing how much the others were affected by it as well.
Colonel Draper gave the order for everyone to lock into the same channel and stay alert. He began organising a meal and watch rotation, roping in Daniel and Teal'c to help.
Janet had prepared what she could and then made her medics rest. She wasn't sure just how long the Colonel had lain in the snow, and hypothermia was certainly on the cards. On the other hand, the cold might have been the only thing slowing the blood loss enough to keep him from bleeding to death. She organised the blood warming, thankful that she had plenty of fluids and the Colonel's blood group. It was the same as Cassie's and she had brought along a more than adequate supply.
Sam's restless pacing drew Janet's attention. She called out to her friend and Sam came over and squatted on the floor beside her as she sat with Cassie.
"Hey," said Sam, not meeting her friend's eyes. "Shouldn't be too long now," she said, checking her watch, for what must have been the third time in the last minute alone.
"You okay?" whispered Janet, knowing just how worried Sam must be, now that she had heard the condition of her CO.
"I'm okay. Any change?" she nodded towards the sleeping girl.
"No, thankfully she seems to be resting more easily now."
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The radio sparked into life, announcing the truck was coming through the gates.
Janet leapt to her feet, her medics not far behind her and they were already on the way to the door, beating the Colonel who was surprised at the speed of the diminutive doctor.
He ordered everyone else to stay put and ran out to stand by the doctor and her team as the truck slowed to a halt. The men in the truck were quick and efficient. Drawing out the stretcher that held a heavily covered body from the back, they allowed Janet and her staff to take over. Janet's medics easily carried the Colonel while she grabbed and held onto the Colonel's wrist that she had prised from beneath the covers.
Within a couple of minutes they had the stretcher inside and the Colonel down. Extra torches Sam had turned on while waiting for the Colonel to be brought inside, supplemented the dim lighting.
Draper almost gasped himself when he saw O'Neill's battered face and body. The heavy field dressings Con had applied were already soaked with blood. He drew back and gathered Con and his unit to one side to report, leaving the Doctor to get on with it.
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Janet quickly began her assessment. Ordering a transfusion and fluids to be started she began to cut the clothes from the Colonel's body. Sam averted her eyes and sat down, close, but facing away to preserve the dignity of her CO, while Daniel looked on in horrified fascination.
The bleeding from the bullet wound to his shoulder was profuse, but it didn't unduly worry her. The thin trickle of blood from his mouth and nose however, was a different matter. She realised the bleeding was due to a punctured lung, the mass of bruises covering his body and in particular, the ones that were darker and concentrated over an uneven section of ribs helped her to identify the probable cause.
His vitals were too low and erratic to administer any sedative. His body temperature, although down, was not the problem at the moment. His blood pressure was extremely low, showing that his blood loss and the internal bleeding were the crisis.
She readied the needle to release the pressure in his chest, to drain the blood, and he stirred faintly. 'Oh God, don't wake now, Colonel,' she prayed.
He coughed and moaned, the trickle of blood from his mouth flowing a little stronger.
His eyes flickered and he groaned again.
"Hold still Colonel, you're safe," said Janet, her hand touching his shoulder.
He drew a gasped breath and his eyes opened more, trying to focus.
"Cass ..." he whispered.
"Cassie's safe Colonel. She's okay."
His eyes closed and he gave a tiny nod.
"Tell Cass ..." he gasped in pain and Janet leaned closer.
"Colonel, don't try and speak," she warned.
"Tell ... I'm ... so sorry ..." he panted.
Janet stared down at the Colonel, frowning as she listened. "Col ..." she began and then as his head lolled she quickly checked for a pulse.
"He crashing!" she shouted and whipped the roll of sleeping bag they had him propped on from beneath his head. "Bag him," she called to her staff as she began to administer CPR.
Sam knelt up in alarm as Janet snatched the roll from beneath the Colonel's head. She watched Janet battling to bring him back. Her heart thumped painfully as she waited, the seconds folding by ... slowly ...
The entire room had gone quiet. Not a sound was heard except for Janet's occasional instruction to her staff as she fought against her biggest enemy – death.
"I'm not going to let you do this, Colonel!" called Janet as she worked.
"Got a pulse," called one of the medics. Janet stopped working as she checked and suddenly the Colonel heaved a breath and coughed. The blood from his airway splattered the inside of the mask on his face and Janet quickly snatched it away. She tilted his head and immediately began to insert the chest drain – it was now or never!
Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched in fascinated horror, wincing as the needle pierced his friend's chest. Janet taped it into place, withdrawing the seal and almost at once the blood began to flow.
Janet heaved a sigh of relief. Feeling the Colonel's pulse with one hand, she placed her stethoscope on his chest. "That should help reduce the pressure," she murmured as she listened.
The whole room seemed to sigh as one as the Doctor visibly relaxed, if just for a moment.
"Help me roll him," she ordered. Her staff helped her to place the Colonel into the recovery position gently while she checked his back. The puncture wound on his back told her tales of a stabbing, but it was barely bleeding now and she quickly cleaned and dressed it. The horrific bruises on his back, and especially over his kidneys, bore the semblance of a boot shape. She continued to check him gently and methodically. His whole body was bruised and battered, but she did her best to keep him covered as much as possible, knowing that dignity was something vital to the Colonel.
His breathing was much easier now that the blood was draining freely from his lung. She added anther bag of fluids, this time antibiotics, and re-checked his vitals again.
They put another rolled bag behind him to keep him in the recovery position if he should wake. As soon as the blood bag was on its last few drops, Janet ordered it replaced, the fluids bag not far behind it ...
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Janet stood and stretched. Her eyes sought out Colonel Draper and she moved away from her patient towards him.
"Any idea how long before we get picked up?" she asked.
Draper shook his head. "Sorry Doc, it depends on the storm. Nothing's going to be in the air for a while. How's he doing?"
Janet sighed and rubbed her neck. "He's stable, but how long for is another matter. I need to get him scanned and he needs surgery. He's taken a bullet in the shoulder, a knife wound in the back and he's had one hell of a beating, broken ribs ... he's bleeding into a lung and we need to get him to the nearest hospital asap."
The whole room listened, they couldn't help it.
"What about using a truck?" asked Draper.
Janet shook her head. "He probably wouldn't last half way down to the nearest town."
"Doc, keep him alive. As soon as those birds can lift they will," he urged.
Janet nodded wearily. She just hoped Colonel O'Neill would cooperate ...
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Draper changed the guard frequently. He wasn't going to give Mayer and the other one, Brinks, any chance of taking them unawares. Personally he just hoped they would freeze to death or fall down the cliff... anything. Those bastards didn't deserve to live. God knows what they'd done to Jack ... and that kid ... Cassie ... he reckoned she'd be having nightmares about this for a long time.
He eventually squatted beside Daniel and Sam. Teal'c was never far away, his arms folded across his massive chest, almost as if standing guard over O'Neill.
"You doing okay?" he enquired, looking from one to the other. He'd seen their reactions to their CO's injuries, in particular the Major's. He reckoned Jack was one luck SOB to get a 2IC like that ... but then again would he trade his 2IC for her? ... dang right he would! But then again ... he reckoned Jack would have something to say on that!
Major Carter nodded at him and gave him a tight smile. Daniel just shrugged, his eyes turning back to watch Jack.
"Any ideas how they got into this? Cassie isn't Jack's is she?" he asked suddenly, as the thought occurred. He hadn't gotten any history with the briefing.
"No, she isn't. Cassie is Janet's adopted daughter and she sort of adopted SG1 too," confessed Sam with a smile.
"Jack's great with kids. He used to make such a fuss of mine when he was little, sheesh, he's in California now with a kid of his own on the way," said Draper, his eyes closing slightly as he remembered, then his face clouded slightly as he remembered Jack's son. "It nearly killed him when he lost Charlie," he whispered.
"The Colonel took Cassie skating ... we're not sure exactly what happened after that," said Sam sighing deeply, her gaze wandering back to Jack. She leaned further back as one of Janet's staff blocked her view for the moment as she checked him and Sam reflectively stiffened until the medic moved away.
Draper didn't miss her reaction. "Ah, then I can tell you where they probably were. Jack used to take Charlie up to Lynette's Lake when it froze. It's not far from where they found Mayer's truck, so I guess maybe he took Cassie there too."
Daniel cleared his throat and hung his head a little. "God, why the hell does something like this have to happen?" he said wearily. "When you think of what we do out there and then this happens on our doorstep!" he said, before stopping as he caught the quick warning shake of Sam's head.
"Jack'll make it," stated Draper firmly and was rewarded by a two pairs of blue eyes gazing at him earnestly, hope yearning within them. He gripped the major's shoulder gently, and patted Daniel on his back, offering a grain of comfort before he rose to check on his men.
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Daniel leaned back against the wall, his head drooping to his chest. "God, what a mess," he said, sighing heavily.
"Try and get some sleep," advised Sam.
"I will if you will," commented Daniel, already knowing the answer.
Sam didn't respond, knowing that he knew.
"I can't help thinking that maybe those two bastards are out there waiting ..." said Daniel suddenly.
Sam shrugged. "I hope they freeze in hell," she commented acidly.
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Janet kept a close eye on both her patients. She settled down close to Cassie in case she should awake, trusting that Colonel Draper would advise them as soon as the helicopters were on their way.
The ear splitting scream roused everyone with a jerk and Janet almost fell as she scrambled to Cassie.
The girl had woken suddenly and began screaming, her eyes still closed as she sat up, trying to scramble away, her fingers clawing at the sleeping bag beneath her.
"Cassie!" called Janet as she dived beside her. She tried to take the girl in her arms, but Cassie began to struggle more.
"NO ... NO... GOD NO!" she screamed and began kicking out.
"GET HIM OFF ME ... DON'T ... DON'T TOUCH ME!" Cassie was sobbing hysterically, her hands frantically wiping at her face, as if to get something off her skin.
Janet took hold of Cassie by her shoulders and shook her, gently at first.
"Cassie, it's okay, you're safe!" she called loudly, trying to get through to her. "Cassie, it's Mom and Sam's here ... so is Daniel!"
Cassie's eyes opened and she stopped screaming for a moment. Her eyes were wide with terror and she fastened them onto her Mom's face frantically as though she might just disappear.
"Jack?" she whispered, the fight going from her.
"It's okay Cassie ..." began Janet.
"NO ... NO ... NO HE'S DEAD! JACK'S DEAD!" Cassie began screaming again and fighting Janet's hold.
Janet took a breath and slapped her daughter's face, using just enough force to quell the hysteria.
Cassie stopped screaming, her mouth opened and closed with no sound and the tears tracked down her face as she allowed herself to be gathered into her Mom's arms.
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Cassie's exhausted body dragged her back into thankful oblivion again and Janet continued to rock her gently in her arms for a little while until finally laying her down gently and covering her up.
Sam knelt beside Janet and gave her a hug.
"God, Sam, what did they do to her?" asked Janet, her eyes lit with unshed tears.
"She'll be fine, Janet, it'll just take a while. She's strong. Remember what she's been through and recovered from before."
Janet nodded, "But that's what frightens me Sam, what if this time ... if this time it's too much?"
Sam couldn't respond, she just hugged her friend tighter.
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