When It snows (part 7)
Awakened from her light doze, Teyla blinked in the dim light of the fire to find the radio, for she was certain that she'd heard Colonel Sheppard. The second time his tinny voice sounded in the darkness, she knew she hadn't been dreaming and quickly responded, hoping not to rouse her sleeping teammates.
"Good to hear you, Teyla. What's your position?"
"We are several kilometers from the gate. Rodney has created a beacon so that you may locate us."
"Well, that will certainly make things a lot easier. Put him on the radio, will you?"
She paused, glancing down at the restlessly sleeping man curled next to Carson, and repositioned the blanket he'd tossed off to the ground. "I am afraid that is not possible. He has become quite ill, as has Dr. Beckett." Knowing the colonel would worry, she quickly added, "He found us shelter from the storm."
Sheppard's tight response confirmed her belief.
"Tell me about the beacon."
Teyla fingered the device carefully, holding it close to the fire for a better look. "It is made of two radios and he said it could be pinpointed by an energy scan."
"That's good thinking."
When he stopped transmitting, she was about to page him when his voice returned.
"You said Beckett and McKay were sick but, you didn't say how you were doing."
"I am not ill, Colonel." She would tell him about her accident later.
"Okay, don't worry, we'll find you soon." he encouraged before signing off.
The soft crackle and snap of the fire filled the ensuing silence, as she sat and stared at the flicker of orange and yellow flame. Her eyes closed wearily and without thinking she dropped her face to rest in her hands, only to pull back and hiss in pain when she touched the burns to her cheek. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes but she refused to let them flow. She had been tired before, and in much worse situations than this.
Her good hand settled over more dry branches, and she broke them with a determined stomp of her boot. With the fire refueled and help on the way she returned to her spot alongside Carson.
His face felt cool, and when she checked his hands and chest underneath the blankets, they didn't feel much warmer. Securing two more warmed water bottles, she settled them close to his body before tucking the blankets in place. He murmured quietly, his head tipping to the side, but stilled when she wrapped her uninjured arm around him, her other hand softly stroking his hair. "The colonel will be here soon," she crooned quietly in comfort.
He gave a small cough and then settled his head against her shoulder.
SG: A
Sheppard tucked his radio in one of his front pockets and held out his hand expectantly to Dex. A moment later, one of Zelenka's scanners was slapped into his open palm and came to life, activated by his Ancient gene. "He give you any trouble when you went to get this?"
"No."
He shot a brief look at the taller man and noticed a hint of a smile. "You didn't scare him, did you?"
Dex rolled his eyes and sighed in mock irritation. "He was waiting for me."
His eyes fixed back on the small screen, Sheppard chuckled. "Can't keep anything from Z. I need to get him out in the field more often." A slight blip appeared in the corner of the device and he stopped, Ronon leaning over his shoulder to get a better view. "Looks like they're southeast of our position."
"That would put them off course on their return to the gate."
"Yeah." Sheppard tugged his hood tighter when a stiff wind kicked loose snow in the air to swirl about them. "Teyla said McKay got them to shelter so they must have been caught in the blizzard."
Plowing through the heavy snow like a bull moose, with white snow and ice crystals sticking to his long hair and beard, Ronon broke a path that was easier for the officer behind him to follow. "Second storm isn't too far off."
A quick glance to the night sky showed the stars rapidly disappearing behind an approaching cloud bank. "I see that, and it looks like it is coming in fast. I figure we have a half hour tops before it hits."
"If we are lucky."
Sheppard turned to look behind them in the direction of the gate. "Damn, I should have called in a Jumper," he cursed. "What was I thinking?"
Ronon reached back and latched onto the heavy parka, tugging the man to follow him. "We didn't know they were sick. Too far to go back now, so we need to keep moving."
Soon all of the stars had disappeared, leaving the pair to walk in total darkness except for the beam from their flashlights. Bitter cold wind tossed snow in their faces, blinding them. And at one point Dex stumbled, landing hard on one knee with a pained grunt before staggering back to his feet.
"You alright?" Sheppard yelled, watching the runner shake off the snow like a large dog. Not receiving an answer, he continued to follow close behind the burly man, using him as a shield against the biting wind.
The blip on the scanner grew closer and their pace increased in anticipation of finding the missing teammates. Almost continually, Sheppard had to swipe snow off the glowing screen while he gripped his other hand in Dex's long coat to steer him in the right direction. With the continual wind shift and diminished visibility, without Zelenka's device it would have been impossible to know if they were walking in a straight line.
Large trees covered in heavy snow blocked their path, and the beacon showed the signal to be emanating from close by. Working their way through the tight forest, Sheppard drew to a halt when Dex suddenly stopped, the beam of his flashlight tracing the trees and then the ground.
"What did you see?" he yelled out.
The runner shook his head. "Smelled smoke." He walked carefully past several more trees before he shone his light towards a large branch with slightly less snow than the others. Carefully, so as not to dump the accumulation inside the shelter, he lifted the limb and gestured for Sheppard to go first.
Hunkered down, the colonel peered inside and saw the orange glow of a fire…and the missing members of his team.
SG: A
A cold wind blew through the small shelter, and Teyla lifted her head off her arm to peer towards the opening. The fire flickered and danced a moment before the disturbance was stifled, revealing a hooded figure with just a pair of eyes visible peering pack at her.
"Up for some company?" Sheppard's muffled voice asked quietly as he made his way inside. He scooted over as far as he could to make room for the runner to sit beside him.
"Colonel, Dex, it is so good to see you." Teyla's face was filled with relief.
"You too." Sheppard's gaze shifted to the sleeping men and he frowned as he slipped out of his coat and stuffed it behind him. "What happened?"
"We were on our way to the gate. Rodney was leading the way, when the storm hit. Soon the snow was so thick that it was hard for us to see where we were going. When I tripped, Dr. Beckett assisted me but we became separated from Rodney, so instead of following his path, we walked straight. We did not know of the frozen pond until Rodney tried to warn us, but it was too late. The ice broke and Dr. Beckett fell into the water."
Disturbed by the voices, Rodney shifted, tossing his blanket back off, only to have it replaced by Dex. The runner's large hand touched the scientist's flushed face and then his chest. "He has a fever."
Teyla nodded. "He rescued Carson and then had the doctor wear his coat to get warm."
Sheppard scowled. "McKay walked through a blizzard without his coat?"
She nodded again. "He said Carson had hypothermia and that we must get him warm. He brought us to the trees and found us shelter."
Both men remained silent, watching the doctor's fitful sleep.
Dex glanced away when Teyla shifted to add another piece of wood to the fire and he caught sight of the red welts across her cheek. "What happened?" he demanded, catching her by the wrist to look closer.
When she gasped in pain and pulled away, Sheppard tried to see around the tree trunk and watched her tuck her hand inside her sleeve. "Teyla?"
Once she got her breathing under control, she glanced back to the men. "A small pot burst from the heat of the fire and boiling water. I did not move fast enough to be out of the way."
"Did you put anything on the burns?" Sheppard asked as he tried to move closer to her in the small space.
"Dr. Beckett told Rodney of an ointment that he was to spread on the blisters."
The dark haired colonel held out his hand. "Let me see how bad they are, Teyla."
She carefully leaned forward and tugged up her sleeve to reveal several dark red spots on the back of her wrist.
When Dex caught sight of her injuries and realized the pain he must have caused her, he pulled back in dismay. "I'm sorry," he rumbled, "I did not wish to cause you further pain."
She gave him a small smile, "You did not know."
Before she had the chance to say more, the runner pulled his coat back on. "I'll get more wood," he stated gruffly and then slipped back through the entranceway.
Teyla watched him go, a tired sadness filling her face before she looked back at Sheppard.
"He'll be fine," Sheppard offered quietly. Spying the tube of medicine, he undid the cap. "Lean forward and let me put some of this on your face."
His touch was gentle as he dabbed the coiling cream on her face and she found herself closing her eyes in exhaustion, happy to no longer be alone and to let someone else take over. When a heavy warmth draped over her shoulders, she blinked in surprise as he gently pushed her sideways to lie back down beside Carson. The heat of his own coat still present inside the downy layer, she looked up to him in confusion.
"Your turn to rest," he said quietly, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "I'll take care of the guys."
She wanted to refuse but her body betrayed her, and within seconds she was asleep, wrapped in the comforting warmth of her friend's coat.
SG: A
Ronon stood outside in the darkness, letting the wind and snow whip around him. He had come to respect Teyla as an equal, not looking at her as just a woman on the team. But causing her pain and seeing a hint of fear in her eyes due to his actions burned him deeply inside as a man. Somehow, he would find a way to make it up to her.
He worked his way under several trees, finding the ones that the others had already cleared out, and then going to the ones still available. With a large pile of branches, he worked his way back to the opening and passed a bundle down to Sheppard before stepping back outside to retrieve the second.
There was little space left available inside the shelter, and with the extra men, firewood would have to be stored next to the opening outside. He trudged back to another tree for more but stopped when movement underneath it caught his eye. Cautiously directing his flashlight though the branches, the beam reflected on a pair of golden colored eyes staring directly at him.
Slowly he reached for his ever present knife at his side and forgot that it was buried beneath his bulky long coat, as was his gun. Never turning his gaze from the animal, he backtracked from the tree, his hand reaching inside the folds of his coat, for a weapon.
The animal's gaze never faltered, tracking the large man. And, sensing that its dinner was about to get away, it gave a loud growl and pounced, its sharp claws tearing into the intruder.
Ronon dropped his flashlight and swiftly pulled his knife from the sheath. Two strong strokes of the blade left the animal dead at his feet with a slit throat. But the damage had already been done.
He stumbled back, holding his ravaged arm close to his chest, not seeing the pile of broken branches from earlier behind him. Falling clumsily to the ground, he landed silently in a deep drift, the wind and snow quickly erasing the evidence of what had just occurred.
And all that was left was sounds of the storm howling through the trees.
TBC