Melony looked up at Teal'c, not at all inclined to get up just yet – even though there was a rock digging painfully into the small of her back.
"Teal'c."
The Jaffa knelt down beside her as the others separated to help the others.
"Are you all right, Colonel Mitchell?"
She hesitated.
Am I?
Just stay still for a bit, okay?
"I can't move… much."
She wasn't completely helpless, after all.
Teal'c nodded, opening the vest she was wearing, and then her jacket, looking for injuries. He found several slashes, but the only serious ones were on her shoulder and hip. On her forearm was a nasty bite wound, but that, too, would undoubtedly heal. The vest had done a fine job of protecting her from the claws of the vicious cat – mostly. Teal'c turned to one of his lieutenants.
"Jaffa, Kree."
He gestured to the pack the Jaffa had carried, and when the warrior brought it over to him, Melony's First Prime pulled out a first aid kit and wrapped her shoulder tightly to staunch the flow of blood.
As Melony watched, more than willing to put herself in Teal'c's hands just then, the others were getting things sorted out as well.
Sheppard and one of the Jaffa were both kneeling beside Rodney McKay, who was slumped unconscious next to the trunk he'd been tossed against.
"Is he all right?" Teyla asked, coming over and watching as the Jaffa stripped Rodney's jacket and vest to check for injuries.
"He'll be okay," Sheppard said, checking the bump on McKay's head. "We need to get him back to Atlantis, though." He looked over at Ford, who was shakily getting to his feet with a helping hand from one of the Jaffa. "Ford?"
The young lieutenant shrugged.
"I'm okay."
"Good. Check on Dex."
A couple of the Jaffa had already converged on the site where Dex and the cat that had attacked him had ended up, both lying motionless and bloody. They pulled the cat off the injured man and knelt beside him, one of them already reaching for a medical kit. Ford took it from him and dropped down beside the man, uncertain if the Jaffa were better at first aid than he was.
"Wow…"
Mitchell was just close enough to hear. She sat up, painfully, and looked over – although she couldn't see anything.
"How is he, lieutenant?"
"He's out, Colonel."
"Alive, though?"
"Yeah." Ford was already pulling a bandage from the pack. "We need to get him to Beckett, though."
"Have the Jaffa make a couple of stretchers," Melony told Teal'c. "One for him, and one for McKay."
"Who is he?" Teal'c asked, even as he gestured for a couple of the Jaffa to make stretchers to carry the wounded.
"It's a long story," Melony said as Teal'c tied off the tight bandage on her shoulder. "I'll tell you when I tell the others, to save time."
Teal'c nodded, accepting that, and stood, watching as two stretchers were made and Ronon Dex and Rodney McKay were placed carefully on them. By then, Mitchell was sitting up, breaths coming painfully as she watched what was going on around her as well.
Teal'c had brought ten Jaffa with him – more than enough to make sure the trip back to the gate would be uneventful.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, moving her shoulder gently to see if she'd have any trouble with it. It hurt, telling her that she wasn't going to be arm-wrestling anyone any time soon.
"Doctor Weir sent word that your team had gone to look for Colonel Sheppard's team and had not been heard from. When Lieutenant Boyett and Sergeant Sanchez returned without you, telling of the noises you had heard, I decided it was time to come look for you."
Mitchell nodded.
"You have great timing."
The big Jaffa looked around, noting that they were making stretchers and several of them were bleeding – including Ford, who was injured, but not badly.
"It would have been better had we arrived a few minutes sooner."
Melony smiled. What a perfectionist.
"I'm not complaining."
Boyett was looking down at one of the cats that had attacked them.
"It looks like a mountain lion…"
Sheppard had supervised the loading of McKay onto the stretcher, but joined the lieutenant and nodded his agreement.
"Yeah. But bigger."
"I do not understand why the villagers did not warn us f the dangers these cats represented," Teyla said, coming over to look as well.
"Perhaps they did not know of the creatures…" Teal'c said, moving to stand beside her. The two didn't touch, but there was an intimacy – even in the way that they were standing – that made Melony smile as she watched them.
"Do we have enough people to bring one with us?" She asked Teal'c, who would know better than she did if one of his Jaffa – or maybe two – could carry one of the cats with them. "I'd like to show it to the villagers."
"Of course."
One of the Jaffa could carry a cat. None of them would admit if the creature was too heavy, and Teal'c knew it.
"Good." She looked to make sure they were all ready, watched as a couple of Jaffa helped one of the others sling one of the cats – the one that had attacked Ford (because it wasn't so torn up and bloody) – over his shoulder. "Let's get going."
Her body was aching, cut up, bitten and sliced, and she wanted nothing more than to get back to Carson.