For those wondering about the title of this story - don't worry - all will be made plain soon! Thanks again for all the reviews, etc. I'll try and get back to everyone soon - I've just been concentrating on the stories!
They'd been here for almost two weeks and still no sign of rescue. They had managed to make the food last until yesterday, supplemented by the fish Jack was able to catch. Still, it wasn't enough and they'd both started to lose weight, Jack especially.
They divided up what they had pretty carefully but Sam knew Jack was dangerously low on calories. They needed to find an additional source of food soon or they'd begin to starve.
They had stayed close to the gate at first, hoping that earth would manage to contact one of their allies quickly and they wouldn't have to wait long for a ship to come and pick them up. As each day went by they realized they would have to start making longer term plans.
"So, I think we should head out and see if we can find a better place to camp." Jack had just come back from the stream but was only carrying two small fish. They were either getting scarcer or had learned to avoid the hook! Sam was already starving; she could feel her stomach growl, and knew Jack must be in worse shape.
"Where do you think we should go Sir?" Sam asked, taking one of the fish and beginning to clean it.
"I think we should head over to the hills in that direction." He pointed to the area where they had seen the Jaffa. It looked like there were more, higher hills a couple of days travel from that point. There might be better shelter closer to the mountains and maybe more wildlife. He knew they needed to find some larger game if they were going to survive.
"Do you think they'll find us there?" Sam asked, worried that they'd be gone when a rescue ship came.
"Either the Asgard or Tokra should be able to find a couple of humans on a deserted planet. I'd leave some signs but I'm afraid the Goa'uld or Jaffa will return. We have to hope that our allies will look for us. I'm afraid we have to take our chances however. There's no way we're gonna survive here for long without an adequate food source and some better shelter."
Even though they'd only been here for a couple of weeks they could tell that the days were getting shorter. Sam had determined, before they'd even come to this planet, that it had a temperate climate similar to the one around Colorado Springs. Based on the distance of their 'sun' and the rotation of the planet this world appeared to have at least three if not four seasons. The vegetation also looked relatively similar to that which existed in their climate zone at home.
They both knew that this was not a good thing. It meant that the weather would be getting colder and they might even get snow and freezing temperatures. It was imperative that they prepare long before that time came.
Right now they figured they were in the planet's late summer so they had a few months before things got too bad. However, with limited tools and no substantial food supply things weren't looking great. They had to find someplace better equipped – and soon.
So, the next day they packed up all their supplies and headed out towards the mountains.
Other than the fact that they weren't getting enough to eat, things hadn't gone badly since the gate had been destroyed. They'd established a routine each day which kept things relatively 'normal' and kept them busy. Jack spent the mornings catching fish and the rest of the day checking out the area around them. The had build a small 'lean-to' to keep out any weather that might arise and had looked around for other small game. If it hadn't been for the fact that they were trapped on the planet Sam could actually have enjoyed their time together.
She was equally as pleased at how she and the Colonel were getting along. They kept things as professional as always, but were both relaxed around each other. She had been worried that things would feel awkward but the Colonel was so matter-of-fact about everything that it took away any discomfort.
There wasn't the slightest hint of anything other than two soldiers on a mission. They would spend a short time chatting over supper, such as it was, but the rest of the time stuck pretty much to conversation needed to get their work done.
As they walked towards the mountains Sam just hoped that they'd find what they needed. Things could soon become serious if they didn't find food and shelter.
It took them almost three days before they'd reached the base of the 'mountains' such as they were. They weren't huge – more like large hills than anything. Jack stopped and looked at Carter.
"Well, this is it. Let's see if we can find a cave or something to set up as our home. Then we're going to have to find some game."
She noticed that the Colonel was sounding tired. They had brought a bit of fish with them but had eaten nothing in the last day and she could tell he was finding it hard to continue. She found it a bit easier but guessed that was one of the benefits of being a woman. She had more 'stored' fat than him – even though she was relatively thin herself.
Jack was sure there were larger animals on this planet. He had seen some evidence of what looked like some kind of large hooved animal. He just wished they could find one. Fortunately he knew about skinning and preserving meat from his days growing up in northern Minnesota. He actually didn't like hunting anymore as he had had to deal with too much killing in his life already. The last thing he wanted to do was to do it for fun. It was a different thing, of course, when it was for survival. That he could do.
It was late on the third day when they found it! They had travelled up into the hills, following the path of a small stream, which would be necessary for fresh water. They almost missed it, it was so well hidden, but at the last minute Sam had seen a shadow over to one side of the narrow trail.
"Sir."
"What is it Carter?" The Colonel stopped and looked at his 2IC.
"Over there", she pointed. "I think it might be a cave Sir."
"Okay! I'll go take a look. You wait here and watch my back."
"Yes Sir." She watched as Jack veered off the trail and walked up the short incline to the entrance of the cave. She saw him take out his gun and carefully approach from the side. He peaked around the corner and stood for a couple of minutes. When it looked safe he slowly entered and she lost sight of him.
It was only a couple of minutes before he came out, sporting a big grin. "Good catch Carter. This looks like it could be a nice cozy little cave. Everything looks safe so come on up."
Sam followed the path O'Neill had taken until she was standing beside him in the entrance to the small cave. Walking in she could see that it went farther back than she would have thought. It was also wider than it looked from the narrow entrance.
Although it looked as if some animals had been here at one time it didn't look like it had been recently. She turned to the Colonel and smiled.
"Looks like a good place Sir."
"Yeah, and you haven't seen the best part." He reached over and took her hand and led her to the back of the cave. There was actually a wall that jutted out a few feet and more cave behind it. She hadn't noticed it when they entered but when she walked around the wall she could hear the sound of water. She looked over to the side and could see what looked like a shallow pool with water trickling down from the rocks.
"It has running water!" He grinned.
"Luxurious Sir!" she smiled in return. It would, in fact, save them a lot of work not having to constantly run out and collect water.
"Okay Major, let's get unpacked." The Colonel was suddenly all business again. It didn't take them long before they had everything laid out in the small cave. They used one of the tarps as a curtain in the front entrance. It would help keep out the wind and help keep things warmer. They build a central 'fire-pit' and placed their sleeping bags on either side of it. This allowed for some semblance of privacy for both of them.
They designated the area by the pool as the 'bath' area although they searched out a likely spot outside for their latrine. Sam just hoped they were rescued before winter came. She didn't relish the thought of having to go outside to 'go'.
By the time they were done it was starting to get dark so they sat and drank the last of their coffee and talked quietly. They avoided taling about personal things or about their present situation. They both needed to try and relax and not deal with anything too serious. Tomorrow would mean the serious hunt for food.
The next day Jack was able to again catch some fish in the stream that ran down the mountain. He also spent some time setting up a 'smoke-house' to preserve any of the meat they caught. She thanked God again for the fact that she'd been stranded with the Colonel. Even though she'd had survival training she didn't think it would have been good enough to keep her alive throughout the winter.
O'Neill taught her how to smoke the fish and he spent a few days catching as many as he could. Fortunately there were either more fish in this stream – or they weren't as smart – because he was able to catch a large number.
By the fifth day they had a good quantity of dried fish although Samantha was already tired of the dry, tasteless meat. They still had a bit of salt left from their supplies but that would run out soon. She really wasn't looking forward to months of nothing but the leather like fish.
"I'm going to go see if I can find anything else Carter." Jack had come up as she was eating 'breakfast' on the morning of the sixth day. He had his gun and a small pack of supplies.
"I'll go with you Sir. Just let me get my things." He started to tell her to stay but then thought better of it. It was wise for them to stick together as much as possible while stranded on an alien planet.
He'd been incredibly proud of his Major and how she'd handled everything so far. He knew this was tough on her - she'd never had to deal with anything like this before. He'd always known that Carter was a great soldier and she continued to confirm that every day since they'd been stuck together on this planet.
He had been very careful, from the beginning, to treat her as professionally as possible. It was the only way to maintain discipline and to avoid any possible awkwardness.
If he wasn't careful this could become a very difficult situation for both of them. He had long been aware of how much he could grow to like his Second in a 'non-professional' way. She was extremely attractive, in more than just her looks. She was brave and smart and funny – all things he loved in a woman. But there was no way he'd ever do anything which would destroy her career – or his. No, his 2IC was as far out of bounds as they came and he would make sure to maintain that professional distance.
At the same time, they were stuck together for the foreseeable future so he tried to also maintain a friendly and companionable relationship. So far he thought things were going pretty well.
As soon as Carter was ready they headed out, making sure to secure all their supplies (especially the food) in safe locations within the cave. The last thing they needed was for wild animals to get in and eat their precious store of food.
The had been walking for just over 20 minutes when Jack saw the first sign of an animal. Kneeling down he checked the spore and nodded up at Carter. Using his fingers he signed that the animal had been here recently – they were coming up close to it.
Sam followed the Colonel's lead. She'd never been hunting before – beyond her short survival training – and watched him carefully. When he suddenly squatted down she immediately followed.
"Over there", he mouthed. He took out his rifle and slowly crawled forward, indicating that she should stay back. As he reached the rocks in front of him he carefully rose up to where he could see a group of large animals grazing on a small patch of grass about 30 feet below their position.
Jack looked at the animals and figured they were something like a very large mountain sheep. They were obviously grazers and therefore should be okay to eat. He carefully positioned himself and took careful aim. Just as he was about to pull the trigger the animals stopped grazing and brought their heads up. They all stood as if frozen, clearly worried about something. Jack figured he must have made some kind of noise which had startled the animals, although he thought he'd been totally quiet. Maybe they had extra acute hearing.
He knew it was now or never – they looked like they would turn and run at any second. Again getting one of the animals in his sights he slowly and carefully pulled the trigger. The loud shot disguised the scream of another animal as it jumped down from its perch over head right onto Jack.
Sam almost screamed herself as she saw the huge, cat-like animal jump on Jack from above. She hadn't seen or heard the animal until it was too late. Now suddenly it was there. It had its giant mouth and teeth fastened on Jack's shoulder and was slowly pulling him away with it. He was desperately trying to get away but was no match for its phenomenal strength. He had reached up with his free arm and was attempting to poke his finger in the cat's eyes but it would simply shake its head each time he got close. Finally frustrated at the puny prey's attempt to hurt it the cat swatted Jack with it's huge paw, leaving vicious tear marks across his chest and free arm.
By this time Sam had gathered her wits about her and had pulled out her pistol. She knew she had to hurry as the cat was dragging Jack into the bushes where she suspected it would begin to 'eat'. Shaking slightly she aimed her gun but was terrified she'd hit Jack instead. Finally, taking a deep breath she steadied her hand and let off a shot. Unfortunately it just nicked the beast on its ear which simply maddened it and it shook its prey. Knowing that this could kill the Colonel Sam took careful aim again and shot.
This time she was successful and hit the animal right between the eyes. It dropped almost instantly, right on top of its 'prey'.
With an anguished cry Sam stood up and ran towards the dead animal. As she got close she could see it was even bigger than she had thought. It was much larger than any similar animal on earth. She was almost afraid to get closer, afraid that she would find Jack dead. Still she hurried, knowing that he might still be alive but wouldn't stay that way if he was being crushed by the cat.
It took her a couple of frantic minutes before she could move the animal enough to even see the Colonel. The cat was certainly dead but unfortunately hadn't let go of its prey. It's huge jaws were still clamped around O'Neill's shoulder. She reached down a very shaky hand to the Colonel's neck and sighed in relief when she could feel his pulse. Still, by the amount of blood, she knew his condition was serious and she had to get him out from under the animal as soon as possible.
She reached over to the cat's mouth and tried to pry open it's jaws but could make no headway. Its muscles had locked in death. Knowing that she had to get them open and quickly she searched around to find something to pry it's mouth open. Seeing the Colonel's rifle she knew that that might be just the thing. Carefully removing all the bullets she then stuck the barrel of the gun into the animal's mouth and began to push with all her strength. At first nothing happened but soon she could feel the jaws slowly begin to open. She looked down and felt herself cringe when she could see the flesh held between the sharp and incredibly long teeth of the animal.
As the jaws slowly opened she could see the teeth start to pull out of the Colonel's shoulder. She suddenly stopped, worried that the cat could have severed an artery and he could quickly bleed to death if she wasn't careful. Stopping what she was doing for a moment she reached over to her pack and pulled out the first aid kit and opened it so the supplies were ready. She then resumed her pushing on the gun.
After what seemed like forever she had managed to open the jaws wide enough to get the Colonel's shoulder free. She had to pull the remaining bit of flesh from between the teeth and then pulled him as far away as she could. It took a bit more maneuvering as his legs were still trapped under the gigantic body.
Once he was completely free Sam collapsed back on the ground, dizzy from both the effort and the anxiety. She knew she didn't have the luxury to rest however so she immediately reached for the emergency supplies and attempted to stop the bleeding. It didn't look like an artery had been severed or even nicked but the wounds were bleeding pretty freely. She glanced down at he chest where the claws had viciously slashed him and could see that those wounds' looked as bad. In one or two spots she could see bone.
Once the wounds had been bound as best she could she looked around. Fortunately they hadn't travelled too far from the cave. Still, Sam knew it was going to be a difficult trip back. She didn't think she could carry the Colonel, not over rough terrain, although she might not have any choice. First though she had to try and see if he could manage with her help.
"Colonel", she called, gently patting his cheek. "Colonel, you have to wake up." She patted him again. This time she got a small grown and he tried to move his face away. "Colonel, I need your help. You have to wake up."
This seemed to finally get through to O'Neill and he groaned again, but this time he opened his eyes. At first they looked completely out of focus and she knew he hadn't yet regained full consciousness. Finally his vision began to sharpen and he looked at her.
"Wha – happn'd?" he asked, slightly slurring his words.
"Ah, a big cat decided you looked good for lunch Sir. It attached you. You have some holes in your shoulder and it scratched you across the chest." He nodded and licked his lips. He was starting to remember what had happened.
"I have to get you back to the cave Sir and look after those wounds. Do you think you can walk?'
Jack knew that there was absolutely no way in hell he was ever going to be able to walk even a few feet. The pain was so bad he wanted to pass out and the nausea was building. He figured it wouldn't be too long before he was losing lunch – and probably everything he'd eaten for the last two weeks. The thought was none too pleasant.
He looked at Sam and nodded – once – the pain from the shoulder wound making him gasp as he moved his head. He decided it was better to speak.
"Help ..m'up" he muttered. She reached down and slipped an arm under his good shoulder. He couldn't help but groan, more loudly this time, as fire spread throughout his body. With a grunt he managed to pull himself to a sitting position but almost passed out in the trying. Suddenly, he knew that his premonition was correct. Turning to the side he began to heave, the intense clenching of his stomach muscles causing him to practically faint in pain.
Sam continued to support him as waves upon waves of nausea caused him to continuously throw up. Soon there was nothing left in his stomach but still he continued to heave – this caused even more pain and he could feel himself start to pass out.
"Come on Sir, hold on. You can make it." Her soft, encouraging voice kept the last little bit of his consciousness tethered to reality. He finally managed to stop although now he had to contend with a raw throat and foul taste on top of the burning agony coursing through his body. He was trembling uncontrollably but began to try and settle down.
"'kay Carter", he was able to gasp out. "le's go." As gently as possible she helped him to stand. He swayed dangerously on his feet but she managed to hang on to him.
"Come on Sir, let's go. It's not far and we'll have you lying down in no time. I have a nice vial of morphine with your name on it."
Normally Jack hated any kind of pain medication – they made him feel too 'spaced' out for his liking. Right now, however, the thought of that morphine waiting at the end was the only thing that kept him going. He kept fading in and out and had trouble remembering exactly what had happened. One thing he did know however, and that was that this was some of the worst pain he could ever remember feeling.
Sam was practically crying as she helped the Colonel back to the cave. She had to bear much of his weight and there were a number of times when she thought he was going to pass out. She was in awe of him though as he kept going even though he'd begun to sob and whimper. She didn't think he even realized he was doing it, and she would certainly never say anything. He was a proud man and would hate the thought that his body was giving in to the pain like that. Still, his courage was unbelievable.
The closer they got to the cave the more worried Sam became. O'Neill was sobbing openly by now, the pain too much to bear silently. She cursed the fact that she'd left most of the supplies, including the morphine, back at the cave.
"Can't", the Colonel gasped out. He started to drop to the ground when she hoisted him up and spoke.
"You can make it Colonel. We're almost there so don't you dare give up on me now!" As he continued to sag and whimper she knew she would have to be cruel to be kind.
"Stand up straight Airman!" she shouted although she herself was panting by this time. "What do you think you're doing? Are you too weak to make it? Come on, get your ass in gear and get moving." Somehow the words seemed to help and she could feel the Colonel try and straighten up and keep moving.
It took almost an hour but they finally made it to the cave. The last part was the hardest. By this time O'Neill was almost a dead weight and they'd had to get up the small hill up the cliff face to the cave. But, make it they did!
She laid the Colonel down on his sleeping bag, covering it first with the extra tarp so as not to ruin it with his blood. They couldn't afford to ruin one of their only sleeping bags.
Grabbing her knife she quickly cut the Colonel's shirt off although she attempted to save his jacket. He'd need it and it didn't look too damaged, although it was covered in blood.
Once she had his clothes off she could see the extent of the damage and had to hold back a sob. She didn't know if he could survive this.
The first thing she did was make up a fire and then put their small pot of water on to boil. She then retrieved the big first aid kit and began to pull things out of it. She looked down and saw one of the vials of morphine and debated about giving it to O'Neill. She knew she had promised him but he seemed to be either asleep or unconscious and she didn't want to waste any of the precious medicine. Putting it back she instead reached for the antibiotics. Filling a syringe she injected him with the broad spectrum antibiotic that Janet always packed.
Once the water had boiled Sam went about trying to clean the wounds. Knowing how serious puncture wounds often were she carefully pulled out any foreign material she could see and then used the water to clean the wounds as best she could. Once that was done she debated whether or not to stitch them up.
Seeing that the shoulder wounds had stopped bleeding, at least for now, she decided to leave them be. She simply covered them in antibiotic ointment and bandaged them. Looking at his chest she knew it was a different matter.
The bandages she had placed on the torn flesh were soaking wet with blood. She carefully pulled them away and could see that the wound was still seeping pretty dramatically. Damn, she said to herself, she should have done this first. She knew her excuse was that she was in shock from all that had happened.
Carefully, but as quickly as possible, she cleaned the wound. She then reached into the kit and pulled out the suturing thread and needles. Even though she had done it before she felt a bit sick about the idea of sewing up the Colonel's flesh. Still, it had to be done if he wasn't going to bleed to death.
With a deep breath she began to sew the wound closed.
She'd been working for about five minutes, concentrating on the sewing, when she felt a jerk and heard the Colonel groan. She looked up just in time to see his eyes open and look at her.
"Wha-?" he asked, confused.
"Stay still Sir. I'm just sewing up a wound on your chest. You musn't move." He stared at her in confusion and attempted to push himself up. Unfortunately he tried using his 'hurt' arm and shoulder and let out a scream when the pain spiked.
"I told you Sir, you have to stay still!" He looked at her again but this time seemed to understand what she was saying. He gave a tiny nod and lay his head back down with his eyes closed.
Taking a deep breath Sam knew she had to continue. She reached down and began to sew up the wound again. She'd barely done one more stitch when Jack groaned and reached out with his good arm to grab her hand.
"Stop – please!", he groaned. The pain was becoming too much.
God! Where was her head, she wondered. Carefully laying the needle down on sterile cloths she turned and got out the morphine. Filling the syringe to its maximum safe level she reached down and quickly injected the Colonel.
"There, that should help Sir." When he looked at her in confusion she continued. "The morphine Sir – it'll help." He looked at her for another few seconds and then nodded. He was desperate for the relief.
A few minutes later and Sam could see the Colonel begin to relax, the edge now taken off the pain. Sam kept stitching and soon was finished although she was horrified when she sat back and realized how deep and long the claw marks were.
Once she'd finished bandaging the Colonel she knew she'd done all she could. Now it was up to him and to his immune system. Sam knew that the most dangerous thing now was the possibility – no probability of infection. She'd have to watch him carefully over the next few days.
She looked around the small cave and felt the tears begin to flow down her face. She didn't know what was going to happen, but knew their chances of survival were now significantly less than they had been before. She looked down at the brave soldier lying on the floor and prayed.
Don't you dare die on my Sir – don't you dare!