IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: This fanfic plot is blatantly stolen from another writer: Psamathe. They graciously gave me permission to post this story after I ripped their plot off. Thanks! :D
Also, fun fact, I wrote this before I had actually watched Stargate SG-1. I had mostly read fanfic and scripts of the show in my spare time before finally buying all three of the series' on DVD. Now, after watching the show, I was pleasantly surprised to revisit this story and find it pretty much in character, at least for Jack and Sam.
WARNINGS:
Rated PG-13 for mild language (blame Jack), peril, and graphic description of injury. Lots and lots of injury. Heavy Sam and Jack whump and H/C.
Emetophobia warning!
Disclaimer:
The characters in Stargate SG-1 are not mine, though I stand in wonder at the brilliant minds that created them.
They are so complex and multidimensional that an aspiring writer such as myself cannot resist borrowing them for a little while- even though I'm about twenty five years late to the party.
I promise to return them more or less in the same condition. *evil grin*
Spoilers for 1x19 Solitudes
o-O-o-O-o
It was supposed to be a simple mission. However, if one spends enough time around SG-1, you quickly realize that there's no such thing. The objective was simple enough. They were to visit P4X-778, a mostly primitive planet with vastly superior medical technology- and a willingness to trade. However, they were quite timid when SG-12 made first contact with them, insisting that a member of the Tau'ri be made a member of their tribe before negotiations began.
Of course, Daniel was chosen to be the honored representative.
O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'c were to wait quietly in the village for the 5 day ceremony- and try to stay out of the way.
Knowing Jack O'Neill however, it didn't take long for him to get bored and start looking for something to do. He ended up at the local river, fishing with a rod he'd crafted from a stick and twenty feet of string he'd raided from the emergency survival kits. He was soon joined by some of the village children, curious as to what he was doing. He made miniature fishing rods for them too, and began to teach them how to fish- with varied success.
It was a tranquil way to spend an afternoon, and, after some time, the small bunch started to reel in some fish.
Suddenly, one of the children let out a surprised scream. O'Neill reacted before he could think, automatically reaching for his sidearm and turning towards the sound. He was so focused on scanning the surroundings for danger, he forgot to look down, planting his foot directly on top of a fish. He lost his balance momentarily, planting his other foot to try and catch himself. Unfortunately, his other foot caught on a protruding root, catching under it. Jack fell, twisting the trapped ankle with a sickening crack.
He let out a surprised yell as white hot lightning shooting from the injury caused him to see stars for a moment. After a few seconds, the pain abated enough for him to evaluate the potential danger that caused the child to startle. A small girl just down the bank had her line caught in an overhanging tree.
Blinking his eyes open, he found that the small group of children crowded around him. Probably trying to figure out what was wrong with their new friend. He looked down at his ankle, still caught under the root. He turned to the children, resigning himself to the humiliation that was soon to come.
"Carter. Go get Carter!" He told them wearily. They looked at him blankly.
"Uh, right. She's got blonde hair- kind of spiky, shorter than me, she's wearing the same thing I am," He pulled at his green SG jacket, then tapped his tac vest.
They ran off, jabbering in their native tongue.
He laid back, trying to control the pain.
Of course, he'd be the one to ruin their perfectly relaxing mission. By stepping on a fish? How was he going to explain that to Hammond?
The children came running across the bank of the river, with both Carter and Teal'c in tow. Apparently, they didn't know what "blonde" meant.
Carter knelt beside him." What happened?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"I slipped. Wrenched my ankle."
Carter noticed the fish nearby- somewhat squished.
"On a fish?" She asked.
O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Just look at it."
She removed his foot from the root, being careful not to jar it too much. He hissed in pain as she touched it.
"Sorry Sir."
"I'm fine," He snapped, feeling guilty immediately- she was just trying to assess the condition of her commanding officer.
She carefully slipped off his boot, already tight from the swelling. She carefully examined the injury.
"I have no way of knowing for sure, but it's probably broken," She informed him.
She looked at Teal'c. "Can you help him back to the Stargate?"
"NO!" O'Neill yelled before Teal'c could open his mouth.
"I will not be carried through the gate! Not for the whole SGC to look on and laugh at the leader of SG-1 who ruined a mission because he slipped on a fish!"
"I do not believe it would be possible for you to walk to the Stargate," Teal'c informed him.
Why did he have to be so reasonable all the time?
O'Neill turned to Carter.
"Can you just put a splint on it? It's only 10 klicks to the Stargate."
"I thought I wasn't allowed to do that anymore," She said, almost with a straight face, only cracking a smile at the end.
He groaned. "That was then. This is now." "Wow sir, a cliche? I'm not sure weather to be impressed or check for a traumatic brain injury."
"Carter! Just slap a splint on it and I'll be good to go!"
Sam smiled, victorious.
"Perhaps I should accompany you to the Stargate," Teal'c said.
"No, really it's fine. Carter'll splint this up nice and good, and I'll be fine to walk there myself."
"With all your gear?" Carter asked. "You can't go without it, and you shouldn't carry all that extra weight."
O'Neill thought about that for a second.
Carter continued. "Sir, I should come with you. I can always come back after helping you through the gate. We've still got four days left on this thing- and wouldn't you hate to tear Daniel away?"
O'Neill sighed, relenting. Leave it to Carter to use the wide-eyed anthropologist against him. "Fine."
Teal'c and Carter helped O'Neill back to the village, where Carter bound his ankle in a snug splint.
"If it's broken, the fracture is simple. I won't need to set it," She told Jack with a smile.
He sighed in relief. "No offense Major, but I'd probably punch you if you tried to set this leg again."
It had been almost two years since the incident in Antarctica where she'd had to set his leg without anesthesia- or appropriate training.
After they'd gotten back, Sam had asked Dr. Fraiser to teach her how to properly set a bone in the field, and she'd happily agreed, quickly coming to the realization she'd caused her CO a lot of unnecessary pain.
A few weeks after the lesson, Janet had called her out of her lab to assist in setting an Airman's broken arm under sedation. With Dr. Fraiser guiding her hands, she was able to correctly set the bones. Carter was grateful that Janet had given her the skills and confidence to use them, but even more grateful that she wouldn't need to practice on the Colonel now.
After packing up their gear, Carter and O'Neill started off towards the Stargate, about 10 klicks away. He stubbornly insisted on walking by himself, but Carter forced him to let her carry the gear.
It soon became obvious, to Sam at least, they weren't going to make the gate by nightfall. After about two klicks, O'Neill stumbled and went down hard, landing on his good knee with a muffled grunt of pain. After a brief, but heated argument he agreed to lean on Carter's shoulder for the remainder of the hike.
Fatigue had started to set in Sam's muscles. She was carrying two full packs, plus more and more of her CO by the minute. She stopped to rest by a river, and helped O'Neill to the ground.
Deciding to have a short rest herself, Sam plopped down on the river's edge while taking in the sights around her. The planet itself was fairly similar to a desert, being that it was flat and mostly sandy, except for the occasional canyon and crop of trees. Although the temperatures, unlike Abydos, remained a balmy 70 degrees throughout the day and night.
They were in a canyon now, the walls of it extended at least fifty feet above their heads, although the bottom of the ravine was wide and long enough to not be claustrophobic. Instinctively scanning the rim of the canyon for threats, Sam suddenly realized their mistake.
"Sir. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."
The Stargate was visible- on top of the canyon.
"We'll have to backtrack and find some way to get on top of this thing," She said, already calculating how much time they'd lost by not taking the correct path up to the top of the canyon.
She looked over at Jack. He was sitting loosely cross-legged with his head between his knees, taking deep breaths.
"Sir? Are you okay?"
He looked up at her, face pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. "Kinda dizzy,"
She frowned. If the Colonel was admitting weakness, it must be really bad.
"Okay. We'll camp here for the night, let you rest, and then figure out a way up in the morning."
She rummaged through her gear and started pulling items out. Jack had been refusing pain meds all day, but as she watched him closely, she saw that he was in more pain than he could comfortably manage.
She took inventory of her med kit. She had two doses of powerful pain medication. Carter approached O'Neill slowly, as to not startle him. He looked dazed and sick- a bad combination for the special ops Colonel to be in.
"Sir?"
He raised his head, eyes dull and out of focus.
She pressed the pills into his hand and gave him his canteen. "Swallow," She said.
He gave her a weak smile. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who gives the orders around here," He said, his tone indicating he wasn't serious.
"Not doctors orders," She said, gesturing towards the tablets.
"Though you weren't that kind of doctor, doctor."
"Technically correct sir, but as the designated team medic-"
Jack raised a shaky finger. "Aht! It was a joke, Carter."
He looked at the pills before swallowing them dry.
She pulled the tent from her pack and began setting it up. O'Neill tried to help, but didn't make it two feet before collapsing heavily onto the ground. He waved her hands away, insisting on sitting up by himself. She'd kept a close eye on him while she was preparing their MRE's.
Carter handed him a pouch of soup. The fact that he didn't tease her about her cooking- even though they were pre-packaged- spoke volumes.
Too exhausted to stand, O'Neill had finally let her help him into the tent. Carter had been tempted to slip a mild sedative into his soup, but she knew he'd never forgive her.
She put all their cooking equipment away, the sterno and pot into her pack, the dishes into the Colonel's.
She hesitated before going into the tent. The incident in Antarctica was still fresh in her mind. She had been forced to keep the Colonel warm with her body heat. They'd been way too close. Since then, she had avoided sharing a tent with Jack. Usually, either Teal'c or Daniel was fine with being her tentmate.
O'Neill must have sensed her apprehension.
"Carter. Come inside." He said. She tried to come up with an excuse.
"I should keep watch sir," She said, fiddling with the strap on her P90.
"What for? This planet's as non hostile as they come."
"That's exactly what they all are right before we're in the middle of a firefight."
She could practically hear him roll his eyes. "Oh for cryin' out loud, Carter. You dragged my sorry ass all the way here. Come inside and get some rest."
She sighed, relenting.
"Boots on or off?" She asked.
"You can take off anything you want."
It was her turn to roll her eyes, but she was smiling.
Leave it to Jack to come up with an immature joke to diffuse the tension. She yanked her boots and socks off and set them inside the tent, as it looked like a pretty serious storm was going to blow though. Thinking for a second, she added her tac vest to the pile. Although she usually slept with the bulky article on, she decided that waking up in the morning without a crick in her neck seemed pretty nice, especially if she was going to be carrying her CO for hours the next day. And, as he'd said, there really weren't any real hostiles on this planet to begin with.
She laid her tired body as far away from him as possible. Jack was only feigning sleep, probably to save her from awkward conversation. She waited until his breathing turned slow and even before she let herself sleep.
o-O-o-O-o
Sam awoke to a loud clap of thunder. She instantly realized that her sleeping bag was soaked through, and quickly sat up. There was a good three inches of water covering the ground.
She wrestled her limbs out of the bag, unzipped the tent, and climbed outside. The river was overflowing its banks, the canyon walls on either side funneling the water right into their campsite.
She quickly looked around, shoving the wet hair off her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her training to kick in and calm her mind. After carefully scanning the canyon walls, she spotted it. A small cave, about 15 feet up a steep, rocky incline. She turned back to wake the Colonel, but hesitated. She'd better check it out first. Surely, she wasn't the only thing trying to find shelter in the torrential downpour.
Carter ran across the rocky ground, not even noticing the sharp rocks cutting into her bare feet. She began to rock scramble up the incline, weaving around large branches that must have washed up the last time it rained like this. She made a mental map of her route so she could take the Colonel back the way she'd come.
Carter wiped the rain out of her face, and looked up to see how far it was to the cave. She saw where the slope flattened out for about ten feet before going back into the cave, then another goo thirty feet above that to the rim. Resigning herself to the last steep bit of the climb, she planted her foot directly on top of a smooth, wet rock.
Her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell forward onto the rock face, cracking her lip against something hard and unforgiving.
A ripping pain stabbed into the tender skin of her abdomen, and she slid down the incline, momentarily stunned by the pain. She felt the skin tear open as she fell, and when she came to rest at the bottom of the slope, a hand touched to the spot came away dark with blood. Looking up at the place she'd slipped, she noticed she'd fallen right on top of a sharp branch.
She'd deal with that later. Right now, her main priority was getting the Colonel to the cave. She ran shakily back to their tent, now almost washed away. She was about to enter, but was forced to bend over as a wave of dizziness and nausea crashed over her. Sam swallowed hard and ducked into the tent.
She had to yell over the howling wind. "Sir! I need you to get up right now!"