Christmas Miracles (Part 1 of 2)
Title: Christmas Miracles (Part 1 of 2)
Summary: Jack and Sam are stuck together, stranded in the middle of nowhere just before the holidays.
Timeframe: Somewhere between seasons three and four.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG.
Written as a Secret Santa present for surreallis over at sj_everyday
Christmas Miracles
"All packed up and ready to go, T?" Jack asked the Jaffa as he watched his friend heft three full bags on his shoulders.
"I am indeed, O'Neill, as is Daniel Jackson," Teal'c nodded with a barely-perceptible grin.
The boys were all ready to head out and get back to Colorado. It was December twenty-second, and the entire team had spent the past four days at Jack's cabin in Northern Minnesota, getting in one last team get-together before the holiday. As soon as they returned to the mountain, Teal'c was heading off-world to visit with his family in the Land of Light, and Daniel would be on his way to Abydos to see Kasuf and Skaara. Sam was meeting her father at the SGC before the two of them were to take a flight to San Diego to be with her brother Mark. The only one fated to be alone on Christmas was Jack, and knowing this, Daniel had been the one to suggest they all go up to his cabin for a few days before everyone was to leave. Jack had been appreciative of the idea, never letting on that he knew precisely why Daniel had thought of it.
Jack reached for Sam's bags while Teal'c brought his and Daniel's things out to the government SUV they'd borrowed for the trip. He looked up when she came out of the spare room, running a hand through her recently blow-dried hair. He grinned at her somewhat awkwardly. "So Carter, you ready to head out with the guys?"
Sam walked across the sitting room, tugging a fleece pull-over on over her thermal shirt and smiling almost shyly. She then looked at him quizzically and gently took her bags from him, setting them down on the floor for a moment. "Actually, sir, I thought I'd hang back and help you finish packing up the cabin before you leave. It's going to take a few hours, and it'll go by much quicker if you've got some help. That is, if you don't mind sir," she smiled shyly and not without some hesitation. She still was feeling really bad that they were all leaving him for Christmas, and she wanted to spend as much time as she could trying to keep his spirits up before she left as well. Besides that, there was a little matter from the other night that she needed to talk to him about without the guys around.
He looked at her, surprised. "I don't mind at all, but don't you have to be back at the SGC by tomorrow afternoon to catch your flight to California?"
She just shrugged. "We'll only be an hour or so behind Daniel and Teal'c; it's no big deal sir," Sam smiled convincingly at him, feeling a little more confidence now.
Jack nodded back at her with a somewhat sheepish grin. "Thanks Carter, I appreciate the help,"
Daniel bustled in the door, brushing the light snow off his jacket. "Hey Sam, you ready to go?"
"You and Teal'c go on ahead Daniel, I'm gonna stay and help the Colonel pack up the cabin and ride back with him," she assured him, sending the archaeologist a wave.
"Alright," Daniel nodded and waved to his friends, her turned back to the door at the sound of a car horn. "Well, Teal'c's got the SUV warmed up and he's ready to get going. I'll see you guys in about a week," he smiled at them, happy to be going to visit with his Abydonian family.
"Bye Daniel," Sam waved at him.
Jack nodded as the archaeologist opened up the door. "See ya Danny, have a good time. And say hello to Skaara for me, will ya?"
"Sure thing Jack. Bye, and Merry Christmas!"
With their friends gone, Jack and Sam each packed their things into the backseat of his truck and then headed inside the cabin to clean up. They had to pack up all the perishable foods, turn off the generator and the water, secure all the windows, and lock up the basement. It took a little over an hour, but then they were completely packed up and ready to get on the road.
-
It was dark and getting late as they began making their way through Nebraska now, and Jack had just pulled over at the last gas station for at least a hundred miles to fill up the truck. He leaned against the Ford while it gassed up, stretching and wincing slightly at the protesting from his knees and back. It had been a long drive, and soon they'd be looking for a place to stop for the night. He couldn't have been more relieved, or nervous. He was exhausted and about ready to crash, but the thought of spending the night in a hotel room with just him and Carter made Jack a little on the edgy side. It wasn't that he minded her company at all, but possibly because he'd enjoyed her company a little too much. An inebriated kiss shared between them the other night was testament to that.
"Hey Colonel, I grabbed us both some coffee and got you some peanuts to snack on," Sam trotted up to him as she exited the gas station with a smile.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Jack looked up and snatched the peanuts out of the air as she tossed them to him. "Thanks Carter," he grinned crookedly when she nodded with a brilliant smile and got back in the truck with their caffeine fixes for the night.
Sam held her Styrofoam coffee cup in both hands to keep the chill out, looking out the passenger window as she waited for Jack to finish paying for gas. The snow was starting to fall more heavily now, in a storm that seemed to have been following them from Minnesota. She was a little worried about getting caught up in it, and hoped that the nearest hotel wasn't too far off on their journey.
-
The storm got bad fast. Snow drifts piled high along the sides of barely-paved roads in the middle of nowhere, and Jack could barely see where he was going. He made use of the Ford's four-wheel-drive, but the packed snow gathering on the narrow strip of road ahead of them was making things difficult and slippery. The truck was heading down a slight hill, gaining speed even as Jack tapped on the brakes and applied no gas during their descent. Sam had drifted off some time ago, completely unaware of the danger they were in. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could tell she was still deeply asleep.
Barely able to see the road ahead of him, Jack noticed the sharp turn at the bottom of the hill too late. He attempted a slow turn of the wheel, tapping at the brakes, but the protesting wheels locked up on him, sliding on the icy surface.
The next thing Jack knew, the world was spinning and he was tumbling, banging around the cab of the truck and probably knocking into Sam. Damn he wished he'd put his seatbelt back on when they left the gas station. There was a sudden scream, and his thoughts turned to Sam just before everything went black.
-
Sam came to with a strange, disoriented feeling, and a headache, like all the blood was rushing to her head. Because it was. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she managed to focus enough to realize that she was upside down. She vaguely recalled opening her eyes earlier to see that everything was sort of tumbling, like she was stuck in a twister or something. The smell of spilled coffee assaulted her nostrils.
Oh God.
There was something tight at her hip, and she belatedly realized that it was the seatbelt, keeping her from falling to the roof of the truck. Tentatively wiggling her fingers, arms, toes, and legs, Sam decided that nothing seemed overly painful like it was broken, and heaved a silent sigh of relief. But she knew she was sure to be bruised, and something wet was trickling down her forehead, probably blood.
Before attempting to get herself right-side-up again, Sam grew frightened as she craned her neck to find out what had happened to her traveling companion. It was dark inside the truck, and it was hard to see too clearly, but the lights on the dashboard were enough to somewhat illuminate the cab.
Jack was crumpled in a tangled heap on the roof on the truck, his right arm positioned awkwardly where the shoulder was supposed to connect with the socket, and a nasty, bleeding gash on the left side of his forehead, close to his hairline. He was unconscious and not moving.
"Colonel," she choked out, her breath coming in icy clouds of condensation that hung in the air. When she realized he wouldn't be waking anytime soon, Sam stretched one arm out to brace herself against the roof of the truck, fumbling around with her free hand to grasp the buckle of her seatbelt. She managed to unlock it, then gingerly lowered herself down in the small space and turned so she was crouching on her knees. She cleared her throat, heart hammering away in her chest as she checked his pulse, both hands then resting on either side of his face. "Colonel, can you hear me?"
When he didn't respond, Sam's mind went to their next concern. Was there gas leaking from the tank? Would it explode? She had no way of knowing. Sam just knew that she had to get the both of them out of there to be safe, and soon. Turning slightly, Sam grasped the door handle and managed to get it open without too much effort, then she reached up toward the steering wheel and turned off the engine, killing the lights in the cab as well. Not happy with the loss of light, but realizing she'd have to deal with it, Sam quickly felt around for any obvious injuries, praying to whatever higher powers were up there that Jack had no spinal or neck damage. She didn't have the time to be incredibly gentle.
Carefully getting a hold of Jack beneath his shoulders, Sam grimaced at the odd, detached feeling she got when she grasped his right shoulder. The movement elicited a pained groan from Jack, but he didn't rouse any further. Sam grabbed at his jacket instead, hoping he wouldn't wake as she wiggled backwards to get out the open door, knowing it would most likely cause him more pain. She wouldn't know how badly he was injured until he was conscious and lucid enough to speak to her.
Dragging him away from the truck and into the snow, Sam sunk to her knees into the heavy white powder to catch her breath, Jack's head and shoulders leaning against her thighs. She took slow, deep breaths, fighting the exhaustion she felt with every intake of air. Looking around herself, all Sam could see was white. She peered around, seeing only more white and darkness until....
Wait, was she hallucinating?
Sam peered harder through the sheets of white, squinting and raising a hand to shield her eyes from the snow. There, in the distance was a faint golden light of some sort. It had to have been a house or something. Now all she had to do was get herself and Jack there. That task wasn't going to be easy. Jack was still unconscious and her head hurt; she was starting to feel a little faint. Remembering the cell phone in her jacket pocket, she quickly pulled it out, but predictably, there was no signal. Sighing with frustration, she slipped the phone back into her pocket and focused on what lay ahead of her.
With several steadying breaths and using every ounce of strength she had left, Sam got to her feet, hanging onto fistfuls of Jack's coat and dragging him through the deep snow drifts. Keeping that distant light in view as her goal, Sam trudged on, determined to make it.
When she'd gotten within about ten feet of the light, the wind shifted, blowing the heavy snow in a different direction, and she was finally able to see where the light had been coming from. It seemed to be emanating from a lantern of some sort, hanging from a beam at the top of a barn, just above a closed loft window. It was a run down, abandoned barn, but a barn nonetheless. And it wasn't too run down to provide decent shelter either, but in the state Sam was in, the place was looking like a luxury hotel.
Laying Jack on the snow for a moment to force open a busted-up wooden door, Sam peered inside the dark space briefly before returning to the Colonel and dragging him in. Getting the door closed again and pulling Jack toward a corner where she found an inviting pile of hay, Sam collapsed beside him, losing her battle against exhaustion and quickly falling asleep.
-
Sam was awake again by the time she realized she probably shouldn't have allowed herself to sleep with a head injury and possible concussion, but she just thanked her lucky stars that she'd woken at all. She was a little cold, but mostly glad that she'd put on a thermal shirt and fleece pull-over that morning. Still blinking away a hazy sleep, Sam heard a groan at her side and realized what had woken her.
"Colonel?" she blinked, noticing that there was a dim light inside the barn that made her wonder if it was morning. Sam made a face, wrinkling her forehead as she felt the dried blood on her head. More concerned about Jack, she glanced over him briefly, glad that she'd left him lying on his back when she'd set him down and passed out beside him. His right shoulder still looked to be set a little lower than it should be, and Sam figured it had to be dislocated. She grimaced, realizing she would need to be the one to pop it back in place.
Jack made another groan and she knelt at his side, placing both hands on either side of his face. Sam frowned worriedly. He was cold. "Colonel," she tried again, lightly patting his cheek, then moving a hand to his chest, gently rubbing against it to try and rouse him. "Sir, can you hear me?"
He moaned, and his eyes opened slowly, brown orbs staring at her hazily. Jack blinked slowly, Sam's crystal-blue eyes gazing at him, glossy with concern, a relieved smile on her face. "Carter," he whispered, eerily getting the sensation of déjà vu. He was cold, and he hurt.
"There was some sort of accident, sir. Your truck flipped over in the storm. I managed to get you out and find this barn to shelter us from the weather. It's bad out there Colonel," she told him, using her best 'in-control-Major-Carter' voice.
Jack blinked slowly, his eyes shifting around jerkily and unfocused. "Carter," he winced, trying to move his right arm in an attempt to sit himself up, then gasping in pain as white-hot agony shot through his shoulder. "Agh,"
Sam grimaced in sympathy, lightly pressing her hand against his chest to still him. "Take it easy, sir. Your shoulder's dislocated,"
"Agh. God," Jack muttered with a groan, his head lolling back against the hay they were lying on.
"I'll need to put that back in place sir," she warned, grimacing. This was getting to be a déjà vu moment for her as well. Sam barely saw the humor reflecting in his eyes.
"Well, at least it's not my leg...this time," Jack joked softly in an attempt to lighten things up and get his mind off the pain. He nodded silently, giving her permission to do what she needed to do.
Standing at his side, Sam bent to firmly grasp the wrist of his injured arm. Moving as carefully as she could, and knowing that it was causing him a lot of pain, Sam had to position his injured arm perpendicular to his body. He was grinding his teeth and trying not to cry out in pain, but she couldn't stop now, she had to finish this and he would feel better for it afterwards. But Sam was no medic, and the only reason she sort-of knew what she was doing was because she'd watched Janet do this at least twice, and had had to do this in the field once before without any help.
She didn't bother telling him that this would hurt, because she had an idea that he already knew it would. She got the impression he'd had a dislocated shoulder before, especially considering his time spent in an Iraqi prison. Shaking those horrid thoughts from her head and focusing on the task at hand, Sam held tightly to his wrist with both hands, her left foot firmly planted against the Colonel's armpit to brace his body, her right foot behind her to keep her balanced. Closing her eyes, and with one sharp, forceful upright tug, Sam had yanked on his arm and felt the shoulder slip back into the socket before she gently let his arm rest limply at his side.
Sam felt tears slipping past clenched eyelids at the sound of the agonized yelp wrenched from his lips, and dropped to her knees beside him, opening her eyes once more. She could clearly see that he was trying desperately not to pass out. Her cold hand shakily pressed against his forehead, then rested over his chest. He was hot and sweaty from exertion, and his heart was hammering rapidly against his ribcage as he breathed heavily.
Getting back up and taking a step away from him, Sam's attention shifted to their surroundings as she tried to focus with the dim lighting. She wasn't entirely sure if it was morning yet, or if she'd only been asleep for ten minutes. "I need to see if there's anything I can use to strap your arm," she told him softly, reluctantly leaving him to search the barn.
The barn was pretty large, with old wooden planks lining a dusty floor, and random piles of hay scattered mostly in the corners. She found a pile of four-by-fours stacked against one of the walls, and there was a slanted wooden ladder that led up to a hay loft. With one last glance toward the Colonel, Sam tentatively climbed up to the loft where she discovered an entire floor covered with hay, some raggedy wool blankets and rags. The closed wooden shutters to the window were rattling from the force of the wind outside, and Sam carefully made her way toward it, flipping up the latch and peering out into a white landscape. The lantern she'd spied before was hanging off a beam and swinging precariously, still glowing with a bright orange fire inside the dusty glass. Sam took a moment to wonder why and how it was still lit, but then her attention went out to the heavily falling snow.
Quickly closing the shutters and latching the window, she turned away and momentarily sunk down into the hay, shivering. They were stranded in the-middle-of-nowheres-ville Nebraska in a blizzard, injured, and no one even knew they were there. Jack's truck had landed at the bottom of a steep ditch, and Sam feared that the tracks would be covered in snow by now and no one would see it. Besides, what were the chances of anyone being out on the roads in this weather anyway?
"Sam,"
The weak, raspy voice had Sam snapping herself from her morbid thoughts and quickly climbing down the ladder with the blankets she'd found. "Colonel?" she knelt by him, setting the blankets aside.
"Are you...hurt?" he asked with concern, seeing the dried blood and the cut on her head for the first time. His voice was sounding a little stronger now, dark eyes slightly more focused.
Her brows furrowed for a moment. She could see that his gaze was fixed on a spot above her right eyebrow, and she knew there must have been a decent gash there. Sam was pretty sure she'd hit her head on the window, and probably had a slight concussion, but guessed that her injuries hadn't been as bad as the Colonel's because she'd been asleep and limp when the accident happened, and she'd had her seatbelt on, unlike Jack. "I'll be fine sir, just a little concussion," she assured him with a gentle smile.
"Good," he whispered with a relieved sigh. Then, realizing what he'd said, Jack's brows furrowed suddenly and he frowned. "No...not good...that you're hurt... That's..bad... But, I mean.."
"Shh," she soothed. "It's okay sir, I know what you mean," Sam gently reached out her hand to brush at the hair along his forehead, avoiding the gash there. "Other than the dislocated shoulder, I'm pretty sure you've got a concussion as well, and a good one at that. I want to look you over for any other injuries though,"
"I'm fine," he grunted unconvincingly.
Shooting him a skeptical look, Sam began to gently unbutton his jacket. "I found some old rags and blankets, but I'll need to get your coat off so I can look you over and strap your shoulder to your chest," she explained quietly while going to work. With his jacket open, she saw that he only had a flannel and t-shirt on beneath it, and had begun to shiver slightly as she went through his layers of clothing.
"Damn, it's cold," Jack's teeth began to chatter a little.
Sam frowned worriedly. She knew the barn was a bit drafty, but it was much warmer than outside and he shouldn't have been that cold. "You might be suffering from shock, sir," When he said nothing, she started at the buttons on his flannel and then lifted his t-shirt to expose his abdomen and chest. There was some bruising on his chest, but nothing that appeared too painful when she put some pressure there. Sam was thankful that he didn't appear to have any broken ribs this time. "Besides your head and shoulder, does anything hurt particularly sir?" she asked, gently tugging his shirt back down and re-buttoning the flannel.
"No," he grunted, shaking his head and wincing. When she shot him a look he said, "Neck's a little sore,"
Gently feeling around his neck with both hands, Sam seemed satisfied that he didn't appear to be in too much pain, and decided Jack seemed to have gotten lucky with a strained muscle or something equally non-critical. When she'd woken to see him lying there awkwardly on the roof of the upturned truck, she'd been so scared he'd had some sort of neck or back injury, and she'd made it worse by dragging him across the snow.
"Okay sir, I'm going to wrap your shoulder up now," she told him, gingerly positioning his right arm against his chest as carefully as she could. Sam chewed her bottom lip as he clenched his eyes shut in mute pain. As gentle as she possibly could, Sam strapped Jack's arm to his chest, tearing strips from one of the rags she'd found to make it longer. Once she was finished, she secured his jacket around him once more and buttoned it up so he would stay warm.
"I'm..good Carter," Jack murmured, raising his left arm to get her to stop fussing with his jacket.
"Sorry sir," she smiled sheepishly at him and snatched her hands away from his coat. "Want to try and sit up?"
"Yeah," he nodded carefully, mindful of his neck, and his throbbing head. Pushing himself up with his left arm, he felt an odd pain in his lower back and legs as Sam helped him to lean against the wall. He grimaced, but turned his head away so Sam wouldn't see. There was something wrong, he knew it, but he didn't want to worry Sam. He could feel a strange numbness in his legs, and he couldn't move them very well.
Thinking a moment, Sam sat back on her heels and drew her lower lip between her teeth. "Sir, I think I should go back to your truck; see if I can salvage anything we had packed in the back. I know we could use the water that was in the cooler, and maybe some of the food,"
Jack was quiet for a little while, eyes glazed in thought. "How..bad is it out there?"
"Pretty bad. Visibility's no good," she grimaced, then added, "But the truck isn't too far away and I think I could make it there and back okay."
"I'll go with you," Jack told her, silently hoping she'd refuse his help, but worried about her going out there into the storm. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to get up, but he'd sure as hell drag his sorry ass out there with her if she needed him to.
Sam shook her head and put her hand out, halting any movement. "No sir, you need to rest. You just stay here and I'll be back before you know it," she smiled confidently at him.
"Sam," Jack called out to her when she got up and began moving towards the door. "There's a flashlight...somewhere in the backseat if you can get to it. You might need it,"
She nodded at him and turned away as she started to drag the door open. It was harder to pull it open this time, and Sam was surprised at the amount of snow on the ground on the other side. It was up to her knees by now. Suddenly it hit her how tiring this journey was going to be, and she tried hard to recall exactly what direction the truck had been in. It certainly wouldn't due to get lost in the white out.
Almost half an hour later, after Sam realized she'd probably passed the upturned truck twice, she found it, nearly encompassed in a heavy blanket of still-falling snow. If there had been any leaking gas from the truck, it hadn't ignited and blown up like on tv. For that she was grateful. Crawling toward the open passenger door where they'd escaped from the cab, Sam shoved armfuls of snow out of the way to get inside. Her face and hands were cold from the trek through the blizzard, and she took a moment to enjoy the little bit of warmth and shelter the truck provided.
She managed to find the flashlight surprisingly quickly when she accidently kneeled on it, then flicked it on to search the rest of the darkened cab. Snatching at one of her bags of clothes that was upside-down and wedged behind the driver's seat, Sam pulled some items out, then managed to grab Jack's bag and shoved her own things in with his. Shouldering the duffle bag, she crawled out from the upturned cab and headed out once more into the storm.
Trudging through the high snow with barely any visibility, Sam noticed that the light she'd first spied on the barn was still glowing despite the weather. It was a beacon, guiding her back to her Colonel, and she did her best to return to him.
On her way back, Sam nearly collided with a sizeable lump in the snow, and was delighted to discover that it was the cooler that had been in the bed of Jack's pick-up. She quickly brushed off the snow and turned it over to find that the lid was still latched and nothing had fallen out. Grasping the cooler by one of the handles and adjusting the duffle strap on her shoulder, Sam dragged it along behind her, focusing determinedly on the lantern light's glow ahead.
-
Jack was worried for Sam. By his count she'd been gone a long time, but he couldn't trust himself on that. He'd been feeling more sluggish and out of it since she'd left, and his head was really pounding. He just wanted Sam to be back so he could be certain she was safe, then he could pass out. Struggling to sit up against the wall where Sam had left him lying in the hay and covered in one of the musty old blankets she'd found, Jack winced at the pain that shot up from his lower back, going straight to his head and injured shoulder. A powerful wave of nausea swept him along with the pain, and he managed to roll sideways to avoid throwing up on himself.
The sound of the heavy, broken door being shoved open, followed by a cold draft sweeping into the old barn instantly told Jack that Sam had returned. With his head, shoulder, and lower back now throbbing in tune with his heartbeat, Jack forced himself onto his back once more and struggled to sit up again. He watched Sam bustle inside, his duffle bag strapped across her shoulders as she dragged in something behind her and then hastily went to close the door.
Sam shivered, brushing cold white powder off herself and pulling the snow-covered cooler further inside. Her jacket was cold and still snowy, so she pulled it off and shook it before leaving it on the floor. Her whole body felt numbed by the cold, and she just wanted to curl up someplace warm. Like next to Jack, she thought suddenly and without restraint. Thinking about Jack, she suddenly realized that she couldn't see him inside the barn. Her eyes had gotten adjusted to the bright white outside, and now she could barely see within the dim barn. Flicking on the flashlight she carried, Sam squinted and moved toward the corner hay pile where she'd left Jack.
"Colonel?" the flashlight moved back and forth along the floor until she spotted him. He was lying half-slumped against the wall, looking pale and about to pass out. Judging by the unpleasant smell as she approached, and the mess on the hay beside him, O'Neill had been sick. "Are you alright, sir?" Sam's blue eyes flashed with concern as she knelt on the hay beside him, clicking off the flashlight and setting it down.
He grunted and sighed softly, blinking sluggishly as if it were an extreme effort. "I threw up."
She smiled sympathetically and laid a hand gently on his thigh. "It's okay Colonel," Quickly covering up the mess with more hay, Sam got up and turned, glancing toward a pile of hay in the opposite corner of the barn. "Let's get you moved over there, sir. Do you think you could stand?" When he didn't respond right away, but gave her a worrying look, Sam felt her heart jump into her throat. "Colonel? What's wrong?"
Jack blinked sluggishly again, his brows furrowing in pain. "I... I can't really move..my legs...Carter,"
Sam nearly choked on her own saliva, her heart skipping a beat in panic. Taking a deep, decidedly shaky breath, she fought to remain calm, pushing down the anger she was feeling because he hadn't said anything until now. Her hand was still on his thigh, and she gave it a firm squeeze. "Did you feel that sir?"
He frowned and tried to focus, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Jack could feel the pressure of her hand on his thigh, but it was an odd, tingly sensation. "Yeah. A little,"
She nodded, but found herself shaking, tears beginning to sting her eyes. He could at least feel something, and that had to be a good sign. Momentarily clenching her eyes shut to hold back the tears, Sam chewed her bottom lip. She was worried about trying to move him, afraid of possibly causing further injury. But the truth was that the damage was probably already done. So much for thinking that she hadn't hurt anything by dragging him from the truck.
Sensing her concerns and seeing the guilt clearly flashing across Sam's face, Jack was quick to reassure her. In a gentle voice he said, "It's not...your fault Sam,"
Furiously wiping the falling tears from her eyes, she forced herself to nod. She just couldn't manage speaking at the moment.
Jack was still struggling to stay awake, but he needed to talk to her. "If you hadn't done...what you did...we both woulda froze..to death," he sent her a weak, wry smile. "Somethin' I doubt...either of us wants..to go through...again,"
Despite the guilt and worry she was feeling, he'd managed to make her smile. She sniffed, blinking back more tears and reaching her hand out to gently cup the side of his face. "I dunno," she murmured wistfully, "There were some benefits to that experience," Suddenly a sly grin spread across Sam's face. "Feel the need to share some body heat yet?"
He chuckled, grimacing when that caused his head to pound further. Knowing he was about to pass out any second, he lightly grasped the hand she held against his cheek and smiled gently. "Sorry Carter," he whispered, promptly losing consciousness.
Eyes widening in alarm, Sam quickly checked his pulse before heaving a sigh of relief. She wasn't so sure that moving him was such a good idea now, but the hay on the other side of the barn didn't stink of vomit, and was further away from the drafty old door. Pressing her hand once more to Jack's face, Sam found that he was beginning to feel cool again. Decision made, she tucked the blankets further around him and gingerly dragged him toward the opposite corner of the barn. When she'd gotten him settled, Sam suddenly realized how cold she was, and remembered that her jeans were soaked from the snow. Pulling over the duffel she'd brought back from the truck, Sam took out a pair of her pants she'd stuffed in there and changed quickly into the dry clothes.
Realizing that Jack's own pants must have gotten wet from her dragging him through the snow, Sam quickly knelt at his side and lifted the blanket off his legs. She put her hand on his knee and could feel that his jeans were damp and cold. Cursing herself for not noticing before, she dug a pair of his pants from the duffel bag and gently placed a hand on the side of Jack's face, trying to wake him. "Sir?"
Sighing when he didn't respond, Sam took a moment to chew her bottom lip, then squeezed his shoulder and tried changing tactics a little. "Jack, please wake up. I need your help here," she pleaded with him. "Jack, help me,"
"Hrm?" he started to come around, opening his eyes and peering groggily at her with sudden concern. "Carter? ....Wha'swrong? Y'okay?"
His words were a little slurred, and it concerned her. Sam smiled tightly. "I'm fine, Colonel. Your pants are a little damp, sir. I managed to get some of our clothes together from your truck, and I think you should change so you don't get too cold,"
"Don'matter," he murmured, barely keeping his eyes open. "My legs're already numb... Little cold...won't hurt,"
Sam frowned sadly and helped him to sit up. She wished she had something to give him for the pain, but found nothing of use in that respect in the truck. Ignoring the Colonel's initial, slurred, protests, she helped him remove the damp jeans and put on the pair of dry ones. He hissed in pain when she'd moved his legs to get the pants on, and she supposed that may actually be a good thing. "I'm sorry sir,"
"S'okay," he told her, eyes clenched shut. A wry smile flashed briefly over his face. "'Least I can feel that... Right?"
She nodded, sniffling and gently squeezing his arm. Covering him with the blankets again, Sam laid down in the hay at his side. When she'd gone out into the storm, she had checked her watch to see the time read 5:12, and decided that by the faint light in the sky amongst all the stormy snow and clouds, it was morning instead of afternoon, albeit very, very early. She was tired, and her head had started hurting again. Curling in close to Jack's left, she pulled another musty blanket over the both of them and drifted off to sleep.
-
She woke up cold, and to the sound of Jack's voice calling her name; her first name. Not Carter, not Major, but Sam. Her fuzzy brain forced her eyelids to flutter open, and she found that she'd rolled away from Jack in her sleep. She was shivering, and noticed that she'd pulled herself away from the relative warmth of the blankets as well.
"Sam," Jack was calling her again. "You're gonna freeze..over there,"
"Jack?" she questioned him, her muzzy mind automatically using his casual name as he had done for her.
"Yeah," he answered after what sounded like a brief hesitation. "C'mere,"
Blinking several times to clear her sleepy vision, Sam groaned at the persistent headache pounding at the front of her skull and gingerly sat up. She was still lying in the hay, but not nearly close enough to Jack's warmth and the blankets. She began to crawl toward him, then stopped and got to her feet a little clumsily, suddenly realizing how absolutely thirsty she was. There was water somewhere, she knew. The cooler! The cooler she'd dragged in from the storm. There was water bottles and some food and other beverages in there.
"Sam?" Jack murmured questioningly when he saw that she was no longer moving toward him. He'd woken, missing her warmth, and found that she'd moved away from him in her sleep. He wanted her beside him again, and it had more to do with warmth than he was willing to admit at the moment, but seeing that she wasn't coming back to his side right away had him confused and a little disheartened.
"There's some water and food in the cooler," she said softly, by way of explanation. Sam knew that keeping hydrated would be beneficial to both of them, and tiredly stumbled over to the cooler before dragging it over to their little hay pile in the corner. Taking out a single bottle of water for them to share, since she knew they should probably ration their supplies, Sam twisted the cap off and drank some slowly before kneeling at Jack's side.
Jack managed to prop himself up on his left elbow, Sam gently holding the back of his head with one hand and the water bottle with the other as she helped him to drink. He was thirsty, but stopped himself from drinking too much, knowing that there was only a limited supply. "Thanks," he whispered as she pulled the bottle away and returned it to the cooler.
Shivering, Sam remembered her jacket she'd removed earlier and got up, hurrying to retrieve it from the floor close to the door. Pulling it on, she zipped it up all the way and shuffled back over to lay down once more on the hay beside Jack. Lifting the blankets, she gingerly curled in close beside him and pulled the blankets over them both. "Brrr," she murmured, feeling herself tense slightly when she felt Jack's arm wrap around her, pulling her even closer to him.
"Is it....Cuh-Christmas..Eve y-yet?" Jack murmured, his teeth starting to chatter.
It took Sam a moment to remember what time it had been when she'd gone to get their supplies, and checking her watch, realized that it was still the same day. It was around thirteen-hundred, and she was a little frightened to discover that they'd been asleep for nearly eight hours. "No," she answered him softly, her cheek resting against his chest, "We've s-s-still got...eleven hours t-to go," she whispered tiredly. Sam couldn't believe how exhausted she still was.
"Okay," Jack nodded a little dazedly. His eyes were closed now, and he felt himself drifting again. It was just too hard trying to stay awake, although he knew he probably should.
Suddenly worried that they were probably both beginning to suffer the first stages of hypothermia, Sam scared herself into not falling asleep again. They were both shivering a lot now, and with Jack's injuries, she feared that hypothermia would sneak up on him much faster. "J-Jack?" she hedged tentatively. She needed to keep him awake, and if that meant bringing up an awkward conversation, then so be it.
"Yuh-Yeah?" came the rasped response as his entire body seemed to convulse with the shivering that wracked his frame.
"About the other..nuh-night.." Sam began, trying desperately to control her shivering and the chattering of her teeth.
Jack's brows furrowed, but it was hard to concentrate. His brain was still pretty muzzy from the concussion and he frowned as he fought to remember what she was talking about. It hit him a moment later. The kiss. She was probably worried he'd bring it up with Hammond or something ridiculous like that, he thought. But the truth was, he'd been a willing participant as well. "Cuh-Carter.." he paused, feeling her tense, then let out a soft sigh. "Sam-"
"Sir, puh-please... Let me finish," she interrupted, sucking in a breath that would hopefully calm her nerves. "I know we'd both b-been drinking, but I wasn't s-so drunk that I di-didn't realize what I was doing,"
Blinking, Jack slowly rubbed his free hand up and down her arm. "Me neither," he breathed quietly.
"And I'm not sorry," Sam stated determinedly, chewing her bottom lip as she waited for him to say something.
"Me neither," he said again with a slow smile spreading across his face.
Sam didn't know where they were supposed to go from there, but right now she didn't care. Feeling another surge of courage she said quietly, "I don't regret what happened...Jack. In fact, I'm glad it did,"
Jack didn't know what to say to that. He felt a surge of love for the woman in his arms and rubbed his hand along her arm affectionately, craning his neck painfully to kiss the top of her head as a response. Sighing with a sense of peace washing over him, Jack dropped his head back into the hay and closed his eyes, murmuring softly, "I'm tuh-tired Sam,"
"I know," she felt her gut clench in fear. Exhaustion was creeping up on her as well, but it wasn't a good idea for both of them to sleep. "You r-rest. I'll w-wake you in half an hour and we'll s-switch,"
"'Kay," Jack drifted off within seconds, dead to the world and to the cold.
Sam curled into him as close as possible and concentrated on the beating of his heart to keep herself awake.
-
Unbeknownst to the stranded travelers in the barn, the storm had begun to settle and a rescue team had been mounted at the SGC when the two missing members of SG-1 hadn't returned to base after Teal'c and Daniel. Jacob Carter had been waiting for his little girl to arrive so they could fly out to California for the holiday, and convinced General Hammond that something was wrong when several hours passed and she and O'Neill had yet to arrive.
The transmitter in Sam's cell phone had been tracked to Nebraska, where apparently a huge snowstorm had been underway. On General Hammond's order, a helicopter had been sent to find his two missing Air Force officers. Jacob went along for the ride, desperate to find his daughter and bring her back, hopefully safe and sound.
-
Sam managed to fight off sleep for a long while, and though she was certain it had been more than half an hour since Jack dozed off, she hadn't woken him to trade places. When she was just about to rouse him and try to get him to drink a little more and possibly eat something, a sound from above got Sam's attention. There was a loud whup, whup, whup noise descending over the barn and getting louder. Her muzzy mind recognized the noise as the sound of a helicopter's rotor, and she carefully disentangled herself from Jack, leaving the blankets over him and stumbling toward the door.
Jerking it open with some effort, Sam was initially surprised to discover the storm had settled. It was getting dark, but she could see enough to tell that it was no longer snowing, although the drifts had continued to rise throughout the day and the snow was at least two and a half feet high. Peering out as the wind whipped and the loud rotor noise continued, Sam nearly screamed in relief when she saw the helicopter land out in the clearing about fifty yards from the shelter of the barn.
Jack's eyes opened slowly as a deep chill assaulted him suddenly, and he slowly realized the cold wind was whipping inside the wide open barn door. Blinking with confusion, his eyes scanned his surroundings and he felt a brief surge of panic when he couldn't find Sam. "Suh-Sam," he croaked, his head pounding. "Sam!" he managed again in a strong voice, struggling to push himself one-handed into a sitting position and crying out in pain.
"It's okay Colonel, I'm here!"
He heaved a sigh of relief when she came inside the open door and jogged to his side. His brows furrowed in confusion when he took in the elated grin on her face. "What-?"
"Our rescue party is here, sir," she had happy tears trailing down her pale, frozen cheeks as she turned slightly and her father came into the barn with a flashlight, followed closely by a two-man medical team in bright orange suits.
"Hey Jack," Jacob greeted him with a smile, slowing down a little as he approached the hay pile where the injured man lay. His expression sobered when he got a good look at his daughter's CO. "You don't look so good."
"Th-thanks J-Jake. Nice to s-see you t-t-to," Jack muttered, forcing his heavy-lidded eyes to remain open. A crooked smile appeared briefly on his weary face.
Jacob's concerned gaze swept from Jack to Sam. "What happened to you guys?"
"The storm guh-got bad. The Colonel's t-truck flipped over," Sam frowned worriedly, feeling only slightly comforted as her father hugged her tightly. She gestured toward the prone Colonel. "He's got a d-dislocated shoulder and a puh-possible spinal injury. Probably a concussion t-too,"
One of the medics moving toward Jack turned and waved at the other one. "Get me a back board and two units of warmed saline in here!"
"How 'bout you?" Jacob asked his daughter softly, rubbing her arms to try and generate some warmth.
"I'll be okay Dad," she assured him, shivering in his arms. "Little concussion.." she murmured against him, getting her chattering teeth and shivering under control again.
"It's alright now Sammy, we're going to get you both home now. You're okay," Jacob promised his daughter, guiding her out toward the helicopter as the medics finished getting Jack strapped to the backboard and put him on an IV.
As the chopper rose steadily from the snowy ground, Sam leaned against her father's shoulder, wrapped in a warm blanket with an IV line in her right arm, sending warm fluids into her veins. Her eyes shifted over to Jack, laying flat on the backboard and strapped securely to the floor of the helicopter, a medic on one side of him, the other in the co-pilot's seat. Slowly, she turned her head into her father's chest, brows furrowed in confusion. "How did you know where to find us?" she murmured with genuine curiosity.
Jacob smiled, leaning close to her ear so that she could hear him over the roar of the chopper's rotors. "The transmitter on your cell phone led us here to Nebraska, but we couldn't pinpoint your exact location and had to do a sweep of the area overhead. The pilot spotted that light coming from the barn and we came down to check it out, thinking you might be trying to signal us." He shifted slightly in his seat and affectionately tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Good thinking, by the way. Not that I'd expect any less from you, Sam,"
Blinking, Sam pulled away slightly so she could face her father. "That wasn't me, Dad. I spotted the lantern after we climbed out of Jack's truck and took a chance that there'd be shelter there."
"Really?" Jacob asked quizzically. "Huh."
"Yeah," Sam murmured, heaving a tired sigh. Her head dropped against her father's shoulder again, but her eyes were still on Jack. He'd soon lost consciousness once the medics got him settled in the chopper and injected some morphine into his IV. Sam had been given a smaller dose of the painkiller for her concussion, and it was just now working to put her to sleep. Completely exhausted and feeling at ease enough to rest now, knowing both she and Jack would soon be safely in Janet Fraiser's clutches, Sam welcomed the fading of her consciousness and gradually went to sleep.
-
[Part 2 of Christmas Miracles]
Summary: Jack and Sam are stuck together, stranded in the middle of nowhere just before the holidays.
Timeframe: Somewhere between seasons three and four.
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG.
Written as a Secret Santa present for surreallis over at sj_everyday
Christmas Miracles
"All packed up and ready to go, T?" Jack asked the Jaffa as he watched his friend heft three full bags on his shoulders.
"I am indeed, O'Neill, as is Daniel Jackson," Teal'c nodded with a barely-perceptible grin.
The boys were all ready to head out and get back to Colorado. It was December twenty-second, and the entire team had spent the past four days at Jack's cabin in Northern Minnesota, getting in one last team get-together before the holiday. As soon as they returned to the mountain, Teal'c was heading off-world to visit with his family in the Land of Light, and Daniel would be on his way to Abydos to see Kasuf and Skaara. Sam was meeting her father at the SGC before the two of them were to take a flight to San Diego to be with her brother Mark. The only one fated to be alone on Christmas was Jack, and knowing this, Daniel had been the one to suggest they all go up to his cabin for a few days before everyone was to leave. Jack had been appreciative of the idea, never letting on that he knew precisely why Daniel had thought of it.
Jack reached for Sam's bags while Teal'c brought his and Daniel's things out to the government SUV they'd borrowed for the trip. He looked up when she came out of the spare room, running a hand through her recently blow-dried hair. He grinned at her somewhat awkwardly. "So Carter, you ready to head out with the guys?"
Sam walked across the sitting room, tugging a fleece pull-over on over her thermal shirt and smiling almost shyly. She then looked at him quizzically and gently took her bags from him, setting them down on the floor for a moment. "Actually, sir, I thought I'd hang back and help you finish packing up the cabin before you leave. It's going to take a few hours, and it'll go by much quicker if you've got some help. That is, if you don't mind sir," she smiled shyly and not without some hesitation. She still was feeling really bad that they were all leaving him for Christmas, and she wanted to spend as much time as she could trying to keep his spirits up before she left as well. Besides that, there was a little matter from the other night that she needed to talk to him about without the guys around.
He looked at her, surprised. "I don't mind at all, but don't you have to be back at the SGC by tomorrow afternoon to catch your flight to California?"
She just shrugged. "We'll only be an hour or so behind Daniel and Teal'c; it's no big deal sir," Sam smiled convincingly at him, feeling a little more confidence now.
Jack nodded back at her with a somewhat sheepish grin. "Thanks Carter, I appreciate the help,"
Daniel bustled in the door, brushing the light snow off his jacket. "Hey Sam, you ready to go?"
"You and Teal'c go on ahead Daniel, I'm gonna stay and help the Colonel pack up the cabin and ride back with him," she assured him, sending the archaeologist a wave.
"Alright," Daniel nodded and waved to his friends, her turned back to the door at the sound of a car horn. "Well, Teal'c's got the SUV warmed up and he's ready to get going. I'll see you guys in about a week," he smiled at them, happy to be going to visit with his Abydonian family.
"Bye Daniel," Sam waved at him.
Jack nodded as the archaeologist opened up the door. "See ya Danny, have a good time. And say hello to Skaara for me, will ya?"
"Sure thing Jack. Bye, and Merry Christmas!"
With their friends gone, Jack and Sam each packed their things into the backseat of his truck and then headed inside the cabin to clean up. They had to pack up all the perishable foods, turn off the generator and the water, secure all the windows, and lock up the basement. It took a little over an hour, but then they were completely packed up and ready to get on the road.
-
It was dark and getting late as they began making their way through Nebraska now, and Jack had just pulled over at the last gas station for at least a hundred miles to fill up the truck. He leaned against the Ford while it gassed up, stretching and wincing slightly at the protesting from his knees and back. It had been a long drive, and soon they'd be looking for a place to stop for the night. He couldn't have been more relieved, or nervous. He was exhausted and about ready to crash, but the thought of spending the night in a hotel room with just him and Carter made Jack a little on the edgy side. It wasn't that he minded her company at all, but possibly because he'd enjoyed her company a little too much. An inebriated kiss shared between them the other night was testament to that.
"Hey Colonel, I grabbed us both some coffee and got you some peanuts to snack on," Sam trotted up to him as she exited the gas station with a smile.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Jack looked up and snatched the peanuts out of the air as she tossed them to him. "Thanks Carter," he grinned crookedly when she nodded with a brilliant smile and got back in the truck with their caffeine fixes for the night.
Sam held her Styrofoam coffee cup in both hands to keep the chill out, looking out the passenger window as she waited for Jack to finish paying for gas. The snow was starting to fall more heavily now, in a storm that seemed to have been following them from Minnesota. She was a little worried about getting caught up in it, and hoped that the nearest hotel wasn't too far off on their journey.
-
The storm got bad fast. Snow drifts piled high along the sides of barely-paved roads in the middle of nowhere, and Jack could barely see where he was going. He made use of the Ford's four-wheel-drive, but the packed snow gathering on the narrow strip of road ahead of them was making things difficult and slippery. The truck was heading down a slight hill, gaining speed even as Jack tapped on the brakes and applied no gas during their descent. Sam had drifted off some time ago, completely unaware of the danger they were in. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could tell she was still deeply asleep.
Barely able to see the road ahead of him, Jack noticed the sharp turn at the bottom of the hill too late. He attempted a slow turn of the wheel, tapping at the brakes, but the protesting wheels locked up on him, sliding on the icy surface.
The next thing Jack knew, the world was spinning and he was tumbling, banging around the cab of the truck and probably knocking into Sam. Damn he wished he'd put his seatbelt back on when they left the gas station. There was a sudden scream, and his thoughts turned to Sam just before everything went black.
-
Sam came to with a strange, disoriented feeling, and a headache, like all the blood was rushing to her head. Because it was. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she managed to focus enough to realize that she was upside down. She vaguely recalled opening her eyes earlier to see that everything was sort of tumbling, like she was stuck in a twister or something. The smell of spilled coffee assaulted her nostrils.
Oh God.
There was something tight at her hip, and she belatedly realized that it was the seatbelt, keeping her from falling to the roof of the truck. Tentatively wiggling her fingers, arms, toes, and legs, Sam decided that nothing seemed overly painful like it was broken, and heaved a silent sigh of relief. But she knew she was sure to be bruised, and something wet was trickling down her forehead, probably blood.
Before attempting to get herself right-side-up again, Sam grew frightened as she craned her neck to find out what had happened to her traveling companion. It was dark inside the truck, and it was hard to see too clearly, but the lights on the dashboard were enough to somewhat illuminate the cab.
Jack was crumpled in a tangled heap on the roof on the truck, his right arm positioned awkwardly where the shoulder was supposed to connect with the socket, and a nasty, bleeding gash on the left side of his forehead, close to his hairline. He was unconscious and not moving.
"Colonel," she choked out, her breath coming in icy clouds of condensation that hung in the air. When she realized he wouldn't be waking anytime soon, Sam stretched one arm out to brace herself against the roof of the truck, fumbling around with her free hand to grasp the buckle of her seatbelt. She managed to unlock it, then gingerly lowered herself down in the small space and turned so she was crouching on her knees. She cleared her throat, heart hammering away in her chest as she checked his pulse, both hands then resting on either side of his face. "Colonel, can you hear me?"
When he didn't respond, Sam's mind went to their next concern. Was there gas leaking from the tank? Would it explode? She had no way of knowing. Sam just knew that she had to get the both of them out of there to be safe, and soon. Turning slightly, Sam grasped the door handle and managed to get it open without too much effort, then she reached up toward the steering wheel and turned off the engine, killing the lights in the cab as well. Not happy with the loss of light, but realizing she'd have to deal with it, Sam quickly felt around for any obvious injuries, praying to whatever higher powers were up there that Jack had no spinal or neck damage. She didn't have the time to be incredibly gentle.
Carefully getting a hold of Jack beneath his shoulders, Sam grimaced at the odd, detached feeling she got when she grasped his right shoulder. The movement elicited a pained groan from Jack, but he didn't rouse any further. Sam grabbed at his jacket instead, hoping he wouldn't wake as she wiggled backwards to get out the open door, knowing it would most likely cause him more pain. She wouldn't know how badly he was injured until he was conscious and lucid enough to speak to her.
Dragging him away from the truck and into the snow, Sam sunk to her knees into the heavy white powder to catch her breath, Jack's head and shoulders leaning against her thighs. She took slow, deep breaths, fighting the exhaustion she felt with every intake of air. Looking around herself, all Sam could see was white. She peered around, seeing only more white and darkness until....
Wait, was she hallucinating?
Sam peered harder through the sheets of white, squinting and raising a hand to shield her eyes from the snow. There, in the distance was a faint golden light of some sort. It had to have been a house or something. Now all she had to do was get herself and Jack there. That task wasn't going to be easy. Jack was still unconscious and her head hurt; she was starting to feel a little faint. Remembering the cell phone in her jacket pocket, she quickly pulled it out, but predictably, there was no signal. Sighing with frustration, she slipped the phone back into her pocket and focused on what lay ahead of her.
With several steadying breaths and using every ounce of strength she had left, Sam got to her feet, hanging onto fistfuls of Jack's coat and dragging him through the deep snow drifts. Keeping that distant light in view as her goal, Sam trudged on, determined to make it.
When she'd gotten within about ten feet of the light, the wind shifted, blowing the heavy snow in a different direction, and she was finally able to see where the light had been coming from. It seemed to be emanating from a lantern of some sort, hanging from a beam at the top of a barn, just above a closed loft window. It was a run down, abandoned barn, but a barn nonetheless. And it wasn't too run down to provide decent shelter either, but in the state Sam was in, the place was looking like a luxury hotel.
Laying Jack on the snow for a moment to force open a busted-up wooden door, Sam peered inside the dark space briefly before returning to the Colonel and dragging him in. Getting the door closed again and pulling Jack toward a corner where she found an inviting pile of hay, Sam collapsed beside him, losing her battle against exhaustion and quickly falling asleep.
-
Sam was awake again by the time she realized she probably shouldn't have allowed herself to sleep with a head injury and possible concussion, but she just thanked her lucky stars that she'd woken at all. She was a little cold, but mostly glad that she'd put on a thermal shirt and fleece pull-over that morning. Still blinking away a hazy sleep, Sam heard a groan at her side and realized what had woken her.
"Colonel?" she blinked, noticing that there was a dim light inside the barn that made her wonder if it was morning. Sam made a face, wrinkling her forehead as she felt the dried blood on her head. More concerned about Jack, she glanced over him briefly, glad that she'd left him lying on his back when she'd set him down and passed out beside him. His right shoulder still looked to be set a little lower than it should be, and Sam figured it had to be dislocated. She grimaced, realizing she would need to be the one to pop it back in place.
Jack made another groan and she knelt at his side, placing both hands on either side of his face. Sam frowned worriedly. He was cold. "Colonel," she tried again, lightly patting his cheek, then moving a hand to his chest, gently rubbing against it to try and rouse him. "Sir, can you hear me?"
He moaned, and his eyes opened slowly, brown orbs staring at her hazily. Jack blinked slowly, Sam's crystal-blue eyes gazing at him, glossy with concern, a relieved smile on her face. "Carter," he whispered, eerily getting the sensation of déjà vu. He was cold, and he hurt.
"There was some sort of accident, sir. Your truck flipped over in the storm. I managed to get you out and find this barn to shelter us from the weather. It's bad out there Colonel," she told him, using her best 'in-control-Major-Carter' voice.
Jack blinked slowly, his eyes shifting around jerkily and unfocused. "Carter," he winced, trying to move his right arm in an attempt to sit himself up, then gasping in pain as white-hot agony shot through his shoulder. "Agh,"
Sam grimaced in sympathy, lightly pressing her hand against his chest to still him. "Take it easy, sir. Your shoulder's dislocated,"
"Agh. God," Jack muttered with a groan, his head lolling back against the hay they were lying on.
"I'll need to put that back in place sir," she warned, grimacing. This was getting to be a déjà vu moment for her as well. Sam barely saw the humor reflecting in his eyes.
"Well, at least it's not my leg...this time," Jack joked softly in an attempt to lighten things up and get his mind off the pain. He nodded silently, giving her permission to do what she needed to do.
Standing at his side, Sam bent to firmly grasp the wrist of his injured arm. Moving as carefully as she could, and knowing that it was causing him a lot of pain, Sam had to position his injured arm perpendicular to his body. He was grinding his teeth and trying not to cry out in pain, but she couldn't stop now, she had to finish this and he would feel better for it afterwards. But Sam was no medic, and the only reason she sort-of knew what she was doing was because she'd watched Janet do this at least twice, and had had to do this in the field once before without any help.
She didn't bother telling him that this would hurt, because she had an idea that he already knew it would. She got the impression he'd had a dislocated shoulder before, especially considering his time spent in an Iraqi prison. Shaking those horrid thoughts from her head and focusing on the task at hand, Sam held tightly to his wrist with both hands, her left foot firmly planted against the Colonel's armpit to brace his body, her right foot behind her to keep her balanced. Closing her eyes, and with one sharp, forceful upright tug, Sam had yanked on his arm and felt the shoulder slip back into the socket before she gently let his arm rest limply at his side.
Sam felt tears slipping past clenched eyelids at the sound of the agonized yelp wrenched from his lips, and dropped to her knees beside him, opening her eyes once more. She could clearly see that he was trying desperately not to pass out. Her cold hand shakily pressed against his forehead, then rested over his chest. He was hot and sweaty from exertion, and his heart was hammering rapidly against his ribcage as he breathed heavily.
Getting back up and taking a step away from him, Sam's attention shifted to their surroundings as she tried to focus with the dim lighting. She wasn't entirely sure if it was morning yet, or if she'd only been asleep for ten minutes. "I need to see if there's anything I can use to strap your arm," she told him softly, reluctantly leaving him to search the barn.
The barn was pretty large, with old wooden planks lining a dusty floor, and random piles of hay scattered mostly in the corners. She found a pile of four-by-fours stacked against one of the walls, and there was a slanted wooden ladder that led up to a hay loft. With one last glance toward the Colonel, Sam tentatively climbed up to the loft where she discovered an entire floor covered with hay, some raggedy wool blankets and rags. The closed wooden shutters to the window were rattling from the force of the wind outside, and Sam carefully made her way toward it, flipping up the latch and peering out into a white landscape. The lantern she'd spied before was hanging off a beam and swinging precariously, still glowing with a bright orange fire inside the dusty glass. Sam took a moment to wonder why and how it was still lit, but then her attention went out to the heavily falling snow.
Quickly closing the shutters and latching the window, she turned away and momentarily sunk down into the hay, shivering. They were stranded in the-middle-of-nowheres-ville Nebraska in a blizzard, injured, and no one even knew they were there. Jack's truck had landed at the bottom of a steep ditch, and Sam feared that the tracks would be covered in snow by now and no one would see it. Besides, what were the chances of anyone being out on the roads in this weather anyway?
"Sam,"
The weak, raspy voice had Sam snapping herself from her morbid thoughts and quickly climbing down the ladder with the blankets she'd found. "Colonel?" she knelt by him, setting the blankets aside.
"Are you...hurt?" he asked with concern, seeing the dried blood and the cut on her head for the first time. His voice was sounding a little stronger now, dark eyes slightly more focused.
Her brows furrowed for a moment. She could see that his gaze was fixed on a spot above her right eyebrow, and she knew there must have been a decent gash there. Sam was pretty sure she'd hit her head on the window, and probably had a slight concussion, but guessed that her injuries hadn't been as bad as the Colonel's because she'd been asleep and limp when the accident happened, and she'd had her seatbelt on, unlike Jack. "I'll be fine sir, just a little concussion," she assured him with a gentle smile.
"Good," he whispered with a relieved sigh. Then, realizing what he'd said, Jack's brows furrowed suddenly and he frowned. "No...not good...that you're hurt... That's..bad... But, I mean.."
"Shh," she soothed. "It's okay sir, I know what you mean," Sam gently reached out her hand to brush at the hair along his forehead, avoiding the gash there. "Other than the dislocated shoulder, I'm pretty sure you've got a concussion as well, and a good one at that. I want to look you over for any other injuries though,"
"I'm fine," he grunted unconvincingly.
Shooting him a skeptical look, Sam began to gently unbutton his jacket. "I found some old rags and blankets, but I'll need to get your coat off so I can look you over and strap your shoulder to your chest," she explained quietly while going to work. With his jacket open, she saw that he only had a flannel and t-shirt on beneath it, and had begun to shiver slightly as she went through his layers of clothing.
"Damn, it's cold," Jack's teeth began to chatter a little.
Sam frowned worriedly. She knew the barn was a bit drafty, but it was much warmer than outside and he shouldn't have been that cold. "You might be suffering from shock, sir," When he said nothing, she started at the buttons on his flannel and then lifted his t-shirt to expose his abdomen and chest. There was some bruising on his chest, but nothing that appeared too painful when she put some pressure there. Sam was thankful that he didn't appear to have any broken ribs this time. "Besides your head and shoulder, does anything hurt particularly sir?" she asked, gently tugging his shirt back down and re-buttoning the flannel.
"No," he grunted, shaking his head and wincing. When she shot him a look he said, "Neck's a little sore,"
Gently feeling around his neck with both hands, Sam seemed satisfied that he didn't appear to be in too much pain, and decided Jack seemed to have gotten lucky with a strained muscle or something equally non-critical. When she'd woken to see him lying there awkwardly on the roof of the upturned truck, she'd been so scared he'd had some sort of neck or back injury, and she'd made it worse by dragging him across the snow.
"Okay sir, I'm going to wrap your shoulder up now," she told him, gingerly positioning his right arm against his chest as carefully as she could. Sam chewed her bottom lip as he clenched his eyes shut in mute pain. As gentle as she possibly could, Sam strapped Jack's arm to his chest, tearing strips from one of the rags she'd found to make it longer. Once she was finished, she secured his jacket around him once more and buttoned it up so he would stay warm.
"I'm..good Carter," Jack murmured, raising his left arm to get her to stop fussing with his jacket.
"Sorry sir," she smiled sheepishly at him and snatched her hands away from his coat. "Want to try and sit up?"
"Yeah," he nodded carefully, mindful of his neck, and his throbbing head. Pushing himself up with his left arm, he felt an odd pain in his lower back and legs as Sam helped him to lean against the wall. He grimaced, but turned his head away so Sam wouldn't see. There was something wrong, he knew it, but he didn't want to worry Sam. He could feel a strange numbness in his legs, and he couldn't move them very well.
Thinking a moment, Sam sat back on her heels and drew her lower lip between her teeth. "Sir, I think I should go back to your truck; see if I can salvage anything we had packed in the back. I know we could use the water that was in the cooler, and maybe some of the food,"
Jack was quiet for a little while, eyes glazed in thought. "How..bad is it out there?"
"Pretty bad. Visibility's no good," she grimaced, then added, "But the truck isn't too far away and I think I could make it there and back okay."
"I'll go with you," Jack told her, silently hoping she'd refuse his help, but worried about her going out there into the storm. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to get up, but he'd sure as hell drag his sorry ass out there with her if she needed him to.
Sam shook her head and put her hand out, halting any movement. "No sir, you need to rest. You just stay here and I'll be back before you know it," she smiled confidently at him.
"Sam," Jack called out to her when she got up and began moving towards the door. "There's a flashlight...somewhere in the backseat if you can get to it. You might need it,"
She nodded at him and turned away as she started to drag the door open. It was harder to pull it open this time, and Sam was surprised at the amount of snow on the ground on the other side. It was up to her knees by now. Suddenly it hit her how tiring this journey was going to be, and she tried hard to recall exactly what direction the truck had been in. It certainly wouldn't due to get lost in the white out.
Almost half an hour later, after Sam realized she'd probably passed the upturned truck twice, she found it, nearly encompassed in a heavy blanket of still-falling snow. If there had been any leaking gas from the truck, it hadn't ignited and blown up like on tv. For that she was grateful. Crawling toward the open passenger door where they'd escaped from the cab, Sam shoved armfuls of snow out of the way to get inside. Her face and hands were cold from the trek through the blizzard, and she took a moment to enjoy the little bit of warmth and shelter the truck provided.
She managed to find the flashlight surprisingly quickly when she accidently kneeled on it, then flicked it on to search the rest of the darkened cab. Snatching at one of her bags of clothes that was upside-down and wedged behind the driver's seat, Sam pulled some items out, then managed to grab Jack's bag and shoved her own things in with his. Shouldering the duffle bag, she crawled out from the upturned cab and headed out once more into the storm.
Trudging through the high snow with barely any visibility, Sam noticed that the light she'd first spied on the barn was still glowing despite the weather. It was a beacon, guiding her back to her Colonel, and she did her best to return to him.
On her way back, Sam nearly collided with a sizeable lump in the snow, and was delighted to discover that it was the cooler that had been in the bed of Jack's pick-up. She quickly brushed off the snow and turned it over to find that the lid was still latched and nothing had fallen out. Grasping the cooler by one of the handles and adjusting the duffle strap on her shoulder, Sam dragged it along behind her, focusing determinedly on the lantern light's glow ahead.
-
Jack was worried for Sam. By his count she'd been gone a long time, but he couldn't trust himself on that. He'd been feeling more sluggish and out of it since she'd left, and his head was really pounding. He just wanted Sam to be back so he could be certain she was safe, then he could pass out. Struggling to sit up against the wall where Sam had left him lying in the hay and covered in one of the musty old blankets she'd found, Jack winced at the pain that shot up from his lower back, going straight to his head and injured shoulder. A powerful wave of nausea swept him along with the pain, and he managed to roll sideways to avoid throwing up on himself.
The sound of the heavy, broken door being shoved open, followed by a cold draft sweeping into the old barn instantly told Jack that Sam had returned. With his head, shoulder, and lower back now throbbing in tune with his heartbeat, Jack forced himself onto his back once more and struggled to sit up again. He watched Sam bustle inside, his duffle bag strapped across her shoulders as she dragged in something behind her and then hastily went to close the door.
Sam shivered, brushing cold white powder off herself and pulling the snow-covered cooler further inside. Her jacket was cold and still snowy, so she pulled it off and shook it before leaving it on the floor. Her whole body felt numbed by the cold, and she just wanted to curl up someplace warm. Like next to Jack, she thought suddenly and without restraint. Thinking about Jack, she suddenly realized that she couldn't see him inside the barn. Her eyes had gotten adjusted to the bright white outside, and now she could barely see within the dim barn. Flicking on the flashlight she carried, Sam squinted and moved toward the corner hay pile where she'd left Jack.
"Colonel?" the flashlight moved back and forth along the floor until she spotted him. He was lying half-slumped against the wall, looking pale and about to pass out. Judging by the unpleasant smell as she approached, and the mess on the hay beside him, O'Neill had been sick. "Are you alright, sir?" Sam's blue eyes flashed with concern as she knelt on the hay beside him, clicking off the flashlight and setting it down.
He grunted and sighed softly, blinking sluggishly as if it were an extreme effort. "I threw up."
She smiled sympathetically and laid a hand gently on his thigh. "It's okay Colonel," Quickly covering up the mess with more hay, Sam got up and turned, glancing toward a pile of hay in the opposite corner of the barn. "Let's get you moved over there, sir. Do you think you could stand?" When he didn't respond right away, but gave her a worrying look, Sam felt her heart jump into her throat. "Colonel? What's wrong?"
Jack blinked sluggishly again, his brows furrowing in pain. "I... I can't really move..my legs...Carter,"
Sam nearly choked on her own saliva, her heart skipping a beat in panic. Taking a deep, decidedly shaky breath, she fought to remain calm, pushing down the anger she was feeling because he hadn't said anything until now. Her hand was still on his thigh, and she gave it a firm squeeze. "Did you feel that sir?"
He frowned and tried to focus, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Jack could feel the pressure of her hand on his thigh, but it was an odd, tingly sensation. "Yeah. A little,"
She nodded, but found herself shaking, tears beginning to sting her eyes. He could at least feel something, and that had to be a good sign. Momentarily clenching her eyes shut to hold back the tears, Sam chewed her bottom lip. She was worried about trying to move him, afraid of possibly causing further injury. But the truth was that the damage was probably already done. So much for thinking that she hadn't hurt anything by dragging him from the truck.
Sensing her concerns and seeing the guilt clearly flashing across Sam's face, Jack was quick to reassure her. In a gentle voice he said, "It's not...your fault Sam,"
Furiously wiping the falling tears from her eyes, she forced herself to nod. She just couldn't manage speaking at the moment.
Jack was still struggling to stay awake, but he needed to talk to her. "If you hadn't done...what you did...we both woulda froze..to death," he sent her a weak, wry smile. "Somethin' I doubt...either of us wants..to go through...again,"
Despite the guilt and worry she was feeling, he'd managed to make her smile. She sniffed, blinking back more tears and reaching her hand out to gently cup the side of his face. "I dunno," she murmured wistfully, "There were some benefits to that experience," Suddenly a sly grin spread across Sam's face. "Feel the need to share some body heat yet?"
He chuckled, grimacing when that caused his head to pound further. Knowing he was about to pass out any second, he lightly grasped the hand she held against his cheek and smiled gently. "Sorry Carter," he whispered, promptly losing consciousness.
Eyes widening in alarm, Sam quickly checked his pulse before heaving a sigh of relief. She wasn't so sure that moving him was such a good idea now, but the hay on the other side of the barn didn't stink of vomit, and was further away from the drafty old door. Pressing her hand once more to Jack's face, Sam found that he was beginning to feel cool again. Decision made, she tucked the blankets further around him and gingerly dragged him toward the opposite corner of the barn. When she'd gotten him settled, Sam suddenly realized how cold she was, and remembered that her jeans were soaked from the snow. Pulling over the duffel she'd brought back from the truck, Sam took out a pair of her pants she'd stuffed in there and changed quickly into the dry clothes.
Realizing that Jack's own pants must have gotten wet from her dragging him through the snow, Sam quickly knelt at his side and lifted the blanket off his legs. She put her hand on his knee and could feel that his jeans were damp and cold. Cursing herself for not noticing before, she dug a pair of his pants from the duffel bag and gently placed a hand on the side of Jack's face, trying to wake him. "Sir?"
Sighing when he didn't respond, Sam took a moment to chew her bottom lip, then squeezed his shoulder and tried changing tactics a little. "Jack, please wake up. I need your help here," she pleaded with him. "Jack, help me,"
"Hrm?" he started to come around, opening his eyes and peering groggily at her with sudden concern. "Carter? ....Wha'swrong? Y'okay?"
His words were a little slurred, and it concerned her. Sam smiled tightly. "I'm fine, Colonel. Your pants are a little damp, sir. I managed to get some of our clothes together from your truck, and I think you should change so you don't get too cold,"
"Don'matter," he murmured, barely keeping his eyes open. "My legs're already numb... Little cold...won't hurt,"
Sam frowned sadly and helped him to sit up. She wished she had something to give him for the pain, but found nothing of use in that respect in the truck. Ignoring the Colonel's initial, slurred, protests, she helped him remove the damp jeans and put on the pair of dry ones. He hissed in pain when she'd moved his legs to get the pants on, and she supposed that may actually be a good thing. "I'm sorry sir,"
"S'okay," he told her, eyes clenched shut. A wry smile flashed briefly over his face. "'Least I can feel that... Right?"
She nodded, sniffling and gently squeezing his arm. Covering him with the blankets again, Sam laid down in the hay at his side. When she'd gone out into the storm, she had checked her watch to see the time read 5:12, and decided that by the faint light in the sky amongst all the stormy snow and clouds, it was morning instead of afternoon, albeit very, very early. She was tired, and her head had started hurting again. Curling in close to Jack's left, she pulled another musty blanket over the both of them and drifted off to sleep.
-
She woke up cold, and to the sound of Jack's voice calling her name; her first name. Not Carter, not Major, but Sam. Her fuzzy brain forced her eyelids to flutter open, and she found that she'd rolled away from Jack in her sleep. She was shivering, and noticed that she'd pulled herself away from the relative warmth of the blankets as well.
"Sam," Jack was calling her again. "You're gonna freeze..over there,"
"Jack?" she questioned him, her muzzy mind automatically using his casual name as he had done for her.
"Yeah," he answered after what sounded like a brief hesitation. "C'mere,"
Blinking several times to clear her sleepy vision, Sam groaned at the persistent headache pounding at the front of her skull and gingerly sat up. She was still lying in the hay, but not nearly close enough to Jack's warmth and the blankets. She began to crawl toward him, then stopped and got to her feet a little clumsily, suddenly realizing how absolutely thirsty she was. There was water somewhere, she knew. The cooler! The cooler she'd dragged in from the storm. There was water bottles and some food and other beverages in there.
"Sam?" Jack murmured questioningly when he saw that she was no longer moving toward him. He'd woken, missing her warmth, and found that she'd moved away from him in her sleep. He wanted her beside him again, and it had more to do with warmth than he was willing to admit at the moment, but seeing that she wasn't coming back to his side right away had him confused and a little disheartened.
"There's some water and food in the cooler," she said softly, by way of explanation. Sam knew that keeping hydrated would be beneficial to both of them, and tiredly stumbled over to the cooler before dragging it over to their little hay pile in the corner. Taking out a single bottle of water for them to share, since she knew they should probably ration their supplies, Sam twisted the cap off and drank some slowly before kneeling at Jack's side.
Jack managed to prop himself up on his left elbow, Sam gently holding the back of his head with one hand and the water bottle with the other as she helped him to drink. He was thirsty, but stopped himself from drinking too much, knowing that there was only a limited supply. "Thanks," he whispered as she pulled the bottle away and returned it to the cooler.
Shivering, Sam remembered her jacket she'd removed earlier and got up, hurrying to retrieve it from the floor close to the door. Pulling it on, she zipped it up all the way and shuffled back over to lay down once more on the hay beside Jack. Lifting the blankets, she gingerly curled in close beside him and pulled the blankets over them both. "Brrr," she murmured, feeling herself tense slightly when she felt Jack's arm wrap around her, pulling her even closer to him.
"Is it....Cuh-Christmas..Eve y-yet?" Jack murmured, his teeth starting to chatter.
It took Sam a moment to remember what time it had been when she'd gone to get their supplies, and checking her watch, realized that it was still the same day. It was around thirteen-hundred, and she was a little frightened to discover that they'd been asleep for nearly eight hours. "No," she answered him softly, her cheek resting against his chest, "We've s-s-still got...eleven hours t-to go," she whispered tiredly. Sam couldn't believe how exhausted she still was.
"Okay," Jack nodded a little dazedly. His eyes were closed now, and he felt himself drifting again. It was just too hard trying to stay awake, although he knew he probably should.
Suddenly worried that they were probably both beginning to suffer the first stages of hypothermia, Sam scared herself into not falling asleep again. They were both shivering a lot now, and with Jack's injuries, she feared that hypothermia would sneak up on him much faster. "J-Jack?" she hedged tentatively. She needed to keep him awake, and if that meant bringing up an awkward conversation, then so be it.
"Yuh-Yeah?" came the rasped response as his entire body seemed to convulse with the shivering that wracked his frame.
"About the other..nuh-night.." Sam began, trying desperately to control her shivering and the chattering of her teeth.
Jack's brows furrowed, but it was hard to concentrate. His brain was still pretty muzzy from the concussion and he frowned as he fought to remember what she was talking about. It hit him a moment later. The kiss. She was probably worried he'd bring it up with Hammond or something ridiculous like that, he thought. But the truth was, he'd been a willing participant as well. "Cuh-Carter.." he paused, feeling her tense, then let out a soft sigh. "Sam-"
"Sir, puh-please... Let me finish," she interrupted, sucking in a breath that would hopefully calm her nerves. "I know we'd both b-been drinking, but I wasn't s-so drunk that I di-didn't realize what I was doing,"
Blinking, Jack slowly rubbed his free hand up and down her arm. "Me neither," he breathed quietly.
"And I'm not sorry," Sam stated determinedly, chewing her bottom lip as she waited for him to say something.
"Me neither," he said again with a slow smile spreading across his face.
Sam didn't know where they were supposed to go from there, but right now she didn't care. Feeling another surge of courage she said quietly, "I don't regret what happened...Jack. In fact, I'm glad it did,"
Jack didn't know what to say to that. He felt a surge of love for the woman in his arms and rubbed his hand along her arm affectionately, craning his neck painfully to kiss the top of her head as a response. Sighing with a sense of peace washing over him, Jack dropped his head back into the hay and closed his eyes, murmuring softly, "I'm tuh-tired Sam,"
"I know," she felt her gut clench in fear. Exhaustion was creeping up on her as well, but it wasn't a good idea for both of them to sleep. "You r-rest. I'll w-wake you in half an hour and we'll s-switch,"
"'Kay," Jack drifted off within seconds, dead to the world and to the cold.
Sam curled into him as close as possible and concentrated on the beating of his heart to keep herself awake.
-
Unbeknownst to the stranded travelers in the barn, the storm had begun to settle and a rescue team had been mounted at the SGC when the two missing members of SG-1 hadn't returned to base after Teal'c and Daniel. Jacob Carter had been waiting for his little girl to arrive so they could fly out to California for the holiday, and convinced General Hammond that something was wrong when several hours passed and she and O'Neill had yet to arrive.
The transmitter in Sam's cell phone had been tracked to Nebraska, where apparently a huge snowstorm had been underway. On General Hammond's order, a helicopter had been sent to find his two missing Air Force officers. Jacob went along for the ride, desperate to find his daughter and bring her back, hopefully safe and sound.
-
Sam managed to fight off sleep for a long while, and though she was certain it had been more than half an hour since Jack dozed off, she hadn't woken him to trade places. When she was just about to rouse him and try to get him to drink a little more and possibly eat something, a sound from above got Sam's attention. There was a loud whup, whup, whup noise descending over the barn and getting louder. Her muzzy mind recognized the noise as the sound of a helicopter's rotor, and she carefully disentangled herself from Jack, leaving the blankets over him and stumbling toward the door.
Jerking it open with some effort, Sam was initially surprised to discover the storm had settled. It was getting dark, but she could see enough to tell that it was no longer snowing, although the drifts had continued to rise throughout the day and the snow was at least two and a half feet high. Peering out as the wind whipped and the loud rotor noise continued, Sam nearly screamed in relief when she saw the helicopter land out in the clearing about fifty yards from the shelter of the barn.
Jack's eyes opened slowly as a deep chill assaulted him suddenly, and he slowly realized the cold wind was whipping inside the wide open barn door. Blinking with confusion, his eyes scanned his surroundings and he felt a brief surge of panic when he couldn't find Sam. "Suh-Sam," he croaked, his head pounding. "Sam!" he managed again in a strong voice, struggling to push himself one-handed into a sitting position and crying out in pain.
"It's okay Colonel, I'm here!"
He heaved a sigh of relief when she came inside the open door and jogged to his side. His brows furrowed in confusion when he took in the elated grin on her face. "What-?"
"Our rescue party is here, sir," she had happy tears trailing down her pale, frozen cheeks as she turned slightly and her father came into the barn with a flashlight, followed closely by a two-man medical team in bright orange suits.
"Hey Jack," Jacob greeted him with a smile, slowing down a little as he approached the hay pile where the injured man lay. His expression sobered when he got a good look at his daughter's CO. "You don't look so good."
"Th-thanks J-Jake. Nice to s-see you t-t-to," Jack muttered, forcing his heavy-lidded eyes to remain open. A crooked smile appeared briefly on his weary face.
Jacob's concerned gaze swept from Jack to Sam. "What happened to you guys?"
"The storm guh-got bad. The Colonel's t-truck flipped over," Sam frowned worriedly, feeling only slightly comforted as her father hugged her tightly. She gestured toward the prone Colonel. "He's got a d-dislocated shoulder and a puh-possible spinal injury. Probably a concussion t-too,"
One of the medics moving toward Jack turned and waved at the other one. "Get me a back board and two units of warmed saline in here!"
"How 'bout you?" Jacob asked his daughter softly, rubbing her arms to try and generate some warmth.
"I'll be okay Dad," she assured him, shivering in his arms. "Little concussion.." she murmured against him, getting her chattering teeth and shivering under control again.
"It's alright now Sammy, we're going to get you both home now. You're okay," Jacob promised his daughter, guiding her out toward the helicopter as the medics finished getting Jack strapped to the backboard and put him on an IV.
As the chopper rose steadily from the snowy ground, Sam leaned against her father's shoulder, wrapped in a warm blanket with an IV line in her right arm, sending warm fluids into her veins. Her eyes shifted over to Jack, laying flat on the backboard and strapped securely to the floor of the helicopter, a medic on one side of him, the other in the co-pilot's seat. Slowly, she turned her head into her father's chest, brows furrowed in confusion. "How did you know where to find us?" she murmured with genuine curiosity.
Jacob smiled, leaning close to her ear so that she could hear him over the roar of the chopper's rotors. "The transmitter on your cell phone led us here to Nebraska, but we couldn't pinpoint your exact location and had to do a sweep of the area overhead. The pilot spotted that light coming from the barn and we came down to check it out, thinking you might be trying to signal us." He shifted slightly in his seat and affectionately tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Good thinking, by the way. Not that I'd expect any less from you, Sam,"
Blinking, Sam pulled away slightly so she could face her father. "That wasn't me, Dad. I spotted the lantern after we climbed out of Jack's truck and took a chance that there'd be shelter there."
"Really?" Jacob asked quizzically. "Huh."
"Yeah," Sam murmured, heaving a tired sigh. Her head dropped against her father's shoulder again, but her eyes were still on Jack. He'd soon lost consciousness once the medics got him settled in the chopper and injected some morphine into his IV. Sam had been given a smaller dose of the painkiller for her concussion, and it was just now working to put her to sleep. Completely exhausted and feeling at ease enough to rest now, knowing both she and Jack would soon be safely in Janet Fraiser's clutches, Sam welcomed the fading of her consciousness and gradually went to sleep.
-
[Part 2 of Christmas Miracles]