Author's Notes: A bit of holiday angst, my gift for all of you who have been so kind.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
I’m going to kill that kid.
Not really.
I guess…
But what the hell was he thinking driving out here in the middle of nowhere in the worst storm of the century in the middle of the night in the double-blasted highest mountains in the great state of Colorado?
Calm down, O’Neill.
Yeah, right.
Thank God he had that cell phone Carter got him for Christmas. I’ve been after him for months to get one. I’m glad she’s quicker to take a hint than Daniel.
He sounded kind of strange on the phone. Distant. Probably figures I’m going to chew his ass out when I get there. He’s probably right, I will. After I make sure he’s okay.
There’s the mile marker.
Where the hell is Daniel’s car?
It’s hard to see much of anything in this stuff, the wipers can barely keep up with the load of snow that’s piling up on the windshield. If it weren’t for the guardrails it would be damn near impossible to figure out just where the road is. I just hope Daniel figured it out…
If he’d wrecked, he would have said something…wouldn’t he?
Lately, it’s hard to figure out what Daniel would do. He’s been doing pretty well as far as accepting the fact that Sha’re is dead. He’d even getting on with life as we know it in the SGC. Maybe he’s been a little more distracted, a lot more withdrawn…but better. Considering everything that’s happened this year, I’m just amazed he’s holding it together as well as he is.
What the…?
There’s Daniel, balled up in a huddle on the side of the road like he’s trying to keep warm. Wonder how long he’s been sitting there like that? He’s nearly covered in snow. I’m starting to get a seriously bad feeling here….
Pulling my watch cap lower over my ears and setting the emergency brake, I jump out and run over to him.
"Daniel?" Nothing. He doesn’t hear me or …
I move closer and pull his head up.
Oh, my God…
His face is bloody and far too pale to suit me. The blood still flows sluggishly, but the edges of it are encrusted and frozen. He’s pretty out of it. Must’ve passed out after he called me. I send a psychic wave of thanks to Carter, if Daniel hadn’t had that phone…
I’m getting a little scared here, Daniel’s still not showing any inclination to wake up. I tap…okay, I slap…his cheeks. He needs to wake up. I need him to wake up.
"Daniel? C’mon, buddy…"
His eyebrows twitch, drawing up into a frown of pain, and his eyes open a little, squinting in the glare from the headlights. He gives me a long, slightly perplexed look… like he’s trying to figure something out.
"Jack?" He has to make a couple of tries at it, but at least he gets the name right…That’s gotta be good.
"Yeah, it’s me." I smile at him, trying to put on my best reassuring tone. *Guaranteed to work in most all-purpose emergencies.* "What the hell happened?"
Daniel’s still got that thinking look on his face. It’s obviously not that easy a question, so I’m guessing concussion…maybe hypothermia…maybe both.
I try an easier question. "Where’s your car, Daniel?"
The eyebrows do that little squinchy thing again. Okay, maybe that wasn’t easier.
"Gone, just…gone…"
Daniel’s voice sounds strange, like it’s coming from a different part of his brain than usual. Something has definitely shaken things up inside his head. I can’t find any other visible signs of injury so I figure it’s okay to go ahead and move him. We sure as hell can’t stay where we are and, besides, it would take hours to get an ambulance up here.
As carefully as I can in the blinding snow, I lever Daniel up and wrap his arm around my shoulder. It gets a little iffy for a minute, but he manages to stay on his feet and moves when I tell him to. He bites down on a gasp of pain as I help him into the Jeep, one hand aimlessly reaching for his chest…which tells me he’s hurt worse than I thought. I buckle him into the seat belt and reach over him to crank the heat up full blast before closing his door and running around to get in.
We’re a long way from nowhere and in this blizzard it’ll take twice as long to get there. SGC is thirty miles behind us and Colorado Springs is another ten beyond that. I remember a sign a few miles back advertising a mountain inn five miles ahead, that would put it less than three miles from here so I make that our destination. I don’t think Daniel’s injuries are life threatening…I hope…but I need to get him someplace warm and dry ASAP and that means we go forward. Thirty miles might as well be 300 in this stuff, in four- wheel drive it would take hours to get back to base.
I turn on the dome light to get another look at Daniel. The blood’s flowing a little freer now that he’s thawing out. I pat at Daniel’s pockets, finally locating the handkerchief I know will be there and tie it around his head. Daniel winces slightly at the pressure but doesn’t give any other reaction. Turning the light back off, I put the Jeep in gear and aim it up the mountain.
I keep my eye on the odometer, gauging the distance I think should bring us to the inn. Just before the third mile clicks over, I see it and pull into the parking lot. It’s one of those quaint rustic charm places…likely as old as the mountain itself.
Shit!
Closed for the season?
Would somebody tell these idiots that people come from all over the world to Colorado just for the snow?
Great.
Now what?
Daniel moans beside me, stirring a little. "Mmmm…Jack?"
I turn the dome light back on. He’s blinks at the light, but looks a little more lucid than the last time he opened his eyes.
"Daniel? Y’okay?"
Duh, Jack. Does he look okay?
"Ummm hm…" He’s blinking a lot more now, giving me that look that’s supposed to convince me he really *isn’t* as out of it as he seems.
Been there.
I really don’t think he’ll understand, but I lay out the situation for him anyway. He seems to take a long time to think about, then looks at me…sort of. His eyes seem to be having a little trouble focusing.
"Jack…I just really need to lay down somewhere…."
Tell me something I don’t know, Danny. So what to do? Try getting back off this mountain to base? Or break into the inn?
Base?
Inn?
A look at the Jeep’s gas hand makes the decision for me. Just over a quarter of a tank. In normal conditions that would be plenty. Bulldogging it down hill in a blizzard for thirty miles … a little more of a risk than I want to take with an injured man aboard.
I pull the Jeep up to the doors of the inn…padlocked. All the easier to break in. I tell Daniel to sit tight…like he’s able to do anything else…and get out with every burglar’s friend…my tire iron. The lock snaps at the first pull and I go back to get Daniel.
He’s moving slightly steadier than he was before…which isn’t saying a whole lot…but I feel his hand digging into my shoulder telling that he’s hurting more than he wants to let on. Daniel’s kind if funny that way, holds stuff in. Me, I’m a great believer in vocal expression of pain…some kinds of pain anyway.
I hit the light switch on the way in, hoping they haven’t had it disconnected for whatever season they’re closed for. Guess so. I click on my flashlight. Rustic charm alright. Big timber beams, overstuffed leather couches, huge stone fireplace…rustic. I put Daniel down on the sofa nearest the fireplace, making a fire the first order of business. Everything’s laid out already, all I have to do is light it. Nice.
Daniel’s out of it again, so I do a little recon while I wait for the heat to take the chill out of the room. I gather up some candles, pots, coffee and canned food from the kitchen. The bathroom yields a first aid kit…definitely need that. Upstairs, I find blankets, linens and some complimentary bathrobes. Back downstairs, I take two of the pots outside and fill them with snow…one for cleaning Daniel up and the other for coffee.
The room’s warmer now, so I light some of the candles and go try to figure what kind of damage Daniel’s done to himself this time. I slip his arms out of his coat, trying to move slow and easy, but he inhales sharply when I raise him up to get it off.
"Sorry, Daniel…" He nods a little, guess he’s not as far out of it as I thought.
I empty the pockets of his coat onto the coffee table before hanging it near the fire to dry.
Daniel’s wearing that sweater thing over a tee shirt, both of them are going to have to come off over his head. He must realize it too, because he reaches out a hand for me to help him sit up. We manage it, but he doesn’t open his eyes and has to lean against me for support. He’s shaking by the time we get them off and I apologize again, cutting off mid-sentence when I see his ribs. His chest and right side are black with bruises. I run my hands along the ribs, feeling a grinding give in a couple of places, I lay a blanket over him while I tear one of the sheets into strips. Daniel’s no stranger to the pain of broken ribs…neither am I…he knows what’s coming, but he also knows it’ll feel better after I bind them up. When I’m ready he sits up, holding onto my shoulder…make that digging into it…. while I wrap his upper body firmly with the strips, apologizing every time he gasps. By the time I tie it off, he’s looking even whiter than before, but takes a cautious breath, sighing when it doesn’t hurt. I help him put on the bathrobe and lay him back down. I reach for his shoes, they’re soaked too. He looks at me strangely, but nods when I point out that his pants are also wet. Those prove easier than expected and pretty soon I’ve got him bundled under a bunch of blankets…but not before I see a bunch more bruises along his right hip and thigh.
I take the rest of his things and hang them up by the fire, bringing back one of the pots of melted snow. Using what’s left of the sheet, I wash off as much of the blood as I can. Daniel just closes his eyes tightly, only moaning once when I get to the actual gash across his right temple. I use the antiseptic and bandages from the first aid it, taping a two by two over the cut.
"All done, Danny…" I say by way of apology. It had to be done, but that doesn’t make me feel better. I don’t know how Janet does it. I hate causing Daniel pain, the kid’s had enough of that to last a lifetime…a couple of lifetimes…
He looks small and vulnerable under the blankets, the white face looking even paler now that the blood’s gone. I know I should let him rest, but I’d really like to know what the hell happened to him in the three hours between the Christmas party and the time I found him.
"Daniel?" I say it softly, experience tells me Daniel’s not going to appreciate loud noises for awhile.
His eyes flutter open and he blinks at me again. "Jack? What’s wrong?"
What’s wrong? Now isn’t that the question of the day.
"I was hoping you could tell me that…?" I offer gently, indicating his head…and chest...and legs…
"I didn’t..?" I can see the confusion take hold in his eyes again.
"Tell me? No, Danny, we never quite got around to that part…"
"Oh." He blinks a little more, his eyebrows trying to meet each other in the middle as he concentrates. "I, uh, I was going…somewhere…" He has to stop to think again. "I gave someone a ride…"
Okay. Now I want to strangle him. How many times do I have to tell him this ain’t Abydos, you don’t pick up strangers in the good old USA anymore. Despite my first impulse, I manage to keep my voice low, "Who was it, Daniel?"
"Guy…kid, really…looked safe. It was cold, snowing…" Got to do something about that Galahad complex of his…. "Drove awhile…then he pulled a knife…"
Shit.
"Guess that explains where your car is."
Daniel starts to nod, decides against it. "Yeah…made me get out. Did a U-turn, hit me.."
I feel my blood boil at that. It’s bad enough to steal a guy’s car and strand him miles from nowhere in a blizzard, but the perp tried to run him down. Must’ve gotten scared that Daniel could identify him later. Even without the injuries, Daniel wouldn’t have survived the night out there.
"I get the picture. So look at me, Danny. How many fingers?"
"Mmm…six?"
Well, that’s one more than I’ve got on my hand and a whole lot more than I’m holding up. Not that I had any doubt, but concussion’s a pretty safe bet at this point. I tap out a couple of the aspirin from the first aid kit, and help him swallow them with a little water.
"Just get some rest, Daniel."
He makes some sort of noise, but I know he’s out again. I go over and poke at the fire, mostly because I just need to poke something. Damn. Bad stuff seems to dog Daniel like a persistent, and particularly malicious, shadow. It’s not like Daniel goes out looking for this stuff, most of what happens to him results from his best intentions which generally backfire…sometimes quite messily…on him alone. It’s a wonder he keeps trusting anyone….but I’m glad he hasn’t let the garbage change him too much; I hope it never does.
So…now I know what happened. I just wonder why he was up here in the first place. He said he going ‘somewhere’. What the hell else is up here? A couple of little towns, then the National Park. What was so important he had to come out here on Christmas night?
I spot Daniel’s stuff on the table. Cell phone…battery’s dead now, wallet, house keys, and a little gift-wrapped box. I pick it up, feeling a little guilty. It’s wrapped up in gold paper with one of those string bows and there’s a name tag on it, the fancy folded kind. I start to look, but hesitate…But, hell, being nosy is a job requirement, I’m sure I signed something when they made me a colonel.
Looking down at the name on the card, I find I have to sit down…
Part 1 Part 2