DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable 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 purposes 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. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Daniel clawed his way painfully back to consciousness. It took him several seconds before he was able to remember the recent events and put them in the correct sequence. He tried to sit up and fell back, gasping as pain knifed through his chest and legs. "Idiot" he muttered "Basic first aid, Jackson. Check for injuries before moving."
He knew he was on the ground outside the car but he didn't recall being thrown from the vehicle. He could feel something warm and sticky dribbling into his hair. He put his hand up, touched his forehead and looked at his fingers - blood. That explained his memory or lack thereof. He appeared to have full use of both arms so he carefully felt along his ribs, wincing as sharp pains were elicited from the slight pressure. Bruised ribs? Broken? He couldn't be sure but he knew he wouldn't be climbing out of here. That reminded him of his legs and he carefully lifted his head to squint at them. His left leg lay on the ground, the ankle bent strangely and he knew without needing to feel it, that it was broken. His right leg appeared to be caught up somewhere inside the crushed doorway of the car and Daniel groaned as he saw the blood soaking his pants leg to the knee. Tentatively, he pulled on his leg and arched his back as a scream of agony was torn from his throat. He flopped bonelessly to the ground as the movement sent jagged shocks along the length of his leg, leaving him exhausted and bordering on shock.
The sky above him was darkening rapidly and the night brought with it a cloak of bone aching cold. Daniel shivered and gazed longingly at his jacket, sprawled just out of reach. Suddenly he laughed irrationally. "Jack's car. I've wrecked Jack's car. He's gonna kill me."
The thought of his friend brought a sense of overwhelming loss and sadness coursing through him. "Jack" he yelled hoarsely. He was aware of the tears mixing with the blood on his face. "Jack" he whispered.
Jack O'Neill started awake as he turned restlessly on the narrow Army bunk. Sighing, he reached for his wristwatch and thumbed the inbuilt light. Six am. He sat up feeling stiff muscles in his back twitch. 'I shouldn't have lent Daniel my car. Could've still been sleeping in my own bed' he thought grumpily. "Caffeine, I need caffeine" he growled as he reached for his pants and shoes.
He limped into the break room still trying to massage the knots from his complaining back. Samantha Carter was already there, poring over the blueprints of the new UAV. "Good morning, sir" she said breezily.
Jack mumbled something unintelligible at her and she clucked sympathetically at him. "Army bunks, sir? Not designed for a good night's sleep, are they?"
"You got that right, Carter" Jack agreed. "Daniel will be here in a half an hour and I've got a day off. Blissful ignorance, with a hockey game on the TV and a cold beer in my hand."
An hour and a half later, an extremely irate Colonel slammed the phone down on Daniel's answering machine message. "Damn it! Where the hell could he have gotten to?" he roared.
Sam winced at the anger in Jack's voice. "Sir, is it possible he stayed the night at his friend's place? You know how Daniel loses all sense of time when he's caught up with his archaeology stuff" she suggested.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'll try the University. Any idea of this guy's name?" Jack asked.
Sam just shrugged.
"Okay, we've got to start somewhere. God, he could have called in. I'm going to buy the kid a cell phone for Christmas, no, better yet, a pager."
"Daniel's been under a lot of pressure lately, Colonel." Sam reminded him gently.
"I know, Carter, I know" Jack agreed. He picked up the phone and asked the base operator to connect him to the University of Colorado.
Daniel woke with a gasp of pain as another bout of violent shivering sent stabs of agony through his abused body. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and tried to force himself to breathe lightly. He was successful for a short time before the futility of his situation began to panic him again.
"Oh, God, oh God, please Jack, please come" he whispered brokenly. The words became a mantra that grew fainter and then ceased altogether, as loss of blood; shock and fatigue claimed his restless soul once more.