Short Stories 20
The Rescue
by BlueLotus
URL: http://www.stargateslash.com/asb/blotus/shorts20.php
Summary: Jack drops by Daniel's house... in the nick of tip, it seems!
Info: SSD fic challenge entry. Thank you Marah for beta-ing for me!
Oh my God! What the hell is he doing?
My heart is in my throat as soon as I drive my truck on to his drive and see Daniel teetering dangerously on the top rung of the ladder so precariously leaning up against his house.
What do I do!?
If I shout it could startle him and he's gonna fall... If I don't - well, he's gonna fall anyway! I just know it!
Of all the stupid things... Shit!
I decide time is of the essence here and I hurry to the base of his ladder, and my mouth instantly falls open. He's balanced one of the legs on a brick to stop it wobbling, as a safety measure, but it's not working as said brick is beginning to slide. Safety measure, my butt! Carefully I wedge my feet against the base and grip the ladder tightly in my hands and wince as I look up. Daniel's leaning over too far to his left, his right leg lifting to counter his balance... No!
"Daniel!" I say trying to keep my voice calm, but it comes out like a high pitched hiss. "Three points of contact on the ladder at all times!"
I startled him and he wobbles for a second before gripping the wood securely.
"Jack? What are you doing here?" he asks as if he hasn't just nearly fallen fifteen feet onto a concrete path. "Never mind, give me a hand!"
And he starts to lean over, with that damned leg lifting again.
"Daniel, put your foot back on the ladder for cryin' out loud!" I tell him again. Geez, the man is nuts!
"I can't reach him though," Daniel answers me as if that explains everything. The ladder jerks and I grip tighter as he leans even further.
"Jesus, Daniel! What the hell are you doing?" I growl as the brick at the base slides against my shoe scuffing the leather. He's gonna owe me a new pair after this!
"Nearly got him, just a little more..." he murmurs completely oblivious to the danger he's in. Got who?
"Be careful, damnit, Danny!" I hiss again when all of a sudden it's taking most of my strength to hold the damn ladder up. "Get back down here!"
"Just a second... Nearly... C'mon kitty, it's okay, I'm here to rescue you," Daniel says softly, and it dawns on me. He's risking his life for a damned cat!
An angry hiss and deep throaty mewl tells me Daniel has the cat. I look up and crane my head to see my lover's arm holding a very bedraggled, pissed off looking ginger fur ball that's hissing and growling. So much for being grateful to your rescuer!
"Ow!" Daniel grates out as the cat's claws dig in to his arms through the jacket he has on. He's desperately trying to regain his balance but Pissed Off Cat isn't letting him and the ladder shudders violently, shaking itself off the brick it's stood on.
"Oh shit!" my lover yelps. His eyes find mine when his world threatens to tilt.
"Hold on, Danny," I order through gritted teeth as I throw my weight against the now unstable structure. I can feel Daniel struggle with his rescued charge. The bloody thing is hissing and yowling!
"Get the cat, Jack!" Daniel cries out when Pissed Off Cat suddenly makes a bid for freedom and leaps out of Daniel's arms.
Get the cat? Is he kidding me? For a shocking moment I'm drawn between holding onto the ladder and saving Daniel from a nasty fall, and catching a mangy looking angry fur ball. No contest!
"Fuck the cat, Daniel!" I decide. "Get the hell down here before you fall and break your damned neck!"
It's too late though when my shaky hold on the ladder is broken as Pissed Off Cat lands on my back, its claws digging painfully into my flesh.
"Jesus Christ!" I yelp desperately trying to dislodge the growling hissing monster, its horrid fishy breath making me retch.
"Jack!" Daniel calls out, and my eyes widen when I look up to see the ladder finally succumb to gravity and start to fall over.
Pissed Off Cat finally pisses off and I stand helplessly watching Daniel hug the ladder like a lifeline as it falls to the side, scraping loudly against the side of the house on the way down. I want to shout to him to hang on but my heart's in my throat and I can't even manage a croak.
There's a shuddering halt as the ladder gets caught on a piece of guttering. I blink as Daniel's jacket hooks over the top of the wood and he hangs suspended for a few seconds until the guttering groans horribly and gives way. It's a surreal sight!
His feet scramble for a foot hold, but it's for naught. He's on his way down.
"Daniel!" I shout as my feet carry me over to him as fast as they can to help stop his descent. I arrive a second too late and watch in horror as Daniel lands on the hard concrete with a sickening thud, the ladder clattering on top of him.
"Shit!" I hiss and throw the ladder to the side. Daniel blinks up at me, his eyes slightly unfocussed. "Danny, you okay?"
"Did you get the cat?" he asks. The cat? Did I get the cat?! Geez!
"Yes, I got the cat," I tell him patiently through my teeth. My fingers find a huge lump on the back of his head as I'm checking him for injuries and he hisses in pain.
"Good. Jimmy wass lookin' for it," he slurs, his eyes becoming glassy - could be a concussion. Damn.
"Daniel, stay with me here, okay?" I order gently as I pull out my cell and hit the redial button for Janet Frasier. "Do you hurt anywhere else?"
" 'm not goin' 'nywhere," Daniel murmurs and shakes his head. I cup his face with my free hand as my cell starts to talk.
I quickly explain to the doc what happened and she tells me she's on her way. I blow out a breath and look at my lover. For a man who claims to be a genius, he's completely brainless!
"Hey, the doc's on her way," I tell Daniel gently. He smiles at me dopily and I can't help but grin back. Brainless he may be, I still love him.
~
It's just a mild concussion and a bruised ass, thank God! It could've been a lot worse. Frasier laughed when I told her the series of unfortunate events that landed Daniel in bed concussed and sore on a Saturday afternoon. She told me I should've videoed it - apparently there are television shows that love this stuff. Go figure, huh!
Needless to say, Daniel and I will be having a little talk on the safety of using ladders after his little mishap today. As for Pissed Off Cat, whose name is actually Fluffy... Well, he's now back home safe with his owner, Jimmy, Daniel's next door neighbour. The young kid and Fluffy came round earlier to thank us - and I swear the damned cat smirked at me!
Later that afternoon, sore and with a mother of a headache, Daniel ambles slowly into the living room where I'm flicking through the channels on his television. I look up and raise my eyebrows at the sight of my lover limping pitifully over to the sofa.
"Sore?" I ask, a hint of its-your-own-fault colouring my voice. Daniel just sneers at me and gingerly sits down.
I hand him a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water and urge him to take them. Daniel doesn't need telling twice.
"You know, you should get the full TV channel package, Danny," I say and resume flicking. "Where are your entertainment channels?"
"Huh?"
Rolling my eyes, I look at my lover to see him sat with his head in his hands and his eyes closed. Lines of pain mar his forehead as he frowns at the throb of his headache. Wincing in sympathy, I crouch in front of Daniel and gently stroke my knuckles against the clammy pale cheek. Daniel's eyes open slowly and he smiles at me tiredly.
"Come on," I say softly, carefully helping him to stand, "Back to bed with you." He's obviously not ready for to be up and about yet.
I help him back to his room and settle him again. He lays there looking at me in the failing light of the late afternoon, his eyes doing that slow blinking thing as he fights off the pull of sleep. I sit on the edge of the bed and gently thumb the frown from his forehead.
"I never thanked you," he says quietly, his fingers wrapping around my wrist. He pulls me down and covers my lips with his own, and in the quiet of the room we kiss softly.
"Well," I swallow and shake my head a little to clear it - Geez, the man can kiss! "You're welcome, but we still have to talk about how to properly use a ladder, Danny."
"Fluffy was stuck on the roof," he says like it makes perfect sense - to him at least. I shake my head in dismay. Did I say brainless?
I sit and watch him fall asleep again and sigh. I can only hope that today's bump on the head has knocked some sense into him. I can only hope!
