Begins mid season 7 and then goes off in it's own direction.
Unbeta'd, so mistakes are all mine!
Heat. Light. His brain sent the order for his eyes to open, but they refused to admit the bright light blazing just beyond his eyelids. He listened for sounds of battle, but heard only silence. Wait. He could hear someone breathing just to the right of his head. The sound was labored and shallow, as if that person were battling for each molecule of oxygen. He lifted his head and regretted the move instantly, as fireworks shot off behind his closed eyelids, blinding him.
His head fell back down into his sandy pillow and he began a mental assessment of his body. Beginning at the bottom, he moved his feet and then legs. Good, everything fine there. His hands and arms seemed functional, although he was aware of a burning sensation on the back of his hands and face. Sunburn? The most immediate problem seemed to be the weight on his back that was restricting his breathing. His backpack.
Keeping his eyes closed, he lifted himself listlessly up onto his hands and knees. He could breathe much better now, but he needed to get the weight off. Inhaling deeply, he gradually moved to a sitting position and unsnapped the backpack from his vest. Released from the weight, he sank back to lean against the backpack and attempted to open his eyes, but senselessness claimed him again.
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Sluggishly lifting his eyelids, Daniel's eyes adjusted bit-by-bit to the moonless, starlit night. He surveyed the area and spotted one body lying face down about two feet to his right. Reaching out, he placed his hand on her neck and found an irregular, shallow pulse. Moving towards her quickly, he unfastened her backpack and pushed it off her back. He gently ran his hands over her arms and legs, searching for obvious broken bones and found nothing. He then began applying gentle pressure on her ribs and got an immediate reaction. She tried to pull her body away from the pain and cried out, but didn't awaken.
Daniel jerked his hands away from her, suspecting that her ribs were cracked, if not broken. That could explain her jagged breathing. He reached back again, careful not to move her, still uncertain if she might have a neck or back injury, and removed her hat. Long, dark hair tumbled out, bound in a rubber band. It wasn't Sam, but his new assistant, Dr. Jago.
He decided it would be best to leave her until morning when he would be able to see. He stood up on shaky legs to look around for the rest of the group, but couldn't see anyone else near them. Another thing that would have to wait until morning.
Daniel unhooked her sleeping bag from the bottom of her backpack and tucked it around her as best as her could without moving her. The desert night air was chilly. He replaced her hat to keep her head warm. Digging into his pack, he pulled out the aspirin and swallowed two with a drink from his canteen. Leaning back onto his pack again, he reviewed what he remembered about this mission and tried to work out what had happened and where they might be.