Challenge 642 - Out of breath

[m_findlow]

Title: Out of breath
Character: Jack, Owen
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 200 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 642 - Oxygen at tw100
Summary: Owen is perplexed by an alien medical emergency. A double drabble.

Owen watched the alien flailing and gasping for air on the ground. He'd managed to find it quickly but it was in a bad way, grabbing at its neck and turning a sickly shade of grey that Owen knew wasn't a good sign.

Just breathe, Owen said, trying to calm it down. He hadn't yet figured out what was wrong, but panic almost always invariably made things worse.

'Can't… breathe…' it wheezed.

Okay. So it was choking. Owen went into doctor mode. Jack came running up, having gotten lost along the way. He was holding a plastic bag to his face and breathing hard into it. Owen wondered what he had to be panicky about. Perhaps this alien was some kind of king or something and its death would signal the outbreak of war on the planet as revenge.

'Stop frigging around and help!' Owen yelled.

Jack paused his erratic puffing for a second. 'I am!' He gave a few more heavy puffs into the bag and then held it out to the suffocating alien. 'Here! Breathe into this. Lots of nice carbon dioxide for you.'

'Huh?' Owen muttered.

'Too much oxygen is killing it.'

'Oh. Well, that makes sense.'