Highland Doc's Christmas Rescue

by Susan Carlisle

  When—if—they found the girl she could very well be hypothermic. She would need medical attention immediately. Could they find her soon enough?

  Cass stumbled and Lyle caught her before she went down.

  “Do you need to stop?” His concerned look touched her heart.

  She shook her head. “No. We have to find her.”

  For a second he looked as if he were going to argue. “I don’t need two patients.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Cass trudged forward.

  Lyle pursed his lips and nodded, then joined her.

  Not soon enough for Cass they made it to the ruins. In the daylight she had no doubt the area was interesting but in the dark it had an eerie feel to it. Hero sniffed around, making a circle. Finally he stood beside a couple of huge stones and barked.

  “Have you found something?” Cass said to the dog as she made her way toward him, with Lyle shining the flashlight that direction. “Setzen.”

  The dog sat.

  She and Lyle were looking into a hole.

  “This was the dungeon at one time,” Lyle murmured.

  “Looks about as much fun now. Do you see anything?” Cass searched while being careful not to lean over too far.

  Lyle went down on this belly. He directed the light straight down.

  “There she is,” Cass cried. A small body lay curled on the ground, not moving.

  She stepped closer and Lyle said, “Cass, careful! Don’t fall in.”

  “How’re we going to get her out?” Cass was already looking for things they could use.

  “We’ll call for help.” Lyle pulled out his phone. “Damn, I don’t have a signal. One of us will have to go for help. But right now we’re going to have to see to her. Minutes could mean the difference between life and death.”

  “We’re going to have to get down to her somehow.” Cass paused, panic filling her. The girl just couldn’t die.

  “I’ll climb down.” Lyle was already in the process of removing his bag.

  “It looks too slick to do that. You’ll have to lower me. I’m the lighter of the two of us. We can use the strap on your bag. It might not be long enough, but it’ll get me close enough to drop the rest of the way.”

  “What about your leg? It might not hold up under that kind of pressure.” Everything in Lyle’s voice said that he wasn’t going to agree to her plan.

  Cass faced him. “That’s just a chance I’ll have to take. You know the path back better than me. The girl needs help now. I’m not going to argue about it anymore.”

  The determination in her voice must have got through to Lyle because he started unclipping the strap from his bag. With it removed, he pushed the extender so that the strap was as long as possible. “You ready?”

  Cass took an end of the strap, wrapping it around her hand. “I am.”

  They both moved to the side of the hole. Lyle shined the light into the hole.

  “There’s still no movement.” Cass’s chest tightened. They had to get to her soon. Was she gone already?

  Lyle dropped the flashlight into the hole giving them some light to work with. He then wrapped the strap around his hand just as Cass had done. She lay on her belly and crawled backward, going feet first into the hole. Lyle went to his knees, holding her under her arms as she slipped over the side.

  “Feel for footholds.” His voice was tight from the effort of holding her.

  She did as Lyle instructed and located one. It was near the foot of her injured leg. She couldn’t let the pain that shot through her slow her progress. She had to keep moving. When she was completely over the side she hung onto the strap as Lyle lowered her. She went further into the dark abyss. Thinking she had gone as far as possible, there was a sudden jerk and she was lowered further. Lyle must be on his stomach with his arms extended. She could only imagine the strain holding her was putting on his shoulder muscles. Guessing she was only a few feet from the ground, Cass let go.

  She fell, hitting the ground. Pain that made her clench her jaw rocketed through her leg. She rolled onto her hip. “Huh.”

  “Cass?” Lyle’s fear-filled voice came from above her.

  “I’m fine. Harder landing than I anticipated.” Cass picked up the flashlight and crawled over to the girl. She still hadn’t moved. Worry leaped in Cass. Was she already gone? No, she wouldn’t believe that.

  Placing two fingers to the girl’s neck, Cass found a pulse, but it was weak. The child’s skin was icy to the touch. Hypothermia had set in. Pulling off her jacket, she wrapped it around the girl. Cass removed her hat and scarf and put them on the girl as well.

  “Cass, move far to one side so I can throw the bag down. I want vitals before I leave.”

  “Ready.” A few seconds later Lyle’s bag landed with a flop a couple of feet from her.

  “Check her temperature and let me know what it is. Also, can you tell if anything is broken?” Lyle was giving her more orders than she could carry out at once. He was in full doctor mode.

  Cass pulled the bag to her. Searching through it, she found the thermometer. Cass positioned the flashlight so that it shone on the girl. Thankfully Lyle had a battery-powered tympanic thermometer that Cass could just push into the girl’s ear. Removing the girl’s clothing would only make things worse. At least she wasn’t wet.

  Hero barked.

  “Bleib!” Cass yelled and the dog stopped barking. “Braver hund.” She called up to Lyle’s shadow as she spread out the thermal blanket. “Temp is ninety degrees Fahrenheit—that’s 32 degrees Celsius. Pulse is weak. Skin pale and cold to touch. Her breathing is shallow. I’m wrapping her in a blanket now.”

  “Can you do a BP?” There was an anxiousness to his voice.

  “I’d rather not remove the warmth I’ve already given her.”

  “Aye. There’s no question she has hypothermia.”

  Cass lay down on the thermal blanket and pulled the girl to her then wrapped the shiny, crinkly material around them. Maybe her body heat would help some.

  Lyle’s voice rang out again. “There are two heat packs in the bag. Squeeze them and put them under her arms. Don’t put them against her skin.”

  She already knew that from her own training, but Lyle could only be frustrated by not being in the hole and the one taking care of the patient. He was a hands-on type of doctor.

  “I’m leaving to call for help. Please don’t take any chances. Stay put. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Hurry.”

  “I will. Cass? I want your promise you won’t do anything foolish.” Lyle’s worry laced every word.

  Cass’s heart swelled. He was such a good man. “Hero will be here. We’ll be waiting for you.”

  “I’m counting on that.”

  * * *

  Lyle hated to leave Cass but he had no choice. He had to go for help. They needed more than his to-go medical bag to save the girl’s life. She needed hospital care. Right away.

  Without his flashlight the walk down the rocky narrow path was slow, frustrating and dangerous. The fact that it had started sleeting only added to the difficulty. Despite that he had to keep moving. Not just for the girl’s sake but for Cass’s as well.

  Lyle stopped often to see if he had a cellphone signal. Everything in him pulled at him to return to Cass. As brave as she was, she still must be frightened in that black hole with a child close to death. Lyle worked his way down the hillside. He had no idea how far he would have to go before he found a signal but it couldn’t be soon enough for him.

  The weather was taking a turn for the worse. To complicate the conditions, the ground was slick, the path narrow and the rocks numerous. Could the situation get more dangerous?

  His heart jumped when the phone connected and started ringing. Finally. The police officer answered. Lyle told him where they were and that they had
found the girl. He then gave him instructions to call the hospital in Fort William and have the ambulance sent. Also, to call the clinic for the medical van. They would meet the ambulance. Every second counted. The girl might not make it if she didn’t get to the hospital right away.

  Lyle wasted no more words and started climbing up the hill once again. More than once he slipped as the sleet grew harder. Before he reached the ruins the sirens of help could be heard, filling the air. On flat land again at the top, he ran to the hole. Hero was still obediently sitting beside it.

  “Cass!” There was no answer. “Cass?” Still nothing. Fear washed through him. What had happened to her? Had a rock fallen and hit her? All kinds of horrible scenarios played like a movie through his head. He couldn’t lose Cass. He yelled louder. “Cass!”

  “I’m here.” Her voice wasn’t strong, but it was there.

  Relief flooded him as if a dam had broken.

  She turned on the flashlight and pointed it toward him. “I hope help is on the way. I know now why the dungeon was the least favorite place in a castle.”

  Lyle chuckled. “Help is on the way. Has there been any movement out of the girl?”

  “No. But let me take her temp.”

  He waited impatiently for her report.

  “It’s ninety-one Fahrenheit—a little under thirty-three Celsius.”

  “That’s progress.” He would take that. “How’re you doing?”

  “I’d rather be cuddled up next to you.”

  Lyle’s heart melted. He wished that too. He was in love with Cass, he realized. “Honey, I promise you I’ll make that happen just as soon as I can.”

  “Promise?”

  “You have my word on it.” When he got his arms around Cass again he might never let her go.

  The sounds of people hurrying up behind him drew his attention. “Over here.” A group of six people headed his way. “They’re down here. In this hole.”

  “They?” one of the rescue men asked.

  “Yes. A friend of mine, a woman who works in search and rescue. I lowered her down.” Guilt pricked him. He should have gone. “We’ll need a rope. I’ll go down.”

  “You’re staying put. We’ll need your skills up here when we get them up.” Les McArthur, the leader of the group and a man Lyle had known all his life, said, and pointed to a spot near the dog. “You stand there out of the way. What’s the name of the woman in the hole?”

  Lyle didn’t like the idea of not being the one in charge but he did as he was told, knowing his friend was right. Still, that didn’t calm his nerves. “Cass.”

  One of the men dropped a bag on the ground and unzipped it. He pulled a rope ladder out. Securing it to a large slab of stone, once part of the keep, he dropped it into the hole.

  Les walked to the edge. “Cass, it’s Les McArthur. We’re coming down. Rope ladder first.”

  “Okay.”

  Lyle watched as Les went over the side. Behind him was a man with a foldup stretcher strapped to his back. Soon a bright light shone from the hole. Apparently Les had a portable light in the pack on his back.

  “We’re going to need ropes down here,” someone called from inside the hole.

  Another man pulled ropes out of a bag.

  Lyle shifted from side to side, not just to keep warm but in his need to do something active. “Can I help?”

  “No, this will go a lot faster if you let us do our part. Then you can do yours,” one of the men said. “They’re going to be fine.”

  Cass had better be. The girl as well.

  The men threw the ropes in. A few minutes later Les called up, “Ready.”

  Everything in Lyle wanted to go down into that hole to Cass. Instead he stood watching all that was happening with his hands fisted at his sides and shoulders braced against the sleet-filled wind that was blowing harder by the minute.

  Slowly the men started hauling the rope up. Soon the stretcher with the girl on it was being laid on the ground. At her feet was his medical bag. Cass had made sure he would have what he needed. She impressed him more every day.

  “Let me check her pulse. I need to tell the hospital what to prepare for.” Lyle went down on his knees beside the stretcher. He wasn’t going to stand on the sidelines any longer.

  The child was wrapped up in the thermal blanket. On her head was Cass’s hat and around her neck was her scarf. Lyle pulled a section of the blanket back. And there was her coat. Cass had nothing to protect her from the elements.

  With two fingers, he checked the child’s pulse. He found it, but it wasn’t easy to locate. The girl needed to leave for the hospital now. As much as he hated it, he had to trust that Les would take care of Cass. His next call after the ambulance would be to Charles and Flora. They’d also see to Cass. But he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her in his arms again.

  He quickly stood, putting his bag under his arm. Giving the hole that Cass hadn’t emerged from a longing look he said, “Let’s get her down the hill. There’s no time to waste.”

  * * *

  Cass’s body shook violently. She was so cold. Where was she? In a damp, dark, freezing hole.

  No, that wasn’t right. She had been cold, down to her bones. Now she was in a soft place, huddled in warmth. Her eyes flickered open. It was dark outside and a fire burned in the fireplace. She could see the flames reflecting off the wall. That was the only light in the room. Her room at the castle.

  She turned her head to find Lyle asleep in a chair too small for him next to her bed. He was close enough to reach out and touch. His hair was tousled, as if he had run his fingers through it more than once. He snored softly. He must be exhausted.

  The last thing she had a clear memory of at the ruins was the men securing the girl to the stretcher. She’d been so cold that all she’d been able to think about was sleeping. One of the men had given her a blanket but that hadn’t stopped the cold from seeping deeper. She vaguely remembered her teeth chattering as she’d stumbled down the hill with the help of one of the rescuers.

  Lyle hadn’t been there when she’d come out of the hole. She’d known he wouldn’t be. He would be with the girl, as he should have been. Still, that didn’t mean she hadn’t missed having his arms around her or his heat. It would have been preferable to those of a stranger, no matter how nice they were.

  At the bottom of the hill a police car had been waiting. She’d climbed into the rear seat and the officer had turned the heat up high. Despite that, she had been bitterly cold and in a daze when she’d arrived at the castle. Charles and Flora had been waiting for her in the foyer.

  “Lyle called us. Gave us strict orders to give you a full examination,” Charles had said, pushing a wheelchair over to her.

  Cass had been glad to see it, despite saying, “I don’t think all that’s necessary.”

  “Lyle does. And based on what he told us, you earned our attention. Thanks for what you did,” Flora had added.

  “Hero?” Cass had mumbled as Charles had pushed her and Flora had walked beside her.

  “Esme is seeing to him. One of the police officers took him to the center. I understand he’s going to get an extra helping of food. Esme said she could use a person with your skills at the center.”

  Cass had gone in and out of awareness while Charles had been examining her. When he’d finished, Flora had taken her turn, flexing and contracting her arm and leg. “We need to increase your therapy a bit for a few days, but I don’t see why you can’t be discharged on time.”

  Cass looked at Lyle. Discharged. At one time, all she’d wanted to do was to get home. That day would be here soon. Flora hadn’t given her a specific date yet, but it was coming. Her leg and arm were much better. Despite all her efforts not to become involved, it had happened. It would be hard to leave Lyle. But she must.

  She’d arrived with her emotions in a jumbl
e and they weren’t in any better shape now. In fact, her feelings for Lyle had only added to the issues. He deserved better than a woman who was so messed up. How did she even know the feelings she had for him were real? Maybe she was just reacting to her need to have someone care about her in a weak moment. That wasn’t fair to him.

  It didn’t matter. After all, they had agreed only to a good time while she was here. Lyle hadn’t said anything about wanting more. She’d made it clear she didn’t. So what was she worrying about? She would leave as planned. He understood that. She would be home for Christmas.

  But what if Lyle asked her to stay? Would she?

  She couldn’t. Heavens, she didn’t know what she wanted. Taking a chance on them being together would be like jumping off a ledge. They didn’t really know each other. What if it was just sexual attraction? It was best for Lyle to think of what they’d had as a nice friendship and let him move on.

  It would be better for her as well. She’d learned last night that doing search and rescue was too emotionally hard for her. If that little girl had died, she would have as well. So what would she do now to make a living? Where would she end up living? There were too many unknowns.

  Cass shifted. That was enough to wake Lyle. “Hey.”

  He sat straighter in the chair. Wrinkles filled his forehead as he studied her. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Better.” She looked toward the window. “It’s not morning?”

  “No, it’s still early. Do you need anything?” He leaned toward her, studying her.

  “A hot bath.”

  “That I can handle.” Lyle got to his feet.

  Cass was confident he could handle almost anything.

  “Let’s get you into the bath. While you’re there I’ll go down and brew you some tea.”

  She grinned. “There it is again. The cure-all, but it does sound wonderful.”

  He started toward the bathroom. “I can tell your smart mouth isn’t frozen any longer.”