Chapter 6

The trouble with avalanche rescues was that they were cold and wet. Of course, International Rescue had the best thermal gear to wear but it was bulky and got in the way of the job. And you sweated like a pig underneath. So in that sort of situation Virgil was always trying to decide whether to add or remove layers and judge how soon his hands would get too cold to be effective if he only wore his thinnest gloves.

Technically, the current rescue he was on was not too challenging. People under the snow showed up as nice hot-spots on the thermal imaging camera. Also, the avalanche had dumped a load of snow on a road high in the Swiss Alps so there was a good chance of finding people alive due to the air pockets in their cars. And it was a beautiful area and Virgil hoped to have time to take in the view at some point and remember it for future paintings.

He had already pulled a lady out of her car and to the safety and warmth of Two's pod. She was in her twenties and attractive but Virgil was more worried about the next car. Finally he was pulling out another woman, this one in her mid-thirties. She was being troublesome as she was resisting every effort by Virgil to get her to safety.

"My baby, my baby," she wailed in acute distress. Virgil tuned out her voice and eventually got her out of the snow onto a clear patch of road. She tried to get out of Virgil's grip and back towards her car.

"Stephanie, Stephanie!" she cried.

"I know!" said Virgil, trying to make himself heard. "Ma'am, you have to calm down, please. There's a baby in a car seat on the passenger side, right?"

"Yes! Stephanie, why didn't you help her first?"

"Ma'am, I couldn't reach her until I'd got you out. You have to trust me and stop fighting me so I can go back and get her."

Reason was starting to seep into the mother's head. "You'll go and get her?"

"Right away. Give me five minutes. If I haven't got her by then you can follow me and help, okay?"

"Five minutes?" asked the mother, stopping struggling so that Virgil was able to release her.

"Five minutes," repeated Virgil, knowing full well that he'd be out in two. "Time me!" he said as he ran back toward the avalanche site.

In one minute thirty Virgil was out of the avalanche cradling the baby. The mother tried to take her from him but he walked straight to the pod, knowing the mom would follow. Once they were inside Virgil wrapped the baby in a warm blanket and handed her to her mother.

The mother was now much calmer. Tears were streaming down her cheeks but she was cooing to Stephanie, soothing her child. She glanced back at Virgil and her stuttered thanks were so heartfelt that Virgil felt a lump in his throat.

The younger lady had been watching all this with interest. Now over her own shock she realised that her rescuer was not only brave and kind but damn handsome along with it. She put her hand on Virgil's arm.

"You're a real hero. How can we ever thank you? Look, let me give you my number and maybe we could meet up in Geneva sometime?"

Virgil smiled at her. She was very easy on the eye and he wouldn't mind a few hours in her company. Then he looked back at the mother and baby. That's what he'd signed up for: reuniting families and providing hope out of tragedy. He had given a mom a few more years with her child. What could compete with that?

"I'm sorry, but it's against International Rescue policy to take the personal numbers of people that we rescue. I'm just happy to be of service." The girl looked disappointed and Virgil felt a little sad himself but he knew where his priorities lay. Okay, so the next few years might be a bit thin on romance but the rewards he was getting from being a full-time member of International Rescue made up for that a hundred times over.

The End