As I knelt beside the injured young woman, the gentle whisper of her name seemed to linger in my mind.
"Bella. That's a pretty name…" My voice trailed off when I realized that she had slipped into unconsciousness again.
Carlisle looked up, his eyes moving quickly from her face to mine. "The bandages," he requested.
I nodded, passing him the supplies while keeping one hand around Bella's slender leg. I noticed again how pale and cold her skin was.
"I think she's hypothermic," I said.
Carlisle nodded. "We need to warm her up. It could be some time before we can get a medivac team out here. There's a rescue blanket in the pack." He had pulled off his gloves and was reaching for his phone.
I found the blanket and set it over her. Damp hair clung to her face. I brushed away a few strands.
"Damn it," Carlisle cursed softly. "No signal down here."
I looked up. His expression was grim yet determined. He stood, saying, "I'll try again up at the top. I need to get our packs anyway. I don't think the weather's going to hold much longer, and lying out here in the rain is the last thing she needs. Are you okay staying with her for a few minutes?"
I hesitated for a second. She would be in much better professional hands if Carlisle remained with her, but I felt loath to leave her. Besides, I knew that he was a much more experienced rock climber and would return with our packs faster than I could. "I think so," I finally replied.
"She's stable for the moment," he reassured me. "I can be up and back in fifteen minutes."
"Right," I nodded.
"Try to keep her calm if she wakes again, and don't let her move." He was already hastening away.
I watched Bella assiduously, noting each small rise and fall of her chest. Her skin was so fair, almost translucent, that I could see each tiny thrum of blood as it pulsed through the exterior jugular vein in her neck. Her eyes did not move beneath her pale lids. I didn't wish her to awake and experience further pain, but I found myself longing to see those soft brown eyes again.
After about five minutes, I checked her pulse again. It was unchanged. She would need fluids soon to replenish her blood volume. I glanced up at the edge of the ravine. Carlisle was nearly to the top. He would be able to contact emergency services very soon, and I hoped they would dispatch a rescue team immediately.
My gaze moved to the sky, and my feeling of urgency surged. The clouds had thickened; they were heavy and dark now. In the distance, I heard thunder. Without thinking, I moved closed to Bella, leaning over her to protect her body as a few drops of rain spattered over us.
Carlisle lowered one of the packs to the ground with a rope, then he climbed down with the other. By the time he had reached the floor of the ravine, the thunderclaps had grown louder, and I saw distant flashes of lightning.
Carlisle hurried over to us. He had slipped on his rain poncho, so I couldn't see his face until he bent down beside me. His expression was dour.
"There's been no change in her pulse or respiration," I reported.
He gave a nod, then said, "I couldn't get a signal—could be the storm, or the mountains might be blocking it."
"Damn," I muttered. "So how do we get her out of here?"
"For the moment, we don't. Our first priority is getting her warm. The storm's going to hit any minute. We're probably safe from lightning down here, but there's a possibility of rockslides, and the stream will likely flood."
He was scanning the area as he spoke. He pointed behind me, and I twisted my head to look.
"There," he said, indicating an area about fifty yards away.
The ravine widened slightly, and the land at the base of the wall was somewhat higher than here. The rock face had several small outcroppings with scrub pine.
"That should be good," he continued. "Less chance of rock slides due to the vegetation, and it's high enough that we should be safe from the water unless it rises drastically. I'll get the tent set up, then we'll move her."
I remained with Bella while he hurriedly prepared the tent. I paid little attention to his actions, however; my focus was on her. The rain began to come down in large, heavy drops before Carlisle had finished. I shielded Bella's head with my body. The rescue blanket kept her legs and torso relatively dry.
By the time Carlisle returned, I was drenched and shivering. I slid my hands under Bella's shoulders, while Carlisle carefully lifted her legs.
"We need to keep her as steady as possible," he reminded me unnecessarily. I knew how critical it was to prevent any jarring that could exacerbate the rib fractures.
I began to stand as we lifted her. A sharp jolt of pain assaulted my right knee, but I ignored it. My only priority was getting Bella to the warmth and safety of the tent. I was walking backwards, trying to keep my footing steady on the rough ground. I didn't realize that I was clenching my teeth until Carlisle spoke sharply.
"Edward. What's wrong?"
"I'm just trying to keep from stumbling… ground's rocky."
He gave a quick shake of his head. "You're limping."
"I just twisted my knee a little. I'm fine."
"Wait. Stop for a second. Let me get in front."
He moved around me carefully, holding Bella's legs without faltering, and we continued. The walk felt like one of the longest of my life. With each step, the pain in my knee flared, but I suppressed it as much as possible. However, by the time we reached the tent, I was breathing heavily and struggling to remain on my feet.
We managed to get Bella inside the shelter. Carlisle had brought a three-person tent, feeling it would be more comfortable given that we were both slightly over six feet tall. I was grateful now that we had the extra room. He had rolled out his sleeping bag and spread a dry tarp on top of it. Gently we set Bella upon the tarp. Gingerly I eased myself down beside her. Carlisle shed his poncho. He pulled away the rescue blanket then shrugged the emergency pack from his shoulder. He reached inside for the shears and began cutting away her damp clothing.
"Dry her hair as much as possible," he instructed while he pulled away the sodden fabric.
I removed a towel from my pack and wrapped her long hair, pressing the thick coil between my palms to remove as much water as I could. My hands shook with cold, although I tried to keep them steady.
Carlisle looked up from his task, appraising me with a critical yet sympathetic eye. "Get out of those wet clothes," he said.
"I'm… okay," I protested, but my teeth clamped together to betray me.
"Edward, just do it. You won't be any help to her if you become hypothermic, too."
Mechanically I complied, pulling off my shoes and socks then stripping out of my jacket, shirt, and jeans. As quickly as possible I blotted my skin with another microfiber towel. I was reaching into my pack for a dry shirt when Carlisle stopped me.
"Wait a moment," he said.
He had removed the tarp and unzipped the sleeping bag, partially covering Bella. I could see her bare, pale shoulders and the soft curve of her hip.
"Edward?" Carlisle's voice seemed to come from far away.
I blinked at him through the dim light. "What?"
"Get into your sleeping bag for a couple of minutes," he said.
"No, I'm all right," I began, but he lifted a hand in contradiction.
"You need to get warm," he told me firmly. "Then you can help her to get warm."
Instantly I understood. I unzipped my sleeping bag and crawled inside. I began to feel warmer almost immediately. Soon I stopped shivering, and within a few minutes the chill had left me.
"I'm better," I reported, my teeth no longer chattering.
Carlisle gave a nod then gestured for me to lie down beside Bella. She lay partially on her left side; the injured ribs were on her right. "Careful," he cautioned. "Press your body up against hers, but watch out for the ribs."
"I know," I replied, but I appreciated his concern for her just the same.
Cautiously I stretched out beside Bella. Her skin remained very cold, and she was still unconscious. I turned onto my side, moving so that my chest touched her back. I settled my legs against hers, mindful of the injury on her calf. Gingerly I placed my arm over her hip then opened my hand so that my palm spread over her abdomen.
"That's good, Edward," Carlisle confirmed. He zipped his sleeping bag then set mine on top for extra warmth.
I lay curled behind Bella for some time. I could feel the gentle beating of her heart and the soft movement of her chest as she inhaled and exhaled. Carlisle was monitoring her vitals, and so was I.
After perhaps fifteen minutes he rested his hand against her cheek. "She's warming," he said.
I nodded, pressing myself infinitesimally closer to her.
"How are you doing?" he asked me.
"Fine," I replied, although my voice was husky.
My knee throbbed dully even as I lay still. I could feel that it was swelling, but I doubted that I had injured it seriously.
Once Bella had warmed further and Carlisle judged that she was no longer hypothermic, he carefully dressed her in one of the flannel shirts I'd packed. I slipped a pair of warm socks onto her delicate feet, then with some reluctance I moved aside so that Carlisle could check her leg and get another blood pressure reading. When he had finished, he zipped her into the sleeping bag again. She didn't rouse, but she stirred slightly, curling up a bit. Huddled inside the bag, she looked very small and fragile. I realized that Carlisle and I both had our gazes fixed on her.
"What are we going to do?" I asked softly.
Rain continued to drum against the tent as thunder rumbled overhead. We were safe for now, but Bella needed to be in a hospital.
"She's relatively stable at the moment," he replied.
"She needs fluids," I countered.
He looked up at me, his countenance serious but not grave. "They'd help, but her pressure's a little better now that she's warmed. As long as we can prevent any more bleeding, I think she'll be all right for now. Once the weather clears, we'll see how she's doing and make a decision based on that."
"What are our options?"
"One of us can go for help. Hopefully we can get phone service at some point."
"And if we can't?"
"We'll have to carry her out of here."
"How far?"
He hesitated for a moment. "I'd estimate it's about fifteen miles back to the ranger station, but I'm not sure precisely where we are." He ran a hand through his hair, his expression apologetic. "Right now, we just need to wait out the storm… and I want to take a look at your knee."
I had pulled on a shirt when I left Bella's side but had not attempted to put on a dry pair of jeans. I was trying not to focus on the discomfort in my knee, but I realized that the motions required to finish dressing would prove painful. Additionally, there was a chance I might need to provide more body heat for Bella. Skin-to-skin contact was best.
Carlisle moved around Bella so that he could sit in front of me. Immediately his eyes fixed on my injured knee. I had avoided looking at it too closely, but now I permitted myself to study it. It was swollen, but the patella appeared to be in the right place. That was something, I supposed…
Carlisle took my leg gently in his hands, asking, "How much does it hurt?"
I gave a shrug. "It doesn't feel good."
He arched an eyebrow at me. "I'll take that as 'a lot.' Did you feel or hear a pop when you fell on it?"
"No, I don't think so."
"How did it feel when you walked on it? Any instability, or just pain?"
I had been so intent on getting Bella to the tent that I had given little thought to my knee. I had favored my left leg considerably during the short journey. "I'm not sure," I finally replied. "I was trying not to use it."
"Try moving it," he suggested.
I bent it slightly and hissed in pain, trying not to utter the expletives that ran through my mind. It hurt.
"Okay," Carlisle said, "keep it still." His fingers pressed around the joint, and when he touched the outside and back of my knee I winced. "Tender?" he asked.
"Yes," I admitted.
Carlisle sat back on his heels. He looked decidedly unhappy.
"It's just a sprain, right?" I asked, hoping for the best.
"No," he said grimly. "It looks like you've torn your ACL."
My studies in orthopedics came flooding back to me. A tear to the anterior cruciate ligament was bad; it usually required surgery. Now an expletive did escape me. I glanced quickly over to Bella, but she had not stirred.
"Are you sure?" I asked Carlisle.
He shook his head. "Not a hundred percent. We'll need an MRI and an ortho consult to be certain."
Carlisle held little conceit or arrogance about his professional talents, but it was well known to others that his diagnoses were rarely wrong. He was an extremely talented physician, but for once I sincerely hoped he was mistaken.
He helped me to elevate my leg by resting my foot on my pack. Then he searched through the emergency kit and removed a cold pack. After activating it, he set it over my knee. "This should help with the pain and swelling—twenty minutes, then I'll wrap it."
I gave a nod of understanding. I was familiar enough with the RICE treatment for joint injuries: rest, ice, compression, elevation.
He produced a small pill bottle and shook out two tablets. "Ibuprofen," he said as I swallowed them with a swig of water.
"Thanks," I acknowledged glumly.
Carlisle placed a comforting hand upon my shoulder. "You'll have some relief from the pain soon."
"I know."
It was not the pain that bothered me—although it was definitely unpleasant. I hated the thought that I was incapacitated. I had been completely self-sufficient and had taken care of myself since I was seventeen. More troubling, though, was that with my injury I might be limited in what I could do to help Bella.
As my gaze moved to her again, she gave a little whimper. Her eyelids fluttered, and I realized she was beginning to rouse. Instinctively I reached over to touch her cheek, saying softly, "It's okay, Bella. You're safe."
She opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light. Carlisle had positioned himself on her other side, ready to restrain her gently should she begin to move. He placed a hand on her shoulder, cautioning her in a soothing voice, "Try to remain still. You could injure yourself further if you move."
She looked up at him, her pretty brow furrowed, then her gaze shifted to me. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened with a little gasp.
When she spoke, the single word surprised me. She murmured, "Angels."
To be continued...