And that was ten minutes of Ford’s body temperature falling even lower.
Decision made, I tucked Puddles into my shirt and then supported much of Ford’s weight as I led him down the steps of the house and then cut across Walter’s front yard. We sank up to our knees in the snow but I knew it didn’t matter, since our feet were already waterlogged. My only concern was getting Ford warm and the fastest place to do that was in his own house. I would have lost precious seconds using the walkways and sidewalk.
My lungs burned and my muscles cramped with the effort of supporting Ford’s body. While he wasn’t as tall as me, he was as built as I’d suspected and those dense muscles meant he was no lightweight.
“Is your side door unlocked?” I asked as we made it to Ford’s driveway. I didn’t see any vehicles besides Ford’s, which was sitting on the curb in its usual spot. The driveway, thankfully, was shoveled and salt had been thrown down so I was able to get a little bit of traction.
“Ford, is your side door unlocked?” I asked when he didn’t answer me.
I didn’t understand his response, but he was nodding his head so I took that as a yes. It felt like it took hours to reach the door, though I knew it was just seconds. The warm air hit my icy skin like little shards of glass. Ford actually whimpered.
“Is anyone home?” I asked.
“N… n… no,” he stuttered.
The kitchen was small and clutter-free but had a very dated look to it. The chair I lowered Ford into looked a lot like the kind my own family had had when I was little, so I figured it was probably pretty sturdy. I quickly pulled Puddles out of my shirt and handed her to Ford as I dropped to my knees and began working the younger man’s boots and socks off. Snow ended up all over the floor, but I didn’t care. Ford was shaking like a leaf and his teeth were still chattering, but that was actually somewhat of a relief. I’d had enough first aid training to know that someone in the later stages of hypothermia wouldn’t be shivering at all. I also knew enough that as tempting as it was to put Ford in the shower beneath a hot spray of water, it would not only be excruciatingly painful, it could potentially cause a heart attack.
I worked quickly to strip off the rest of Ford’s clothes. He didn’t protest in any kind of way and when I left him sitting in the chair completely naked with Puddles tucked in his arms so I could get some water warming on the stove, he didn’t move or react other than to squeeze the little white mixed-breed dog a bit harder. The pots clanged against each other as I frantically got several of them filled with water and on the burners. As I began searching the rest of the house to find some blankets, I worked my own boots and socks off. My pants were soaking wet too, but I hadn’t been in the water as long as Ford so I knew I wasn’t in any immediate danger. I found a few blankets in a lower-level bedroom, along with a heating pad. I snagged them all and hurried back to the kitchen. Ford was still in the same spot I’d left him, but he looked like he’d nodded off. Puddles was licking his face.
“Ford, wake up,” I said as I knelt in front of him and began wrapping the blankets around his entire body. I removed Puddles and put her on the floor with her own blanket that I tucked around her shaking body. Fortunately, it didn’t look like the little dog had gotten wet at all.
Not like Ford.
“Ford,” I repeated as I gently slapped his cheeks a few times to get him to open his eyes.
“Tired,” he mumbled as he tried to focus his dark blue eyes on me.
“I know you are, baby,” I said as I used my hands to rub the blanket against his upper arms. “But you can’t sleep just yet, okay?”
As cold as I was, my insides heated when he whispered, “’Kay, Cam.”
I momentarily got lost in his serene gaze, but when his teeth started chattering again, I got moving. As I worked to get the heating pad plugged in and placed around Ford’s neck, I called into dispatch to find out where the fire truck and ambulance were. Thankfully, the fire engine was only a few minutes out. I told dispatch to send one of the guys over when they arrived but to cancel the ambulance, since it would be easier just to take Ford to the hospital myself once I had him warm and dry.