They walked for what felt like ages and then suddenly heard shouts from above them.
‘Sounds hopeful,’ Jack said, increasing his pace and altering his direction slightly. ‘We’ll check it out and then I’ll radio in to base.’
Bryony breathed a sigh of relief when they rounded the next corner and saw two women huddled together.
‘Watch your footing here,’ Jack said, frowning slightly as he glanced to his right. ‘There’s a slope there and a sheer drop at the end of it. I know because I climbed up that rockface last summer with your brothers. This snow doesn’t feel very stable to me.’
‘Shall we rope up?’
He shook his head. ‘We’re all right for now, bu
t we’ll rope up before we go down.’
They reached the two women and one of them immediately burst into tears.
‘Oh, thank goodness…’
Bryony dropped onto her knees beside her, aware that Jack was already on the radio, giving their exact location to the rest of the team.
‘You’re going to be fine,’ she said gently, slipping her arm around the woman’s shoulders and giving her a hug. ‘Where are you hurt?’
‘I’m not hurt,’ the woman said, but her teeth were chattering and she was obviously very cold. ‘But my sister slipped on the snow and hurt her ankle and cut her wrist. I think she must have hit a rock when she landed. It was bleeding very badly so I pressed on it hard with a spare jumper that we had in our bag and it seemed to stop.’
‘Good—you did just the right thing.’ Bryony shrugged her rucksack off her back. ‘I’m Bryony and I’m a doctor and a member of the local mountain rescue team. What’s your name?’
‘Alison Gayle.’ The woman was shivering. ‘And my sister’s name is Pamela. I feel so guilty dragging you out in this weather. We’ve put everyone in danger.’
‘Don’t feel guilty,’ Bryony said immediately, ‘and you haven’t put us in danger. It’s our job and we love it. And we have all the right equipment for this weather.’
Which was just as well, she reflected ruefully, because the weather was getting worse by the second.
The snow started to fall heavily and Bryony brushed the soft flakes away from her face with a gloved hand and looked at the sky with a frown. The visibility was reducing rapidly. She moved over to check on Pamela and Jack joined her.
‘All right, the rest of the team is on their way up.’ He dropped down next to her and smiled at Alison. ‘Lovely day for a stroll in the hills.’
Bryony moved over to Pamela and noticed that the woman looked extremely pale and shocked.
‘You’re going to be fine now, Pamela,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m just going to check your injuries and then we’re going to get you off this mountain.’
She pulled off her gloves and carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked jumper so that she could examine the wrist injury more carefully. As soon as she released the pressure and exposed the wound, blood spurted into the air and Bryony quickly grabbed the jumper and pressed down again.
‘It’s an artery, Jack,’ she muttered and he was by her side in an instant, the bulk of his shoulders providing a barrier between her and the elements.
He was strong and confident and, as usual, she found his presence hugely reassuring.
‘I’ve put Alison into a casualty bag so she’ll be fine for the time being.’ He unwrapped the wrist himself, quickly assessed the extent of the injury and then pressed a sterile pad over the laceration and smiled at Pamela.
‘That’s going to be fine,’ he said smoothly, elevating her arm and handing a bandage to Bryony with his free hand. ‘We’re going to bandage it tightly and keep it up just until we can get you off this mountain.’
The woman looked at him with frightened eyes. ‘I can’t walk down—my ankle hurts.’
‘Don’t you worry about that. That’s why we bring my blonde friend here,’ Jack said cheerfully, winking at Bryony. ‘She’s the muscles of the operation.’
While he chatted and teased, Bryony tightened the bandage and gave him a nod. ‘All done.’
‘Good. So now let’s check the ankle. How painful is it, Pamela?’
The woman looked at him, her lips turning blue with the cold. ‘Agony.’