Beneath the surface, it was pitch black. For a terrifying moment, Victor thought he was too late. Then, his hand brushed against something—fabric. Beneath it, a small, limp body.
With a burst of adrenaline he didn’t know he possessed, Victor grabbed the child and hauled him upward, fighting the weight of the water-soaked clothes. The ice groaned ominously as he pulled the boy onto the surface. The child’s lips were blue, his skin a deathly shade of grey that made Victor’s stomach churn.
— Come on, kid, stay with me, — he grunted, dropping to his knees in the snow and beginning CPR. His teeth chattered, and his hands were numb, but he kept rhythm, pressing down on the small chest. — Breathe. Just breathe.
In the distance, the wail of sirens cut through the night. Help was coming. When the paramedics reached the shore, Victor was still working, refusing to stop even as his fingers lost all feeling. Only when the medics took over did he allow himself to collapse into the snow, shaking from shock and exhaustion.
The paramedics checked for a pulse, hovering over the tiny, frozen form.
— It’s faint, but we’ve got a rhythm! — one shouted.
— Get the AED ready! — another responded, pulling a portable unit from their bag.
They moved with practiced precision, wrapping the boy in a thermal space blanket to stop the heat loss. His skin was pale, his breathing nearly non-existent.
— Stage three hypothermia, we need to warm him up now! — the doctor said, checking his pupils.
One medic applied warming packs to the boy’s chest while another adjusted an oxygen mask. A third was already prepping an IV to stabilize him.
— Blood pressure is bottoming out! We need to get him moving! — the lead medic urged.
They administered warmed saline and began cardiac stabilization. For a moment, it looked like they might lose him. Then, a ragged gasp broke the silence.
— He’s breathing… — a medic whispered as the boy’s chest rose in a shallow, shaky breath.
The team didn’t waste a second. They monitored his vitals, layered on more blankets, and prepped the gurney. His condition was still critical.
— Get him to the rig! He’s breathing, but we need the ICU immediately…
Comments are closed.