Snowbound

8

"What happened to the dog?" Miranda asked as they began walking following the tracks.

"I don't know why he keeps running off, I'll find him," Ben said moving from Miranda and walking through the trees. "Come here boy," Ben called out looking around.

"There you are, you gotta stop running off. We are trying to get out of here," He smiled rubbing his fur.

Ben's turned to make his way back in Miranda's direction. He walked for a minute, lifting his feet up and down higher to get through the snow and suddenly he heard a clamp, and a soaring pain shot through his body causing him to yell out. He never remembered being this loud in his life.

He looked down and a bear trap was caught around his lower leg, just above his ankles.

"Ahhh," Ben groaned falling over. The pain rushed up and down his body paralyzing him. Blood was staining the white snow as it leaked from his leg onto the snow.

Miranda hearing Ben's Yells rushed to his side the best she could "Benjamin, oh no no." Her hands trembled and she gritted her teeth trying to pry it open.

She heard about bear traps with humans. The force was enough to crush bones. He could have broken bones, pulverized blood vessels and veins, and destroyed muscle tissues. This was horrible on top of that he could bleed to death.

Blood seeped into the snow more as she pulled and Ben winced in pain. It only hurt more as she opened it some and then it snapped back.

"Miranda, stop! you have to leave. Find help. You can't help me here," he urged, his voice strained.

Tears streamed down Miranda's face as she struggled with the trap. "I can't just leave you here, Ben. I can't!"

"You have to," Ben insisted, his gaze pleading. "Go, flag down a truck, anything. I'll be okay. Just go!"

Miranda, torn between the ache of leaving him, finally nodded. She kissed his lips cupping his face, her cheeks wet with tears before stumbling through the snow.

The dog ran after her and Miranda cried the entire walk. She was hurting and moving quickly trying to get help faster.

Ben's eyes filled with tears as the pain really set in. He looked up at the darkened sky and was convinced that he was dying here, but he was okay with that. As long as Miranda was safe he did his job. She didn't have that much longer to get safety.

He closed his eyes until sleep found him.

Miranda made it to the road after 30 minutes. She crawled into the street and stood. A huge truck was getting ready to pass and she waved her arms around trying to flag it down.

"Stop! Please stop," she yelled out.
The truck stopped right in front of her face and the driver and passenger got out ready to help her.

"my...Ben, please help him. He's hurt and on the ground." She tried to get out as she pointed in the direction he was in.

Breathless, she tried to convey the desperate situation to the driver before collapsing into unconsciousness. The driver helped her into the truck and sped away, leaving Ben alone in the cold.

Miranda woke up and a doctor was standing over her with a flashlight in her eyes. She followed the light and coughed a little. "Ben?"

"Welcome back. I am Dr. Hill. you came in last night."

"Benjamin, where is he?"

"Let's talk about you, you had to have surgery on your leg,"

"What kind?"