Drowning

Part 1

"May or Hammond: First Aider?"

"What, including the Kiss of Life?! No I'd rather die......if I were injured and the choice were between those two, I'd rather die."

*****

Set around series 16 (so early 2011-ish). Also; don't own, no profit, just my own twisted imagination, blah blah.....

*****

Neither of them would ever have expected this. Never in all their years of doing their jobs did either of the presenters or the crew dream that this would happen on a simple road test of a new off-roader.

Jeremy had called it right at the start of the film - "If this thing actually works off-road, I'll eat my dog!". So far, Richard had been looking forward to proving him wrong about this car - being the champion for off-roaders for a number of years now, despite the teasing he got from both his colleagues.

Now though, it seemed that Jeremy was right after all.

They'd gone off the main road and onto a quiet woodland track where they'd been given permission to film by the local council (as long as they stuck to said track), and that's where the problems had started.

The track had left the woods about a mile behind and now they were trekking across what appeared to be open meadows. The mere smell of the countryside made Richard grin - moreso when he spotted Jeremy's scowl out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh come on" he laughed, steering the car around a large rock and towards a gentle hill to their left. "You love this, you know you do!"

"When have I EVER been interested in off-roading, Hammond?" Jeremy retorted, winding his window up as it started to drizzle.

"I thought you liked the countryside?" his companion quizzed, shooting him an equally confused glance out of the corner of his eye.

Jeremy rolled his own at that. "Yes, but I like the countryside because it's quiet and not crowded and full of buses and bicycles and you can actually move in your own backyard."

Cresting the top of the hill, Richard gently eased on the brakes and the car rolled to a gentle stop.

"I know, but look at that view!" The excitement in his voice was only outweighed by the child-like shine in his eyes, and as he gazed out of the windscreen, even Jeremy had to admit it was a rather breathtaking view.

A pristine lake shone in the single ray of sunshine that had decided to poke through the heavy clouds overhead. The soft pebbles and dirt of the shore surrounded by lush green grass and a border of trees as the meadow spread out below them for what seemed to be forever. In the distance, they both heard the sound of a farmer whistling for his sheep, and then the sound of a sheepdog barking quietly as it ordered those sheep back into line.

It was, undeniably, beautiful.

"Tell me that's not stunning" Richard whispered, beyond captivated at the sight.

Jeremy smiled at his friend, and replied in a fondly annoyed tone, "Just get us down to the lake so we can go home."

Chuckling and rolling his eyes, Richard eased the car into gear and started to drive down the hill. Then, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by the sound of a loud bang and the front of the car suddenly dropped about a foot.

Frowning at the jolting impact, a distant part of Richard's mind reminded him of the only other time he'd felt that same sensation, and - with a growing sense of dread - he realised it could only mean the same thing.

Sure enough, one of the front tyres had suddenly gone flat - they suspected later due to a sharp rock or stick penetrating a weak area of the rubber - and the car was now only running on three wheels.