Gentle Winter

1.2

You faltered at the cold as you quickly made your way outside, closing your front door behind you. Shivering immediately because of the lack of clothing on your body, you rushed down the steps of the front porch, keeping your eyes on the small figure that was off to the left, in the middle of the field. Your inner clock was counting, and your medical instincts took over:

Hypothermia: A significant and potentially dangerous drop in body temperature. Treatment: Removing wet clothes, wrapping the body in blankets, drinking warm beverages, and taking a warm bath can help. Seek medical help if speech is slurred, there is confusion, or a change in skin color.

There's five stages. You thought as you got closer to the person that hadn't moved. Five stages, remember the five stages. You ran through all your knowledge once again right as you closed in on your patient.

As you shuffled your way through the snow with wide, high steps, you could see the man clearly. He was shivering. You silently thanked God because shivering was good. It meant he was only in the first stage of hypothermia, which meant you could possibly treat it yourself without the hospital being involved.

You dropped to your knees next to the pale man, keeping your warm clothing away from the ground. You didn't need them getting covered in snow before you could get them around the gentleman in front of you.

"Sir, Sir can you hear me?" You announced yourself at his side, feeling for a pulse on his neck that was exposed to you. He was laying on his side, one of his arms encased in snow as most of his body weight was on that side. His eyes were closed, hair wet with snowflakes stuck in the strands, and he was shivering intensely. As you felt his slowing pulse, you  knew you needed to hurry and get him inside. He was reaching stage two of hypothermia, and if he got there, you wouldn't be able to help him much.

You told him your name and that you were a nurse as you tried to flip him on his back to get his encased arm out of the snow. He appeared to be semi-conscious as he flinched and let out a soft groan as you moved him. You further took in his appearance.

He had on a thin grey long sleeved shirt that had a few holes in it, and a pair of black sweatpants. No shoes or socks were on his feet. His feet were bloodied as well as his neck and hands.

How long was he out here? You asked yourself. If he's at the brink of stage two... It's been a while.

"Sir, I need to stabilize you. Can you move? I need you to sit up for me." You told him as you began to shift yourself in order to hoist his torso up. His eyes peeped open a little, and you saw a flash of grey before they slipped closed again. Okay, good, he's responsive. That's good. You said to yourself.

His black hair dropped water droplets on your pants as you leaned his head into the crook of your neck. You sucked in a harsh breath when his cold skin met yours, but you quickly focused on throwing the jacket over his form and zipping it up in the front. His arms weren't through the sleeves because it would've taken up too much time and effort,  but you didn't care. You then wrapped your arm around his back to lean him away from you, and wrapped the scarf around his neck, adjusting it so it would cover his chin and mouth.

"Okay, honey," You let the endearment slip out of your mouth instinctively, "I'm going to need you to open your eyes for me, okay? I need to get you inside, and I know you're tired, but I need your help."

You continue speaking to him in a soft voice, rubbing your hands against his cold arms underneath the jacket. You needed to get his body heat up to get the blood pumping more. Feeling wetness, and the bumpy feeling of raised skin tissue, you had a feeling hypothermia wasn't the only issue.