STEFAN BLINKED. A COMPLETE DISASTER. He couldn’t remember the last time there had been an avalanche in this part of the Alps. But nowhere was ever completely safe. Where there was snow, there was a risk of avalanche.
He didn’t even want to think about how long the road would take to clear. All he could see was mounds of rubble underneath the snow. He started praying there weren’t people in there.
A shout caught his attention, and he realised one of the staff from the resort was shouting instructions. He turned to Paige. A doctor. When she’d told him, for a moment he’d been surprised. He’d been fairly certain that in the few seconds of the avalanche she’d seemed as if she was having a panic attack. He really wanted to know more, but now just wasn’t the time.
‘Can you assist?’ he asked.
She nodded without hesitation. He reached over and grabbed her arm. ‘Then come with me.’
When it came to an avalanche, the usual rules went out of the window. You didn’t take time to assess. You didn’t think about all the risks. You didn’t wait for help. You immediately tried to rescue those around you.
He strode towards the man who was shouting—a large man, dressed in dark snow gear with yellow flashes and a bright hat on his head. Stefan didn’t waste any time. ‘Stefan and Paige, both doctors. Where do you need us?’
The man replied rapidly in German. Stefan could see the confusion on Paige’s face, so listened carefully, gave the man some more information, then nodded in agreement. He turned to Paige.
‘Franco, works here, he’s a ski guide, but is also part of the mountain rescue scheme. He’s going to organise teams to identify anyone injured or stuck. We’ve to set up a base back in the café, and they’ll bring them all to us.’
‘Shouldn’t we dig too? Isn’t it more important to get those who are trapped out?’
Stefan hesitated. He didn’t really want to stand around right now. There were a few injuries already in the café. But none seemed imminently dangerous. People could suffocate in the snow. If they needed to dig first and provide medical aid later, that was fine with him.
Hysterical voices and shouts were everywhere. This was a chaotic scene, and they needed to be systematic here.
He spoke again to Franco, who at first shook his head and then sighed. He finally nodded, then directed them to where another man had appeared with some shovels and probes. Franco directed small teams of willing volunteers to different parts of the piled snow, with another man bringing out some equipment from the dismantled hut at the bottom of the chair lift.
‘What’s that?’ asked Paige.
‘I assume it’s a radio receiver for any emergency locator beacons.’ He looked at her, wondering how experienced she was at skiing. She’d certainly come down that slope like a pro, so he was assuming she had some knowledge. ‘You do carry an avalanche transceiver?’
He could see recognition on her face. ‘Of course.’ She tapped her shoulder. ‘It came with the jacket, sewed into the lining.’
He nodded. ‘I’m hoping everyone who was skiing today had one in place. It might be the only way we can find them. Time isn’t on our side.’ Something dark crossed his face.
Stefan grabbed two shovels and turned to Paige. ‘We go to the patch we’re allocated and dig where we find any sign there might be someone underneath. In the meantime, the experts will search for signals. They’ll redirect the teams if they pick up a signal.’
Franco turned to face the mountain, lifted his hand and drew invisible lines in the air, mapping out eight large squares. There was no time for anything else and they all knew it.
Stefan turned to a few other adults who were standing, shocked, near the café. ‘Can you help? Can you dig?’
His voice seemed to jerk them out of their shock. One woman appeared, with tears streaming down her face. ‘Yes,’ she said, nodding. Another few people seemed to realise that Franco was trying to organise a rescue and came to help.
Paige looked pale. She was already fair-skinned, but now appeared a little sickly. Stefan touched her shoulder. ‘Can you do this?’ She might be a doctor but Paige, like everyone else here, could be injured. Maybe he hadn’t been able to protect her in the café the way he’d wanted to. Or was he pushing when he shouldn’t?
She tugged her bright hat a little further over her ears. ‘Absolutely. Let’s go.’
It was clear that many people were still dazed, some searching for friends or family with no idea where they might be. Stefan’s instinct was to run over and try to help everyone. He saw Paige glancing in one direction, with the same thought practically written on her face.
He put his hand on hers. ‘I know,’ he said in a low voice. ‘I know. I want to run over to them all. But we have to be methodical about this. And we’re time-limited here.’ He hated saying that out loud. But people buried under snow could suffocate. They were absolutely time-limited here. Digging people out as quickly as possible was essential. ‘We have to stick to the patch we’re allocated. Franco seems the most experienced here. Let’s see if we can help.’ He looked further up the mountain. ‘We have to remember this could happen again.’
Paige gave a visible shudder but lifted her shovel and followed him. Two other people joined them. The snow in their area was littered with debris. It was hard to determine what everything was. He extended his probe. The collapsible fibreglass pole was like a tent rod and could be used to determine the location and depth of snow where a person could be buried. Stefan dropped to his knees, tugging at anything sticking up in the snow. There were a variety of shouts. The man next to him tugged at part of a ski. It was still attached to a leg. The four of them dug frantically to reveal a shocked woman, who coughed madly as soon as they pulled the snow from around her face.
Stefan gave a few instructions to one of the men, then looked at the other three. ‘Time matters. We can dig her out completely in a few minutes. Let’s check if we can find anyone else.’
Another dark blotch was the elbow of a man’s jacket. It only took a few moments to free his face from snow and let him take a few breaths. The second man stayed with him as Stefan and Paige moved on.
Franco gave a shout. He came running over. ‘Signal in your area.’ He turned his receiver and pointed at one specific point. ‘There!’
He used the probe a few times, until finally he got a hit. It could be anything—part of a tree or rock, but, with the assistance of a beacon, he hoped it was a person. Stefan started shovelling straight away. Digging frantically was difficult, and he had to still all his senses. The last thing he wanted to do was cause someone more harm by shovelling too near their face.
Within seconds he saw a flash of pink. ‘We’ve got something.’
His stomach lurched as he and Paige dropped to their knees again and started to pull snow away with their hands. The flash of pink enlarged, and Stefan quickly realised by the size of the limb that this was a child.
Franco met his gaze. ‘You got this?’
Stefan knew that he must have picked up another signal. ‘Absolutely,’ he replied. ‘Go.’
Paige was shaking. Her hands moved rapidly, throwing snow away from the pink ski suit as they tried to determine which way was up for the little person underneath them. ‘Foot!’ she yelled and moved instantly, elbowing Stefan to push him further along so they could scoop out the snow nearer where this child’s head would be. The little leg hadn’t moved yet.
Stefan was trying not to think about the time. Was it more than five minutes? If an experienced skier had been caught in the avalanche they might have had an instinct to create some space around their head. Some might even have an avalanche airbag haversack—a device that would inflate and bring them to the surface of the snow during the actual avalanche. Some parent, somewhere, had clearly had the sense to put an avalanche transmitter on their child. He only hoped they would find the parent too as he continued to dig.
Curly blonde hair appeared under his hands. Paige let out a gasp and immediately helped move the packed snow. The girl looked around seven or eight, her face exposed and skin cold. Stefan moved forward, his face right next to the little girl’s. He was hoping and praying she was in shock right now. He breathed on her face, talking quietly, then tried to position himself to give her some rescue breaths.
‘Let me,’ said Paige. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. But she was slimmer and lighter and slipped her head into the tight space next to the child. He couldn’t see properly but, after a few moments, there was a sound from the child. A splutter, followed by a loud howl.
Stefan had his head down next to Paige and the child. His eyes caught sight of something else. He touched Paige. ‘I think I have someone else—can I leave you?’
She nodded and he moved quickly, grabbing his shovel and probe again. Was he imagining something or were those fingertips?
Darn it. He would have missed them. Experienced skiers knew to try and create a space around their face, to put one arm upward in the hope of being seen, and even to mimic backward swimming during an avalanche. Stefan had read all the stories, heard all the advice, but he’d never experienced anything like this before.
Sure enough, fingertips were just barely protruding through the snow. He shovelled quickly, shouting over to the rescuer who was next to the woman they’d first found to give him some help. This man was clearly deeper than any of the other people they had found.
Sweat was pouring off Stefan. He still hadn’t done a time check. He knew that the best chance of survival for anyone caught in an avalanche was for them to be found in the first fifteen minutes. Chances of survival decreased sharply after that. They must rapidly be approaching that now. He could also remember that somewhere, deep at the back of his mind, he’d read something about the best way to dig people out. Stefan was cursing that he couldn’t recall the details. He kept going, even though the muscles in his arms were burning. He didn’t even know the name of the guy digging next to him, he just knew that this stranger was working every bit as hard as he was.
There was a high-pitched wail and it cut right through him. He looked up, just in time to see a woman drop on her knees next to Paige. She started helping to dig the little girl out. It must be the mother. He was relieved. He’d half-expected her to be buried in the snow too.
The wind was picking up, making it difficult to anchor himself in place. It also resulted in the light, more powdery snow swirling around him like a smokescreen. He kept digging, finally seeing some dark hair and moving quickly to delicately scoop the snow out from around his face. The man made a huge splutter, coughing and choking, and almost immediately Stefan could hear the wheeze in his breathing. He would bet this man had broken some ribs.
A few other people came to join them. ‘What’s your name?’ asked Stefan, first in German, then in French.
‘Rafe,’ came the spluttered reply.
‘I’m Stefan. I’m a surgeon. I’ll take a proper look at you when we get you out of here. I think it’s going to take a little time.’
The man gave a nod but didn’t reply. At least he was conscious. Franco tapped Stefan on the shoulder. ‘Let these other folks do the digging for a moment, Doc,’ he said. ‘I need you and the other doc inside, assessing the patients.’
Stefan straightened up. It was difficult to see around him right now. The wind and swirling snow meant he could only see a few feet away. Paige was closest to him and he could see her assisting lifting the blonde-haired little girl from the snow. The mother was understandably hysterical, but also getting in the way.
He couldn’t see properly, and he certainly couldn’t hear but, from the actions, he could tell Paige was talking to the mother, trying to placate and calm her down in order to look after her daughter. Within a few seconds, it was clear she’d had some impact. The mother stepped back a little, allowing Paige to bend over the little girl and do something else. She’d told him she worked in A&E. Paige clearly had experience dealing with upset and anxious relatives.
He nodded at Franco and stepped back himself to allow the other men to take over. He gave a few instructions about taking care around the man’s chest and torso and followed Franco back to the entrance of the café.
The café on the other side thankfully had its floor-to-ceiling windows intact. Whilst Stefan might have never known of an avalanche in these parts, the planners had clearly taken no chances and he imagined the windows had specially toughened glass. It was a blessing.
‘We’ve taken everyone with injuries in here. Another few people have come forward who can help, two who are nurses and one who is a physio.’
Stefan nodded. ‘Are there any supplies?’
‘We have a medical station with a bit more than is usual in a first aid kit. Some splints, and inflatables for fractures. A few stitching kits.’
Stefan nodded. Fractures and wounds requiring a few stitches were probably the most serious injuries usually dealt with here.
‘I may have to go up to the hospital,’ he said. ‘I have more equipment there, and that part of the road looks as if it’s not blocked.’
Franco pointed to the road horizontal to the resorts, café and lifts. ‘The avalanche seemed to come down almost diagonally. Look at the amount of snow. It will take days for them to clear the road and get us out of here.’
Stefan looked up. His skin prickled as he realised just how serious their situation was. Paige appeared at his shoulder as Franco started to speak again. ‘And, with these high winds, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to get any helicopter assistance.’
His mind was working overtime now. He’d have to come up with some kind of plan. He nodded to Paige. ‘Let us see how everyone is doing and then make a decision about what comes next. Do you think there is anyone else buried in the snow?’
Franco’s expression was deadly serious. ‘It’s impossible to know. We’re trying to do an account of everyone, to establish if anyone is missing from any party. But if there were any solo skiers, then unless I find a beacon signal we’ll just never know.’ He laid his gloved hand on Stefan’s arm. ‘Leave that part to me. We can chat later.’
‘What’s happening?’ asked Paige, ‘I got pulled away before I was finished.’
Stefan nodded and led her inside the café. Three other people were standing near the doorway, waiting for them. ‘Are you the other medical personnel that can assist?’
They nodded.
‘I’m Stefan, I’m local and a surgeon. This is Paige, a doctor from the UK who works in A&E.’
A woman with fair hair spoke next. ‘I’m Lynn, a nurse from England. I work in orthopaedics, and this is Joe, my partner, who works in Theatre.’ Joe was already stripping off his jacket and hat, getting prepared to work.
The third person spoke up too. ‘Cathy, I’m a cardiac physio, but just ask me to do what you need. I’ll tell you if I need instruction.’
Paige stepped forward. ‘Let’s do this as a triage system like we use in A&E. Anyone who is okay, or has minor injuries and can wait, can go into the café next door right now. Any head injury, abdomen injury, possible break or wound that needs cleaning and stitching stays here.’
Stefan watched with interest. Paige had pulled off her red jacket again and tugged her dark hair from her knitted hat. Her ski goggles seemed to have disappeared. She turned to Stefan. ‘Will we be able to get to the hospital if required?’
He nodded. ‘I think so. I also have a vehicle up there. Once we’ve treated everyone, I can hike up and bring my car down to transport anyone up. From what Franco and I could see, that part of the road above looks clear.’
Paige nodded thoughtfully. ‘My chalet is probably accessible too. If people need somewhere to sleep it might be useful. And there’s lots of food too.’
Stefan lifted his hand, hating to say these words. ‘A bit of caution. The hospital is only halfway renovated.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Joe quickly.
‘There’s water and electricity. Several rooms and staff areas are ready. There are functional operating theatres and a number of stock and equipment should have been delivered today before the road was blocked.’
‘What kind?’ Joe was clearly thinking ahead.
‘The furnishings were already in place, but some surgical equipment, medical supplies, pharmacy goods and sundries were all arriving early this morning. The hospital was supposed to open soon, and these deliveries had never been cancelled.’
‘Lucky,’ breathed Paige.
‘Only lucky if they arrived,’ said Lynn.
‘Let’s get started,’ said Stefan, praying that by the time he got up to the hospital he wouldn’t find the place empty.
They moved quickly, assessing all the people. ‘We’ve been lucky,’ murmured Paige. ‘Someone told me this place is usually much busier, but it looks like a number had already left because of the weather warning for later today.’
‘Thank goodness,’ agreed Stefan. ‘I bet some of these people wish they’d left earlier today too.’
‘Don’t you?’
He looked at her and shook his head. ‘No,’ he said honestly. ‘I’m glad I’m here. I’ll do what I can to help.’
She pressed her lips together and he thought he glimpsed a sheen of tears in her eyes. But Paige was determined. She’d pulled her long hair back in a ponytail and pushed the sleeves up on her thermal underclothes. She’d removed her ski boots and was moving around in thick socks. As they continued to work, they moved away from each other.
Every few minutes the main door would open and Franco or some of his team would appear, carrying someone who’d been dug out of the snow on a portable stretcher. Thank goodness the resort had equipment around.
When they’d assessed everyone in the room, Stefan met with Paige and the others. ‘What do you have?’
Paige looked worried. ‘A seven-year-old female with a fractured tib and fib, a forty-year-old male with a suspected head injury that we need to observe, a thirty-eight-year-old woman with suspected rib fractures and a definite ulna and radius fracture.’
Stefan nodded. ‘I’ve Rafe, the man who’s just been dug out. His temperature is borderline hypothermic, breathing erratic. He has rib fractures too. I’ve two other females with suspected ankle fractures.’
Lynn, Joe and Cathy listed their patients, the majority requiring stitches, one woman in the early stage of pregnancy with cramping but no bleeding, an older man with known angina who’d lost his meds, and a diabetic whose insulin pen had shattered.
Franco appeared next to them, the door banging loudly behind him and the high wind whistling in. ‘What’s the verdict?’ He had a satellite phone in his hand.
‘I’ve got nine people I should take up to the hospital if I can. And a whole host of others we need to clean up and stitch.’
Franco nodded and handed him the phone. ‘We have three satellite phones, so this one is for you. The cafés have plenty of food and are comfortable enough. Those who are well enough can stay here with myself and the rest of the staff.’
‘How long until help arrives?’ asked Lynn.
Franco and Stefan exchanged glances, which Paige didn’t miss. ‘What does that mean?’ He could hear the tension in her voice.
He turned to face her. ‘The road block is extensive. I have no idea how long it will take for them to move the snow and rubble so there is access again.’
‘Surely there’s another way to get people out?’ People. Not her, he noted. She wasn’t worrying about herself, she was worrying about their new patients, and potentially the rest of the people who could be stranded here.
Franco’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts. ‘In normal circumstances the emergency services and mountain rescue would be able to bring helicopters to get people in, and out. But...’ he gestured towards the sky ‘...no one can fly in those winds. Too dangerous. We probably don’t even want anyone outside.’
Realisation dawned on Paige’s face. ‘So we’re stuck here?’
‘For now,’ replied Stefan. ‘I’m sure we can manage.’ He was saying the words without really knowing if they were true. He could only hope the supplies that were ordered for the hospital had actually arrived.
‘I’ll be able to do some X-rays, put the plaster casts on, even set some bones if required.’
Stefan nodded. He was actually glad she was here. Most docs who worked in A&E had some experience of plaster casting—particularly any who’d covered a Saturday night shift and had to patch up those after a drunken night out. There wasn’t so much of that in Hollywood. He’d put plaster casts on arms and legs after cosmetic surgery procedures, but they were few and far between.
Paige gave him a wary look. ‘So, what you’re basically saying is we’re trapped here, with all these people, and the hopeful medical supplies left in a half-finished hospital, for an unknown amount of time.’
The thing he’d first noticed about her and admired—the way she was blunt and to the point. All eyes were on him and Franco gave him a half-smile. For the next few days these were his staff, and it was up to him to deal with them.
‘When you put it like that, yes, we’re stuck here and have patients to deal with. I’m sure we’ll all be fine.’
Paige’s gaze met his and she straightened her shoulders. ‘In that case, let’s finish our stitching, check all wounds are sound and not leave anyone behind we think might deteriorate in any way. It will be difficult enough to get everyone up to the hospital safely. We don’t want to make unnecessary trips.’ She sighed, put her hands on her hips and arched her back. ‘Is there a kitchen?’
He nodded.
‘Okay, on the last journey back up, we’ll stop at the chalet and collect all the food and take it up with us.’ She nodded at Cathy and Lynn. ‘I also have some clothes there that we can share out.’
It was as if someone had flicked a switch in her. He’d seen it a few times now. Once, just after the avalanche had hit. Then again for a few seconds, when she’d been asked to help. On both occasions it was as if Paige went on automatic pilot and started performing as a doctor. And it wasn’t just that. She was good. From what he’d observed, her decisions seemed clinically sound, and it looked as if she was an empathic practitioner. Was there something else going on with her?
Yet another thing he didn’t have time for.
Stefan took a deep breath and pushed aside the horrible thought. Paige seemed to have gone into overdrive. She was giving orders and checking patients. He pulled his ski equipment on again. Even in bad weather, he was confident he could reach the alcove part way up the road where he’d parked his car early this morning. It wasn’t far on foot. It should only take five minutes to drive up to the hospital to open it up and ensure he’d be ready to host these patients.
When he turned back, Paige was standing behind him in her bright red gear, and a pink hat that she’d obviously borrowed from someone else.
‘I’ll head up. I should be back in half an hour. You decide which patient we should move first. Either Lynn or Joe will need to come up with the first patient, so they can stay with them in the hospital while we transfer the rest.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘I’ve already decided which patient should come first and left instructions.’
‘You’re not coming with me,’ he said steadily, seeing the glint of determination in her eyes.
‘Yes, I am,’ she said with equal force. ‘You’re not going up alone.’
Stefan felt his skin prickle. It was the way she was looking at him. It was setting off charges that hadn’t been alive in...
‘It’s not sensible for both doctors to leave together. If something happened to both of us on the way up the mountain, who would look after these patients?’
She pressed her lips tightly together. He knew it made sense. And so did she.
‘Okay,’ she said finally, then lowered her voice. ‘But don’t think you’ll win on everything. It might be your hospital, but this is an emergency situation. And we’re equal partners here.’
There was a grim determination to her voice, an edge to her, that he hadn’t seen before.
And it sparked his curiosity even more. Who was this woman, and why on earth did she intrigue him in ways he hadn’t felt in...for ever?