Chapter 7 - The Bridge Back
The blinding whiteout of the Whispering Pines pass seemed to claw at them as the snowmobile bounced violently over hidden ice ruts and drifted banks. Daniel kept his eyes fixed on the faint, ghostly outline of the guardrails marking the edge of Route 9. His fingers were frozen to the handlebars, burning with a dull, agonizing ache, but he refused to slow down.
Every bump sent a jolt through Emma’s recovering body, and he could feel her grip on his waist tightening with every sharp turn.
“Hang on, just five more miles!” Daniel screamed into the wind. “The state highway crew should have cleared the lower pass by now!”
As if in answer to his prayers, the dense canopy of timber finally began to thin, opening up to the wide, cleared expanse of the main valley highway. Ahead of them, flashing amber and red emergency lights cut through the falling snow. A convoy of state police cruisers and an ambulance were parked near the stalled wreckage of Daniel’s SUV.
Daniel swerved the snowmobile down the plowed shoulder of the highway, cutting the engine right in front of the open doors of the ambulance.
Instantly, two paramedics rushed forward with emergency gear, shouting over the wind.
“We need a trauma team! Postpartum hemorrhage risk, severe preeclampsia, newborn infant delivered less than an hour ago in an unassisted environment!” Daniel bellowed, his voice raw and cracking as he carefully helped Emma off the snowmobile.
The paramedics didn't waste a second. They lifted Emma onto a heated gurney, slipping an oxygen mask over her face while a second medic gently scooped the blanket-wrapped baby from her arms and rushed him into the warm interior of the ambulance.
Daniel moved to follow, but a state trooper stepped forward, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
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“Sir, let the medical staff work. You can ride in the front seat with the driver.”
Daniel looked down at his bloodstained coat, his frostbitten hands, and the empty space where Emma had just been lying. He nodded mutely, climbing into the passenger seat of the rescue vehicle as the ambulance sirens wailed to life, slicing through the snowy morning air toward St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital.
