“What just happened?” Britney yelled as she rushed into the room and stared at the massive tree poking through what remained of the window.
“Did a tree just fall into the cabin?” Matt asked as he joined the group. “Can this day get any worse?”
“We’re just lucky no one got hurt. James and I were sitting right next to it.” Nicole shivered, and out of reflex, James pulled her closer to comfort her.
“We need to do something about that tree, or we’re going to get hypothermia with the snow coming in.” James stood up and moved over to inspect the damage. “At least it’s just the tip of the tree, and it didn’t bust the frame of the window when it came down. I have a saw in my shed that can cut the protruding part of the tree off so we can push the rest out. I also have some plywood and the tools needed to board the window up after we get the tree removed.”
“Is it safe to go out to your shed?” Nicole asked with concern. “We could barely see when we got here. How can you manage to get there and back safely?”
“I have snow gear, and I’ve trained in severe weather conditions for years. I’ll be fine,” James assured her.
“And he’ll have me.” José stood from the couch and moved over to stand by James. “You’re going to need a second set of hands to get all the supplies back to the cabin.”
The two men spent the next few minutes putting on their snowsuits, boots, and thick winter coats. Next they put on their goggles, then pulled the hoods around their heads, tying them securely. The last piece of the outfit was their gloves, the final barrier to the freezing temperatures outside.
Once they were ready, James picked up the snow shovel from beside the door while José removed the blanket before opening it. Snow poured into the entry, but James pushed back against it just as quickly. He shut the door behind them, tying the end of a rope to its knob. He attached the other end to his suit, and tied the next section to José, so they could follow it back to the house once they had the supplies.
José grabbed the other shovel and they both worked at scooping snow that had piled up along the path. Methodically, they made their way over to the shed. James opened the shed and they pulled out all the needed items.
“Is there anything else we need?” José shouted over the storm. “We don’t want to have to come back here if we can avoid it.”
“I think we’re good,” James yelled back. “Let’s get out of here.”
The duo headed back to the cabin and brought the supplies in, securing the door behind them and placing the blanket along the crack to keep the cold out.
“How do we do this?” Nicole asked as she came over to the window with Britney behind her.
“It’s really a two-man job, so I’ll need José to get on the other side of me.”
James placed the saw at the center of the trunk, but before José could take his spot, Britney came around and grabbed the handle. “Why does it have to be José? I think I can do the job as good as he can.”
“Sure,” James said with a shrug, “if you want to work on it with me for a bit. Here’s a set of gloves, and you’re going to want to hold on tight as we saw back and forth. We’ll start my way first.”
James slowly pulled the saw towards him. Britney pushed from her end, and at first, everything went smoothly as the saw moved back and forth, working through the trunk of the tree. Suddenly, the tree shifted on the frame of the window, causing Britney to lose her grip and stumble to the side. Her arm moved down, and the teeth of the saw clipped the side of her skin. She cried out in pain, grabbing it with her free hand.
There were gasps as blood started to trickle from the wound. James put the saw down and rushed towards his hall closet where he kept the first aid kit. He yelled over his shoulder, “José, grab a clean cloth and press it against the wound until I get back.”
He pulled open the closet and scanned the shelf, relieved when he finally saw the red kit with the medical cross on it. He yanked it from the shelf and rushed back into the other room where he placed the kit on the table.
“It’s going to be okay, Britney,” José stated in a soothing voice. “We’re going to patch you right up.”
James hurried into the kitchen where he washed his hands in the sink. He came back into the dining room, gesturing for Britney to sit next to him on one of the chairs. “I need to see how bad the cut is and decide if a bandage will work, or if you need liquid stitches.” James reached out and gently took her arm in his hands. The moment he pulled back the towel, he knew instantly that the pressure of just a bandage wouldn’t do the trick. The gash was deep and jagged, already red and inflamed from the damage caused by the saw. “Stitches it is.”
He pulled out a couple of alcohol swabs, then glanced up at Britney, who was biting her lip. “This is going to hurt, but we have to do it to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”
She nodded, squeezing the edge of her chair with her free hand as she closed her eyes. “Just do it.”
James patted the area of the gash, instantly causing Britney to flinch in agony. “I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but just a little longer. When I am done, I can give you something for the pain.” He sealed the cut by gently squeezing the wound edges together with his fingers, then he spread the liquid stitches over the top of the cut from one end to the other. He wrapped the wound lightly with gauze, making sure to secure it at the top of the arm. “I think that does it. I’ll have to change the bandage in the morning and make sure there isn’t any signs of infection, but I think you will be okay until we can get you to a clinic.” For the first time, he looked up and noticed she still had her eyes pinched shut. “You can look now. It’s all over. There’s no blood, I promise.”
Britney did as he suggested and glanced down at her arm. “Thank you; I can’t believe how stupid I was for thinking I could do that.”
James shook his head. “What happened wasn’t your fault. If the tree hadn’t shifted on us, you would’ve been fine continuing with me.”
“He’s right—don’t blame yourself for this, Britney. You were giving James a run for his money right up until the end,” Nicole encouraged.
James handed her a bottle of pain relievers from the medical kit. “That could have happened to any of us.”
“I’m just glad we didn’t end up watching you bleed to death,” Matt said with a shiver. “There’s no calling 9-1-1 in weather like this.”
“We’re all on our own, which means we have to take care of each other,” James agreed. “Which means I need someone to help me finish with the tree.”
“I’ll do it,” José volunteered. “Let’s get this done and seal the window up so we can all go back to sleep.”
“While you guys are working on this, I’m going to go lay down. I’m exhausted.” Britney stood from her chair and turned to leave.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Nicole offered, glancing around at the men.
Britney shook her head. “Why don’t you stay out here in case there’s anything you can do to help?”
The men made quick work of cutting the remainder of the trunk. They threw the top outside, then pushed the rest of the bottom out with help from Matt. Next, they lifted the plywood over the window while James nailed the corners into place. Nicole got a blanket to put over it to keep it insulated.