Step. Drag. Step. Drag. Pain exploded up my hip and spine, but I kept moving.
When I shoved open my car door again, I laid the girl gently in the passenger seat. I cranked the heater to full blast even though the engine barely cooperated. I rubbed her arms and hands, speaking constantly just to anchor myself. “Stay with me. You’re okay. You’re okay.”
Minutes stretched unbearably. My entire body shook uncontrollably — from cold, from adrenaline, from delayed fear. I had forgotten about my panic attack entirely. It had been replaced by something sharper.
After what felt like forever, her eyelids fluttered weakly. A faint sound escaped her lips. Relief crashed into me so violently I almost broke down right there.
Nearly two hours passed before flashing emergency lights pierced the white void. A snowplow operator had spotted the vehicles. Paramedics rushed toward us, their movements urgent and efficient. They lifted her carefully onto a stretcher and wrapped her in heated blankets.
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