“What are you talking about?” She opened her eyes and turned her head to the passenger side, blinking her eyes to focus. The snow was coming down hard but in an instant she suddenly understood. The car had rolled down the embankment and was dangerously close to going over a cliff.
“Oh my goodness. I could have…”
“But you didn't. And you're going to be safe in a few minutes.”
“You mean, I’m not now?”
“Let’s get you out of this car and hooked up to the harness that I’ve secured at the top of the hill. It’ll help us climb up.”
“I don't think... I don't know if I can.”
He was busy doing something. She wasn’t sure he was even paying attention to her ramblings. But then he turned and looked straight into her eyes.
“Much as I'd love to make this easier for you, I can't,” he said gently. “The only way out of here is to climb. I’ll help you. But you’re going to have to listen to me. The more you can do without hurting yourself further, the easier it will be for both of us.”
“There was an elk,” she said.
“I saw the tracks. I need to strap you into the harness. If you can’t handle that, or if you feel pain when you move, I’ll have to strap you to my back and climb that way.”
She frowned and it hurt. She tested her head with her fingers again, rubbing the spot where it throbbed. Her fingers were sticky.
“Is that blood?” she asked, glancing at her fingers.
“We’ll deal with that later.”
“I’m going to move my arm behind you to put this harness on. Don't you worry,” he said, reaching behind her in the seat and running a strap behind her. “I'll do most of the work. Just don't faint on me or pass out or it’ll make this tougher. Is it a deal?”
She turned to look at him and squinted trying to pull in all his features and get a grip on where she was. “My grandmother is alone.”
“You can worry about your grandmother later. Let's just worry about you for now.”
She heard something snap. When she looked down in front of her, she realized Nash had somehow managed to put the harness on her without her knowing. That's when panic set in.
“I don't know if I can do this.”
“One way or another we have to.” He reached behind himself and he tugged on a second line. “I'm going to undo your seatbelt now and you're going to feel your body being pulled away from your seat. But don't worry. The harness is strong and you won’t fall. I’ve got you.”
She forced her eyes to stay open, not even realizing they drifted closed. She was so tired all of the sudden.
“Ready?” Nash asked.
She nodded and immediately regretted doing so as the dizziness from the motion made her head swim.
When Nash abruptly released the seatbelt, she felt her body instantly fall a few inches, making her insides fill with panic and her eyes fly open wide. Pain pierced her thigh. Her hands reached the steering wheel and gripped it. But she felt Nash’s arm snake around her waist and pull her towards him.
“You’re okay. Now let’s take it one leg at a time. I want you to turn your body so you're facing me and then lift your legs out of the car. It's okay if they dangle because I have you. You’re going to feel your body fall back a little, but don’t worry. I won't let you fall. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She held on to each word he said and did as he told her.
“Okay one leg at a time.”
Her legs felt like lead and it was hard to lift them. It took considerable effort for her to lift her left leg and get it free from under the steering wheel. As she tried to do her right leg, Nash maneuvered her body sideways until both of her feet were outside the car.
“I’m going to place my hand behind your neck because I don't know if you have whiplash or were injured in any way. I don’t have a collar or I’d put one on you. Do you feel any pain in your neck?”
She shook her head.
“I don't want your head to snap back, so I’ll keep my hand there. I want to make sure you don't bump your head coming free of the car. So I want you to listen to me carefully. Try to put yourself in a fetal position, you know, with your head pulled forward and your knees to your chest. I know this will be hard, but it’ll make it easier.”
She listened to each instruction, and moved slowly. His voice was calm and patient, something that was so much the opposite of what she was feeling as the gravity of what had happened to her began to sink in fully.
“This is the toughest part,” he said. “And we have to do it fast because I’m not sure how long these trees will hold you here.”
“Oh, joy. It gets worse?”
He chuckled low. “Hopefully not. I want you to put your arms around my shoulders and hold on as tight as you can. When I move your body to get you free of the car the door is going to swing shut with gravity. Do you understand?”
A branch snapped and her car slid an inch or two lower, moving Nash further away.
“That didn’t sound good.”
“It’s not. Let’s do this. Now!”
Sweet Montana Rescue: Chapter Three
Unlike a Hollywood movie where the car breaks free from the tree the moment the woman escapes the car with the dashing hero, the car didn’t slide any further down the hill. As soon as Harper was free from the car, she wrapped her arms tightly around Nash's shoulders. He moved them to the right of the car door and it quickly slammed shut from the force of gravity,
