Chapter 4 — Directions to Cloud Valley

The third day of the journey began with a rare clear blue sky, without a single cloud signaling rain like the previous day. Thao Vy woke up earlier than usual, rechecked the entire route for the final journey - the road considered the most difficult in the entire journey, crossing Sa Mu pass at an altitude of more than two thousand meters before descending downhill to Ta Chai village.

"We need to leave early today," she announced to the group during breakfast. "Sa Mu Pass can take four to five hours to cross, depending on everyone's physical condition. I want us to reach the top of the pass before noon, avoiding the dense fog that often appears in the afternoon."

The group quickly packed up their tents, prepared their luggage, and began their journey while the sunlight was still gentle. The trail gradually became steeper, the air became thinner with each step, making everyone's breathing become heavier.

Dang Khoi still held the last position in the group, his eyes constantly observing the condition of each member, paying special attention to Minh Trang, who seemed to be trying harder to keep up with the general pace.

"Are you okay?" he asked when he saw the young student stopping to rest tiredly for the third time within an hour.

"I'm fine, doctor," Minh Trang replied, although her breathing was more rapid than usual. "It's just that the road is a bit too steep."

Dang Khoi was not completely satisfied with that answer. He quickly checked her pulse and oxygen saturation with the device he brought, and found that the indexes, although still within an acceptable range, had decreased significantly compared to the previous day.

"You need to drink more water, and if you feel a worse headache or nausea, you must tell me immediately, don't hide it," he warned seriously. "Altitude sickness can develop very quickly, and in this terrain, timely treatment is extremely important."

Minh Trang nodded. Even though she was a little worried, she tried not to show it, for fear of affecting the overall spirit of the group.

***

Near noon, when the group had passed two-thirds of the way up the pass, Thao Vy decided to stop and rest at a rare flat piece of land amid steep terrain. She distributed snacks and water to everyone, and checked the general situation of the group.

"There's about an hour left until the top of the pass," she announced, her voice trying to give more motivation to the already tired faces. "Then we'll go downhill, the road will be much easier."

Dang Khoi took advantage of his break to check on Minh Trang's health again, and this time, he noticed a more worrying sign — the young girl seemed noticeably pale, and when he asked, she admitted that she had begun to feel more severe headaches.

"What is the headache like? Can you describe it specifically?" he asked, his voice becoming serious, all previous signs of absent-mindedness had completely disappeared, replaced by the intense concentration of a doctor assessing the situation.

"It's like... like someone is squeezing my head," Minh Trang replied, her voice weaker than before. "And I feel a little nauseous."

Dang Khoi immediately checked her vital indicators. His face gradually became tense when he noticed that the oxygen saturation in the blood had dropped to a worrying level, much lower than the safe threshold.

"Thao Vy," he called out, his voice carrying an urgency she had never heard from him before. "I need you here now."

Thao Vy, realizing the change in his voice, immediately abandoned what she was doing and hurried towards the two people. "What's up?"

"Minh Trang has signs of severe altitude sickness," Dang Khoi explained quickly, his voice still remaining calm and professional despite his anxiety. "Her oxygen saturation is dropping rapidly, accompanied by a severe headache and nausea. We need to get her to a lower altitude immediately, we can't continue up the pass."

Thao Vy looked down at Minh Trang's pale face, immediately realizing the severity of the situation. With many years of experience leading groups in high mountains, she clearly understands that altitude sickness, if not treated promptly, can progress to life-threatening complications such as pulmonary edema or cerebral edema due to high altitude.

"The nearest way down is back to last night's campsite, which takes about forty-five minutes," Thao Vy said quickly, her mind already starting to calculate options. "But if her condition worsens quickly, we may not have enough time."

"Then we need another solution," Dang Khoi said, his eyes meeting Thao Vy's in a tense, decisive moment. "Do you know of any closer shortcuts? Anywhere with a significantly lower elevation than here?"

Thao Vy closed her eyes for a moment, trying to visualize the entire topographic map that she had memorized after five years of leading the group through this area. Then, her eyes opened, shining with a ray of hope.

"There's an old, little-used trail down into a small valley about twenty minutes' walk from here," she said quickly. "It's steeper but much shorter than the main road. If we move now, we can bring Minh Trang down to a safe height in the shortest time."

"Then let's go now," Dang Khoi said decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

In that moment, all the distance, all the hurt, all the unanswered questions between the two people seemed to temporarily recede, giving way to a single common goal - to save the life of the young student who was in danger in this wild, mountainous place. Thao Vy and Dang Khoi, without needing to exchange any more words, automatically fell into a strangely harmonious rhythm of coordination, as if the five years of separation had never existed.

***

"Doctor Phong, I need you to stay and lead the rest of the group to continue up the pass on schedule, with Sinh to help guide the way," Thao Vy said quickly, her voice regaining the professional assertiveness of an experienced guide. "Doctor Khoi and I will take Minh Trang down to the valley via the shortcut. We will contact via radio as soon as there is a new situation."

"Okay," Dr. Phong replied immediately, without any hesitation given the urgency of the situation. "Be careful, both of you. If her condition worsens, don't hesitate to ask for assistance."

Sinh, despite his worried face, quickly regained composure and helped Dang Khoi prepare the emergency medical bag and portable oxygen tank that the group always carried in case of an emergency. "Sister Vy, please be careful," she advised, her eyes shining with absolute trust in the sister she always admired.

Dang Khoi quickly put a small oxygen tank on Minh Trang's face, adjusting the appropriate flow while continuously monitoring her vital indicators. "Try to breathe evenly and slowly," he reassured, his voice gentle but still maintaining the firmness needed to calm a panicked patient. "We'll get you down to safety now."

With the support of another healthy member of the group, they quickly built a makeshift stretcher from trekking sticks and a spare tarp, placing Minh Trang on it to reduce the effort she had to spend during the move.

The old trail that Thao Vy led was indeed much steeper and more dangerous than the main road, weaving through dense bushes with almost no traces of passersby left. She went first, using a machete to clear the trees blocking the path, while Dang Khoi and his assistant carrying the stretcher followed, taking every step carefully to avoid shocking the patient.

"How much further?" Dang Khoi asked, sweat had begun to form on his forehead even though the air was still cold.

"About fifteen minutes," Thao Vy replied, without looking back, her entire focus focused on finding the safest route amid the complex terrain. "We're almost to a clearing, the elevation there is significantly lower."

Minh Trang, even though she was receiving oxygen, still seemed tired and frightened. "Are...are you okay?" she asked weakly, her voice shaking with worry.

"You'll be okay," Dang Khoi reassured, holding her hand comfortingly while continuing to move. "We just need to get you down to a lower altitude, your body will adjust itself. You did a great job of reporting your symptoms to me promptly, that helped a lot."

Those words of reassurance, although simple, seemed to help Minh Trang calm down a bit, her breathing also began to become a bit more regular thanks to the support of oxygen.

Although Thao Vy was highly focused on leading the way, she couldn't help but notice the way Dang Khoi handled the situation — calm, professional, but still full of sincere concern for the patient. These were the qualities she loved in him five years ago, the qualities that now, no matter how hard she tried to deny, she still couldn't help but recognize that they were still intact in him.

“We're here,” she announced when she finally saw the clearing ahead, a small grassy area that lay considerably lower than the pass they'd just left.

As soon as he put the stretcher down, Dang Khoi immediately rechecked Minh Trang's vitals, and a sigh of relief escaped when he noticed that her oxygen saturation had begun to improve significantly.

"Okay," he said, a relieved smile appearing on his still tense face. "The indicators are stabilizing again. I have passed the most dangerous stage."