Chapter 14 — Mist Peak Rescue Team

"Heaven's Gate hears clearly!" Dac Lam's voice rang out through the radio, quickly and decisively. "Uyen Nhi is listening to the same channel, she will give live instructions."

Another voice, familiar and surprisingly calm despite being so far away, cut in immediately: "Miss Van, it's me. Describe the condition in more detail for me — skin color, breathing rate, any cold sweat?"

Khanh Van looked closely at Bao Anh under the flashlight Kien was holding, her voice was steady even though her heart was still beating fast. "Skin is a little pale, lips are slightly purple. Breathing is about... twelve, fourteen breaths per minute, irregular. Skin is cold, a little damp."

"Okay. Listen to me carefully." Uyen Nhi's voice was not urgent at all, as if she were standing right next to him, not nearly an hour away. "Place her on her side with her head slightly lower than her feet to increase blood flow to the heart. Wrap her whole body in an insulating blanket, especially the head and neck — heat is lost fastest through the head. Check the cloth bag she brought, see if there are any heart medications, read the names of the medications for me."

Khanh Van signaled to Son, and he, his hands still shaking, searched for the small cloth bag still in Bao Anh's jacket, and brought out a half-opened blister pack.

"There is a blister pack, name..." Khanh Van turned the blister pack under the light, slowly reading each small print. "Propranolol. There's another one, a tube, under the tongue."

"It's a drug that treats arrhythmia." Uyen Nhi's voice was a bit more tense, although she still tried to stay calm. "If she's still breathing and has a pulse, there's no need to use sublingual medication right away — that's only used when there's an acute angina attack. The priority right now is to keep her warm, reduce panic if she regains consciousness, and closely monitor her breathing and pulse. If she stops breathing or loses her pulse, you must start chest compressions immediately, and I'll give instructions over the radio."

Kien quickly took a second insulating blanket, wrapped Bao Anh's body with Khanh Van, carefully lifted her head with a rolled-up shirt as a makeshift pillow, and laid her on her side exactly as instructed. Long, near the cave entrance, lit a small travel alcohol stove that he brought along to warm the surrounding air within the confines of the cave. Although it was not very effective, it was still better than nothing.

"Nam," Khanh Van called out to the teenager who was huddled nearby, her voice softening even though she still maintained the necessary urgency. "Can I help you with something? Gently rub Bao Anh's hands, keep them warm, but don't rub too hard."

Nam nodded immediately, seemingly relieved to be given something concrete to do instead of just sitting helplessly watching. He knelt down next to her, his hands shaking but still trying to do exactly what was asked.

A few tense minutes passed, everyone in the cave kept their eyes glued to Bao Anh's chest, counting every up and down breath. Then, suddenly, she moaned softly, her eyelids fluttering.

"She's awake!" Son shouted and rushed forward, but Khanh Van raised her hand to stop him in time.

"Slowly, don't let her panic, don't shake her too hard." She gently bent down close to Bao Anh's face. "Miss Bao Anh, I'm the rescue team, you're safe. Can you hear me?"

Bao Anh blinked slowly, his dull eyes gradually focused, seeing Khanh Van's unfamiliar but concerned face. "Son... Where is Son..." she whispered, her voice weak.

"It's me, it's me, Bao Anh." Son knelt closer, held her hand, his voice choked with emotion. "I'm okay, the rescue team found me."

Bao Anh tried to breathe deeper, raised one hand to his chest, his face wrinkled in discomfort. "My chest... is a bit tight..."

Khanh Van immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to inform Uyen Nhi, rereading exactly every word Bao Anh had just said. On the other end, Uyen Nhi was silent for a second, then gave the next instructions, her voice still maintaining a calm and professional tone even though everyone could sense the increasing severity.

"Give her the pill under her tongue right now, the exact type I just named. Then keep her in a semi-sitting position, not completely lying down, which will help reduce the pressure on her heart. I'm on my way back, estimated to be about forty-five minutes away, but you have to be prepared to take her down the mountain before I get there, if things get worse."

Khanh Van looked at Kien, the two exchanged a brief but meaningful look - they both understood that time no longer allowed them to wait for anyone else. The next decision, and perhaps the most important of the entire day, must be made now, amidst the storm roaring outside the cave entrance and a life hanging in the balance between life and death.

She took the pill from the blister pack, carefully placed it under Bao Anh's tongue according to the instructions, then gently helped her sit up halfway, her back leaning on the backpack that had been raised high as support. "Try to breathe slowly and evenly, don't try to say too much," she said, her voice gentle but still clear enough for Bao Anh to hear and follow.

Bao Anh nodded weakly, her eyes were still open but her vision was still vague, one hand clutched Son's hand as if it was the only clinging point keeping her from reality. Son sat close to her, not taking his eyes off her for a second, his mouth continuously whispering small words of encouragement, his voice trembling but steadfast.

"Kien," Khanh Van called, pulling him to a small corner of the cave, far enough for Bao Anh not to hear the exchange. "We can't wait for Uyen Nhi to get here. Forty-five minutes is too long with her condition, especially if the chest pain gets worse."

"I agree." Kien nodded immediately, without any hesitation like in the morning. "But taking her in this condition, through the terrain we just traversed, is also risky. If she faints in the middle of the road, without a doctor there..."

"I know." Khanh Van rubbed her hands together, trying to keep warm while her mind raced with a series of options. "But staying here, waiting, is also a risk — maybe even bigger. The weather front is coming, the temperature will drop even further in this cave, even an alcohol stove won't be enough to survive the night."

She looked out the cave entrance, where the darkness was rapidly thickening, blending with the mist and sleet into a dense gray mass that could no longer distinguish any boundaries. "Let's take all three down the mountain right now, with a stretcher for Bao Anh, go slowly but surely, use safety belts at all dangerous parts. Meeting Uyen Nhi in the middle of the road will be faster than waiting for her to get here."

Kien looked at her for a moment, then nodded decisively. "I agree with you. We do it your way."

That sentence, simple but containing a long journey of change for both of them, made Khanh Van pause for a second before nodding in response. There was no more time to ponder its meaning — they returned to Bao Anh and began preparing for the most arduous journey of this long day.

Khanh Van pressed the radio to report the plan to Dac Lam and Uyen Nhi. "Heaven's Gate, this is Team A. We decided to move now, take all three victims with us, priority is given to carrying Bao Anh on a stretcher. Uyen Nhi, you keep moving forward, we will meet halfway."

"Understood," Dac Lam replied immediately. "I'm sending an additional support team from the station carrying spare stretchers and portable oxygen tanks, departing right now to pick you up at the ramp near T7."

"Thank you." Khanh Van turned off the radio, turned to the group, her voice had now fully regained its original decisive command. "Long, set up a stretcher immediately. Mr. Tua, check the safest route down, avoid any sections at risk of falling rocks. Kien, you and I will fix Bao Anh on the stretcher."

The whole group got to work immediately, no one had time for any hesitation, each person focused their best on their work while the storm outside the cave continued to howl, as if urging everyone to be faster, more certain, not allowing even a single mistake.

Son knelt beside her, both hands clasped tightly around Bao Anh's while Khanh Van and Kien secured her to the folding stretcher, each strap tightened just enough to keep her safe without causing additional discomfort. “You'll be okay,” he whispered, his voice much calmer now than it had been a few minutes ago, as if having a concrete plan to stick to have helped him regain some much-needed sanity.

Nam stood up, even though his legs were still shaking from cold and fatigue, trying to help carry the light bags so that the adults could focus all their strength on carrying the stretcher. No one told him to do so, but he felt he needed to do something, anything, to contribute to the vital journey ahead.