Chapter 17 — Mist Peak Rescue Team

Uyen Nhi rushed forward when the distance between the two groups was less than ten meters. Without waiting for them to completely arrive, her hands searched the medical bag she brought with her.

"Put the stretcher down on this flat place!" she ordered, her voice now completely that of a doctor in working mode, without any hesitation. The three members of the support team she brought along — two rescue workers from the station and one person carrying a portable oxygen tank — quickly set up a makeshift tarp above to block out the rain.

She knelt down next to Bao Anh, placed the stethoscope on her chest, checked her heart rate, and measured her blood pressure with the handheld device she brought, all in less than two minutes with the proficiency of someone who has done this job hundreds of times in the harshest conditions.

Khanh Van stood back a step, giving space for Uyen Nhi and the support team to work, but her eyes still did not leave the young doctor's every move, as if just by observing closely, she could feel for herself whether the situation was really getting better or not. The rain was still falling, but it had begun to thin out, the cold drops of water now only drizzle instead of whipping as hard as before, as if the storm, after venting its fury, was gradually calming down.

"Her breathing is more regular," a support team member said, still holding the oxygen tank tightly, keeping an eye on the oxygen saturation meter attached to Bao Anh's finger.

"Ninety-four percent, increasing." Uyen Nhi nodded and quickly wrote down the number on a small piece of waterproof paper. "Much better than I feared I would see."

"The heart rate is still irregular but it is more stable than the previous report," she said, as she spoke, attaching an oxygen tube to Bao Anh's nose. "The blood pressure is low, but not dangerously so. She needs to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible for a full cardiac check-up, but her current condition is no longer as critical as it was an hour ago."

Son knelt down next to him, holding Bao Anh's hand tightly, his voice choked with an emotion he was no longer trying to suppress. "Thank you... thank you everyone."

"You just let us take care of the rest." Uyen Nhi smiled at him, a tired but sincere smile, before turning to assess Kien's condition. "And you, captain, your ankle doesn't look good at all."

"It's just a sprain," Kien said, trying to sound gentle even though his face still contorted in pain when she gently pressed on the swollen area.

"Sprain level two, maybe level three," Uyen Nhi immediately objected, not letting him downplay the severity. "You need a proper splint and an X-ray when you get back to the hospital. Don't be a straw hero with me."

Kien laughed softly, glancing at Khanh Van as if looking for sympathy, but she just shrugged. "She's right."

While Uyen Nhi and the support team continued to handle the necessary medical steps, one of the two station rescue workers carrying a radio contacted Dac Lam, updating the detailed situation. A few minutes later, that person returned, announcing the good news.

"Dac Lam said there is an off-road ambulance waiting at the end of the trail, about four hundred meters from here, along with the district medical team that has been dispatched ready to receive."

Khanh Van felt like her entire body was relieved of a huge burden that had just been lifted with just that information. Four hundred meters — an incredibly short distance compared to the journey they had just been on, but it was the last line between danger and true safety.

“Sounds good,” she said, her voice now visibly relieved, even though fatigue was still etched into every line of her face. "I switched to a stretcher with off-road wheels that the support team brought with me for the final stretch, going faster."

Uyen Nhi and the support team quickly transferred Bao Anh to a stretcher with wheels specialized for rough terrain, fixed the entire oxygen system and monitored mobile vital signs. Nam, although exhausted, still tried to smile slightly when he saw that Bao Anh's condition was much more stable than when he saw her unconscious in the cave.

"I'm almost home," Son told him, his voice now steadier, his arms around his nephew's shoulders, pulling him close in a short but meaningful hug.

Khanh Van stood up, looked around at her group of people - tired, wet, some injured, but all still standing, all still here. She looked at Kien, who was now being carried by a support team member on her behalf, and received from him a brief but meaningful nod — a silent recognition that no words could describe more fully.

Uncle Tong, although not present on this last leg, contacted via radio as soon as he heard the news, his voice rang out with relief when Dac Lam transferred the phone to him to talk directly to Khanh Van. "Van, I heard you guys found them. Dieu Han and I are at Heaven's Gate, her wrist is fine, she just needs to rest for a few days."

"Thank you for bringing her home safely," Khanh Van replied, her voice lowered because of the emotions that had been pent up all day and now had a chance to express a little. "We're almost there."

"I know. The whole station is waiting." Uncle Tong's voice choked a bit. "Good job, Van."

She turned off the radio, took a deep breath, feeling the cold air filling her lungs, bringing both relief and exhaustion at the same time. Long, walking right next to her, patted her shoulder. "You did it, Ms. Van."

"We did it," she corrected, looking around at the entire group—Uyen Nhi, Kien, Long, Tua, the support team, and the three people they had spent all their energy searching for all day long. "It's not just me."

"Let's go," she said, and the group, now larger with the support team present, continued to take the final steps of the longest day in memory for many of them, toward the glimmering lights of the ambulance appearing in the distance through the gradually thinning rain.

The final stretch of road, although short, still required the same caution as the previous ones — the ground was now soggy, more slippery than ever after hours of continuous rain. Two members of the support team skillfully pushed the off-road wheeled stretcher, avoiding every pothole and every rock protruding from the trail surface, while Uyen Nhi walked close by, never leaving Bao Anh's vital signs monitoring devices.

Son walked right behind, one hand still holding Bao Anh's hand tightly over the side of the stretcher, constantly whispering small words of encouragement, although now she was much more alert and sometimes even responded with a weak handshake.

"Almost there, Bao Anh," he said, his voice trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and a happiness he couldn't believe was real. "I'm almost home."

Nam walked next to Son, his uncle, even though he was too tired to care about anything other than each step dragging on the soggy ground - his eyes were glued to the ambulance lights that were becoming clearer and clearer ahead, like a beacon guiding the way through the dark night.

Just a few minutes later, the group of people stepped out of the low trees, and before their eyes, the lights of an off-road ambulance and several figures wearing white blouses appeared clearly, no longer obscured by the rain or fog. The district medical team has set up a temporary reception area, the car's headlights illuminate the entire space in the dark mountain area.

"Finally," Kien whispered, his voice filled with a relief that he didn't bother to hide anymore.

The medical team immediately ran to pick up the stretcher, transferring care of Bao Anh quickly and professionally, while another person helped Kien get into the car to check his ankle. Khanh Van stood back, looking at the entire scene unfolding before her eyes like a dream that was not yet fully awake - after all the hours of extreme tension, finally, everything was gradually returning to its safe order.

Son turned around to find her in the bustling crowd, grabbed her hand with both hands, his voice choked without words for a few seconds before he was able to say something coherent. "I don't know how to thank you enough. You saved all three of the most important people in my life."

Khanh Van gently squeezed his hand, a tired but sincere smile appeared on her lips. "Thank the whole team, not just me. And thank you, for keeping calm, keeping all three of us alive through that cold night. If it weren't for your good decisions in the cave, we might not have made it."

He nodded, tears mixed with the rainwater still on his face, then turned back to follow closely the car that was preparing to take Bao Anh and Nam to the district hospital, where a new recovery journey, despite many uncertainties ahead, finally had a chance to begin.