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"Don’t you fucking take that off, Flower, you hear me."
"Loud and clear." She tosses the ring up in the air once, then catches it and flings it over her head. A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds, illuminating the yellow sapphire, which sparkles before the ring hits the snow and vanishes out of sight. The sun disappears behind the cloud, and the snow seems to thicken. There’s an ominous crackling sound, and I glance down to find I’m standing on the surface of the pond. Tiny fissures seem to be expanding around me.
"Fuck!" I growl. I should have paid more attention to where we were going, and this, after Cassandra had explicitly warned us not to go onto the pond. "Aurora, don’t move," I call out. The snowflakes seem to thicken, and the visibility shrinks further. I see her figure through the blizzard, the white already settling over her, lending her features a luminous glow.
"Christian," she calls out, her voice shrill, "what am I going to do?"
"I’ll come to you." I take a step forward, and the ice holds. Another step and I can see that the ice is thinning. A third and I hear a crack.
She screams as she topples over; the sound cuts off when she hits the surface of the water. My heart slams into my rib-cage. At least, the water is shallow so there is no fear of her drowning. "Hold on," I yell as I inch forward slowly.
She pushes up to standing, and the water reaches up to her waist, "J-Jesus... This is freakin' c-cold." Her teeth chatter so loudly I can hear them even from this distance.
She takes a step in my direction, then stumbles and falls into the water again.
"Fuck," I swear, take a step forward, then another. The ice seems to hold, thank fuck. I push forward as quickly as I can, all the while trying my best not to crack the surface of the ice further.
By the time I reach her, she's standing again.
The wind whipping across the surface of the pond crashes into me, fuck! It has to be so much colder for her, since she's wet.
She drags herself onto the surface of the ice which creaks under her weight. "Chr-Christian, p-please help me!" Her voice trembles.
"Hold on," I call back. Adrenaline laces my blood. My breath comes in pants. I need to get to her.
I lower myself onto my stomach to distribute my weight evenly then belly crawl forward. When I am as close as I dare get to her, I swipe out my arm in her direction. She grips my hand, and I haul her toward me. The piece of ice where she was gives way, and she screams, "Christian!"
"I’ve got you." I hold her gaze, as I tug her forward. Simultaneously, I slide back toward the thicker ice near the edge of the pond.
Her gaze is wide, her skin pale; her lips are already turning blue. Fuck, I need to get her out into warmth before hypothermia sets in.
"Omigod, omigod, Christian"—she babbles—"d-don't let g-go of me."
"I won't." I grip her hand as I draw her forward. I rise to my feet slowly and the ice holds. Thank fuck. I draw her up, take a step back pulling her along with me. Another few steps, and she pauses. "I'm ... so ... so ... cold." She shivers.
"Just a few more steps. We are almost on firm ground," I coax. "Come on, Flower."
"I ... I c-can't," she whines. "I’m too c-cold."
"Give me your other hand," I growl.
"I ... I c-can't," she hiccups.
"Yes, you can."
"I am ... free ... z ... ing." Her lips tremble.
"I'll get you to warmth, I promise. Give me your other hand. Now!" Even before the words are out of my mouth, she raises her free hand. I grab it and haul her toward me as I move back.
My foot touches firm ground, thank fuck. I step off of the pond and onto the shore and yank her forward. She stumbles toward me, and I haul her into my arms.
A tremor grips her, and her teeth chatter. Her skin has definitely turned a shade of blue.
"Porca miseria."I pull off her scarf, toss it aside, then reach for her wet jacket and peel it off. She stands quietly as I push it down her shoulders and onto the ground.
When I reach for the sodden sweater she's wearing inside, she protests. "Wh-what are you d-doing?"
"Taking off your wet clothes so you don’t catch hypothermia. You’re a doctor; you should know that."
