The Smallholder Pt. 01

"Stuff it, you sanctimonious wimp, I'll get there; you patsies don't know how to handle a thoroughbred like my baby out there. She needs a real man. I'm going."

Trevor turned and went, slamming the door behind him. A flurry of snow eddied round the hallway.

----

SEVEN

Angela looked at Joseph with incredulity.

"Such a stupid prick!" she said at last. With her hands on her hips, Joseph could not take his eyes off her body, still filling out those pyjamas prettily and now gathered to her waist.

"I'm concerned about him," said Joseph. "He has no idea what the weather can do around here and that car will not handle well in this storm."

Angela looked at him in amazement.

"Joseph he took your wife and child. He killed them in his arrogance! Let him go and kill himself! He deserves it. He wouldn't even pay for their bloody funeral or even attend it!"

"Angela," Joseph said patiently, "Trevor is a human being. He is like he is for a reason. Anyone, and I mean anyone is worth saving. People can change, and even if they don't, I'd prefer they always had the chance."

"I don't understand you," she said, her exasperation showing. "How can you be so detached?"

"Ten years, Angela," he said, gazing at her. "Ten years and a lot of meditation to allow me to move on. I have moved on. It took years of meditation to forgive. I have forgiven, but to be honest, I was surprised at myself just then!" and he laughed that simple happy laugh. "Don't you see, Angela? I'm free of all that baggage."

Then in an instant he was serious.

"Trevor, your Gerard, could die out there. Could you live with that on your conscience? Before you had your accident here and before you knew what he had done to me and to Susan and Sonia, you lived with him. There must be some good in him for you to stay with him?"

Angela still could not follow his reasoning, but his last remark made her think. What was it about Gerard that made her stay? At that moment she could not think of anything.

"What do we do?" she sighed with resignation.

"Well, first I make hot sweet tea and put it in a flask. Then I get those chocolate bars with the soft caramel filling. Blankets - I have a survival blanket you know - you could get them for me from the airing cupboard on the landing. That warm hat with the earflaps, mittens, from the hall chest. Take them and warm them by the stove in the living room."

Angela went off to do her part, and Joseph did his. He had the food and drinks in an insulated bag, and had a large padded bag for the blankets and clothing. He put them down in the hallway.

"I'll get the Rover out and follow down the track. Check if he made it to the road. Then down the road a while to the village. Perhaps he made it, but I need to check; if he didn't make it far, he won't be able to call for help, no signal remember?"

"I'll come too," she said.

"Well," he grinned, looking her up and down, "I think you should dress first."

"Oh, you!" she punched him gently.

"Put everything you have that's warm on, lots and lots of layers, don't worry how you look. You could be wading in a metre of snow, and the wind is icy. I have a hat for you, and gloves."

She went to the bedroom and dressed as he had told her. Two pairs knickers, and of tights, a bra, camisole, two shirts and a sweater, a pair of leggings and slacks. She looked at herself in the mirror and laughed, she looked like a barrel. Then she went back into the hallway, to find Joseph also looking more bulky, already waiting in his Barbour coat, boots and over-trousers. He handed her a hat with tabs for her ears, a pair of over-trousers, and a pair of gloves.

"Put your coat on and then this cagoule and these over-trousers," he said. She did so. "Now the hat and gloves." Again she obeyed.

"Wait until you hear the Rover come round and then come out," he said. "Bring the bags with you."

With that he went outside, Bob following him. The snow blew in for a second before the door was closed, it was still snowing very heavily and blowing hard.

It was a long time before she heard a vehicle outside and went out. She noticed the thick tread on the tyres and the extra large wheels keeping the car well clear of the ground. As she opened the door she was hit by a wall of heat.

"I needed to warm it up before we set out," he said.

She climbed in and they were off. They travelled slowly, the snow driving into the windscreen as the wipers on full speed struggled to clear it away. It was as if they were in a thick fog, so heavy and driving was the snow-storm. Angela could see the snowdrifts already growing here and there against the drystone walls, and she wondered if the large four by four would be able to make it. Joseph seemed to know what he was doing, and she felt comfortable and secure with him.

Angela was surprised when Joseph slowed the big vehicle down. She could not see the sharp left bend in the track, for the snow had drifted and obliterated the drystone wall round the field and it was impossible to tell that the entrance to the field ahead was not the road.

Once Joseph had cautiously made the turn, they were confronted by the Porsche, which had slewed across the track and buried its nose in the shallow ditch at the side. Gerard must have seen the bend at the last minute and had been travelling too quickly to control the car when he made the turn. The ditch was not deep, but the car ran so low on the road that it was now perched on the edge of the ditch with its mid-section grounded and the front wheels pawing the air. The rear of the car was half-way across the track and the car itself was already disappearing under the snow which piled up against it in the wind.

Joseph stopped the car and they sat looking at the scene for a moment.

Then Joseph said, "Please Angela, will you wait here while I check the car and Gerard? No point in both of us getting cold and wet. OK?"

She nodded, and he put up his hood and pulled the string tight round his face, then opened the car door and left. The snow eddied in and a cold blast hit her before he quickly shut the door.

He trudged through the deepening snow to the car and went to the driver's side, peering in through the window which was steamed up. The car's engine was not running as he would have expected to keep the inside of the car warm. He could not see inside, and went to the passenger side which was in the lee of the wind. He tried the door and it opened. His spirits sank when he saw there was no one in the car. The fool had wandered off on foot, he thought, no doubt panicking. He walked back to the Range Rover and after shaking himself off, climbed back into the car.

"He's gone," he said, and she could see he was worried. "He would have better stayed in the car. We'd better get after him."

Angela made as if to get out of the car, but Joseph stopped her.

"We'll go in the car," he said.

"But the way is blocked."

"There is another way."

He reversed the car to the corner, put it into four wheel drive and went into the field, turning along the wall and following it, just wide of the drifting snow, turning right at the end and making for a gate at the far corner.

"It's my field," he explained. "This gate brings us onto the track further along."

He got out and opened the gate, and they drove though onto the track. Again he stopped and got out to look at the snow, but the wind had blown any footprints away. He got in and they continued along the track at a walking pace.

As they passed between the first trees of the wood, Angela cried out, "There, over there, under that tree!"

The shape of a man sitting hunched under a dense fir tree, sheltering from the snow storm, was ahead and to the right of the car. They stopped and as Joseph made to get out, Angela did the same.

"Put your hat on, flaps down, hood up and pull the string tight around your face," he ordered. "And zip your cagoule up to your neck. Gloves on."

She did as she was instructed

"Be quiet and gentle," he said, "He may be confused. We coax him into the car, back seat with you. You put the blankets round him, talking all the time. Give him the tea and try to get him to eat the chocolate bars. The more the better. That will warm his core from the inside."

He took the spare hat and mittens and the two of them made their way to the crouched figure.

Joseph knelt by the man, and assessed his condition. He was still shivering a little, but it was clear he was going into the second and more dangerous stage of hypothermia.

"Trevor," said Joseph quietly, "You feel cold. Let us help you up. Come where it's warm."

The man stirred, "Wha'?" he said, "Keeping out of the wind. I'm all right."

"I have a better place," said Joseph, "where it is really warm. You want to get warm don't you, Trevor?"

Gerard looked up vacantly then nodded and Joseph took him under his armpits and raised him gently to his feet. Joseph put the hat on Gerard's head and the mittens on his hands as if he were a small child.

"Angela," he said, "you take the left, I'll take the right."

They put his arms over their shoulders and slowly walked him to the vehicle, the engine of which Joseph had left running.

They eased Gerard into the rear seat.

"Get in," he said to Angela, holding open the rear door and shutting it behind her.

He went round and got in the other side. Gerard was mumbling something, looking about him.

"Support him," said Joseph, and when he saw she had him, he dropped the rear seat.

"Let's get these wet things off," he said to Gerard. He was wearing a woollen coat and scarf, both of which were soaked, and Joseph removed these, lifting him so Angela could slide the coat from under him. The same with his trousers which were sodden.

"Towel his legs," said Joseph, as he began to remove Gerard's damp shirt.

"W-wha' you doin'?" Gerard grumbled, "leave me alone, I want to sleep."

"In a minute you can sleep," said Joseph, pulling the blankets round him followed by the survival blanket. He pulled the seat back up and rested Gerard back against it.

"Give him the drinks, as much as you can," said Joseph. "Keep the blankets pulled close. Keep the hat on. I'm going to drive to where I can get a signal."

Joseph could hear Angela coaxing Gerard to drink the hot very sweet tea, as he drove to the other end of the wood along the road. The trees had sheltered the track somewhat, so the going was easier. At the road junction, he stopped. The road was impassable.

First he phoned Mountain Rescue, and reported a man with hypothermia and that he was taking him back to his cottage. He was instructed to use his short wave two-way radio and was reminded of the frequency. There was no chance of an immediate lift of the man to hospital until the snow stopped. He told them about the car.

Then he phoned Barry and warned him about the car's position, blocking the track, and the route through the field.

"Tomorrow I'll bring the tractor and the snowplough. We can pull it out." said Barry.

Joseph thanked him and rang off.

He turned the car round and drove back the way he had come. The car was difficult to control now the snow had drifted further; it took him all his skill and an alert mind to see and avoid the drifts, but four wheel drive and big wheels with their deep treads helped and eventually they were back at the cottage.

"Keep him here," Joseph said, "while I get the bed ready."

He left the engine running, went to the bedroom and got out some clothing. Then to the kitchen. He put Trevor's clothes in the tumble drier and set it in motion. He got a hot water bottle, filled it with hot water from the tap, took it to the bedroom and warmed the bed. Then he covered the sheet with the duvet and returned to the car.

Gerard was incoherent and out of it, so they carefully moved him between them to the bedroom. He stirred but did not seem to be fully conscious.

"Can you get him undressed?" asked Joseph. She nodded.

"I'll be back in a second," and he was gone. Angela made soothing noises and began to take off his vest and underpants. Gerard obediently raised his arms and bottom at appropriate moments.

Joseph returned and gave Angela the warmed tee shirt and shorts she recognised as the ones she had worn when her had brought her in. He held Gerard while she took off his socks, towelled him down and then dressed him. Then they put him to bed. He was asleep immediately.

"Could you strip off and get into bed with him?" asked Joseph. "Press yourself against him to warm him slowly."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Go to bed with him after what he's done?"

"It's necessary," he said. "If you can't do it, I'll have to," and he made to strip.

"No, it's ok," she said doggedly with a shrug, "I'll do it," and she began to pull the outer layer of her clothes off.

"How much did you get into him?" he asked, as her clothes came off layer by layer.

"Two cups of tea." she said, as she removed yet another layer. She saw he did not notice. He was completely focussed on his patient.

"It will have to do," he said, "Keep him warm. I'll call by in a while to see how he's getting on. If he wakes, I'll leave some soup on the stove. He needs his core warming."

"Wouldn't it be better to put him in a hot bath?" she asked, now she was down to bra and skimpy knickers standing before him.

"You don't need to take those off," he said, gesturing to her underwear. "Body warmth is what he needs. And no, a hot bath would be very dangerous. It could lead to heart failure. The body keeps all the heat round the vital organs. If you warm him too quickly, the small remaining core heat will be spread out, and leave the heart and brain. Oh, keep his hat on!"

She climbed into bed.

"Hug him to you," Joseph said. "Keep under the quilt." Then he left.

I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought. She wondered at Joseph's focus on saving Gerard after what he'd done. She re-ran the confrontation in the hallway and what Gerard had said. She remembered his response to the death of Joseph's wife and daughter and felt disgusted. Yet here she was, doing what Joseph had asked her, hugging this man who now repulsed her. His body was still cold to the touch and she felt a chill, but this was what Joseph asked her to do and she would do it. He would have done this if I'd refused, she thought, though she couldn't understand it.

Joseph, for his part, was no longer thinking about Trevor (or Gerard). He had done what he had been trained to do; the man was just another patient. In any case he had much to do.

First he took out the two-way radio from the cupboard in the study, switched it on and connected it to charge the battery from the mains. It could also be wound up, but a full battery was better. He suspected it was fully charged as he was careful about such things, but he wanted to be sure. He attached the aerial, which was attached to a tall mast half way up the left hand ridge.

He put on his coat and hat and gloves and put the Range Rover away, then, even though it was still snowing hard, got out the snow shovel and began to make paths from the kitchen to the various sheds where the animals were. After half an hour he went back inside and went to the bedroom.

Angela looked at him as he came in. He took out a thermometer from the dressing table, and signalled to her to pull away. He stuck the thermometer in Trevor's anus and left it there while he took the pulse at Trevor's wrist. Trevor's heartbeat seemed irregular, but reasonably strong. He looked at the temperature: 35C. He smiled. It was low but only at the threshold of the danger temperature. At least his temperature is getting there, he thought, but he needs checking in hospital. He's in danger.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's not good, but fair. His basal temperature just about safe. I'm not altogether happy about his heart. Can you manage to stay there for an hour or so?"

She nodded, and he smiled that smile. It was worth doing this task just for that.

"I'll get you a hot water bottle. For you, not him. Would you like your book?" She nodded again, smiling at him.

He left and boiled some water for the bottle, disinfected the thermometer then filled the bottle and got her book. He took it to her.

"Keep the bottle away from him," he said. "Put it behind you. Here's your book." Then he left again.

She wondered what he was doing.

He switched on the two way radio and called up mountain rescue. He told Jeff, who was on duty, the situation.

"He needs hospital. I'm worried about heart failure. He was in second stage. Over"

"No chance on the roads, even less on your track with the car across it. We can airlift him once the snow abates. Over"

"Use field two, Out." said Joseph, signing off.

Joseph went back to his shovelling. The snow was still falling hard, it would seem a pointless task, but he knew it would be less to shovel later. He completed the paths to the animals and hens and cleared in front of the garage and the feed shed. Then he went inside and made some coffee.

He brought Angela a mug of coffee and put it by her. Then he went off to heat some soup for lunch.

He returned to the bedroom, to find Angela pressed up against Trevor's back, and reading the book over his shoulder. She moved back, and he once again took Trevor's temperature. 35.5C. His pulse was more erratic and, he thought, a little more shallow.

"OK," he said, "I think you can leave him now. Keep the quilt around him." He left the room to allow her to dress and when she emerged they had lunch.

After their meal, Joseph ladled a portion of soup into a third bowl.

"I think it's time he woke up," he said. "Would you give him the soup, and the bread if he can manage it? You could see if he wants a warm drink. I'll be in the study if you need me. Tell me if there's any change in his condition."

Angela was about to protest, but realised that Joseph had more reason to avoid Gerard than she had. He was doing everything by the book and being very professional, but he was keeping as clear of Gerard as he could. She could understand that.

Joseph returned with a thin manual.

"You might like to read this," he said, "it has a section on Hypothermia and its treatment. He's just beyond stage one."

He turned and left, closing the door to, on his way. She heard the study door close firmly.

----

EIGHT

Joseph sat at his desk looking out of the window at the snow. The wind had eased somewhat, but the snow was still falling heavily but at a slant rather than blowing horizontally as before. It seemed relentless. The clouds were scudding across the sky and were uniformly dark grey; there was no sign of brightness. It would snow for some hours yet.

He knew why he was there in his study. Ostensibly he had come to write more of his novel, but in reality it was to get away from 'Trevor' as he knew the man. Joseph knew he had done all the right things for Trevor, but the man was far from safe. While he had been actively involved with saving Trevor's life he did not have to think. Now it was different.

He tried to analyse his feelings. He did not like Trevor, but then that was not surprising. He knew he did not have to like him, merely care for him as another human being. He felt uncomfortable having the man under his roof. Trevor's arrival had brought back all his feelings for Susan and Sonia: that dead, depressed loneliness and sense of betrayal he thought he had left behind for ever. There was also the knowledge now forcing him to face acutely that Trevor was still alive and was still as arrogant as ever. The man did not seem to learn from the events of his life, or at least they did not seem to change him.

Was he angry, he asked himself. No, it was not anger. Resentment? Hmm, perhaps. Exasperated that the feelings he had been so confident he had conquered through his meditations over the years had merely lain dormant and had now come back to torment him anew. Would he ever be free of them?