But my lips were almost completely numb from the cold.

I tried to speak, yet no matter how much effort I made, I couldn’t force a single sound from my mouth.

The moment he realized I was unable to respond, he reached for the radio attached to his jacket and contacted the helicopter hovering somewhere above the storm.

Much of his report disappeared beneath the roaring wind, but several urgent phrases still reached me clearly.

“Pregnant… critical hypothermia… multiple fractures… emergency extraction.”