The Cure for Hypothermia

I had known Jo since we had both attended the high school that was shared by our two town. Her family's dairy farm sat just over the border. She was right in the middle of a family of six children . Her brother , Richard was the oldest, her brother Joey , the baby. Her sister , Karen was married and living in Marshall, six miles away.

I am two years older than she but always , she has been my co-conspirator . When we went to college, her mother invited me to stay with them on icy nights rather than risk life on swerving ice covered rural roads through heavily areas lined with thick pines and firs. I was her unofficial eight kid

.Another friend , Kathy became her unofficial seventh when her father's confusion over an eighteen year old woman and a punching bag blurred her into the General Hospital for ten days. Kathy's mother had run away when she was small. Kathy never heard from her. Kathy moved to the farm after she was released.lt worked out well as there are no visitors to a farm. If baby cows got out of their pens at four am, everyone was awakened to return them to the barns. More than one morning, we had been known to grumble at the wayward animals how nice they would look with onions, pickles and a secret sauce between the layers of sesame seed buns. Jo's family always referred to them as ba by cows no matter what their sex or weight.

“ Ugh ,” I groaned as a the baby Dutch Belted dodged me for the third time in the half frozen mud. “Terrific, now it snows. Not a flake for Christmas but half way to Spring and here it comes. “ I slipped on the slope, in a concealed patch of mud just outside of the family garden. A pair of strong hands grabbed my waist as I skated towards the ground. He set me back on my booted feet.. “You think that you are so smart , Wooly Bully- just you wait,” I yelled at the errant bull. His markings mad him look like he was laughing at me.

“Its not the ride down that's the problem, : he chuckled “ But the hard landing at the bottom . At least this time , its just mud. “ He gave my ass a pat as he passed. I smiled shyly , then watched as the new hand chased Wooly Bully across the field, eventually crowding him back into the barn.

“Which brother is that? “ I asked Jo . “Mom has him staying up to Grandma's old house on the other side of the field.

She laughed “ That's Billy Hayes, friend of Joey's . Met him when he was down South doing roofing. “ His jeans fit as well as if they had been spray painted , He caught me looking, tipped his hat . I blushed.

The babies all returned to their pen in the barn, Jo's mother called us all for breakfast. Her dining room boasted an old fashioned farm house table that was gtwice the size of any that I had seen . I sat between Jo and Kathy at the table. Billy sat between Richard and Joey , deep in discussion about guns, the dogs that ran loose from the new housing developments that lay behind the fields of the farm. Several of them were killing baby cows in the late afternoon . So far this week , Jo and her family had lost two.
“ I know back home , we used to go out and shoot strays that killed livestock., said Billy as he shoveled a forkful of buckwheat pancake into his mouth.

“ Problem is ,” Jo added “that the local sheriff doesnot see them as habitual strays but merely someone's pet that got loose. I doubt that it is accidental. There are three that I know are probably wild . There's the Black German shepard/Lab mix, the spotted brown that looks like it has some Golden Retriever and maybe Collie in it , she is really mean, and the white Pitbull . “ She added more syrup to her pancakes , then helped herself to the bowl of scrambled eggs.

“ I have seen the brown getting near the house. I wouldn't let Karen's daughter go out the other day. You are right, she is a mean one. Becareful when you are out in the fields., “ added Joey, tossing back his pale blonde hair.

I finished my breakfast, looking at the dark haired hand. My mind drifted for a minute before Kathy poked me in the ribs with her elbow. I looked at her freckled face as sje watched me watch Billy.

“ I gotta go. French test this morning. “ I excused myself and ran upstairs to clean up before I had to drive over to the college. “ Anybody need a ride to or as far as school?'

“ Could you drop me downtown? I need to deposit my check and get some supplies., “ asked Billy as he hurried to finish his food.

I nodded. “ten minutes than I have to roll. “

“See you then ,” he said as he headed out of the door of the large white house,down the driveway to the smaller green one wher Jo's grandmother used to live. “

I gathered my things together and grabbed my coat. “Thanks Mrs P “ I called into the kitchen .

“You coming back tonight? I know that you don't get out of the radio station until eleven. Weather man is talking sleet and maybe hail. “

“I will keep an eye on the weather and call you by lunch,,” I replied. Jo's mother nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Classes passed quickly as professors wanted to get students on the road before the predicted Nor'easter was due to hit. The station manager called my cell, They were going off the air at six. There was almost a foot of snow predicted.

I called Jo's mother “Got room for one more wayward traveller ? “ I joked.

“Always, are you leaving soon? It will be awhile till the roads are plowed and its accumulating faster than they thought that it would. You 'de never make it to your parents' house tonight. I will call them and let them know that you are staying another night. That you will check in when you get here. “
I thanked her for her concern . I had one more test at four in Geology then I would be along to help at the farm.
The test was easier and longer than I thought that it would be. The snow was halfway up my boots when I got to the student parking lot.

Billy leaned against my car , smiling. He had dug out my car , spreading clean cat litter on the white snow around my wheels.

“ How did you get here? Did you wait all day? “

“ No, I walked, ' he grinned “ When you called Mrs P , Iwas afraid that you would get stuck . We had the cows in already and Jo was feeding them . Better let me drive, its pretty rough out there. “ I handed him my keys. The car started right up.

“ Where are you from ? “ I asked watching him concentrate on the snowflakes that were accumlating on my windshield. My wipers could not clear them away fast enough. I watched for the unlit road that led to the farm. I pointed it out to Billy , who turned right into the deep unplowed snow.The car swerved in the drifts before coming to rest against a large snow bank about fifty feet from the green house.

Billy ran ahead to unlock the door. I pushed my door open into the drift., taking my backpack and books with me. I struggled with the door to my car, I couldn't get it free from the snow bank to close it.
“Move really slowly and get back in the car. “ . I stared at Billy holding a double gauge shotgun aimed right at me . “

“Hey, just a darned moment. First you land my car in a snow bank , that appears to have frozen my door from moving. Then , you threaten to shoot me? What goes on here? “ I put my backpack on the seat of my car, as I started to move forward, digging at the snow which held my door prisoner. “ A low growl came from behind me. I turned and faced the wild dog pack, led by the brown, on the roof of my car.

“ Duck” yelled Billy as he fired the gun. He hit two of the dogs m the third ran off. I fell into the snow.

He ran out into the drifts , filling his boots with snow as he moved. There was blood everywhere , I saw the bodies of the dead dogs as well as what remained of Wooly Bully. “ Oh no, I sobbed “ I was only kidding about the sesame seed buns.” They had picked him pretty clean after running him to exhaustion.

He picked me and the backpack up, taking us into the living room where a hot fire blazed. He went into the bathroom , pouring a warm bath as he helped me strip the sodden clothes from my body as my teeth chattered. He gathered me up in a warm blanket , placing me on the couch after he had helped me dry off.

“Call your mother and Mrs P. You will have to stay here tonight. Its sark and I don't know how far that third dog has gone. “

I told my mother that I was at the farm Jo took the message and agreed, that the rest of the road was worse . I warned her about surviving, the Pittbull that was running loose on the farm somewhere. . She promised me that she would be careful.

Billy took his rough hands , gathering blanket and me moved me closer to the fire, where he handed me a cup of tea with a little whiskey in it to help me relax. I sipped this allowing it to warm me.

I felt his rough hands caress my body trying to warm it. I looked at his lined face. He was older than I by a few years . His remaining tan and texture of his skin reminded me of buff leather. He obviously had worked outside most of his life. I snuggled next to him.

“ You scared me tonight” I whispered

His heavy eyebrows lifted in amazement. “ I know. But I did not want you to run. They would have had you for sure if you had. '

Realization hit me like a feed sack. “ Oh my god, “ I wept remembering Wooly Bully. I started to shake.

“Shhhhm you are safe, its all over now. “ He cuddled me in his arms., strong from years of manual labor. I felt safe.

I encircled his neck with my arms. “ Thank you. “ I kissed him deeply ,

“ You want to be sure ,” he cautioned.

“ I am sure ,” I wept as I helped him out of his shirt . “ Besides, isn't shared body warmth good for hypothermia? '

“So I have heard.” I unbuckled his belt, unsnapped his jeans as kissed me all over as we sat before the fire. My fingers played in the hair on his chest, his fingers explored my mound, I wiggled under neath him , He slide down my body , lapping inside of me me with his tongue .I squirmed till I could stand it no more. He nibbled me , slide two fingers inside of me,

“ Still cold? “ he asked with a smile.

“ Freezing” I laughed.

“ Well,we will have to do something about that. “ He spread my legs wide, arching his back as his rod found my core. Warmth passed between us as pleasure exploded through us. I cried out in pleasure.
Reflection of the fire reflected in our eyes as we lay together.

The next morning, Jo dug her way to the green house. She pounded her snow laden boots on the porch then knocked on the door. Billy invited her in for a cup of coffee.

“ How are you ? “ she asked anxiously .

I smiled a lazy smile at her. “ Just fine. Billy knows a lot about hypothermia . I would highly recommend his treatment. “

Billy returned my smile . “ She is just fine this morning. How are the roads?”

“ Impassable though Richard did get your car door closed. “ She sipped her coffee. “Perhaps you better stay put to make sure that you are alright. “ She gave me a knowing look when Billy was not looking. She felt my clothes . “ Much too wet to be healthy to wear today. Tommorrow would be better..”

“ An excellent idea ,if I ever heard one, “ I replied. Jo smiled as she returned to the White house

“ Have fun “ she whispered as she kissed my cheek. “ Take good care of my friend, “ she instructed.

“ You 're the boss, “ Billy chuckled.

After she had left, he eyed me , mischif being his middle name. “ You heard the boss. She said that you belong in bed,. “ He lifted me up , carrying me yup the stairs to his bedroom, kicking the door shut with his booted foot.