Frozen Stiff

"I can't see a thing Mom, is there a flash light?" Alex asked while looking upward towards us.

Alexi started digging in her loose pile, "I know I saw it here somewhere".

"I did too!" I excitably exclaimed, I listed each item out loud so everyone would know what I was looking at.

"We have a windshield scraper and a small broom, a small flashlight, a crank powered radio with flashlight, a quart of water now starting to freeze, a clear bag full of 10 energy bars, five small boxes of raisins and twenty mini candy bars. A plastic film container full of waterproof matches, a short fat candle and a first aid kit with a pocket knife and whistle to attract attention. Two wool blankets, a small sack of road salt, booster cables and a periscoping rod with a small red flag with white block letters of "SOS" permanently attached to it.

"It's kind of like Christmas!" Alexi excitably says to her twin. Alex nods in agreement and feeling better as the list of items got bigger.

"Mom, we have nothing to worry about. We just need to get some fresh air in to the Jeep and hunker down and weather out this storm till tomorrow. We can put out the flag then and we should be found by the first plow truck." Alex confidently says.

Alex confidence was actually contagious and I must admit even I began to feel that what was once a dire situation had now been relegated down to a little adventure to be laughed about around the holidays.

Alex took the folded shovel and began to beat on the back window in earnest. When nothing but a crack appeared in the back window, he set the tool down and picked up that jack handle for the spare tire. The car glass on the hatch back door was already cracked and spider webbed from the shovel, but we figured it was the largest window beside the front windshield. Alex first punched a hole through the back window and then took the shovel and tried to force a larger hole in the cracked windshield with the shovel edge by putting an ever increasing effort into each thrust. Alexi and I cringed with each blow and just when I thought it was a lost cause and that window would never break out, Alex finally got a large hole started. Setting the shovel down, he spun around so both of his feet were resting on the shattered back window.

Laying down on his back, Alex began to kick at the window causing the hole to finally widen till he could actually squeeze through it to the packed ice and snow on the other side of the window.

Bracing his feet on either side of the hole, he was able to take the shovel and began digging into the icy snow drift, pulling the snow up into the luggage portion of the cab and on top of him. Every few minutes he had to push the snow off of him to the sides of the cab to make room for more snow. Because the back of the Jeep was facing downward, window glass was also pointing down. This forced Alex to dig out a man size tunnel initially that was pointed downward, and then in about three feet was able to level off and start digging upward.

"I can't see a thing out here! How about some light?" Alex complained. Looking over at Alexi, she picked up the small flash light from the pile and scooted down to the end of the Jeep. She now used the flash light to light up the small ice room that Alex had made in the snow bank. Soon he was making great progress with his head and waist already sticking through the broken window with the shovel pulling even more frozen snow down around his legs. Alexi had her gloves on and was pushing and packing the snow on either side of her nephew.

You just got to know that when Fate is fucking with you that it is never over till that final thread is finally cut. Don't like that fortune cookie? How about "There is always a calm right before the storm"? Or that the bad guy is never dead. I can give you a countless examples of its not really over till it's over. I know I sound negative, but one man's pessimism is another man's reality. But in this case I couldn't help myself and just suspend my normal outlook in life. I guess it was just easier to swallow that we were going to get out of this alive with nothing more than a scratch and we would go on with our life as if nothing has changed. I can assure you that this was not to be the case. Fate wasn't close to being finished with us for the night.

"What was that sound?" Alex yelled back to Alexi over his shoulder. Before she could say "What sound?" Alex had started scampering backwards crablike through the back window. As quick as he was, he still wasn't able to clear the window. That's when the Jeep dropped down the hill again, but this time with the sound of cracking ice.

In seconds the lower part of the Jeep began to fill up with icy water. The drop also caused Alex to be pulled out of the window again but this time into the wet darkness below us.

"Alex!" Alexi and I screamed. When my little sister and I scrambled towards the back of the vehicle, it caused the Jeep to slip even a little deeper in the ice cold water. I was more terrified now than even the car accident. Being trapped in a snow drift was one thing, but this was water for Christ sake.

Fumbling with the crank on the emergency light, I began to turn the handle and a bright beam of light showed outward from twenty LED's with an intensity directly proportional to the whirring sound of me turning the crank. My light showed me nothing through the back window but swirling water.

"Where the hell had this water come from?" Alexi asked me. Then began yelling out Alexi's name over and over.

Where had this water come from? Apparently the Jeep had not just fallen into a deep snow bank, but one that covered a pond. I wouldn't worry about how deep the water was or even what would I do if the Jeep continued to slip down into the watery depths. All I could think about now was my concern for my beautiful son and that he was trapped underwater.

I think it's true what they say about time doing funny tricks in an emergency. I swear to God that it truly seems to slow down. All of my thoughts and plans were formulated in just nanoseconds. What people would have seen was with no thought I was sliding towards the back of the Jeep. Ok, so I didn't have any real plan other than to get my baby back, but movement was action.

Pushing past Alexi, I plunged through the back window hole as if I was diving into our pool. The reality of what I was doing came quickly behind my foolish action. My breadth was stolen right out from my lungs as my head, arms and chest went into the water. Alexi continued to yell out Alex's name over and over again as if with her pure determination and a prayer she could part the waters. I was so fucking cold, I wish she could have parted the waters.

Dunking my head again into the water, shot an ice pick right into my forehead like the worst brain freeze you could imagine. Apparently my head bump didn't appreciate the cold exposure. I again pushed through the broken window, blindly reaching around the back of the jeep trying to feel his body. Later as I had time to think about the event, I was surprised that my fingers and arms didn't go instantly numb. But at the time it was as if I was totally disconnected with my body. You could have shot me and I would never had noticed it.

Not wanting to admit defeat, I continued to dunk the top portion of my body through the hole while trying to reach out farther and farther each time. When my numb fingers actually closed on the back of Alex's jacket, it was done automatically without any thought at all. It was like being in a black room cut off from all of my senses. When my fingers grasped the edge of his jacket hood, my world exploded. Mostly from pain. It was the first time that I realized that my fingers were screaming in pain as the cold icy water destroyed my both my hands and arms.

As bad as I hurt all over, there was just no way that I was going to let go of my son. Not after I had found him against the odds. Locking my hips to the broken window, I began to pull back with all of my might. Alex had now been in the water nearly three minutes. I knew I had only seconds to get him out of this water or he would soon be dead.

As I pulled, my head popped up out of the water and I began to scream "God! Oh God!" half in prayer and desperation. I realized that I had very little leverage and I needed to lift the weight of my grown boy back out of the water and back into the cab.

Picture laying on your stomach. Now picture laying downward in a slope so I had to press my feet into the side walls of the back seat just to keep from sliding down into the water myself. Now picture a 110 pound woman, dead lifting 170 pound man stripped, which he wasn't. Instead Alex had all of his clothes on including his down filled jacket. I still think this is what saved us. The down jacket was waterproof, making it act like a crude life jacket, this kept his body close to the jeep. So once I got his body moving back through the hole, the jacket helped me float him up to us.

Alexi screamed her relief, still repeating Alex's name. I didn't realize it at the time, but her emotion and actions were somehow different than they should had been. At the time I was busy saving my son's life, but upon reflection, Alexi actions and cries were more like a wife or maybe even a girlfriend verses a sister or an aunt.

As his head popped out of the window hole and was again above the water line, allowed me for the first time to take a deep breath, but I knew we were still working against the clock. Alex was blue with chalky white streaks spider webbing across his face and neck. A frozen drowning is no pretty site. My next dilemma was that the more I got him out of the water, the heavier he became for me. Even with super mom strength, I could only pull him so far up out of the water. Alexi finally got her shit together and reached over me, taking a handful of jacket. Between the two of us, Alex unconscious body began to pull out of the water. Because of the lack of room, I literally just pulled his wet frozen body right on top of mine.

Now you may think by reading this that I was James Bond cool and collect in a crisis. In reality I was screaming and crying hysterically as I wrapped my arms around his chest. I was swearing out loud to whatever God or Angel that would help me. I now understand what people mean that they made a deal with the devil. I would have signed any contract in blood if it would have saved my boy's life. I knew then, that if we could get him to breathe again, I would never let him go.

Spinning around, I ignored the shock of the numbing water as it enveloped my lower legs. Pushing on the back door upward, I desperately tried to move Alex up towards the front of the Jeep again. I was now as wet as Alex was and was shivering violently.

This last Herculean effort with Alexi getting a new grip on Alex, got all of us out of the water and back into our cab.

I had no doubt that Alex was dead, where Alexi and I breath was freezing moisture around our face, there just was no frozen breath coming from his blue white lips.

"You can't be dead God damn it! Come on Alex, breath for me!" Alexi cried.

We slowly slid his body uphill on the hood of the cab, getting as much distance from the water as we could. I did this by crab crawling on my back by sliding upward. Alex was tucked between my legs and my arms, all wrapped under his limp arms and around his lower chest. Alexi pushed upward by grabbing the front of his winter jacket. This crazy maneuver actually was pushing water out of his lungs each time we lunged forward. My arms would compress upward like a Heimlich maneuver, with Alexi hands acting like a chest compression. While focusing on moving Alex away from the frozen water, it also acted like a water rescue. Alex began coughing up water on his own.

"What do we do? What do I do?" Alexi cried out in surprise and happiness. I tried to think but it was like my mind was in a funk. Hypothermia effects your ability to think clearly and it was a miracle that I was able to keep moving forward. It was like normal me was stuck inside my brain screaming at myself to not stop and keep moving.

Placing my ear next to his lips I could now hear a shallow breath. This gave me a new surge of energy. "Get him dry... get him warm!" became my mantra that Alexi then picked up. She continuously repeated the phrase and I used it to fight off my own fog. It was as if I needed to hear the words so I wouldn't forget my mission.

Slapping my hands together, I tried to make my fingers work again. Everything on me had started freezing up. So I quickly peeled off my wet gloves, then my jacket and tucked them above me in the seat belts out of the way. I needed to be able to maneuver and my wet jacket wasn't helping me.

"Help me!" I shouted at Alexi.

She quickly unzipped Alex's jacket and pulled off his gloves, next I unbuttoned his flannel shirt and pulled his thermal shirt up over his unconscious head. While barely breathing, Alex was far from being alright. His body still had a greyish blue hue about it. That couldn't be good.

Grabbing the first large wool blanket in our survival bag, I moved him to his side and began rubbing him down with it, first on his back. Starting low and quickly moving upward to his broad shoulders. Reaching around him I repeated the process, rubbing his arms and then his bare hairless chest.

Alex had started shaving his body hair to make it harder for an opponent to get a good grip on him, it apparently worked because my hands moved smoothly through the wool blanket quickly vibrated up and down his chest. The friction massage seemed to help some and actually began to bring color back to his skin and his face became flush. Encouraged that I was on the right track, I told Alexi to focus on removing his shoes, socks and blue jeans. Alexi did this with ease and experience. Curious. It looked like I wasn't the only one who might have admired how my son had recently grown to fill out the jeans so well. Alexi cursed Alex by how tight his jeans were as if he was awake. Shooting pain shot through my fingers and hands as I helped her roll the last of his jeans over his ass and down his legs. This left Alex naked but his wet under briefs. Not remembering if the underwear could stay on or not, I decided not to take a chance and instead peeled off the wet cloth.

"What are you doing?" Alexi demanded protectively.

"Saving his life! We got to get these clothes off of him."

"Well then you better take your own advice before I have to take care of two of you!" Alexi shot back.

I realized then that I had started shivering uncontrollably. Without thinking I then peeled off my frozen down jacket, soaked flannel shirt and silky white bra. Alexi pulled my shoes and socks off, while my wet jeans had already started freezing and crackled stiffly as I peeled them off. Like Alex, I needed to also get dry and warm. Unlike Alex's jacket my jacket seemed to have shed most of the water, so I laid it down like a sleeping bag.

Alexi then opened up both Alex and her suitcase and started pulling out their carefully folded clothes. Every sweater or flannel came out and was laid on the roof top floor. Soon she had created a cramped clothes nest for Alex and me to crawl into.

In the crampness of the Jeep, I had to lay over my son cow girl style, but this wasn't going to work if we all were going to get warm. Moving Alex naked body to his side, I crawled in next to him in a curled up ball.

"Alexi, peel down naked. Get as much of your bare skin on Alex. We have got to warm his body temperature up as fast as possible."

She hesitated at first, then followed my commands without saying a word. From the faint dome light on the floor, even freezing to death, I couldn't help but admire my sister's perky breasts and pencil hard nipples. With her now wedged in around his back in a spooning fashion, it allowed me to stretch out and push my back up against Alex. This forced all of our bodies against each other. While now dry, there was little heat being generated from Alex body against mine and it felt as if I was pushed up against the freezer locker. Both of our wet underwear was still chilling us.

"Help me!" I again commanded to my little sister. I couldn't help but realize the inappropriateness of the situation as I pulled down my wet underwear and tossed them to the side. Then rolling over, I grabbed his waistband and with Alexi help we pulled it towards his feet. As we fidgeted with the wet undergarment stuck at his feet, Alexi found her face up real close to Alex's ass, but more disturbing was that I found my face just a few inches from his penis. I was obviously coming off my adrenaline high, because I couldn't help but giggle as I saw that Alex penis had shrunken down into his body.

"Looks a bit like a turtle head".

"Not always", Alexi whispered.

This caused me to look again in the dim light. Looking quickly and trying to seem professional about it, I couldn't help but admire that while his length was now shrunken down to barely three inches now, his girth was still quite large. Based on the amount of loose skin, I was sure my baby's package would be at least eight inches when excited and had his blood flowing properly.

As I looked at my naked son and sister all snuggled up, I was ashamed to find that I was actually horny. Later my therapist would say that I found out something that not really an uncommon phenomenon. It turns out that for many people, a near death experience makes them very horny. It has something to do with survival instinct and is why there are so many baby born during war time.

It had been over a couple years since I have seen a man's penis. Dating with teenagers in the house is a bitch, and it was just easier to either hook up with one of my friends with benefits or use my favorite rabbit a few times a week to cut down the edge. As sick as it sounds, the fear of death and laying here shivering, it only took seeing my son's penis to make me extremely horny.

All of these inappropriate thoughts only took a few seconds and I decided to continue my massage. I turned around and faced him, quickly going back to business with the second blanket. As Alexi snuggled her naked body to Alex, I repeated my blanket massage, but this time it was on each of his legs and chest. It was so cramped that to be able to massage him from foot to waist, I had to spin around with my feet up to his feet and my head at his feet. This allowed me to lay on my side while I started to massage each of his legs in long strokes, willing blood back into his body extremities.

As I moved my hands up and down each leg, my body would also move up and down his body. Our body friction not only warmed up Alex, but actually began to warm me up. Had Alex not been shaving his whole body, it could have been painful as I accidently pulled on his body hair, but as a wrestler, he had shaved all of his body hair except for a close cropped landing strip above his dick. It wasn't long before I started to see color start to return to his toes, and feet. Signifying that blood was again circulating this far from his heart.

Alex was still unconscious and while he no longer looked completely frozen and he was strongly breathing on his own, he still didn't look real good.

It was then that I noticed that the Ibuprofen must have been finally started working because the pain in my fingers and hands had become just slight pins and needles, and my headache had disappeared altogether. I also noticed that the inside of the Jeep not only wasn't as stuffy as it was, but seemed to actually be a bit warmer. The only thing I could figure was that while the pond water was cold, it was obviously much warmer than the outside storm. As surprising as this may sound, most of the Dakotas sit on top of the world's largest super volcanos. This submerged volcanic activity means that many lakes and ponds actually are being fed from hot water feeds. While near the top of the lake, the water gets so cold that it will freeze solid, the lake or pond itself will not completely freeze up because the warm spring feeding the lake at the bottom of the lake is actually hot. An equilibrium between the cold water at the top of the pond and the warm water at the bottom of the lake causes a cycling current. This natural movement of the water keeps a pond from freezing up solid and keeps the fish and flora alive. The movement also oxygenates the water which in this case was taking away some of our stale air and was leaving at least some fresh warmer air behind.