The girl was lying on the bottom of a ditch, near a field margin, her black jacket stark and clear against the white snow. She'd probably climbed over the hedgerow onto the woods side, slipped, and rolled down.

"Varya!" Viola shouted and rushed to her.

The girl stirred. Viola could see the awkward angle under which the girl's left arm was bent. The wind blew in sharp squalls, as if trying to tear off Viola's clothes or to topple her over. The snowflakes, large and heavy, kept blinding her, flocks of them hurled into her eyes. She knelt near the girl.

"Varya, can you hear me?" she asked. "What hurts, Varya?"

"You're that doctor, aren't you?" the girl asked weakly. "You're married to the– the big man–"

"Varya, what did you hurt?" Viola added firmness to her voice.

"My arm– and shoulder. I fell, and rolled on it," she muttered.

"Does your stomach or legs hurt? How about your back?" Viola was trying to assess if it was safe to move the girl.

"I think my ankle too– Oh, Persimmon!"

The girl tried to sit up, and Viola helped her. The cat jumped onto the girl's lap, and Varya wrapped her right arm around the animal.

"Alright, we need to get you away from here," Viola said. "Why were you lying down?"

"My ankle hurts. I think– I twisted it. And also, it was so cold. I thought–" The girl yawned. She seemed somewhat disoriented, and Viola leaned closer to look at Varya's eyes. "I just wanted to rest– And then it got warmer–"

"It didn't get warmer, Varya. You were just getting sleepy," Viola muttered. "Can you get up?"

She took the cat out of the girl's hands and put it on the snow.

"Behave, Persimmon," she said quietly. "Can you get up, Varya?"

"I don't want to," the girl murmured, and Viola saw she had trouble keeping her eyes open.

"Alright, I'm going to pick you up right now, and you're going to try to walk," Viola said. "Niklas is waiting for us in the woods."

"Oh, he's... nice." Varya nodded shakily. "Mum keeps yelling at him, but I think she fancies him, and– Persimmon likes him. He's a painter–" She yawned again. "In the cabin– it's warm– I climbed in that time–"

Viola firmly picked up Varya under her right arm and pulled her up. The girl rose, stepped on her left ankle, and cried out. The pain seemed to have woken her up, her gaze grew sharper - but walking back was out of the question. Leaving the child here wouldn't work either. Her core temperature would be dangerously low at this stage already.

"Varya, I'm going to put my scarf on the ground, and you're going to lie down on it, and grab to its edge," Viola said. "I'm going to drag you back to Niklas' cabin, alright?"

The girl gave her an apathetic nod. Viola unwrapped her Burberry and made Varya lie down on it. The cat immediately jumped on it as well.

"You're lucky you aren't fat," Viola grumbled at the animal. "I'm letting you hitch a ride only because you're also her hot water bottle, do you hear me?"

The girl embraced the feline, and Viola grabbed two corners of her scarf and pulled the improved travois behind her.

***

She thought she covered about half the distance to the cabin, when she heard Niklas' voice.

"Viola!"

"We're here!" she shouted back, feeling rather out of breath. "Niklas, we're here!"

He stepped towards them out of the trees.

"I followed your prints, and– Varya!" In a second he was near the girl. "Goodness, Varya, what are you doing in the woods?! And what happened? What–"

"Niklas, right now is not the time," Viola cut him off. "Help me get her back to the car."

"Yes, yes, of course, I'm sorry," he muttered. "Let me help you. I think I can carry her, and–"

"No, we can't risk you getting injured too," Viola said. "Just help me pull the scarf. Varya, you need to hold on better. You're doing great, but we're going to be moving faster now. Hold on tight for me, alright?"

The girl answered something weakly. Niklas took one of the corners out of Viola's hand. When the Ekollon was already visible, she gave the second corner to him, and rushed ahead to unlock her car. A large heap of snow fell behind her collar from the roof when she dove in. She hissed, climbed in, and started the engine. It gave a few mournful coughs and moans but then it woke up back to life. She immediately turned the heater on full and sent all the hot air to the backseat.

"Don't lift her!" she barked at Niklas, who'd bent over Varya. "Just help me, and then bring any blankets and throws you have."

Together they lay Varya on the back seat, and Niklas rushed inside.

"We're going to need any warm drink you have!" Viola shouted after him, got into the car, and slammed the door closed behind her. "OK, hang in there, Varya. You're going to get warm in no time. We need to change you, your clothes are wet. I'm sorry it'll probably hurt your arm."

Varya moaned and shook her head.

"I know, my dear, I know," Viola murmured comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

She unzipped the girl's jacket and started pulling it off. Varya yelped and started crying. Viola quickly divested her of the jumper as well, down to a soft thermo-shirt, and then jerked off her own sweater and put it on Varya. The door opened, and Klaus stuck his upper half in, his hands full of a duvet and two throws.

"That's all that I could–" He choked on his words at the view of Viola's black lace bodysuit. "I'll get you a jumper."

He disappeared again, and Viola wrapped the girl into the duvet and the blankets.

"My arm really hurts," the girl whispered, tears still running down her face. "I want Mum..."

"I know, luvvie," Viola said, unconsciously using the pet name all Holyoakes called the little'uns in their family. She swiped the screen of her mobile hoping for good news - but received none. "Just wait till Niklas comes back, and I'll go try to get your Mum."

She wiped the girl's tears, checking her for fever at the same time. The girl was definitely burning, and Viola threw a concerned look at the cabin. Niklas was back with a soft jumper, which Viola quickly pulled on.

"I started the wood burner," he said. "There were a few logs in the back. For tea, right?"

He looked at Viola with an uncharacteristic shy expression, and she nodded.

"She'll need to drink something warm, preferably with honey or sugar, if you have any. And we can give her a bit of the bread."

"Is it Mum's?" Varya asked from her cocoon. "She said you needed to eat– and you were– no fun to hug..."

"She's delirious," Niklas said to Viola, shielding one side of his mouth in a dramatic, cartoon-like gesture - and the girl weakly laughed and protested from her blankets.

He seemed to be a good influence on Varya's overall state - the girl seemed more focused and less distraught with him around - so Viola decided to take care of the tasks inside, ordering him to stay.

"Drill sergeant," he muttered under his breath, making sure she heard.

When she gave him a sardonic look, he winked at her, and Viola snorted. The girl wasn't out of danger yet, but just like him, Viola felt an immense relief. When she was leaving, she saw Niklas' affectionate gaze roam the girl.

The wood stove was burning perfectly, and soon the kettle whistled. He hadn't lied, there were just three small logs inside, though. It meant it wouldn't keep the cabin warm for long. Viola rummaged through his cabinets, lighting them with her phone, as shortly as possible, and then she made a large thermos of sweet tea, grabbed the bread, a piece of cheese from his fridge, and headed back to the car. She handed him the food and watched him pour the tea in the lid and blow at it gently.

"Here, Varya, have some," he said softly.

"I think I should walk and get help," Viola said, wrapping in his jacket she'd found in his wardrobe. Hers was currently hanging on a chair near the wood burner. She needed it to dry up at least a bit before she could wear it again. "I don't think going to the Ferguson farm makes sense. The Hall is closer, especially if I cut through the woods, and–"

"No, you can't!" he exclaimed. He passed the lid into Varya's hands, supporting it on the bottom, making sure she didn't spill. "The snowfall is only heavier now, and you're exhausted. You aren't–"

"You know, Niklas, I'm not quite sure you get a say," Viola said in a cold tone. "I wasn't asking for your permission. I was informing you."

"Viola, someone is bound to come here," Niklas said, his voice begging. "The Hall knows I'm here. Did you tell the surgery where you were going? Or that dictatorial husband of yours?"

"Niklas, we don't know what the situation is in Fleckney Woulds and in the villages," Viola said, suddenly overwhelmed with the understanding of just how grave their circumstances could be. She suppressed the worry for her family that squeezed her heart in ice cold shackles. "If there is no power at the Ferguson farm, it's possible there is no power anywhere. Some poles might have fallen, and the county can be snowed in completely. It is utterly possible that no one is coming. Meanwhile, Varya needs to go to the hospital."

He frowned, and she could see he wanted to argue, but his concern for the girl overpowered any other emotion. Viola patted his shoulder.

"It wasn't up to discussion, but I'm glad we agree," she joked lightly, and he gave her a fake exasperated look. "Do I understand it right, you don't have a mobile?" she asked, and he shook his head. "I'll give you mine. In case the network is back, and someone calls. I'll be heading for the Hall. I know the way, and I'm pretty good with directions, so if you're sending anyone after me, tell them I'll walk West from here until I reach the Forest Road and then I'll be heading to Nidhogg. Alright?"

He pressed his lips in distress, but didn't argue. Viola went back to the cabin, pulled on another sweater of his - they were all clean and smelled surprisingly of vanilla - and then his jacket over it. She found a scarf, a hat, and a pair of wool mittens, and bundled up.

When passing the car she softly patted on the window. The two humans waved, while the cat seemed to be peacefully sleeping, curled in a ball on top of Varya's duvet nest.