Elliot wasn't in the mood for joking. The aftermath of saving a life was altogether different when it involved someone he cared about. For Rae's sake, he tried to muster up a smile, he really did, but it wasn't much more than a brief twitching of his lips. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied shortly.
Picking up her hand, Elliot slid his fingers to her wrist, checking her pulse. It was sluggish, but not dangerously so. What worried him most was the violence of her trembling. She couldn't speak without every other word stuttering.
Hypothermia wasn't a case he'd dealt with often, but Elliot knew the signs and the symptoms, and he knew how to handle them. The most important part was to keep her calm and as warm as possible. He wasn't sure which part would be more difficult, especially when she asked, with such uncharacteristic uncertainty, if he would help her change.
"Of course," he assured her, turning to the bag Aaron set beside them and sifting through the contents for a dry set of clothes.
Miriam probably would have been the most obvious choice to assist, but his deaf friend offered no argument, instead taking Elliot's jacket and holding it up as a sort of partition to give Rae a bit of privacy. Perhaps, with Andreas nearby, Elliot should have shown a bit more reluctance to undressing his daughter, but the man didn't say anything. This was an EMT saving his daughter's life, not a pervert taking advantage.
Off with the wet shirt, a quick but thorough drying with a towel someone offered him. On with a dry shirt. She was shaking less already. Elliot slid her shoes off, followed by the socks, replacing these with a warm pair, before repeating the whole process with her jeans. Through it all, he only took partial notice of the fact no one was talking. The steady slosh of the oars in the water, coupled with the heavy breathing of everyone on board, were the only sounds.
When Rae was dressed, Miriam tucked Elliot's jacket back around her. Elliot slid himself onto the seat beside Rae, once again sharing his body heat. "You're gonna be fine. When we get there, we'll see about getting you a big cup of hot chocolate."