I positioned myself so I could put both my arms around his upper body, grasping him just under his arm. Then, with all my strength, I pulled him away from the rocks. He was so heavy, which surprised me, for I knew that when someone was in the water, the displacement made him or her much lighter. I struggled to move him along with me, barely able to keep him out of the water. His head lay against my shoulder and I began to back up as carefully as I could, afraid that if I stumbled and fell, he would go down and I wouldn't be able to bring him up.
The rain pummeled us both, but I concentrated on getting us to the shore of the river until I felt myself rising higher. When I stepped on the land, I pulled with all my strength and dragged him up and out with me. It was then that I finally permitted myself to fall back to rest.
My eyes had grown used to the darkness enough to see him well. His eyes were still closed. Gasping myself now, I lowered him gently to my lap. It was then that I saw it, and my heart surely stopped and started.
There, tied to his ankles, was a thick, heavy pipe obviously designed to keep him down under the water. The river current, however, had brought him to the rocks, where he had become embedded. I quickly searched his head to see if there was a bruise and felt the warm flow of blood.
I didn't hear him breathing, so I quickly moved to perform the CPR I had learned in my science class. I blew into his mouth twice and began pumping his chest quickly. I waited and then did it again. Nothing was happening. Was I too late? I tried one more time, and this time, I heard him choke up some water and then start to gasp.
Nature had saved him long enough for me to come along, I thought.
Death had sent him back.
I worked on the knot he had used to tie the pipe to his legs while he moaned and groaned and the rain fell harder and harder around us. I wanted to rush out and get some help, but I had this fear that if I left him and he discovered he was still alive and out of the water, he might very well go back in, and with the pipe still tied to him, he would surely drown this time. I continued to struggle with the knot. The water had made it almost impossible to get it loose. With the rain falling about me, Duncan's head bleeding, and my own body aching and screaming, I was quickly falling into a desperate panic.
Finally, I gave up on the knot and worked and worked at slipping the rope off his ankles, pushing and pulling until I managed to get it over and off, nearly exhausting myself completely with the effort. Nevertheless, I found the strength to drag the heavy pipe to the river and push it into the water so it would fall deeply enough not to be retrieved. In this inky darkness, he surely wouldn't find it anyway, I thought.
I went back to him He was groaning, confused. I had to work on getting us help now. I surely couldn't carry him through these bushes to the car.
"I'll be right back, Duncan. Don't try to move or anything," I told him.
I was pretty sure, however, that he didn't hear me.
This time, I was able to find the pathway Duncan had cut for himself, where he'd taken me through the first time. My hip ached more than it had since I was in the hospital. I was sure all the strain and the cold water had aggravated the old injury. I swallowed back the pain and got to the car, which was still running When I got in and shifted to reverse, however, I saw how difficult it was going to be to back out of the gravel road without going off into the brush. I couldn't see anything behind me. I opened the door and leaned out, trying to steer as I moved, but it was too hard for me to coordinate, and I did go off the gravel and into the brush. I felt the car sink on the right, and my heart sank with it. Sure enough, when I put it into drive and tried to pull forward, the wheels spun in mud. I was stuck.
Maybe death hadn't sent him back after all, I thought. Maybe death was just playing, tormenting us.
I got out of the car and started down the gravel road. The sound of the stones was enough to keep me on tracks, and finally I reached the harder pavement and could see an occasional vehicle on the main road ahead. Hobbling along as quickly as I could, I stepped out onto the road and waited for the next vehicle. Either the driver didn't see me or hear me or simply was too frightened to stop. The car whizzed by. Another car in the opposite direction did the same. I
considered stepping onto the highway and holding out my arms. In this rain and on this slippery dark road that was very risky, especially for a girl with a bum leg, but I was desperate now. I had to do it.
The vehicle heading toward me was clearly a truck. As it drew closer, I screamed and waved and prayed. The driver hit his brakes, swerved away from me and managed to come to a stop not far ahead.
"What the hell are you doing?" I heard him scream back at me.
"Please, help us. Please!" I cried.
He put the truck in reverse and backed up to me. "What are you doing out here? What's going on? Are you nuts?"
"My friend, he's injured badly down by the river. He nearly drowned. I can't get him out. Please help us."
"Huh? Where did you say?" He looked past me. "I'll show you. Please," I said, backing up toward the side road. He watched me for a moment.
"Not me!" he screamed. "I know these tricks. You ain't robbin' me!" he shouted, put his truck in gear and started away.
"N00000!" I screamed. I started after him. "It's not a trick. Please help us!"
I watched his taillights disappear around a turn.
The road was quiet again. The rain continued to pound the macadam and my face, the drops mixing in with my tears, making them indistinguishable. Hope seeped out of my body like blood from a fatal wound. I lowered my head.
Maybe this is the way we should both end up, I thought. Maybe this is fate's final blow
The glow of oncoming headlights washed around me, but I didn't turn around. I stayed in the middle of the road, waiting, anticipating a car smashing into me. I heard the brakes and then the car come to a stop.
This time, when I turned around, I saw the bubble light on the roof spinning.
A highway patrolman stepped out. I nearly co]lapsed in his arms before I managed to explain enough to get him to put me into the car and start down the side road, radioing for an ambulance. He grabbed his oxygen tank and told me to just stay put. I smiled to myself. I doubted I could do much more anyway.