18
drowning, plus size victim, one victim (F), multiple rescuers (F/M), CPR, unconscious heimlich/abdominal thrusts, chest compressions, mouth to mouth/rescue breathing
I lay my book down and leaned back in my lounger, listening to the waves against the dock. I sighed, enjoying the quiet afternoon on the lake. My partner was out fishing, and hopefully she would return with something to cook for dinner. Music from the cottage beside ours drifted over. It belonged to a young couple- mid twenties, Polly and Caleb- Caleb had inherited it from a family member after they passed. They were lovely, often sharing a drink with us in the evenings. They had a group of friends up this weekend, and they were partying on the dock and floating in the lake.
I drifted in and out of a light sleep, watching their antics in the water when I was awake. It made me nostalgic; I was only about 10 years their senior, but I felt fiercely protective towards them. Caleb waved at me before launching himself off the dock and into the lake. I smiled and waved back, sipping my seltzer before throwing a towel over my eyes and leaning back once more.
I woke soon after, sending a shift in the energy next door. I frowned, listening. There seemed to be panic and a lot of splashing, raised voices and shouting. Suddenly, I hear my voice being screeched in my direction-
“Cindi!”
I sit up, squinting my eyes towards Caleb and Polly’s dock. The group have all made their way either to shore or the dock, save for about four bodies still in the water. But it looked wrong…there was crying, hands frantically gesticulating, someone running back towards the cottage.
“Cindi!! Cindi, help us, please…”
I stand up, realizing they are pulling a body out of the water, towards the shoreline. The body is limp, supported by a Caleb and a friend of theirs. I clambered up, tripping over my feet in my shock before steadying myself. Polly’s waving her arms, frantic, calling to me. I sprinted up the dock and made my way to the shoreline, jumping over the small creek separating our properties. “I’m coming Polly, hang on!” I cry out. I watch as they finally deposit the lifeless body onto the grass, and disorganized chaos ensues. Polly crouches down and is shaking the woman’s shoulders, someone else is standing over them, another is calling to the unconscious woman. The smell of weed permeates the air and the table is littered with red solo cups and empty beer cans, ping pong balls littering the ground surrounding it. The voices become clearer as I approach, as does the urgency of the situation.
“Is she breathing?”
“Kelly! Kelly wake up-”
“Call 911!”
“CPR! She needs-”
“I can help!” I call as I approach, realizing with a sinking feeling that I’m probably the most sober person here. Caleb had started chest compressions, but they were too gentle; not deep enough to do any good. Not in the right spot on the broad chest beneath his hands. Not fast enough. I think back to my unfinished seltzer, grateful I was only about halfway through my first drink of the day. I drop to my knees beside the young woman, lifeless, her lips parted and head tilted to the side. Her thick arms lay stretched outwards at her sides, soft belly jiggling each time Caleb pushed on her chest, breasts dangerously close to falling out of her purple bikini, askew after being dragged out of the water. Wet clumps of hair stick to her forehead.
“Here, let me help” I urge, placing a gentle hand on Caleb’s arms, pushing him back. He looks up, eyes wide, and a pitiful, scared whimper escapes him. “What happened? How long was she under?” I asked, leaning in and feeling for breaths. I dig my fingers into her neck, searching for a pulse through soft folds of skin. I frown, unsure if I feel anything. I moved my fingers to her wrist instead and waited. A faint, rapid pulse was present, but it was fading…
“I don’t know, I just noticed she was underwater and then was floating and not responding to anything” a young woman cried, lips trembling. “Caleb helped me haul her out of the water”. I nodded, focused but listening. Kelly’s mouth was open, her face slack, a tiny grunting sound escaping her lips, widening and closing intermittently. Agonal breathing. I frowned, realizing she wasn’t passing air independently. A thought crossed my mind…
“Did she take anything?” I asked, eyeing the baggie of weed on the table. There were no other supplies or substances, but still...it was possible. The group looked at each other, unsure. “I don’t think so, she usually just drinks, uh…”
“Does she need narcan?” I clarified, not looking up as I repositioned Kelly’s head to open her airway. “No judgment, just trying to get her the help she needs-”. “No” Polly said, cutting me off, “Kelly’s been clean for two years, she’s only been drinking today”. “You’re sure?” I ask, checking her pulse once more, pressing hard through the layers of soft skin of Kelly’s neck, only to be met by a few weak and irregular thumps. Polly nodded, tears in her eyes.
Kelly was in trouble, and she needed help. I looked up, finding Caleb. “Caleb, call 911. Drowning victim, unresponsive. CPR in progress. Now!” I said, forcing myself to be calm.
I pinched Kelly’s nostrils shut and tiled her chin up towards the sky. I inhaled and pressed my lips around hers, the sour taste of beer lingering on her mouth. I delivered my breath back to Kelly but met resistance, air escaping as her full cheeks puffed out, breaking the seal. I frowned, trying again. This time, water forced its way past Kelly’s lips and into my mouth. I gagged in surprise, coughing, turning her face away from mine. “Help me get her on her side, there’s water in her lungs” I coughed out, watching the water spill from her mouth. I grasped her love handles and heaved, struggling to turn her deadweight body over. Polly’s hands appeared and pushed, and we balanced Kelly on her side. I bent down, wrenching Kelly’s mouth open as more water passed over her lips and pooled under her face. It kept coming. I stood on my knees and stretched my arm over her large body and thumped her back several times, the water falling from her mouth slowly fading to a trickle.
“Okay, on her back” I order, and Polly helps me ease Kelly back, adjusting her arms out of the way. Quickly, I try again to deliver some rescue breaths. They go in, her chest rising somewhat, but not entirely. Then, I shift to chest compressions. I sit up and wedge the heel of my hand into the valley between Kelly’s heavy breasts, sagging outwards towards her sides. I place my other hand on top and lock my elbows, stacking my shoulders over my wrists. I press down, compressing her chest deep in rapid succession, quickly realizing this was going to take more effort than I anticipated due to Kelly’s size. I lean forward, using my body weight to slam down again and again, forcing Kelly’s chest to bow under my weight.
“…13, 14, 15, 16…” I count out loud, hearing a tiny grunt with each compression escape Kelly’s lips. I looked up, taking in the people crowding around us. Most looked scared, confused, afraid. Caleb was on the phone, giving the address of the cottage. Polly was holding a young woman in her arms, rubbing her back. I locked eyes with one of the friends who stood looked calmer than the others. “…22, 23, 24- You, what’s your name?…28, 29, 30” I asked, pausing to give Kelly two rescue breaths. Her chests rises and falls in shallow bursts. I still meet some resistance when I breath into her mouth, encouraging her lungs to restart.
“Dan” the guy mutters.
I return my hands back to Kelly’s chest, slamming my weight down to push her chest deep enough and force her heart to pump. I look back up, meeting Dan’s eyes. “…4, 5, 6, 7- Dan, come help me, it’s easy” I lied, already feeling my endurance being tested, “I’ll explain every step- 19, 20, 21, 22…”
Dan approaches and drops to his knees, watching Kelly’s soft body ripple and roll with each chest compression. A grunt accentuates each compression, coming from deep inside her half empty lungs. “Put your hands over mine- yep, that’s it- and when I say, you’re going to push hard and fast, straight down into Kelly’s chest to make her heart beat, okay? I’m going to give her two breaths now, put your hands down when I move mine away, got it?”
Dan nodded, placing his hands on Kelly’s chest, nestling his hands between her breasts. He watched Kelly’s chest rise and fall twice as I breathed for her. “Okay, Dan, now. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” I counted out loud for him. I reached out and pulled his shoulders forward, allowing more of his body weight to do the work of chest compressions on Kelly’s large body. “That’s it, keep going Dan…27, 28, 29, 30, stop” I announce, delivering two more rescue breaths to Kelly. I nod at Dan, “okay, again, 1, 2, 3, 4…” he compresses Kelly’s thick chest, her breasts finally wriggled free of her bikini top, lolling with the force of each compression.
Suddenly, a faint pop emanates from Kelly’s body and Dan falters with his compressions, pausing. He looks horrified, gazing up at me. “Keep going, it’s okay” I urge, nodding my head. Dan looks down “I don’t want to hurt her” he whispered softly. “You can’t” I urged “you’re helping her heart beat, she can’t do that on her own right now” I said. Dan steeled himself and closed his eyes, once again slamming his weight down into Kelly’s chest. “I’ll take over compressions next round” I offer, and Dan just nods silently.
A gurgle and another spout of lake water erupts from Kelly’s mouth. I lunge forward and turn her head to the side so she won’t choke. “On her side!” I command, and Dan helps to maneuver Kelly onto her side. Dark lake water poured from her mouth…so much water. I frown, unsure exactly how to manage the water in her lungs. Figuring nothing can make the situation worse, I balled up a fist and nestled it into Kelly’s tummy and pushed in. Water surged from her mouth. An idea struck me…should I try the Heimlich maneuver?
We rolled Kelly onto her back once more and I weighed my options. She was too heavy to pull into a seated position by myself and I was unsure I could reach my arms around her waist and effectively deliver the abdominal thrusts in the right spot. I swung myself over Kelly’s large hips, my knees just barely grazing the ground on either side of her soft body as I straddled her. I shape my hands into fists and lodge them into the soft skin above the waist band of her bikini, and brace myself before slamming forward, in and up into her diaphragm. Kelly’s body lurches in response, her head rolling to the side as another spout of lake water erupts from her mouth, splashing back down around her. “Jesus” I exclaimed, alarmed but pleased at the effectiveness of the impromptu Heimlich maneuver. I thrust again, grunting with effort, my fists disappearing into Kelly’s round belly. Muddy water pours from her mouth, emptying her lungs. I looked around, noticing Caleb had taken Dan’s place on the ground. “Caleb, turn her head and hold it steady so she doesn’t choke or swallow any more water”. Caleb nodded, hands gently cradling Kelly’s head and holding it steady as she rocked back and forth with each abdominal thrust I delivered into her soft, thick body. The water slowed, replaced by a grunting sound as her lungs emptied of water and was finally replaced by air.
Caleb noticed this change too, and he quickly repositioned Kelly’s head and breathed deep into her mouth. Kelly’s chest rose fully, unencumbered, finding no resistance in her lungs. Her belly expanded under my hands. “Okay, good, keep breathing for her” I encouraged Caleb. Still straddling Kelly’s waist, I dig my knuckles into her sternum, calling to her. She remains unresponsive. I reach forward and plunge my fingers back into the folds of her neck, still unable to feel a pulse. I clamber off Kelly and fall to her side.
“Okay Caleb, Kelly needs our help, two more breaths then I’ll resume chest compressions” I pant, ignoring my fatigue. I position myself and wedge my hands between Kelly’s breasts once more, the centre of her chest red from the assault of hands against her chest. I grimaced; I knew CPR was brutal, but I’d never done it in a real person, just on the mannequins during class.
Caleb and I work together, breathing for Kelly and pumping her chest, urging life to return to her body. Suddenly, a gasp and a weak, wet sounding gurgle comes from Kelly and she stirs. “Stop! Stop, she might be coming around” I hear Caleb say, feeling his hand on my shoulder. I pause, keeping my hands in position on her chest. I feel it tremble and rise weakly, once, twice, then fall still again. Caleb leans close and calls gently to Kelly. No response.
“No, no, no, fuck!” I say, exhausted, preparing myself to continue chest compressions with needed vigour, adrenaline pumping in my veins. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” I count out loud, now in autopilot. Kelly’s breasts jiggle, unencumbered by her bikini top, bouncing in rhythm with my chest compressions. “Come on Kelly, come on!…17, 18, 19, 20…” I count to thirty and Caleb provides another rescue breath, leaning back in to deliver the second one when Kelly once again gasps, her eyebrows drawing together. “Kelly??” he asks, tapping her cheek, “Kelly, breathe. Open your eyes Kelly” he urges her. She groans, but it’s unclear if she is awake or not. I sit back, hands still on Kelly’s chest just in case, feeling a faint flutter in her chest under my hands. I dig my fingers once again into her neck, feeling a beat. I check at her wrist, confirming.
“Her pulse is back” I say, breathless. Caleb looks at me and nods. “Kelly, deep breaths, come on, you’ve got it” he encouraged her, brushing her wet hair out of her face. Her chest continues to rise and fall; shallow and weak, but steady. “Okay, she’s breathing and her heart is beating. She might still have water in her lungs, so let’s get her into the recovery position” I say. Caleb nods, and I quickly manhandle her breasts back into her bikini top, though any semblance of privacy feels pointless now. We position her arms and work together to heave Kelly onto her side, keeping her airway open. Caleb keeps a soothing hand on her back, rubbing gentle strokes up and down Kelly’s broad back. I watch as her ribcage expands and falls; still breathing, as her eyes slowly blink and flutter open halfway. She groans, low and pained.
“Kelly, keep breathing, you’re okay. 911 is in their way and should be here shortly to help you and bring you to the hospital” I say, leaning close to her face. Kelly’s eyes are glassy and dazed, but she nods weakly, wincing, reaching a shaky hand for her chest. I grab her hand and keep it still. “We just did CPR on you, you weren’t breathing and your heart was struggling. Your chest and ribs are going to be sore for a while, but you’re okay. 911 is on their way to asses you” I reminded her. “We pressed on your belly pretty hard too, to get the water out of your lungs” I added. Kelly nodded and closed her eyes. I tapped her cheek, “keep your eyes open, Kelly, that’s it, good girl” I said as she sluggishly blinked her eyes open once more. “You’re going to be okay”, I said, finding Caleb’s eyes, smiling and sharing a look of relief.
******************************* FYI, it is either a feast or a famine on this page. I have a few WIPs on the go right now, but please let me know if you have any ideas or requests you’d like to see in a short story! You can comment here or send an inbox/ask. I’m mainly into choking/heimlich but am open to most resus scenarios. Thanks for reading!
