Page 132 of Before We Say Goodbye
Otis kept pushing down on his son’s chest, waiting for water to come rushing out of his mouth, but nothing happened. He looked around, utterly lost. They were a long way from the car, a thirty-minute walk. He’d glanced at his phone before shoving it into the glove compartment; he had no service.
He was Cam’s only hope.
He pulled Cam up onto his lap and continued to try to get the water out of him. When it didn’t come, he laid his son back down and tried CPR, in and out, pushing his breath into him.
Tears washed over Otis’s face as the reality of the situation became clear.
His son was dead.
Cam was dead.
“Don’t take him from me,” Otis begged.
He put his hand on Cam’s chest; there was no heartbeat. He felt for a pulse. Nothing. He wept and begged for someone to help as he held his fingers over Cam’s mouth, hoping for breath.
Nothing.
Finally, he decided he had to get him out of the water. He tore the vest off; a hook from a fly clinging to a patch of wool embedded itself in Otis’s hand. He ripped it from his skin, ignoring the searing pain.
Grabbing hold of Cam under the arms, he dragged him through the water, past the rocks, and up onto the shore. He placed him in the grass and turned him to his side again. He hit his back, wondering what else he could do.
“Help!” he screamed.
Otis couldn’t leave him, but he was out of options. He tried CPR again, and Cam’s chest rose with Otis’s breath, but he wouldn’t come back to life. He tried again and again, but nothing.
Nothing.
“Help!” he screamed, pushing up from his knees and looking toward the trail. “Help!”
Nothing came back, only the silence of a forest and the rush of a river that carried on like nothing had happened.
It would take him an hour or more to get help, getting back to the car and then either driving to a place with cell service or finding an establishment with a landline. He had to keep trying. He performed the Heimlich maneuver harder and harder, and he heard one of Cam’sribs crack. Still, his son didn’t come back to him. Otis fell to the ground and tried CPR again, watching Cam’s chest rise and fall, up and down.
Nothing.
It had been ten minutes. Camden wasn’t coming back.
Otis pulled the body onto his lap and wept, his tears falling onto Cam’s face. He brushed back his boy’s hair. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what to do.”
The boy who’d grown into a man, the man who had inspired Otis in countless ways. He was dead and gone.
Otis didn’t want to leave him, yet he had to. But what about the animals? They’d go after the body.
He thought of dragging him back out to a rock on the river, but he might wash away. Instead, Otis dragged Cam to the highest boulder along the shore. He kissed his cheeks and forehead and promised him he’d be right back.
With one last look at his son, he tore off toward the trail and ran at a dead sprint back to the car, his entire life running away from him.
In Cam’s vehicle, Otis sped along Highway 9 toward Breckenridge with his cell phone in his hand, waiting to get reception. Finally, he came upon a whitewater rafting shop situated on the banks of the river. He slid into the parking lot next to several stacks of kayaks and inflatable boats. He was out before the SUV had stopped, and he raced into the entrance of the simply built wooden building. Fishing gear lined the walls. Bluegrass played from the speakers.
“Help!” Otis called, racing toward the counter in the back.
A man in his seventies sitting in a chair with his feet propped up next to the cash register slowly lowered his book. “Can I ...?” He clearly saw Otis’s distress and moved quicker, standing up. “What’s going on?”
“My son ...” Otis was still out of breath. “My son ... he’s ...” He pointed back from where he’d come. “He’s dead.” His voice cracked as his knees grew wobbly. Tears spilled from his eyes.
The old man rounded the counter and put a hand on Otis’s shoulder. “Should I call the police? What happened?”
Otis could barely speak. Maybe there was a chance, maybe there was still a chance. “My son fell in the river. He’s out there. A few miles back. I’m not getting any service. Please ... please call an ambulance.”
