An account

Went hiking with D and a few other people. It is a hike I recognized, wooden trail spiraling up to a platform. The wood is new. There are black labs who are scared to walk on the planks. Work keeps calling D, telling him there is an emergency he needs to deal with but there is nothing he can do since he is so far away. We head back down and the guy we are with says we have to rope swing across the lake. He says it is crucial we do not touch the water more than necessary because 'we would not believe what was growing in there'. I was completely confused, I do not remember having to do this on the way up. Plus, I am not wet and I would be if we had done this. I also am carrying a pillow that is completely dry. I ask someone, "What did I do with this pillow last time to keep it dry?" They told me to fold it up and put it in my shirt, so I did. The guy went first and did not make it far before he went head first into the water. We scoffed, "so much for not touching the water." D went second and swung out to hip height and waded to the other side. I decided to angle my swing to the left toward the land, so I got minimally wet. When I got to the other side, everyone started getting concerned because the first guy had not come up yet. D was annoyed that he was going to have to dive in and search for him, but then the other lady managed to pull him out. I was in a room and could not see what was happening but D started gagging, telling me that the guy was covered in unsightly mud and disgusting debris. He was unconscious so D delegated to me to get the first aid kit. There was not much in there besides IV equipment so I grabbed what I could. D wanted a 1" IV tape but I explained to him that the only reason I was able to take the 1/2" tape from the hospital is because nobody likes to use it, so that is all we had. People start performing CPR and I leave the room to help. It is a very disturbing sight, indeed. He looks deformed. He is blue, has a swollen and bulging neck, and they had to cut off his fingers and toes - leaving strings of rotting flesh in place of his fingers. Someone holds him while people perform CPR. I take my turn at compressions and then he starts talking. D explains to him that he probably broke his neck. I asses his body and it is full of gnarly wounds. They had all been exposed to bacteria. D is now at risk for catching the life threatening bacteria since he handled this guy's blood. He is irritated about it. I go home and have to retell the story to <PERSON> and sob while I do. Mom says she thinks it is her karma from frequently passing out in front of people. The girl we were with, <PERSON>, posts about it on DV and I comment about how painful and traumatizing it is to read and remember.