FINDING LOVE OUT OF TRAGEDY: Theresa

Jake continued to wander around the flower shop. He had absolutely no idea what type of flowers to give Kirsten.
Stepping up to the desk he decided to ask an expert for some help in making his decision.

He had just reached the counter when he heard the god awful noise and being a seal for so many hears he knew that there was trouble. The building rumbled. Jake heard Theresa cry out in alarm. Grabbing her arm he told her to get down. Rubble began to fall all around them as he hustled them underneath the well built counter top. He wrapped his body protectively around the young woman beneath him.

He could feel her trembling and knew that she was scared. Hell, to be honest so was he. What the hell was going on out there? He knew that he had heard a plane flying much too low and that there had been an explosion.
He could only guess that a plane must have had mechanical difficulties and crashed in the city. The ceiling and other rubble continued to fall around them. They would have to wait before trying to leave their somewhat safe haven to see what was happening outside.
The deafening noise began to lessen. Jake leaned closer into Theresa’s trembling body. Hoping that the sound of his voice would somehow comfort her.
“Theresa?” Getting no response, he shifted until he could reach her face. Placing his finger beneath her chin, he brushed back her curly hair and saw that she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Maybe somehow hoping that if she couldn’t see what was happening, it wasn’t. He only wished that were the case.
“Theresa”, he tried again. “It’s me Jake, Jake Riley. “Do you remember me?”
He waited patiently for what seemed like minutes for her to finally open her eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her. He saw her not her head.
“Yes, I remember. You came in to buy flowers for your sister. What has happened? Was it an earthquake? She asked with a still shaky voice. Theresa was ashamed at the way she had shut down. She’d never been so afraid and then this man had thrown himself over the top of her to protect her. He reminded her so much of her brothers.
She was right to trust him. Any man that would throw himself over a stranger to protect her without regard to his own safety was indeed trustworthy.
She looked up at him. “I’m fine Jake. Thank You for covering me from falling stuff. Delores is going to be mad as hell when she gets a look at the shop.”
Jake knew that she was trying to make light of the situation. He also knew how scared she was but he was sure glad that she was staying so calm. Hysterics weren’t going to do either one of them any good.
“I think that an airplane crashed. We’re going to sit tight under here for a few more minutes and wait for the building to settle.”
Jake assessed the situation as best he could from their current location. There was rubble every where. But nothing so heavy that he couldn’t clear it away to make a path to the front door. He saw lots of broken glass, tiles from the ceiling had fallen to the floor. The computer monitor lay broken right in front of where they waited.
Jake pushed it out of the way and stood up to survey for further damage. Fortunately the counter top had held under the weight of the numerous bricks and other heavy debris that had fallen.
Theresa watched the stranger who had protected her. He was looking around as if he were looking for the enemy. She wondered who he was? Was he an ex-cop? He seemed to know what he was doing and was a take charge kind of guy.
Seeing no more danger. Jake reached down to help Theresa to her feet. He watched her closely as she turned around and slowly took in the devastation and destruction of the shop.
She brought her hands up to her face. Her blue eyes opened wide in amazement. The place was a mess. She didn’t think that there would be any saving to it. Flowers lay crumbled and broken, their petals already wilting. Vases and other glass decorations lay broken on the floor. A beam had fallen and went through the front glass pane window. “Should we go outside? Is it safe to stay in here?”

Jake glanced around for any unseen dangers. He didn’t smell any gas or see any electrical sparks so he felt that they were pretty safe to stay where they were.
Looking toward the door he saw the people running. He heard them still screaming and wondered why? The crash was over and done with. Glancing at his watch he figured that about half an hour had passed. Surely rescue workers were at the scene.
He started for the front door, aware that Theresa was following close behind. He could now hear the sirens of the rescue vehicles. Oh god, he heard something else too! But, he didn’t want to believe what he it to be.
He turned to grab Theresa knowing that they wouldn’t have time to make it back to the safety below the counter top. But knowing that they were in great danger he had to find a way to protect her. He reached her just as another explosion erupted. The ceiling came down around them as the small building shuttered under the strain.
Theresa didn’t understand what was going on. She’d been following behind Jake thinking that they were going to get out of the store. Suddenly he’d hit her and taken her down to the floor.
She hit her face on the way down and the bits and pieces of brick were cutting into her hands, arms and chest. Twice now this man had thrown himself on top of her. She owed him her life and she would never forget him for that.
He heard Theresa scream as he threw them both to the floor. Debris was falling, hitting him on the arms, legs and back. He tried to keep this lady from being hit. Theresa, who only an hour ago had been a completely stranger but who now he knew would always share a valuable part of his life.
They were living in hell. And god willing they would come out of it alive. He held her tightly trying to reassure her with his strength, knowing that words were worthless as the noise was so deafening that words no matter how comforting would never be heard.
Jake knew that the building was not going to hold under the blast. He heard the creak as the roof let loose. He prayed that they both made it out alive. He had Kirsten to think about. He didn’t know if Theresa had any family but he was sure that she had some one , somewhere who would care.

The noise both inside and outside of the building seemed to go on forever. And then he felt a sharp blow to the head and he heard no more.
Theresa felt Jake’s weight fall against her and knew that he had been hurt. Oh god what if he was dead. She’d be all alone. He couldn’t be dead. He’d saved her life not once but twice. Heroes didn’t die this way. She had to thank him yet. She wanted him to meet her brothers and her baby. She wanted him, She didn’t know what she wanted but knew that it wasn’t for him to die.
He was a part of her life now whether he realized it or not. She had claimed him as part of the family. He had just become a member of her elite Musketeers. And damn it he wasn’t going to die until he’d met the rest of the elite group. He’d saved her with the protection of her body and now it was up to her to access him. She rolled over onto her back. Trying not to bang his head, it rested perfectly between her swollen breasts and she felt herself blush at the feel of him settled there.
Sliding on her butt she pressed her back against a block. She felt the knot on the back of his head, it wasn’t a deep cut and she knew that she would jut have to wait for him to awaken.
It was the feel of gentle fingers probing his skull and traveling from his temples down across his face that awakened him. He opened his eyes to see a blue eyed angel gazing down at him. He thought that he was dead and he was surely in heaven. He tried to sit up and the nauseous feeling that overcame him definitely proved that he was not in god’s hands. It also brought back the sequence of events that had lead him to be laid out beside the lovely lady poking and prodding at his body while he lay unconscious and unable to enjoy her ministrations.
Jake reached up and grabbed her hands where she was now probing at his ribs. He had to stop her traveling hands before the extended any further and she ran into something that would surely embarrass the both of them. He might have been unconscious but there was another part of his anatomy that was up and ready. “I’m fine honey. Just a bump on the head.”
Trying to reassure her he squeezed her hands. “Are you hurt anywhere? I tried to keep you covered but I’m afraid that knock on the head put me right out. You weren’t hit were you?” Jake watched her carefully to see her answer but even before she opened her mouth he saw the blood. “Damn, Theresa your hurt. Why didn’t you say something?” He raised his hands to help as she began to shake her head no.
“I’m fine Jake just a few scrapes and bruises. My cheek is a little sore. I hit it when we fell on the floor but otherwise I’m okay.”

Jake ran his finger along her bruised cheek where a black eye was beginning to form. “I’m not talking about your face honey. You have blood on the front of your blouse.”
She waved her hand. “Oh it’s nothing, the pieces of bricks where just poking me. They scratched my arms some too but I’m fine really.”
“Theresa, I don’t want you to look but you have a piece of glass sticking through into your right breast. I need to see how deep it is embedded.”
He watched as Theresa’s face flamed at the thought of him looking beneath her shirt. He tried to ease her fears, he was trained for this type of work and he had to keep a level head for both of them. He still didn’t know the situation outside and didn’t know how stable the building was that they were trapped in.
“Theresa I want you to trust me. I’m a retired Navy Seal and I’ve trained for this type of crisis. I need to evaluate your injury.”
Theresa felt her face flame. How could he train for removing glass from a woman’s breast? Lord, did he think she was stupid? She hadn’t felt the pain in her breast so was surprised that she had such an injury. She supposed it was her worry for Jake that had kept her from realizing her own discomfort. But if he thought she was a squeamish wimp he had another thing coming. Although she didn’t relish the thought of him looking at her bare breasts either.
He gave her a wicked grin. “Would it help if I tell you that I’ll try not to think of you as female as I remove a piece of glass from your luscious breast?”
Jake’s teasing had the desired effect as she grinned shyly. “You sound just like my lecherous brothers. Go ahead bucko and get your cheap thrill but please be gentle they are still tender.” Jake smiled not understanding what she was talking about but settling on the topic of brothers. He decided to keep her talking.
“So you have three brothers huh? Older or younger?” He asked as he began unbuttoning her blouse. He wanted to look at the entry wound before pulling the glass out to be sure it was not deep or close to an artery.
“All older. My Three Musketeers.” Theresa answered smiling. “They’ll defend me to the end.” Embarrassed by giving away her fanciful names for her brothers she began to nibble on her lip.
Jake noticed her embarrassment as the upper slopes of her breasts turned a light shade of pink. “I understand about being a big brother and I feel the same way about my sister especially now that I’m her guardian.”
He didn’t wait for her to ask questions, wanting to keep her mind of what he was doing he began explaining about his parents deaths, his retirement from the seals which led to his interview that was supposed to have already been. Having unbuttoned the blouse Jake pulled it open as far as possible without disturbing the glass. He saw that it was not embedded as deeply as he had feared. It was just in a spot that tended to bleed quite well. “Okay honey, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to pull the glass out and then we’re going to pack it as best we can until the bleeding stops.”
Jake carefully spread his fingers and placed them around the piece of exposed glass. He pressed down firmly on Theresa’s breast not wanting her to move and lodge the glass any deeper.
“Hold on honey. Here we go.” Not giving her time to dwell on what he was about to do, Jake pulled the glass straight out at a slow steady pace.
Throwing the offending piece away he then pulled his shirt out of his jeans. He then unbuttoned the dust encrusted shirt to expose a snow white muscle typed tee hidden beneath.
“We’ll use this shirt to clean and pack the would. It’s clean and was not exposed to all the debris flying around. We don’t want your injury to become infected.”
Not having any disinfectant Jake would normally worry about an infection but he didn’t think that the injury was that severe. He had seen worse and in much dirtier conditions.
He would clean it the best he could until they could get to a hospital. Theresa had not made a sound, not a whimper even as he’d pulled the glass from her body. She’d talked about her brothers being defenders. He thought that this woman was pretty tough all by herself. He knew that she would be uncomfortable with the task he was about to perform. He figured that hearing him talk was the most comfort he could offer.