June 20
Stacie sat at the kitchen table.She's been dropping hints, flirting, everything she can think to get Jackie come out and say that she likes her. But nothing worked.Chip even called to see how it was going and she explained the whole thing to him. He tried to give her hints but nothing worked. So Stacie was once again left alone to try and figure her out.
She had been trying to figure out a way to get Jackie over to her house but came up empty handed. The only thing she could think of was to invite her to the fourth of July party that she was having. She was the only one she hasn't asked yet. She asked everyone else and they already had plans. The only people that were coming over to Stacies were her friends and some relatives. And maybe Jackie.
She dialed her number cautiously, hoping not to catch her at a bad time, and secretly hoping she wasn't home. She answered with a soft tone."Hello."
"Jackie, it's me Stace."
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to come to my fourth of July party? You are the only one I havn't asked yet."
"Yeah, I'll be there."
Stacie's heart began pounding against her chest."Great, it starts around 5:00 or so. You can even show up early if you want."
"Ok, how about I show up late?"
"If you want to."
"Nah, I couldn't do that to you. I'll be there no problem."
"Ok. Jackie I gotta go."
"Ok, bye."
She hung up the phone and tried not to jump for joy. Just getting here to her house was a big accomplishment.
July 4
Stacie rushed around, helping cook things on the grill, but luckily her guy friend took care of that. She hated grills. She sat another plate of food onto the table and sat down to talk to a few friends. She checked her watch constantly. If Jackie was coming, she was starting to become a little late. Jessica came over and leaned down."There is someone here that you have been waiting on. She motioned towards the grill where she was talking to Bobby. She saw me and smiled.Jessica laughed,"I don't know why you to aren't getting it on already." I drew my hand back and slapped her hard.
"Shut up would you."
"Ok sorry, but I'm just voiceing my opionion." she started to get closer to me."I'm gonna go off for awhile, leave you two alone."
Jackie approached me looking better than ever. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses to keep the sun out, her usual hat and a pair of black pants with a white half way button shirt. "Hey babe." she said taking a seat at the table.
"Hey, glad you made it."
"Hey, I said I'd be here. I always keep a promise."
"Well I was begining to think you weren't going to show."
"I always keep a promise. Always. I promised you, I wasn't going to break that."
She was sitting very close to me. I couldn't move because if I did I would hit her.My heart was pounding. Something seemed so different about her, so alluring. She was always alluring, but there was something different that she couldn't figure out.
"Do you want something to eat? You can help yourself."
"I'll wait until you eat."
"Are you sure?"
She shook her head. I left the table to help Bobby with the grill once again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jessica join Jackie at the table and beging talking. I quickly made my way back to the table because she was one I never trusted around someone I liked. She always seemed to spill secrets or other things that were supposed to remain private."I'm ready to eat, come on." I said gesturing over to the table. Jessica looked at me funny. I didn't care, I wasn't going to let her spill things.
The day went on, and slowly people started to leave after we sat the fireworks off. Jessica, Jackie and a few other people were the only ones that remained around 8:00. We moved inside to avoid being bitten by the bugs,plus we needed to put a bunch of things away so it didn't spoil. Not long after that Jessica left and everyone else seemed to follow her suit. Jackie was the only one left.
We sat on the couch watching tv. I turned it off."Do you want to listen to some music instead? I have a various artist cd that we can listen to."
"Sure, that sounds good." she said as I made my way the cd player.
I opened the door and was ready to put the cd in when I felt her arms around me. Her head was resting on my shoulder. My heart begin beating faster. I wasn't sure of what I was supposed to do next. I broke away long enough to turn to face her."Wh-what are you doing?" I said looking into her brown eyes.
"What I should have a long time ago." she leaned in touching her lips to mine.My lips parted allowing her to slip her tongue inside my mouth. We made our way to the couch were we precedded to make out for several minutes. She pulled away breathlessly."Will you go out with me Stace?" she asked her hand on the side of my face.
I was to breathless to answer her. I just shook my head. She leaned in to kiss me again. She pulled away."I'm just really sorry that I didn't do this before. I should have listened to Chip when he told me you liked me. Then you started with the pride jewelery, and told anyone that asked you what it meant. I thought I might as well make a move. And today was it."
We sat staring at eachother for several minutes. She was about to say something when her radio cracked to life,"We need first responders down at Potomac River. Can anyone respond to a trapped girl, the waves are pulling her under and all squads are at a accident."
Jackie grabbed the radio,"Dispatch, this is Jackie,Stacie and I can respond."
"Ok, 10-4."
When we got on the scene, we were shocked at what we found. Only one person was on the scene aside from the girl in the water. He was freaking saying how it was all his fault. He explained that it was a dare, and when she got stuck, everyone else took off, he stayed, called 9-1-1 and waited for us to arrive. Jackie made a call to dispatch,"We need some fire assitance out here at the river. A diver or two would help."
"Dispatch here,all fire trucks are busy at this present time."
"Ok." she said looking at me annoyed. She threw the radio down onto the ground and ran back to her truck. She came back with a inner tube and some rope. We watched as she tied the rope around the inner tube and then tied the other end to a tree.
"Jackie, what are you doing?"
"I'm going in." she said sternly. "She is going to drown soon, she is getting tired, and we are the only ones in good enough shape to save her. So I'm going in."
"You have to be one of the craziest people I know."
"I know, that's why you love me so much." she winked, and took off her hat before diving into the water.
I watched her swim out to the girl. "You know, she's right."
The guy beside me looked at me."What?"
"Nothing."
"Is, is she going to be ok?" he asked moving nervously.
"Yes, don't worry. We will get her out. How long has she been in there?"
"About half an hour."
"Ok."
I turned and watched as Jackie dove under the deep water. She came back up seconds later breathless."Stacie, come out here,I'm gonna need your help."
I dreaded hearing those words, but to save the girl, I had to go out there and help. I dived in quickly and swam out beside her.
"Both of her feet are stuck around something. I tugged and tugged and they didn't move. I need you to dive down on one side, and I will on the other and see if we can get her lose."
"Ok, I'll see what I can do." I turned to the girl."What is your name?"
"Kim."
"Ok Kim. Jackie and I are going to go down and tug on your feet. I need you to hold onto this inner tube really tight ok?"
She shook her head. "Ok, on the count of three, we dive. 1-2-3."We took a deep breath and plunged under water. We looked for the source of the problem. Her shoe laces had gotten wrapped around a branch with one foot stuck under the branch that was burried in the ground. We came back up to take a breath and went back under.
We worked on untieing one shoe lace at a time but found that wasn't really working. I called to the guy on the shore."Do you have a knife or a pair of sciorss that we could borrow? It's one of the only ways we are going to get her unstuck."
He placed his hand in his pocket,"The only thing I have is this pocket knife."
I swam in and got it."This will work." I swam back out to Jackie."You go down first and get done what you can and then I will dive down. We'll just keep this up."
She took the knife and dived first and cut halfway through the first string. I dived getting through the rest of that string. I came up, and handed the knife to her. She dived again leaving me with Kim. "Kim, how are you doing? Kim?"
I turned to see her eyes closed, head back. I checked for a pulse, she had one, then I checked for her breathing. She wasn't breathing. I pulled Jackie up."She isn't breathing, is unconscious, but has a pulse."
"Bag her. I have one in the truck. Just bring the whole bag because you don't know what you are going to need."
I swam back to the shore and raced to the truck grabbing her red EMT bag. I grabbed the bag, and swam out to them where I leaned her head back and bagged her best that I could."Call me if you need me." Jackie dived under again to work on getting the girl lose. I saw the red lights as the fire truck pulled up, it's workers scattering getting a boat in the water, and coming out to us where the divers went under with Jackie and worked on freeing her. I stayed above water breathing for her.
Several minutes later, they emerged pulling the girl into the boat, Jackie climbed in and pulled me in after her. We checked her vitals and continuted to breathe for her as we got to the shore were we lifted the girl into a blanket and carried her up the hill and placed her on flat ground. Making a quick decison, we decided to intubate her because it was the best means for breathing. We put her on a stretcher and loaded her into the back of an ambulance. We climbed onto the back of Jackie's truck. John gave us a blanket as we sat there.
"What you did this evening was really brave." I said to her.
"It was nothing. I did what I had to do."
"But still, you had a lot of nerve."
"Hey, there was no one else here to help her. She could have drowned out there."
I turned to face her more. "Babe, you have a cut on your face." I touched it with one finger. She touched it and looked at her finger looking for any signs of blood.
"It doesn't look that bad."
"It's bleeding."
"Not that bad."
"Look, you even have a cut and bruise on your arm." I placed my hand on her arm inspecting them.
"Ow."
"Are you hurt?"
"No, not really."she said guardind her arm.
"If you are hurt you should go to the hospital."
"I'm fine."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"Because I just am." she said in a flirtatious tone.
I sat straddling her legs."So you are." she pulled me in for a kiss in front of everyone that was still there. I didn't care who saw it, or if anyone had anything to say about it later.