The Fallen Ch. 02

I think we're both a little embarrassed as we browse the "toy" section, the two of us giggling as we talk about which items we'd like to try out. Before we make any final decisions, though, Danni's eye is drawn to the portion of the store dedicated to lingerie and swim suits. She takes my hand and leads me over.

"Wow," Danni says, "they've got some really nice swim suits."

Danni ends up buying us both some swim wear, slinky lingerie, and a bevy of...ahem...toys.

Afterward we're sitting in my brother's car and wondering what to do next. I look at the time and realize it's just after four in the afternoon. I can't believe the day has flown by so fast. It's unseasonably warm now for being mid-October, so I start the car in order to get the air conditioner running.

"So whatcha wanna do?" I ask. "Go see a movie?"

"Meh," Danni shrugs.

"There's a mini-golf place across the street," I suggest.

I know, I know...movies...mini-golf...what am I, a doofus? Hey, I'm grasping at straws here. We've been having so much fun, and I don't want the day to be over yet. My last suggestion seems to spark an idea in my significant other, though. Danni turns in her seat and looks that direction. Her eyes perk up.

"Oh, I know! Yeah, let's go over there," Danni nods.

I guess Danni is into mini-golf after all. I smile and drive us to the other side of the busy road and into the huge parking lot there. I slow down as I approach the mini-golf place, preparing to park.

Danni says, "No, over there."

She points to a sporting goods store nearby. Huh? Now I'm confused but curious.

"Okay," I nod, wondering what she has in mind.

We go inside, drawing more stares from the mostly male patrons. Danni grabs a shopping cart and starts looking around as we wander, obviously searching for something specific. She huffs in frustration when she doesn't see what she's looking for. The place is huge, so it's no surprise. She leads me up an isle to where a younger-looking guy has his back to us, stocking hiking boots from a rolling cart.

"Excuse me," Danni says, the employee not noticing us yet.

As he turns he begins to say, "How may I help..."

His eyes widen a hair when he sees us, and his voice gets caught in his throat, turning into a sputtering cough. The shoe box in his hand slips from his fingers. I can't help it -- I giggle a little at his reaction.

"Oops," he says, looking down at the boots he just dropped. "Sorry."

He turns quickly, a little too quickly, and bends down to retrieve them. In the process he bangs his head hard on a rigid, metal shelf. I grimace at the loud noise, knowing that must have hurt like hell.

"Ahhh, crap!" he cries out in pain, his hand going reflexively to his head as he bounces back up.

He stands there a moment with his eyes tearing up. The man looks to be in his late twenties, with an angular, handsome face and short, light-brown hair. His name badge says "David".

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Danni asks with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replies with a light groan. "Sorry about that...what can I do for you?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask. "That sounded like it hurt."

"Kind of hurt, yeah," David replies, lowering his hand to look at it. "No blood, though. I'll live. Haha, wouldn't be the first time I've done that."

"Okay, if you're sure," Danni says. "I'm having trouble finding the camping chairs...or whatever they're called."

"Oh, alright," David nods as he flashes us a smile. "They're right over here..."

He leads us to what Danni asked for, and she quickly picks out a pair of folding lounge chairs. Next she asks the young man if they have flip-flops and sunglasses, and he shows us those as well. I'm starting to think David has become our personal tour guide as Danni has him show us to the flashlights, sunhats, batteries, bottled water, trail mix, sunscreen, and tents.

I hide a grimace from my sweetheart when she asks for that last one. I am so not the camping type. I vastly prefer the creature comforts of civilization. That, and I get really creeped out spending the night in the woods. It's not like I'm going to 'nope out' on Danni, though. If she wants to go camping then I'm down. I'm sure it'll be fun as long as we're together.

I breath a mental sigh of relief when Danni picks out a pop-up changing tent. Now I'm really curious what she has planned. She gives me a mysterious smile before turning to our erstwhile shopping helper.

"Thank you, David," Danni tells the young man.

"Just doing my job," he smiles. "Anything else I can help you find?"

"No, I think that's everything," Danni nods with an appraising look at her shopping cart full of goods.

"Alright. Happy to be of help, but I should get back to stocking. It was nice meeting you both."

David goes back to his work, and I note what a gentleman he was. Except for his initial, startled reaction, not once did he gawk at us or "check us out", and I was watching. I suppose it's possible he's gay, but considering how he looked at us for those first few seconds I quickly discount that idea. It's more likely he's in a relationship with a woman he truly loves. Every once in a while you meet a guy who's like that, a man who believes it's a form of "emotional infidelity" to stare at another woman with lust in his heart. They're rare, but they do exist.

Danni and I head for the check stand, and I ask, "So where we going?"

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed."

"You're going to leave me hanging, aren't you?" I ask with a wry grin.

"Yup!" she giggles.

* * * * * *

Danni has me leave the city and head north along the interstate. We travel maybe 20 minutes before she directs me to get off at an exit with no nearby towns. By now my curiosity is killing me, but no matter how sweetly I try to pry our destination from Danni she remains tight-lipped.

We head into the boonies, leaving paved roads behind and climbing a long and windy dirt road that snakes upward into more mountainous terrain. I'm glad for the Outback's excellent traction but realize my brother will probably want me to wash his car when we get back.

Okay, if Danni won't tell me then I'll just have to use my noggin to figure out where she's taking us. I start running through a mental list of everything she bought today. Add to that the fact that we're driving out to the middle of nowhere...

Then it hits me. Swimsuits, sunscreen, and a pop-up changing tent...

"We're going to a lake!" I proclaim, looking over briefly to Danni with a triumphant grin.

Her look tells me I'm right.

"Yup," she smiles ear-to-ear. "There's a place up here me and my friends used to go. Seems like forever ago, but I guess it was only last year."

I try to keep my eyes on the road, but I can't help notice how wistful Danni looks as she reminisces on those times. I place a hand on her leg and give a light squeeze, glad her memories are only wistful and not causing her pain. She looks over at me and gives me that ear-to-ear smile again.

"I thought we could go swimming and then watch the sunset together," Danni reveals.

Oh em gee. How romantic.

"I'd love that," I nod.

It isn't long before the dirt road crests and swings down into a lightly wooded valley. I can see the lake down below, it's waters sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight. There's a big parking area along the road with a good two dozen or so vehicles parked there, one of them with an empty boat trailer attached to it's hitch. Danni directs me to park there.

"Popular spot?" I ask.

"Yeah," Danni nods as I bring the car to a halt and kill the engine. "Lots of kids at Bay Ridge know about Sunkist Lake, so it's possible some of our classmates are here."

We step out, and I can't help but inhale deeply. One of the few things I enjoy about the great outdoors is how pristine the air smells. So earthy and full of mother nature's scents. It's always spoken to something deep within me.

I scan the area down along the shoreline as Danni sets up the small changing tent. I don't see anyone I know. Well, at least no one who looks familiar. I don't really know anyone at school beyond Danni, my brother, Chiaki, and Thomas.

Oh...and let's not forget Trina and Kelly. Not that I could forget those two. Hard to forget Trina "the queen bitch of Bay Ridge Academy" and Kelly her court jester.

Danni fishes out her new swim wear from the Outback's cargo trunk before climbing into the obscuring changing tent.

"B-R-B," she tells me with a wink and zips up the tent.

I giggle a bit and wonder if we could get away with a quickie in there, but I shake the thought from my mind. That would be awfully crass. I can see at least two families with smaller children playing on the beach, along with numerous kids our own age running around and having fun in the sun.

I can also hear the distant humming of a boat's motor, but I don't see the boat itself until it comes flying around a bend and into my view. There's what looks like a mother and son inside the boat, the boy appearing a few years younger than me. The mother(?) is driving, while a man I'd guess to be the husband-slash-father is gripping the end of a long tether and being pulled along on a pair of water skis.

The sight brings a smile to my face as a few fond recollections surface of my mother and I doing family activities. Mom and I never water skied like that, but there was this one time on a jet ski...

The tent unzips and Danni steps out, taking my breath away. I make a mental note that blue is definitely her color. I gaze at the amazing beauty before me, my eyes traveling up and down her glorious body. Danni's sky blue, one-piece swim suit screams sexy yet tasteful. It adequately covers Danni's bountiful assets to give a sense of chasteness while still cupping and flaunting her mouth-watering curves. Only a woman with Danni's body could pull off that swimsuit.

I give a lecherous smile and stand there grinning at her like an idiot.

"C'mon and get changed so I can stare at you like that," Danni demands with hands on her curvy hips and a cute pout on her face.

"Okay, okay I'm going," I chuckle, flipping my long, black hair over my shoulders.

I'm about to turn toward the car when I notice something behind me grabs Danni's attention, her eyes widening.

"Oh my god!" she breathes harshly, a hand going to her mouth in shock.

I turn around and try to pinpoint what has Danni so suddenly shaken. It isn't until I squint against the brightness of the sparkling lake that I see it. The man who'd been water skiing was no longer upright, instead face down in the water with his life vest the only thing keeping him afloat. He isn't moving.

Holy shit!

The woman driving the boat slows down and turns it around, yelling, "Kevin?"

She sees her man isn't moving and her voice turns to a terrified scream.

"KEVIN!?! KEVIN!!!!!"

At this point people at or near the shore have stopped what they're doing and turned to watch the horrible spectacle. The boat swoops closer to the unmoving man as cries of "Kevin!" and "dad!" come from the woman and the young boy. The teenage boy reaches over the side and grasps the man's life vest as they pass, but it takes both he and the woman to haul Kevin's limp form aboard the boat. They both lean down as if trying to wake the man.

"NO GOD NO!!!" I hear the woman scream after a few moments.

She gets back behind the water craft's wheel and guns it for shore, a look of utter dread on her face. Danni starts running in that direction. The way the woman screamed a moment ago I'm almost certain the guy is dead. Why does Danni want to see such a thing? I follow anyway, sure that I don't want to see it, but I'll be damned if I let Danni go over there alone.

The boat is moving so fast it grinds it's way up the concrete boat ramp and onto dry land, it's engine sputtering to a stop when the propeller blades smack against stone. The woman screams out in a terrified voice.

"SOMEONE HELP US!!!!! OH MY GOD HE'S NOT BREATHING PLEASE GOD SOMEONE HELP US!!!!!"

Danni is moving at a dead sprint and reaches the boat moments after the woman's heart-wrenching plea for help. With more agility that I'd have given her credit for, my blond love bounds up and over the side of the water craft. I reach the boat seconds later and peer into it over the edge.

"Do you know CPR?" the woman asks in a panic.

Danni nods in the affirmative and asks the man loudly, "Kevin, can you hear me?"

No answer. Danni supports his jaw with her fingers and tilts Kevin's head backward slightly, opening his mouth a bit in the process.

"Water in his airway," Danni says, "help me get this board off and turn him on his side."

The woman and Danni struggle a bit to release the binding on the man's boots, but they pop loose after a few good yanks. She and Danni turn her husband(?) over to his side, a small amount of water flowing out of his mouth. Danni pulls him onto his back once more and watches his chest for only a second or two, but it feels like an eternity.

There's a lump in my throat as I realize the guy is dead.

I notice people have gathered around the boat by now, their own morbid curiosity having gotten the better of them. I have to marvel at how damn calm Danni is right now. I'm not even really involved, and my hands are shaking like crazy.

"Someone call 911," Danni demands of the crowd without looking away from Kevin.

Fucking duh!

I kick myself mentally, pull my phone out of the pocket it's in, and dial quickly. I split my focus as I talk with the 911 operator to get an ambulance up here and watch Danni work at the same time.

She leans down and puts one ear up against the man's mouth before pronouncing in her amazingly calm voice, "No breath."

"Oh my god!" the woman cries out, both she and the boy in tears now.

Danni has never been more beautiful to me than right now, doing everything she can to save this man's life. She turns her head, plugs the man's nose, inhales deeply, then places her lips over his and exhales powerfully. The man's chest rises and falls. Danni repeats the process again before putting her ear to the man's mouth, her eyes watching his chest.

"Dammit," she says with a frown.

Danni starts unsnapping the clips holding the man's life vest closed in order to expose his chest. The last plastic clip gives her trouble, appearing to be stuck.

"Open...UP!!!" my lover growls in anger and displays surprising strength when she breaks the clip with her bare hands.

With the vest open Danni feels along the man's chest, for his sternum I'm guessing, and positions her hands before starting compressions. I'm surprised at how strongly she's forcing her upper body weight down against his chest. It's almost violent, not like the pansy little barely-pushing motions they do in the movies.

"One, two, three, four, five," she counts off each time until she reaches thirty.

She leans back down and starts the routine over again. Two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compression, two breaths, thirty compressions...

Over and over she continues until sweat is pouring from her brow and she's breathing so heavy you'd think she was running a marathon. The man's wife(?) is clutching her son(?) tightly and rocking back and forth, chanting 'please god please god please god' over and over under her breath.

Halfway though a series of compressions a frustrated Danni blurts out, "Come on, dammit!"

Almost like her words are magic, Kevin inhales with a ragged breath that erupts into a sputtering cough. He gags and coughs out a small volume of liquid, but he's breathing now. Danni leans back with a look of infinite relief on her face.

The silent crowd around me erupts with cheers and hollers like my love had just thrown the winning touchdown pass at the Superbowl.

As the confused man's family hugs him I watch Danni put her face in her hands, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as she finally gives in, her body finally shaking with the frightening intensity of what just happened.

* * * * * *

"Well this day didn't exactly turn out like I expected," Danni says softly. "We never got that swim."

The two of us are standing at the shoreline, our arms wrapped around each others' waists as we gaze to the distant sun. It's barely hanging over the horizon now, partially obscured by clouds and looking like a blazing red "S".

Fitting, I suppose. I do have my arms around a real-life superwoman.

I turn to give my Danni a gentle kiss on her cheek and reply, "No we never got our swim, but we did get our sunset."

"Yeah," Danni sighs contentedly.

My love still wears her swimsuit, but I never got around to putting mine on after that crazy incident. Turns out poor Kevin hit a wave wrong and tumbled tits over heel, knocking himself out in the process. Apparently water takes on a consistency more like concrete when you're impacting it at forty plus miles per hour. It was sheer bad luck he didn't end up on his back, kind of like losing a full-body coin toss. Unconscious and floating face down, Kevin had drown. He was dead for about four or five minutes all told.

If not for Danni bringing me up here today, not to mention her immediate reaction to the crisis, Kevin's death would have been one of those sad stories you read about on page six of the local paper. Instead my lover brought him back to life, and now Kevin gets to go home with his family...after a hospital visit, that is.

My chest fills with devotion and pride just looking at Danni.

Turns out the boy (named Danny, ironically) is Kevin's son. The woman, Janet, is Kevin's fiance. Their wedding is supposed to be in two weeks. After many a heart-felt 'thank you' from the father, son, and fiance, as well as tons of congratulations from bystanders, the engaged couple made sure to invite Danni to their wedding.

The ambulance had finally arrived after that. The paramedics evaluated Kevin and pronounced he had a mild concussion, a sprained ankle, and likely a fractured wrist, but he was otherwise in good health. At first Kevin refused further treatment, despite the advice of the paramedics, but Janet finally convinced his "stubborn ass" (she said it with a smile) to get in the "damn ambulance".

They put Kevin on a stretcher, loaded him into the ambulance, and started an IV of fluids. They told Janet and Danny only one of them could ride along. Janet insisted the son be with his father, and she'd catch up.

The ambulance pulled away, leaving Janet to figure out how to get a grounded and damaged boat back onto it's trailer.

It was a sight to behold how Danni's heroism inspired others.

In an amazing spirit of community, almost everyone at the lake worked together to get the boat back into the water so it could be loaded onto it's trailer. A good Samaritan, a young college girl here with a group of her friends, even offered to drive their truck to the hospital so the still-shaken woman wouldn't have to be alone. Janet gratefully accepted.

Before the two of them drove off in Janet's truck, she gave my Danni one final, powerful hug and cried as she said softly, "You're an angel. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Danni had replied, her own eyes tearing up a bit at the woman's gratitude.

All the hubbub had died down about twenty minutes ago, and Danni's shaking had only just subsided.

My mind comes back to the present, and I ask, "Where did you learn CPR?"

"I had to learn it when I got a part time job as a life-guard two summers ago...at a public pool in the city."

"Lucky Kevin," I smile, still looking at Danni.

"I never thought in a million years I'd end up using it," she tells me, her eyes still glued to the falling sun.

"One thing is bugging me, though," I say.