Page 5 of Everybody Needs a Hero

“I just don’t think—” Drew shook her head, trying to explain again when Tess touched Drew’s shoulder. Even through her shirt, she felt the warmth of Tess’s hand. For some crazy reason, she thought she could get lost in that feeling, even though it was nothing but casual contact.

“Don’t give up on me yet,” Tess said, with a little more desperation in her voice. “I can do it.”

When Drew met the actress’s eyes, they pleaded with her. “Okay,” Drew heard herself saying. “One more day.”

5

With the sun setting in West Los Angeles, Bryce couldn’t stop smiling. As she strolled down the walkway at the edge of the parking lot past one orange motel door after another, Bryce’s head spun from the day’s turn of events. Her plan to see Ashley certainly hadn’t gone as she expected.Not sure it could have gone much differently, she thought with a shake of her head. When she approached the coffee shop that morning, the last thing she ever anticipated seeing through the glass front door was a man brandishing a knife. When the attacker grabbed Ashley by the wrist, Bryce didn’t hesitate. Blowing through the front door, her only focus was on getting the guy away from Ashley before he did her any harm. Then, there had been the mom and daughter cowering in the corner, and finally her nearly having to break his wrist. Although she had worried the cops might give her grief for taking control as she did, they seemed more impressed than anything. “U.S. Marine Corps, huh?” one of the police officers said while taking her statement. “Well, sounds like you were in the right place at the right time to keep things from getting ugly here.”

Bryce had shrugged, not comfortable with a lot of praise, but Ashley stood beside her and wouldn’t let it end there. “She saved Kim’s life. Possibly mine too,” she said, and when Bryce raised her eyes, Ashley beamed at her. “Bryce is a hero.”

The police officer slapped her leather notebook shut and put it in the back pocket of her uniform pants. “No argument here,” she said before smiling at Bryce. “Ever get tired of the military, we could use people like you on the LA Police force.”

“Thanks,” was all Bryce could think to say, and then the cops were leading the drug addict out of the shop in handcuffs. Not sure what to do next, she shoved her hands into the front pockets of her jeans and waited.

Ashley laughed softly. “Oh, Bryce,” she said. “You haven’t changed a bit. Marines or no Marines, you’re still the humblest person I’ve ever met.”

Bryce shrugged again but liked the thought Ashley found her humble. Her father always expressed how vital modesty was in a person. His motto was ‘work hard, stay humble, have honor, and do no harm,’ and the words had served her well, although people often mistook her for shy. Bryce disagreed. Unlike some people, she didn’t feel the need to comment on everything and often kept her opinions to herself. If she were anything, she would call herself a lone wolf. Yet, as Ashley stood looking at her, Bryce hoped that might be changing. Taking a deep breath to say why she came to the shop in the first place, a tug on her pant leg made her pause. A glance down, and she was looking into the serious, slightly hooded eyes of a young girl. She recognized her as the one in her mother’s arms so afraid earlier.

“Are you a superhero?” the girl asked. “Like Batgirl?”

Bryce blushed and, out of the corner of her eye, saw Ashley hide a smile under her hand. “No,” she said, kneeling so they were eye to eye. “Only a regular person like you.”

“Oh,” the girl said, a thoughtful look on her face. After a beat, she brightened and gave Bryce a wide smile. “Then can we be friends?”

“We can totally be friends,” Bryce answered with a smile of her own. “I’m Bryce.”

The girl clapped her hands. “I’m Kelly.”

“And I’m Elizabeth,” the woman behind Kelly said. “Her mom. I don’t know how to thank you. If you hadn’t come in…”

Her voice caught, her eyes shining with tears. Ashley moved closer and wrapped an arm around the woman. “But she did,” she said. “And everyone is okay. How about another hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please,” Kelly responded, hopping up and down with glee.

“Well, okay,” Elizabeth said. “But only a small one, or you won’t want anything to eat later.”

Ashley looked at Bryce as she stood. “And for you? Do you like hot chocolate?” she asked, and their look held. Ashley’s beautiful blue eyes twinkled, and the spark Bryce drove miles to see was in them.

Feeling her smile widen further, Bryce nodded. “It’s my favorite.”

Staringat the blinking cursor on the computer screen was not helping her make any progress whatsoever. Even resting her fingers on the keyboard, index fingers on the F and J, did not force words forth from the depths of her brain. Drew dropped her hands into her lap and lowered her chin to her chest with a deep sigh of resignation. There was no way she would meet her word count goal tonight. The sequel to her novel would have to wait. There was too much other stuff on her mind. Tess Landish, for example. “Shit,” she said, leaning back in her ridiculously expensive, black leather swivel chair. The thing had been part of her short splurge with the movie advance money.Maybe it’s the problem, she thought, remembering the ratty old desk chair she used for years. Cracked vinyl seat. One arm loose. Certainly not comfortable by comparison and tended to slowly sink as the hours went on until she hit the lowest setting making her posture horrible.Maybe I should have kept the thing for posterity.But the chair was long gone, as was her crappy apartment in El Segundo. When her book hit number one on the New York Time’s bestseller list, her brother called from San Antonio and told her it was time to move up in the world. “You’re all set, sis. Quit your job and buy yourself a nice little place near the beach,” he said, and Drew remembered laughing at him.

“I’m not making that kind of money, thanks,” she said, trying to explain how royalties worked. “And it won’t be number one forever.” In the end, her brother had been right though. The book stayed at number one for thirteen consecutive weeks, was translated into over forty languages, and even she couldn’t continue to protest when her agent came to her with the movie studio’s offer. After that big chunk of money hit her bank account, she was indeed all set. Probably for life. Turning in her chair, Drew looked out the sliding glass doors that lined one wall of her modest house in the hills above Malibu and saw the start of the day’s sunset. Although she couldn’t bring herself to spend a fortune on the house itself, she indulged over the view. It was spectacular.And I almost missed seeing the show tonight, she thought.Like so many things in life.

Drew didn’t like to think about how she had turned fifty-three years old a month ago. With so much extra time on her hands after she quit her thirty-year nursing career, there was too much time to reflect on all the things she hadn’t done in her life. No marriage. No kids. Not even a pet. Work had consumed every minute of her time, leaving little for a social life.That was my choice though, she reminded herself. All the extra shifts she picked up, all the nights spent in the ER, working until she was exhausted and didn’t have the energy to do anything but fall into bed when she got home, were by her choosing. Her job had been everything to her for a long time. When she finally realized the toll it was taking, she was too weary to change.

People constantly told her it was admirable work, and they were right. Caring for the broken and beaten bodies that came through the emergency department at the hospital every day made a difference, even if it was unfortunately rarely acknowledged. Looking back over her life, she would like to say she didn’t regret giving up perhaps the best years of her life to take care of others, but it would be a lie. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, and she realized too late that life needed balance. There had to be room for happiness, joy… and love. Her life had been fulfilling and meaningful in its own way, but there were so many things she missed out on.I didn’t even take the time to have a little cat, she thought with an ache of regret in her chest. As she watched the sky’s brilliant display of red, yellow, and bright orange, Drew took a deep breath to let out the tension her thoughts had built in her chest. “Please let there still be time,” she whispered. “It can’t be too late to find someone to love.”

Finally able to get together fordinner, Ashley held her fork in midair, ready to take a bite but to wound up to stop talking long enough. “And then Bryce twisted his wrist, and he dropped the knife,” she said, finally putting the leaf of Arugula and slice of red beet in her mouth and chewing.

Sitting across from her at their favorite table, discreetly hidden from possibly nosey fans in the corner of Café Amici’s, Tess’s eyes widened. “Literally?” She wasn’t sure what she expected from her daughter’s harrowing telling of the attempted robbery, but the fact a stranger saved the day wasn’t it.At least no one stabbed anyone, she thought with some relief. The idea her child was in so much danger earlier in the day made her stomach clench. Although she was flushed from the adventure of it, Ashley seemed to be taking the scary experience in stride.

Nodding while she swallowed, excitement showed in her daughter’s eyes. “Literally,” she answered. “And in a flash. Like out of a movie.”

“It sounds like it,” Tess said, shaking her head as she stabbed at her own Gorgonzola salad. “And she is a friend you knew in college?”

Before Ashley answered, one of the waiters checked on them. “Ladies? Can I bring you anything?” he asked. “Perhaps more bread? Another glass of wine?”

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