Page 8 of Everybody Needs a Hero

Using the paper straw, Bryce stirred the remains of her second, bright-pink, strawberry and banana smoothie. The drink tasted delicious, but the best part of being at the coffee shop was watching Ashley. Running the business with an easy confidence but also a certain grace, the woman was born to be a success. Add in her natural charisma with regulars and new customers, and Bryce was captivated watching Ashley. Whenever there was a lull in the stream of customers, Ashley would look over at Bryce with a warm smile and tiny wave. Although it was tempting to order a third smoothie so she could stay longer, even to Bryce that seemed like overkill. She didn’t want to totally freak Ashley out by sitting there watching her all morning.

I need to ask her out before I go though, Bryce thought, considering their run in the park earlier. As wonderful as it was that didn’t have the feel of a first date, but more like a couple of friends meeting to catch up. Bryce wanted them to have a real date. If she had her way, a romantic date. The question was how Ashley would react if Bryce asked so soon after they started talking again. After all, they only met twenty-four hours ago after years apart with no contact. Bryce shook her head having trouble believing it was only yesterday she returned. It seemed like forever ago the addict came in, and Bryce subdued him. Even in that short amount of time, she felt like she knew Ashley well.But I want to learn so much more about her.

As Bryce reluctantly slurped the last of her smoothie, the door chimed, and in walked a man with bulging muscles like she had never seen before. Although there were plenty of weightlifters in the Marine Corps and Bryce spent a lot of time in the gym herself, that guy was huge. Barely covered by the tight shorts and a small Gold’s Gym tank top, every inch of his tanned body seemed to ripple and flex as he walked across the coffee shop to the counter.

“Hi, Lou,” Ashley said with a smile, clearly knowing the bodybuilder well. “I was wondering when you would show up. Ready for that smoothie I promised?”

Lou nodded, but his face was somber. “Ashley, I can’t believe what I heard about yesterday,” he said, flexing the muscles in his arms and chest. “If I’d have been in here, that guy would be nothing but a puddle on the floor.”

“I know,” Ashley said, with a glance in Bryce’s direction. The admiration in her twinkling eyes was unmistakable, and Bryce couldn’t help but feel warm inside. “But everything worked out.”

They did indeed, Bryce thought, standing to return the smoothie glass and say goodbye. Asking Ashley out on a date would have to wait with so many people around, but she vowed to do it tonight on the phone. As she neared the counter, the door opened again with a pair of tourists leaving the coffee shop, and Bryce swore she heard a dog barking. The sound was faint, but enough for her to wonder if the dog might be Floyd.Why is he upset again?

Before she formed another thought, the floor lurched under her, nearly knocking her to the ground, but she caught the back of a chair to stay upright. Dropping her smoothy glass, it fell to the tiled floor and shattered. Lou grabbed for the counter but went down in a crash as the entire coffee shop started to shake. Over the loud rumble of the moving earth and the shaking building, Bryce heard the sound of mugs and more glasses breaking. “Ashley,” she yelled, ducking under the nearest table. “Get under the counter.” Suddenly, the glass in the front door cracked into a hundred pieces before blasting apart. Some sprayed on Lou who had managed to get to his hands and knees to crawl toward cover. He was halfway to a table when Bryce noticed the tall shelves along one wall starting to shake free from their safety moorings and list forward. “Watch out!” was all Bryce could say before one of the cases tipped, dropping its contents, and then fell. Horrified but helpless, Bryce watched as Lou was peppered with decorative mugs and bags of coffee before the entire thing landed on him.

Hidingunder the counter beside her coworker Kim, Ashley squeezed her eyes closed and listened to things falling with a crash around her. Bryce yelled something about Lou, but she couldn’t make out all the words over the rumbling. The shaking seemed to go on forever, and then…

…it stopped.

As suddenly as it began, the earth no longer moved. As Ashley opened her eyes, there was a beat of silence in the wake of the rumble only to fill with the sound of car alarms and people yelling outside.

“Ashley,” Bryce yelled. “I need you to come help me.”

Trying to stem the surge of panic that Bryce was hurt, Ashley crawled from under the counter. Sharp shards of ceramic were everywhere along the floor, making her move slowly until she could stand. Scanning the room, Ashley couldn’t move, her eyes wide as she took in her coffee shop’s destruction. The front door had shattered, and the windows were all cracked. One of the light fixtures had fallen from the ceiling. Furniture thrown everywhere. Then, she saw Bryce on her hands and knees looking under one of the large showcases that had fallen over.

When Bryce called out, “Lou, can you hear me?” Ashley jolted into motion.

“What happened?” she asked as she knelt beside Bryce. Looking under the case, she let out a moan. Her friend was lying flat underneath. “Lou? Please talk to me.” The man didn’t respond or make any movement.

“He was trying to crawl to hide under a table,” Bryce said standing. “Come on. Let’s try to lift the case off him enough to move it aside,” she said, putting her hands under the edge. As Ashley mimicked her actions, Kim came to help though blood covered half her face from a cut over her eye.

Wicked looking, the wound had to be painful, and Ashley appreciated her worker’s willingness to help. “Thank you,” she said, and the woman nodded as she gripped the wood.

The women were ready. “On three, okay?” Bryce asked, and the others nodded. “One. Two. Three.” Ashley grunted as she helped lift the heavy wooden case up a few inches. Working as a team, they shuffled across the floor until the thing was clear of Lou’s unmoving body.

Dropping it with a crash, Ashley watched as Bryce moved to check Lou. He was flat on his chest, and there was no way to see if he was breathing. While Bryce put two fingers to the man’s neck, Ashley held her breath.Please let him be alive, she thought, and when Bryce let out a breath, Ashley realized the woman had been holding hers too.

“He’s alive,” Bryce said. “We need to try to call 9-1-1, but I bet the circuits are busy. It depends on how big the earthquake was.”

Suddenly, Ashley felt her heart stop. “My mom,” Ashley whispered as she realized she had no idea where the production was filming.

Bryce nodded. “Try to call or text her,” she said, already fishing her phone out of her back pocket. “But do it outside on the boardwalk. You can’t stay inside this building. Lou might have a broken back, so we can’t move him. I’ll stay here and start dialing 9-1-1.”

Ashley tried not to think about Lou having broken bones and went outside. “What should I do?” Kim asked from beside her, and Ashley realized the woman looked sickly pale under the blood smeared on her face.

Untying her apron, Ashley wadded it up. “Put this on your cut to stop the bleeding, and I’ll help you outside,” she said, handing it over. “We can sit on the curb while I call my mom and we wait for an ambulance.” As Kim pressed the apron to her head, Ashley looked at Bryce. There was a smear of blood on her cheek, and Ashley wondered for a second where it came from but then pushed it away. “I don’t like you staying in here. What if there’s another one?”

“Then I’ll take cover again,” Bryce said. “But I want to monitor Lou. If he starts to struggle to breathe, I’ll turn him over even if his back is injured.” Studying the woman’s face for a moment, Ashley could tell there would be no talking her out of staying with the injured man.

Reaching for Bryce’s cheek, she wiped at the already drying blood. “Are you always the hero?” she asked softly, and the tender look from that morning at the viewpoint came back into Bryce’s eyes. When the woman didn’t reply, Ashley knew yes was her answer.

When the slighttremor shook the carpeted floor under Tess’s feet, she thought at first someone nearby had slammed a door. As others on the set inside the small apartment in South Los Angeles began to react, she realized they were having an earthquake. It wasn’t much, but enough to tip over a paper cup of coffee sitting on a nearby counter and send a handful of papers and pens onto the floor. Before anyone could react, the trembling was over.

“Was that an earthquake?” one of the cameramen asked, clearly as uncertain as Tess was about what happened. Looking around, Tess noticed half a dozen people, including Drew, were already on their phones searching for information. Drew was the first to speak up.

“Channel five is already calling it an earthquake,” she said, frowning at what she was reading. “Early estimates are saying it was over a four-point-oh, but something is strange.” She looked at Tess. “They think the epicenter is along the coastline.”

Tess covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, God,” she said. “I need to call my daughter.” Already in motion, she headed for the door. She had to get out of the apartment and find her phone. The thing would be in her purse back at her trailer.

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