Page 2 of Born a Hero

Trying desperately to stay upright, he used all his strength to keep moving in the direction of the small vehicle. The car which had been held up by some debris was now loose and moving again. Rushing as fast as he could, half swimming, half staggering, he got to the window and saw the child who might be six or seven had covered his face with his hands, crying hard.

Bryce bellowed to be heard over the horrible storm sounds and got the kid’s attention. “Can you get yourself out of your car seat?”

The boy finally looked over and saw the man looming beside the door. He nodded his tear-filled face hesitantly. “Ye-ss. But I’m not allowed. Mummy said so.”

Terrified that the car could flip over if it lodged on something underneath, and with no time to lose, Bryce pleaded. “You need to get out of the car little man. Just undo it, and I promise I’ll make it okay with your mummy. Hurry, son.”

As if the intense force of his warning got through, the boy squeezed the lock open and started to take off the harness.

Holding onto the car as best he could, Bryce forced his way partially inside, pushing past more of the glass with his body, feeling the cuts but having no time to worry about them.

Hearing a scrunch from below the car, he grabbed the tense body and forcibly pulled the boy from his seat, through the window, and into his arms. Then with all his might he pushed his legs against the side of the vehicle to get as far away from it as possible.

Just in time.

The car had begun taking in more water and started to sink. Then the smaller SUV flipped to the side, lodging itself next to a streetlamp that eerily turned on, casting it’s glow. Lasting only moments, it dimmed, rendering them to near darkness.

Not wanting to be anywhere near the vehicle, Bryce fought to gain his feet while he held the boy aloft and again half swum and half staggered back the way he’d come, thankful for the cable that guided his way.

If it wasn’t for Sonja’s help in pulling them toward her, he wondered if he’d have made it. Thankfully, she didn’t let the cable lag. Instead, she yanked on it until he was back at her window. Hefting the boy upward and into her waiting arms, he held onto the open sill, half in and half still in the water and just hung there. Panting, wishing his muscles would stop burning at the cruel treatment, he felt the drag of the water and knew he needed to move.

It was the cries of the child that made him gather the last of his strength, and with Sonja’s help, he dragged himself up and over the window frame and flipped inside the room like a beached whale.

Chapter Three

Sonja left the boy to rush to Bryce’s aid. “Just catch your breath, son. Take a minute. You’re fine now.” Once he lay heaped in a puddle, she turned to the child who also sat hovering on the floor where she’d left him. Speaking softly, humoring the youngster, she said, “We just need everyone to get dry and warm… right?”

Standing with difficulty, she went to the bathroom and returned with another handful of towels. “Here.” She handed Bryce two and then took the rest to where the boy still lay in a heap, crying hard now.

“You stop that silliness, boy. You’re with the good guys. Everything will be just fine as long as we’re together. First, we need to get you warmed up and then we can get into my groceries over there. I bought bread and peanut butter and lots of cookies.”

She turned to where Bryce sat with the towel around his back and his face buried in the other. “There’s still enough hot water for you two to take a shower. How about you take the boy and both of you get warmed up.”

Bryce nodded at the idea and slowly stood. Limping from exhaustion, he came over to the child and reached down to heft the kid under his arm so they could move together to the bathroom.

“I’ve got some of my late husband’s clothes if you want a dry pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He was a big man, not as tall as you, but they’ll be warm. Don’t have anything for the boy except my stuff so we’ll have to make do.”

She fled into the closet and came out with a pile of clothing which she put on the counter in the bathroom. Then she helped the boy peel off his wet clothes. “So, honey are you going to tell us your name, so we don’t have to call you kiddo?”

The boy’s head finally came up to look at her and he grinned. “My mom calls me kiddo, but my name is Justin. Not Justy.”

“Got it, Justin not Justy.”

Bryce, who’d been behind them leaned in and held his hand out to the boy. “My name is Bryce, not Brycy and this here angel is Sonja, not Jesus Lady.”

Sonja laughed until she saw the confusion on Justin’s face. “He’s teasing Justin. Look, you need to get warm, and the best way is to get into the shower and let the hot water do it’s magic.”

“I’ve never had a shower… only baths. I don’t know what to do.” His voice got weaker, and the tears were close. Not wanting to upset him, Sonja giggled and shared. “I was in my twenties when I had my first shower. It was so wonderful, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Look, I’ll give you a hand, but we need to be in and out to save water for Bryce.”

She helped the boy undress to his shorts and then whisked him into the shower. Bryce, who’d stood nearby in case they needed him, got involved and handed the kid a bar of soap. Thinking he’d be helpful, the slippery bar flipped from his hand. When he bent to pick it up, Sonja flashed the hose in his face, making both her and Justin laugh with glee.

“Sooo not funny you two.” He grumbled. But the twinkle in his eyes let Sonja know he had no problem with her way to entertain the boy and hold off his misery. In minutes, using the hand-held faucet, she rinsed Justin off, and Bryce wrapped him in another dry towel.

Taking his hand, she led him from the room. “It’s all yours now, Bryce. Get warmed up. I saw you still shivering.”

Putting Justin down on the bed, she looked at him, happy to see his quivering had stopped. “Okay now, let’s see what we have for you to wear? Here’s a nice warm pair of pajama pants we can roll up for you and this old shrunken t-shirt with the birdies on it will be fine. And look, this blue fleecy top might be big, but it’ll be warm over the t-shirt.” She helped him dress and put on fuzzy socks to keep his feet warm, thankful that her feet were tiny, and the fit would be better.

Then she led him to the bed and tucked him inside, under the covers, noticing that now he was warm, the tendency for tears had returned. “I want Mommy.” He all but wailed the words.

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