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Hero's Reward

By: S-Des



It's been a long time since I submitted this story. Although it had been well received, I always felt that I could have done more to make the story special for the readers. I finally got the time (and energy) to re-edit the story from scratch, so if you haven't read it in a while, please try it again and let me know what you think.

Thanks to my original editor, Angel-Love and to the people who helped me with the technical aspects of the story. It was very much appreciated.

*

Jeff walked out of the bar deep in thought. He would be thirty years old in just two weeks and had very little to show for it. There was a decent job, a string of short relationships and a lot of bills. He never thought his life would have turned out like this. He was smart, athletic and well educated. Although he wasn't every girl's dream, he was attractive by most standards and had his share of relationships with desirable women. 

Unfortunately, none of the relationships had lasted more than a few months. At this point he was starting to worry that it was a trend without an end in sight. He considered himself a good guy and had always wanted a family. It was beginning to make him doubt himself and his future. 

He was having a lousy Friday night. It was midnight and he was walking out of the bars alone...again. At least since it wasn't cloudy the moon lit up the streets and made it seem a little less depressing than it should have been. It all made him wonder if things would ever turn around.

As he turned the corner, he noticed the street was a little more deserted than usual. He attributed it to everyone still being in the bars having a good time, or on their way home to have a better one. 

As he walked past the alley on the East side of the intersection, a noise attracted Jeff's attention. He peered into the darkness between the two buildings and his heart stopped. There was a young woman struggling with two men. They were dressed in jeans and torn shirts. Both wore the same color bandanas making Jeff suspect they were in a gang. It would have been normal for the neighborhood. The crime was getting worse in that section of the city and he wondered why the hell she was there alone at that time of night.

He was quiet as he tried to decide what the situation was before doing something stupid. From her struggles, he was almost certain this wasn't some kind of game. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted and he could see she was a petite brunette, about five feet tall, thin and well dressed. But what Jeff noticed most was that she was drop dead gorgeous. 

Confident that this was a real attack, he pulled out his cell phone and stepped back away from the alley. 

"911," a woman's voice answered. "Please state your emergency."

"I'm on the corner of Superior and Wabash. There's a woman being attacked in the alley by a couple of thugs. Please hurry!"

"Sir, I have officers on the way. Please wait for them and don't get involved."

A muffled scream put an end to that thought for Jeff. He cautiously glanced around the edge of the building and saw that the girl was being held from behind by one man as the other ripped her shirt. He reached a hand inside to cup one of her breasts and Jeff couldn't stop himself from walking toward them.

He set the phone down on a garbage can so the operator might be able to hear some of what was happening. 

"Hey, what's going on?" he demanded.

The man in front of the girl whirled around to face him, "You need to mind your own business. We're all friends here." The girl moaned through the hand the punk in back had put over her mouth.

Jeff quickly did the math on the situation. If neither man had a gun, he was confident he had a chance. The alley was wide enough for him to maneuver, giving him the room he'd need to deal with two men at once. He hoped for an element of surprise on his side, because he didn't appear to be an imposing opponent. At under six feet tall and about one hundred, eighty-five pounds, he wasn't going to frighten anyone based on his imposing image. 

What they didn't know was the years of martial arts training he went through in his mid-twenties and the tournament fights he participated in. He wasn't overconfident; his teachers had thoroughly taught him the need to have the proper amount of respect for an adversary. Any fight can be lost if you slip, turn an ankle, miss a punch, or make any one of a hundred other mistakes that can happen in the heat of the moment. Also, he had to hope neither of the hoods was holding any surprises for him. 

No matter what, Jeff couldn't let them hurt this girl. Her eyes pleaded with him for help and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try to protect her. When he refused to move, the man in front of her showed him the knife in his hand. His partner holding the girl nodded and said, "Take him."

Jeff tried to appear unnerved, hoping he could still avoid a fight. "Listen, nobody has to get hurt here. Just let her go and we'll head the other way."

The man with the knife sneered and said, "Only one of us is going to get hurt. You should've kept walking." 

Jeff saw the man tense as he moved forward. He swung the knife in a wide arc, keeping it around chest level. Jeff smoothly stepped inside and blocked the thug's arm with both hands. His right hand flashed out quickly and caught the attacker in the cheek with the back of his fist. Jeff continued his movement, stepping under the man's arm, grabbing his wrist and turning it in. 

The punk dropped the knife with a whine and Jeff finished the move he had practiced thousands of times with a roundhouse kick to the ribs. As the man doubled over in pain, Jeff stepped in and finished him off with an elbow strike to the nose. He was rewarded with a loud breaking sound and a cry of pain as the man dropped to the ground. 

Jeff stepped back and looked at the man holding the girl. Now that he was closer, he could make out her condition. She had been roughed up a little, with her face showing several cuts and scratches. He still hoped to get out of this without any more violence. It was possible the girl could get hurt in the melee or that he could lose, putting her in even more jeopardy than before. 

"I'm telling you, let her go and we'll walk. You can get your friend and go your own way. Neither of us wants to get hurt, just let her go." Jeff considered telling him about the call to the police, but worried that the piece of shit might panic and hurt the girl, or decide his only option was to take her hostage. 

The man looked like he was considering the offer, but suddenly threw her into some garbage cans against the brick wall. She fell to the ground in a heap. The thug stepped quickly toward Jeff, hoping to catch him off guard. Jeff retreated a couple of steps, trying to get a clue about this man's proficiency with a knife. The first one was sloppy and easy, but he wasn't about to make any assumptions. Jeff guessed the man was about six feet tall, two hundred pounds. His height gave him a little advantage, especially while using a knife.

As he stepped forward, Jeff made a dangerous gamble. He quickly slid his back foot up to his front one, raising his knee high. The man fell for it and raised his hands to protect his face, putting too much weight on his front leg. Jeff brought his left leg down with all his force, catching the other man just on the inside of his knee. The joint gave way with a sickening thud, bending to an impossible angle. As the man hit the ground with a scream, Jeff stepped back to keep from getting hit with a frantic swing from the prone attacker.

He was trying to decide what to do about the man who was still a potential threat when he heard startled cry, "Look out!"

He looked up and saw the girl staring past him with a fear in her eyes. He realized something bad was about to happen, so guessed a direction and spun quickly while stepping away. Unfortunately he guessed wrong and felt an explosion across his chest. The pain hit him a fraction of a second later. He took another step back as he realized he was facing a new adversary. This one must have come from the street. He was wielding the knife the first man had dropped. 

Jeff was afraid to bring his hand to his chest. He knew the wound was bad and didn't want anything to distract him from the man in front of him. There couldn't be any more mistakes or he knew he wouldn't be walking out of the alley again. The new man made small motions with the knife, waiting for Jeff to commit himself or for the loss of blood to take it's toll. When Jeff felt a wave of dizziness hit him, he decided to act immediately. If he waited much longer, it wouldn't matter anyway.

He stepped forward and threw a quick jab that missed badly. This gave his opponent an opening and he moved in with a stab aimed at Jeff's chest. 

This was what Jeff had been hoping for and he twisted, bringing his left arm across to push the knife wide of it's target. This kept his right arm free and he brought it across, hitting the man as hard as he could across the bridge of the nose. It caused his assailant to stumble back into some other trash cans, where he fell hard. Unfortunately due to his injury, Jeff now lacked the strength to cause the kind of damage he had earlier. He knew the man wouldn't stay down and didn't believe he'd be able to finish him off. 

Where are the fucking police? he thought angrily.

His momentary distraction was the second mistake he had hoped to avoid. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a quick flash, then felt the side of his head erupt in pain. The force of the blow spun him into the wall. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. When he looked up, he realized he could no longer focus. There were no more options. The fight was over and he had lost. He faced the man who had just hit him, his first opponent, who had used Jeff's distraction with the others to recover enough to get to his feet and hit him with a pipe he found laying on the ground. 

The first punch he learned in his martial arts training was a unique one. The teacher wanted to reinforce how dangerous fighting could be in order to discourage students from being too eager to get into trouble. He chose to show them how to turn their hand on an angle and strike the target with the bone just below the base of the index finger. The blow was supposed to catch the opponent in the windpipe, which would stun virtually anyone. The thing that made the class understand how serious it could be was when the teacher explained that hitting your opponent in the wrong spot could be fatal. You could collapse his windpipe or cause him to bleed into his lungs. It was a lesson Jeff never forgot, causing him to avoid fights at all costs.

Now it was all he had left. He stepped in and punched as hard as he could, ignoring the throbbing pain in his chest. Whether it was skill or just dumb luck, he struck the man exactly where he intended. He was rewarded with a strangled cry as the man stumbled back to the wall and fell. Jeff staggered as he was hit with another wave of dizziness. He also realized it was becoming impossible to focus his eyes at all. 

He heard a trash can fall and knew that the man who cut him was getting back up. There were no more tricks to play, so he quickly considered his last action. He decided to give the girl as much of a chance as possible; the police had to be close. He stumbled toward her and fell. 

He pulled himself on top of her, covering her body with his and whispered, "The police are on the way, you just have to stay away from them a few more minutes."

He marveled at how hard he must have been hit. He heard a ringing in his head and it was rising in intensity. He couldn't shut out the noise as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Suddenly the alley was filled with blinding light, then everything went black

~~~~~

The noise was no longer a loud ringing sound. Instead it was a soft, repetitive tone. Jeff slowly realized he was hearing the sounds of machines operating quietly. It was completely dark and he wondered if he was still in the alley. Suddenly he remembered the girl. He tried to sit up, but only got his head off of the pillow before the pain overtook him. He groaned loudly, his head falling back down.

"Don't move," he heard a soft female voice say. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, gently restraining him. "Sarah, get the doctor, he's awake."

Jeff heard the sound of footsteps, followed by a doorknob being turned. As he heard the door click shut, the voice returned. "Don't be afraid. You're in the hospital. Everything's Ok now, you just need to relax. Your sister was here but she had to leave to pick up her kids. She'll be back in a couple of hours."

He felt a wave of nausea sweep over him as he tried to think. "Who are you?"

The high-pitched voice answered, "My name is Paige. You saved me in the alley." He heard her sniff, trying to hold back tears. "I can't believe you did that. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

Jeff felt a pair of soft hands grasp his. He tried to joke. "It wasn't that brave. Trust me, I was scared out of my mind." He wondered why she didn't just turn on the light.

He felt her pull his hand up to her face and she dragged her cheek across it. "Trust me, you don't know what scared is. I . . . I don't know how to thank you. I'm just glad you're all right. When I saw all the blood, I was afraid . . . " her voice trailed off. Jeff knew he had been extremely lucky. 

He was getting frustrated by only being able to hear her voice. He remembered how beautiful she was and wanted a chance to see her. "Paige, would you turn on the light. It would be nice to actually meet you face to face."

She hesitated, "Jeff, the lights are on."

~~~~~

" . . . So we believe once the swelling goes down, your sight will return. I'm sorry but there are no guarantees." 

Jeff laid there in shock as he listened to the doctor trying to sound encouraging without promising anything. The hit he took in the head from the pipe had given him a concussion. It had caused hemorrhaging and swelling that was putting pressure against his optic nerve. The temporary part was what scared him, nobody was sure if it would be OK in a week, a month, a year, or maybe never. The doctors considered surgery, but because it could be risky, preferred using medication and time to deal with it for now.

They had his eyes bandaged, even though the vision loss was total at this point. There had been some improvement in the three days he had been hospitalized, but not enough to be sure he would make a full recovery. The doctor let him know that if he didn't make significant improvement in the next few days, they would have to consider surgery to relieve the pressure.

The blood loss from the chest wound almost killed him, but turned out to be far less serious than the concussion. The cut wasn't too deep, so there wasn't severe muscle damage. The doctor warned him not to try saving any more damsels in distress for a while, but said he would make a full recovery in a relatively short period of time. They thought his condition would keep him there for two or three weeks, if there were no complications from the head injury. After explaining everything that had happened and what to expect, he excused himself. He motioned for Jeff's sister Katy to follow him out of the room.

When they got back to his office, the doctor explained everything that was involved with Jeff's injury and his recovery. "Covering the eyes is not essential, but in a case like this there are a few good reasons to consider it. First, he will have complete blindness for a short time and his sight will gradually recover as the swelling recedes. Without the bandages, he will constantly strain to try and see, which can cause severe migraines." 

"Second, I want him to completely rest with as little stress as possible. The injury to his chest will force him to be immobile, so he'll be here anyway. There's no reason for him to do anything but heal. Third, I'm concerned about the potential for depression. If he sees little or no progress day after day, his chances of slipping into a depressed state will be increased. My best guess would be, we're looking at about three weeks for significant progress, although we'll need to monitor him closely to have a better idea."

Katy listened intently and considered everything he said. "I'll go with your recommendations. I know my brother, he isn't known for being patient. It would be best to force him to rest and give him no other options."

"Good, then assuming we can treat this without surgery, we should know a lot more in a week or so. We'll keep a close watch on his progress and I'll let you know if there are any changes in his condition."

~~~~~

When Katy left with the doctor, Paige took Jeff's hand. "Your sister will be back in just a minute." Her voice became thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you. It's all my fault." 

Jeff could hear her sobbing. Even though he felt overwhelmed at his situation, the thought of the beautiful young girl blaming herself for his condition was too much.

"Paige, please don't. If you start crying, then I'll start crying, then the nurse has to come change my bandages." 

He was rewarded with melodic laughter as she was caught between sniffling and laughing. He also picked up a noise from the far side of the room. It distracted him for a moment, but he decided his mind was playing tricks on him.

Jeff started to feel a little uncomfortable. Here he was, sitting with a young woman he didn't know and had no idea what to say to her. "Can you tell me what happened after I passed out?"

Paige took a second to gather herself. "While you were telling me the police were on the way, I started hearing the sirens. The guy who hurt you with the knife tried to run, but when he got to the end of the alley, the police cars pulled in front and hit their flood lights. He tried running past us toward the other end, but there was a fence he couldn't get over. You injured the other one's knee so badly, he never got off the ground. He gave up without a fight."

"What about the third guy?" Jeff said, remembering the strike he used.

"The paramedics got there right after the police and did that thing where they cut open the throat so he could breathe . . . "

"You mean a tracheotomy." 

"Yeah, that's it. They said you collapsed his airway. I guess it was pretty close." Noting Jeff's troubled frown, she added, "Everyone knew it wasn't your fault, you just did what you had to. You were already hurt so badly, I can't believe you were able to do that to him. I wanted to help, but I just couldn't make myself get up. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. There's nothing you could have done and if you had gotten hurt I would have felt like it was my fault for barging in there and starting the fight. I want you to know that when I saw what was happening, I called the cops and then thought about what I was going to do before trying to help. I don't want you to think I just ran in there like it was some cowboy movie.

I knew it could be dangerous for you if I did the wrong thing, so I tried to come up with a smart way to handle it. When I saw them . . . " he paused because he didn't want to upset her, "getting more physical with you, I just couldn't wait any more. Are you all right?"

Paige answered immediately, "I had a few cuts and bruises, but it wasn't a big deal. It scared me a lot, but my family's been here since it happened. I just fine; thanks to you." 

She paused for a moment, "Anyway, there was one cop who pulled you off of me. When he saw how badly you were bleeding, he didn't hesitate. He dropped down beside you and put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding and keep you alive. He refused to move until the paramedics got to you and took over. He's stopped by several times, checking to see if you were going to be OK."


Hero's Reward



She paused, not sure if she should tell him the rest. "You know, you're famous now." Paige paused to see his confused expression. "You've been in the papers, the radio and the TV. You're a hero."

Jeff felt himself blush, "Well I don't feel like a hero, I feel like I got hit by a truck. I'm just glad you're OK . . . " Jeff trailed off as the drugs pushed him back into unconsciousness. Paige sat there holding his hand for several minutes. When she was sure he was out, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. 

"My hero," she said quietly. She looked over at the far end of the room, "Didn't I tell you he was perfect?"

~~~~~

Jeff felt himself coming around again. He had drifted in and out of consciousness all day. The drugs were wearing off a little and he could feel his chest throbbing. He moaned and tried to move to alleviate the pain. 

"Are you all right?" he heard Paige ask. "Do you want me to call the nurse?"

"I'm just a little sore, don't worry about it. What time is it?"

"It's about six in the evening," a male voice answered.

Jeff was starting to realize how frustrating his situation was. He didn't recognize the voice and had no idea there was even anyone else in the room. "Who said that?"

Paige answered, "Jeff, this is my dad, Steven."

He felt someone take his hand. "Son, there are no words to tell you how grateful I am. You saved my little girl from something terrible. Anything you ever need is taken care of, all you have to do is ask."

Jeff found that his condition caused him to put more stock in the way people sounded. He decided he liked this man immediately. He had a softness to his voice that showed his emotion, but there was a subtle strength to it as well. Jeff thought about what it would feel like to have the girl you raised from a baby come that close to something tragic. It must have been incredibly difficult and probably made him feel helpless as well. In an odd way, Jeff decided they had something in common.

"You don't owe me anything, sir. I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't do something. I'm just glad she's all right."

"I'm glad as well." He could almost hear the smile of pride as the man spoke. "You know the nurses have been complaining to me since you came in here. She won't stay in her room and they have to threaten to get her to leave yours."

"She still has a room? Paige told me she was fine, is everything all right?" 

"Well, she broke her wrist and has some nasty bruises, but otherwise she's OK. They told her she could go home, but I think she's staying so they have a harder time keeping her out of here." He smiled at his daughter as he teased her.

"Dad, come on," she complained. "Jeff, don't listen to him, I'm fine. I had to stay here for observation and I'd go crazy sitting by myself in my room. I just come in here and read. That way if you need anything, someone will be here. It's the least I can do."

He started to get dizzy from the exertion of talking. It annoyed him that something so simple could wear him out. "Guys, can we talk later? I'm feeling a little woozy." 

Steve and Paige left him alone as he let himself drift off again. Despite these nice people being so helpful, he couldn't shake the dark mood that seemed to be growing.

~~~~~

" . . . You mean you don't want us to see him?" Paige fumed. "Dr. Walcott, that's just not acceptable!" 

"No, that's not what I'm saying," he tried to assure her. "In cases where someone undergoes a severe trauma like the fight, it's common for them to be overwhelmed by the attention people shower on them. Since Jeff is dealing with the loss of one of his senses it makes him especially susceptible. We don't think it's permanent," he said, then waived his hand trying to cut off Paige's protest, "but nobody can promise him anything. It's very difficult for him to deal with and he might feel like the attention is something that could be taken away. It's also possible he might feel like being alone sometimes. In a way, he feels responsible for you and it would be very stressful for him to have to ask you to leave and risk hurting you. 

I know Katy's time is limited because of her family, so someone other than Paige should make themselves available. We have a fine staff to take care of him, but if someone is going to be a full-time caretaker, it should be only one person. He needs someone he can identify with. They would also need to not be easily offended when he's honest about his feelings. My biggest concern is still him drifting into a depression, so I'd like there to be someone he can talk to or just sit with when he doesn't feel like talking. But we need to keep that attention somewhat limited to avoid making him defensive."

They all sat for a minute trying to decide the best way to handle things. Finally the young blonde woman in back stood up, "All right, that's going to be me."

Doctor Wolcott couldn't stop himself from smiling. He hoped she would volunteer. He had been very fond of her since he met her, almost eight years ago. Her charity work at the hospital proved she had the ideal temperament and sense of responsibility to handle the situation. More than that, helping someone like Jeff might be just what she needed too. 

~~~~~

Jeff stirred, trying to rouse himself. He appreciated the drugs keeping the pain away, but constantly being half-asleep was beginning to grate on him. 

"So are you with us again?" came a soft feminine voice.

"Who's there?" Jeff asked, tiring of having to repeatedly ask the same question.

"My name is Sarah. I'm Paige's sister. I've been around, but it's hard to talk to you with her hovering."

Jeff laughed at her insightful statement. He had the same thought several times. To avoid offending Sarah, he just said, "She can be determined."

"That's my sister, determined and impossible to discourage. You know she has the biggest crush on you," leaving Jeff struggling for an appropriate response. "Don't be too impressed with yourself, before you it was the guy who ran the roller coaster at the amusement park."

He laughed uncontrolably until his chest hurt. Again he used his new attention to listening and decided this was someone he instantly liked. He wasn't sure if there was anything to this listening thing, but it somehow seemed right. 

"I never did ask, how old is she?"

"Well Casanova, she's eighteen and a freshman in college. Why, are you interested?"

Jeff could hear the mirth in her voice at his expense, but instantly realized she was only teasing him. "Sorry, I think that might be a little young for me. I only got a quick look at her in the alley. She is very pretty, but I didn't have any idea how old she actually was." With the mention of the alley, his mood darkened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Please, the last thing you have to worry about around me is being insensitive. You're right, she is very pretty. She was homecoming queen, head cheerleader and had requests from a local modeling agency. Dad wouldn't even let her consider it. She was going to college," she paused awkwardly. "Like me," she finished quietly. 

Jeff was almost certain she was hinting at something difficult because of the tone of her voice. He decided it was best to change subjects. 

"The thing in the alley is just so awkward. I'm glad I was there to help, but I always feel like I'm going to say something that will make her relive it. I'm just not sure how I should handle it. She's such a sweet kid. I don't want to say anything to hurt her."

Sarah cringed as the doctor's words were proven true so quickly. "I understand. Don't worry about what to say to me. I'm not exactly the take offense type." She tried to sound casual but still make sure he understood her point. 

"Say whatever's on your mind, or you can relax and I'll catch up on my reading. I'm here because I'm the one without the commitments." She quickly realized that didn't come out the way she intended, so added, "Everyone wanted to be here to make sure you were OK, I just had the most availability." 

They talked for almost an hour before he was finally exhausted. She peppered him with questions about what he liked, what he had been doing before that night and assuring Jeff that he should tell her if he needed anything, including privacy. The only thing she didn't do was talk about the alley or how grateful she was about him saving Paige. He wouldn't be able to understand how thankful she was anyway.

As he drifted off, he realized his bad mood from earlier was gone. He was honestly glad she had kept him company.

~~~~~

The next day, at five o'clock sharp, she arrived at his room. "Hey good-lookin', how are you feeling today?"

Jeff smiled as he realized how good it felt to hear her voice. "I'm a lot better than before. I think I've finally gotten past this stupid in and out of sleep thing. I've actually been staying awake longer and have even been able to listen to the news. Paige is right. They've mentioned me several times. It's so strange to hear somebody talk about me like that, I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone."

"Well, don't get too cocky. You're not going to get any hero worship from me," she said, obviously teasing him. "I've got a present for you."

A present? he thought, thoroughly confused. He heard her rustling through a bag and making some assembly noises. He was about to ask what was going on when he heard a pair of speakers blast, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Sam Kinison." He grinned broadly as one of his favorite albums started. 

"Did you buy me a CD Player?"

Sarah smiled as she saw her gift had the intended reaction. "Better, I got you an MP3 player and had some friends fill it up with stuff for you." 

She spent the next hour acquainting him with the technology and how to operate it without being able to see. She had bought a pair of powered computer speakers so they could listen together or he could plug in the headphones. She had bands, comedians and even weird internet stuff he had indicated that he liked. Jeff didn't know that last night she had written down everything he told her. It cost her a pretty penny and took all day, but she managed to get most of it downloaded. 

He smiled and thanked her profusely for the thoughtful gift. "Now I have a present for you. Since you've never listened to Sam, just sit down and enjoy." 

Sarah spent the next hour laughing until tears streamed down her face. Several times she was embarrassed by things she heard, but she understood why Jeff had expressed such fondness for the strange man with the wild hair. As they laughed together, she thought to herself how glad she was that she volunteered to make sure he was taken care of. Paige was right. He was perfect.

~~~~~

" . . . No, that's the craziest argument I've ever heard. The guy's a crook and should have his ass run out of Washington!" 

Sarah felt herself getting flushed. Jeff had a way of getting her aggravated over things. She realized early on it was because he wasn't just passionate about what he thought. He educated himself on issues ranging from politics to sports to just about everything she could think of. When he challenged her, she really had to dig deep to make her points without him tearing them apart.

Jeff tried not to smirk as she lost her cool. It had been three weeks since she had begun watching him and he couldn't get over how amazing she was. She was intelligent, passionate, tender, funny and incredibly open. When he was able to point out a flaw in an opinion she held, he sat dumbfounded as she actually considered his argument and sometimes changed her mind. He had rarely met anyone so willing to be open-minded about their opinions. 

She had told him she didn't like comedians who worked blue. The first night with the MP3 player, she didn't make it through 45 seconds of Sam's concert before he actually heard her snort. He loved the way she laughed. It was so full and without any consideration for propriety. They actually forced a nurse come in and ask them to keep it down.

Now they were having another political debate. He was an Independent, uninterested in the politics of an issue, but only on what he considered the truth of it. She was a confirmed Democrat who found it hard to believe that someone could make her rethink positions she'd held for years. To Jeff, the best part about the debates was how heated they could be without any hint of acrimony. When they finished this discussion, she'd probably tell him he was an ass and then they'd check out a new comedian or movie. He knew they'd laugh and joke until it was time for her to leave, then he'd have to go to sleep without her. 

He hadn't told her how hard it was for him when she left. It had only been a few weeks and he warned himself it was at least partially because of his condition, but he was hopelessly infatuated. He didn't say anything because he didn't want to scare her off. She was like his lifeline to the world. He could be in a bad mood and she'd listen patiently. If he was happy, they'd laugh and fight about politics. If there was a game on, she'd watch while he listened, often with her cheers drowning out his. Most of all, when she wanted to talk, he was thrilled to listen. He wanted to know every detail about her. She was fascinating.

The only time he hit a wall was when he talked about her past. He suspected she had been divorced. There was a point in the past she would talk about, but not a day further. Jeff wouldn't push her about it because he didn't want to force her to relate something painful. He didn't want to think about such a truly good hearted person having to deal with hardship. 

He had never felt this way about anyone and had been trying to figure out a way to ask if she was interested in more. It was difficult because he knew if she said no, it would make things so awkward he might lose what he had with her. 

On the other hand, if he didn't say anything, he might lose her because she didn't know he cared. The bandages were supposed to come off in few more days and the doctors thought he'd be leaving one way or another within a week. Once he was out, he was afraid she might drift away. Jeff didn't want to use his situation to make her feel sorry for him, but he also realized that she had committed to visiting him every day while he was there, and he might never have that chance again. 

Suddenly he realized she had been talking to him, but he hadn't heard a word.

"Hello, is there anybody in there? I said if you could actually take a stand on principle, maybe you'd see why you were wrong." 

Sarah's smile faded as she noticed something wasn't right. She never got the impression he wasn't listening, he was the most attentive person she'd ever talked to. True, part of it was his status as a captive audience, but Jeff was completely genuine. She didn't doubt he would be the same anywhere.

"Sarah, I really like you. Once I'm out of here, could I take you out?" Jeff held his breath. He couldn't believe he actually said that out loud. He hadn't meant to, it just tumbled out and now it was too late to take it back.

There was a painful silence. In reality, it wasn't long, but to him it felt like hours. "Jeff, I'm sorry," she began. 

He didn't even hear the rest. There was a pounding in his head as he realized he had just ruined everything. He was so embarrassed he misread her. Since losing his sight, he found that he was really good at picking up on people's intentions and thought he knew Sarah's. 

Now what do I do, he thought helplessly. 

"Jeff, please understand, I really like you, but it's just not possible." 

Sarah was on the verge of tears. She had been dreading this for over a week. She could tell how strongly Jeff felt for her, but it was nothing compared to the way she felt. The question was how to let him down easily. He couldn't know why she wouldn't date him. She couldn't force herself to have that discussion. She just hoped they'd make it through him getting out of the hospital. Now she knew that wasn't a possibility. 

"Look Sarah, I shouldn't have put you in that position, I'm sorry. I . . . I think I should be alone." 

He felt so stupid. Here he was, laying flat on his back completely helpless. How was she supposed to answer him? If she said yes, it might have been out of sympathy. If she said no, he just made her feel like a monster. Now he had to ask her to leave because all he could do is lay there.

She tried to talk to him, but he insisted she leave. As she sadly walked out the door, she wished her life could have been different . . . 

~~~~~

At five o'clock the next day, Sarah didn't come. It was crushing to Jeff, although a part of him expected it. He sat quietly, hoping she'd show up and pretend he hadn't screwed everything up. He knew it probably wouldn't work. He had put her in an impossible position and nothing she did would satisfy both of them. If she tried to apologize, he'd feel like a cripple. If she said she wanted to go out with him, he knew it would be out of sympathy. If she still said no, he'd be too embarrassed to act the same around her. He felt lonelier than he ever had in his life.

He drifted off to sleep while thinking about his situation. He was awakened some time later by the feeling of a wet sponge moving on his chest. As he woke, he grumbled about wanting to do this later.

"Sorry, it's time for your bath," came the hushed reply. 

Jeff was startled at what he thought he heard, then decided it was just his imagination. He relaxed, hoping this would be over quickly. He wasn't in the mood for the normal small talk the nurses made, trying to make sponge baths less uncomfortable for the recipient. 

He sat still, wondering why this felt different tonight. The way the wet cloth dragged across his chest, slowing at his nipples, made him a little uncomfortable. Whether it was intentional or not, he was getting turned on. He had been lying there for more than three weeks without any chance for a normal sexual release. As he felt the soft cloth slide down his stomach, his erection became uncomfortably hard. It wasn't the first time he'd had this problem. 

He tried to joke, "Sorry, I . . . uh think I've been here alone a little too long." 

The nurse just shushed him and kept at her work. 

She seemed to be dwelling on more sensitive spots of his body than normal and the whole thing was definitely moving slower. He was really getting agitated about his condition, but tried to relax and focus on something else. That changed when he felt her slip his covers lower and run the fabric slowly down his erection. He knew this was completely inappropriate. 

"Listen, I'm sorry but . . . "

"Just be quiet and let me enjoy myself," he heard Sarah scold.

Jeff tried to push himself up, "Sarah?" 

She pushed firmly against his shoulder so he would lay back down. "Listen buddy, I had to bribe the nurse to let me give you your bath, so I want my money's worth, all right?"

He felt a flood of emotions. After believing he had ruined everything, there wasn't any way for him to process what was happening. He wanted her so badly, but this sudden turnaround was stunning. He couldn't imagine what could have happened to trigger this.

Sarah was trapped in her own emotional confusion. She never intended it to go this far, she wanted to tease him a little and then apologize for the way she acted yesterday. It was supposed to be a little joke. As she ran the rag across the scar on his chest, she couldn't help thinking about how he got it, and the irony of her being the one to lose control over a guy. That was normally something her little sister would do. 

There was something about Jeff that she couldn't get out of her system. It was something she never could have anticipated and something she thought she'd never feel again. The more she tried to keep her feelings about him in check, the more completely out of control she felt.




Hero's Reward



The touching started something tingling inside her that quickly became a rush of emotions she just wasn't equipped to deal with. She watched his body with a detached fascination, the damp cloth leaving a glistening trail across his muscles as she moved it down his chest to his stomach. When she reached his waist, she noticed him becoming erect; it was impossible to ignore under the flimsy hospital garment. Then she did something so foreign to her character, that before tonight she would have sworn it was impossible. On an impulse, she found herself moving the cloth lower, using her free hand to pull his gown and blanket out of the way so she could touch him. 

The fabric grazed his sensitive skin along with the tips of her fingers. Her skin brushing against his warm flesh caused a surge to run through her body, making her to lose what was left of her will. Jeff spoke, almost breaking the spell she seemed to be under, but she told him to be still, unable to bring herself to stop touching him. The wall that normally protected her was nowhere in sight. The only thing she could think about was trying to bring him pleasure. 

Jeff had given up trying to understand what was going on. Sarah's touches felt so amazing that he pushed everything else out of his mind. There was an unexpected consequence to his condition. Without being able to see what was going on, he found that her every touch seemed far more intense than normal. 

He could feel her leisurely dragging the rag up and down the underside of his shaft. The fingers of her other hand slowly stroked a spot on his chest. She moved the wet cloth down and let it travel lower, then back again. His hips came off the bed as the pleasure was almost more than he could take.

"You better not move too much or you'll pull out your stitches. I'd like to see you explain that to the doctor." 

He heard her softly chuckle at the idea of that meeting. Although the thought was amusing, he couldn't concentrate on anything except her delicate touches. He felt her fingernail softly trail around the head of his penis. It was an unusual sensation. He couldn't remember a woman touching him quite like that. There was an awkward, almost innocent quality to her caresses. 

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Jeff asked, suddenly afraid that if she went too far, it could push her away again. "I don't want you to . . . oh shit," he groaned, as he felt her warm breath. 

It caused him to break out in goose bumps and he grabbed the edges of the bed. She continued teasing him, making the experience even more erotic. He kept flexing his fingers, balling his hands into fists anticipating her mouth touching him. For what seemed like an eternity, he felt like he was undergoing sort of wonderful torture, his body desperate to find release.

When the touch finally came, it was so soft and quick, he thought he imagined it. He held his breath, afraid he might miss it a second time, trying to almost will it to happen again. When it did, he couldn't remember ever feeling that aroused. It was soft, leaving a wet feeling on his shaft. She started dragging her tongue up the length like he was a Popsicle. 

"Oh Sarah," he moaned, "that feels so good." 

His hips lifted slightly off the bed, and she took his reaction as encouragement, beginning to make small biting motions up and down the underside. When she reached the tip, she tentatively took it in her mouth, sliding down an inch or two, then grabbing the base with one hand. Jeff put his hands on her shoulders, resisting the urge to pull down, instead stroking softly. 

He began to move a hand up her neck when she reached out and stopped him. "Uh, uh," she mumbled, returning his hand to the bed. 

He took the hint and let her continue what she was doing. It seemed like her confidence was growing because she was becoming more aggressive. Her hand began stroking him and she moved her mouth down a little further. She let his cock fall from her lips and returned to the earlier technique of licking and biting his shaft. Her mouth moved up and down the entire length, letting her tongue dart out, touching every inch of the underside of his erection. 

The sensation was too much for him and Jeff cried out, "Sarah, I'm cumming." 

She continued the same motions, pushing her mouth harder against him. Jeff closed his mouth tightly to avoid yelling as he came, feeling his cum shoot onto his chest. His body jerked hard, followed by trembling that seemed to go on forever. As his breathing settled into a regular rhythm, he felt the cloth she was using move across his chest. He assumed Sarah was cleaning him up. With a last, deliberate lick that drew another shudder from him, she moved up his body, kissing him lightly on the lips.

She laid down against him, with her head on his shoulder. They sat together silently for a short time. Finally Jeff couldn't take the uncomfortable silence. 

"Sarah," he spoke softly, "That was wonderful. I just don't understand what happened. You said...well, you know," he trailed off, unable to find words to express his feelings.

He heard her take a deep breath, knowing she wasn't sure what to say. Whether she was looking for the right words, or the right lie, he couldn't tell.

"Jeff, I don't know how to explain it. I wanted you to know how I really feel about you. I guess I got a little carried away. I hope you don't mind," she finished with a chuckle. She kissed him on the cheek, then pulled away.

Jeff couldn't see her smile, but he could tell it was there. "I guess that wasn't the worst surprise I've ever had." 

He tried to sound jovial and confident, but couldn't shake his confusion. He had no idea where this left them and was afraid to ask. The last thing he wanted was to make things awkward again. They held each other quietly until she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Slowly, he sat up while she was gone. His chest still hurt, but it was better. He leaned back and relaxed, trying to figure out his next move. He didn't want to say the words, even in his own head, but he knew exactly how he felt about her. She seemed to feel the same, but there was something wrong. Was she afraid this was some sort of Florence Nightingale crush? If that's what she thought it was, how did her actions make sense? 

"I need to stop being a pussy and just be myself," he quietly scolded himself.

"What's that Jeff?" he heard her voice back in the room.

"I was just annoyed with myself because of putting you in that position yesterday. I'm sorry. I like you, but it wasn't fair for me to put you on the spot. I'm glad you came back tonight." He paused, then added with a smile, "Part of me is extremely glad." He hoped she'd take his jest as a sign that he wouldn't push the issue of them dating, at least for now.

"Well, I'm glad I came back too," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Things are still complicated for me, but I wanted you to know I do care deeply for you. I just got a little carried away. I never imagined myself doing something like that," she continued, her tone betraying her sincere surprise. 

There was an uncomfortable silence as they each tried to think of what to say next. 

Jeff decided it would be best to take the pressure off of her. "How about if we just listen to the new album you got me?"

"That would be nice," she said gratefully. 

His considerate gesture reminded her of just how special Jeff was. She thought he'd want to talk about things between them which frightened her, because she had no answers. Like always, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. There simply wasn't a frame of reference for her to deal with his insight and compassion. 

She sat next to him and resisted the urge to hold his hand. They talked quietly about nothing for the rest of the night. When she left, she still wasn't sure if she did the right thing, but was happy about it anyway. She wondered if he'd ever understand just how nervous she had been.

~~~~~

"Hi Jeff, I was wondering if you'd like some company," an unfamiliar voice said, rousing him from his thoughts about what to say to Sarah today.

"Well, I guess," Jeff said cautiously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Don Williams. I'm a police officer. I was there the night you were in the fight."

"Are you the officer Paige told me about; the one who saved me?" he said hopefully.

"I don't know if saved is the right word," Don said humbly. "I was just in the right place at the right time."

"Paige told me that you held me together with your bare hands until the paramedics got there. I'd say saved is exactly the right word," Jeff said gratefully.

"Ok then, you're welcome," the policeman conceded. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right and see if there was anything you needed."

"Um," Jeff stammered, "I was wondering . . . about the fight in the alley, no one has talked to me about that yet. I was kind of nervous, is everything all right?"

"Jeez," Don said laughing, "you think anyone is looking to charge you for what happened? I've had friends asking me if the story was really true. You're a . . . "

"Hero, I know," Jeff interrupted, with frustration evident in his voice. "Seriously, if she had gotten hurt or worse, nobody would be calling me a hero, they'd be saying I was a stupid-assed vigilante. I'm lucky as hell things turned out as well as they did."

"I guess," came the reply. "I thought you showed a hell of a lot of guts going in there. Everybody knows you called 911 first and tried to talk your way out of it. Nobody thinks you were being a hot dog, if that's what you're worried about." 

Jeff visibly relaxed and the two men slipped into an easy conversation. An hour later when Don announced he had to leave, Jeff felt disappointed. For the first time since the alley, he actually felt on even footing with someone. He was in awe of the stories Don had shared. There was little about being a policeman that Jeff had really understood. 

When he stood up to go, Jeff asked, "So you're sure I'm not going to be in any trouble?"

"Those guys were human trash with a long record. If you hadn't stepped in, everyone knows that girl was going to have something horrible happen to her. Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about."

When Don left, Jeff realized he felt much more at ease about things. At the same time, he knew there was something that had been bothering him for a while. His talk with Don had brought into focus exactly why it had been upsetting him. The problem now was figuring out if there was anything he could do to change it.

~~~~~

Jeff was deep in thought. Sarah had been there a little more than an hour, but he wasn't in a good mood despite her presence. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "It's just one of those days. I'm not sure why, but I've been trying to sort things out."

"What sort of things?" Sarah asked nervously. 

"Don't worry," he said, trying to reassure her. "It's about me." He thought carefully before continuing. "Sarah, why don't you ever talk about what happened in the alley?"

Sarah was caught off guard. She stammered a reply, "I . . . I just thought you'd talk about it if you wanted to."

"Okay, let's say I want to. Do you buy into all this 'hero' nonsense?"

"What you did for Paige was the most unselfish thing I've ever seen," she said firmly. "You were lucky to come out of it alive. If that's not being a hero, I don't know what is."

"I want to say something, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts, "I don't think I'm a hero and in some ways I'm ashamed of myself." When he was greeted with shocked silence, Jeff continued. 

"Firemen run into burning buildings, the police protect people daily, soldiers risk their lives. That doesn't even count the people who take care of the sick, feed the hungry," he paused, looking frustrated. "You know what I mean."

Sarah had no idea where he was going with this. "So what are you saying, you have to save people a lot to be special?"

Jeff shook his head. "No, I'm saying people are defined by their actions." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts. "Sarah, do you believe in redemption?"

"Sure, don't you?"

"I don't know. I'm thirty and barely have anything to show for it. I haven't done any of the things I wanted to when I was growing up. Now I'm so up to my ears in bills that I'm just trying to make it to the next paycheck. I get a chance to help somebody one time and everybody's kissing my ass like I cured cancer. Anybody would have done the same thing. I was just in the right place at the right time."

Sarah was indignant, "No they wouldn't have done the same thing!" Jeff was surprised to hear her voice breaking and could tell she was beginning to cry. The intensity of her reaction caught him off guard. 

"If you haven't done enough in your life up to now, then change it when you get out of here. Don't you ever let me hear you put down what you did for Paige. Did you ever think maybe you were in that alley for a reason?"

Jeff was sorry she was upset and didn't want to antagonize her, but he also couldn't let it go. "What, you mean some 'master plan'? Come on, do you really buy that? Why would I get to wipe away a whole life of mediocrity with one good deed?"

She touched his face gently, trying to soften her tone. "What about that deed? Have you considered that she could have died if you hadn't helped her? You want redemption, try thinking about her life after that if she had survived." She paused and Jeff could hear a quiet sob.

"Nobody's saying you get a free pass for life because of what happened, but you damn well better believe we are all grateful for what you did. You know, I've been here getting to know you for a month and you are a very good person. I'm not sure why you doubt yourself, but I don't."

Jeff sat quietly, trying to absorb what she said. Sarah was the only person who told him what she thought without trying to soften it. He respected her opinion highly. "Maybe you're right, but it's just so overwhelming. I'm really happy she's all right and I don't regret anything I did. I just feel like the media, your family, the hospital staff . . . it's just so much to deal with. How many times can you listen to someone say thank you or tell you how wonderful you are before you just don't know what to say back?"

Sarah didn't know what else to say. The doctor warned them that Jeff could feel overwhelmed. Now that she listened to his concerns, she understood him a little better than before, and it made her feelings for him even stronger. Knowing the way he felt made it even harder on her, considering what she would have to do. Luckily it was time for her to go. She didn't know how to keep herself together another minute. 

She kissed him on the cheek again and told him that he worried too much. It would be a couple more days until the bandages came off and then he'd feel more like himself. She quickly got out before she lost it altogether.

~~~~~

The next night, Jeff waited impatiently for five o'clock. He wanted to apologize for his sour mood the previous day. An unexpected voice startled him. "Hi Jeff, how are you feeling?"

"Paige? What are you doing here?" He realized how insensitive that sounded and quickly corrected himself. "I mean it's great to talk to you. It's been almost a week, but I . . . "

"Don't worry, I know what you mean," Paige said with a sad smile. "Sarah wasn't feeling well so she asked me to make sure you were okay."

Jeff tried to hide his disappointment, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "Well, I am glad you're here. You can answer a question that's been bothering me for weeks." He paused for effect. "Did you really have a crush on the guy who ran the roller coaster?" He heard her outraged laugh and felt her punch him in the leg.

They hung out together for the rest of the night. Jeff remembered Sarah's take on his situation and let Paige spoil him. He could tell it made her feel good and there was no reason for him to feel bad about enjoying her attention. He really did adore her. She was a sweet kid. He thought about Sarah's comment about what Paige's life would have been like if he hadn't been there and shuddered. He couldn't imagine someone like her having to deal with that kind of pain. 

At the end of the evening, Paige got ready to leave. Jeff didn't want to put her in the middle of anything, but had a bad feeling. "Paige, are you all going to be here tomorrow when they take the bandages off?"

She understood precisely what he was asking and tried to sound hopeful. "If I can help it, everyone is going to be here." She felt terrible for not telling him more, but she was afraid if she interfered it would make everything worse. Sarah was so stubborn . . .

~~~~~

"All right Jeff, I don't want you to get too excited one way or another. The tests show that most of the affected area has healed which is very encouraging, but it's possible you'll have limited vision or might not be able to focus correctly for some time. It doesn't mean anything. This is just the first part of the healing process. Are you ready?"

Jeff indicated he was, and felt the doctor proceeding. He kept his eyes closed and felt the bandages being removed. When the doctor told him to open his eyes, he did so, cautiously. At first, the light was so bright, he couldn't focus at all. There was a stab of fear, but he held it together, remembering the doctor's warning. Soon his eyes adjusted and he tentatively looked around the room.

It was a little fuzzy, but he saw his sister, the doctor and Paige, who looked even more beautiful than he remembered from his quick glance in the alley. "Well?" the young woman said nervously. 

"Wow, Sarah wasn't kidding. You really are beautiful." 

Paige gave an excited squeal and threw herself into his arms, crying freely. Jeff was tempted to tell her it hurt like hell to have her crash into his chest, but he couldn't bring himself to spoil the moment. As he looked around the room, he saw her father, a distinguished looking gray-haired gentleman of about fifty. Although he was older, he was in remarkable shape. Jeff thought that he looked like the kind of man who was fully capable of watching out for two daughters. He noticed that Steven was hugging Katy. The only thing missing was Sarah.

~~~~~

"She's not really sick, is she?" Jeff asked, already knowing the answer.

Paige couldn't look him in the eye. She had argued with Sarah for hours, but to no avail. Her sister was intractable. "No, she wouldn't come. I'm sorry Jeff, I tried everything but she wouldn't budge."

Jeff was despondent, "I just don't understand. I thought she...I mean how could I have been so wrong?"

Paige looked at her father with frustration. Ignoring a warning glance she shocked Jeff. "She does like you, maybe it's even more than that." 

Jeff was confused and more than a little frustrated. "Then why isn't she here? What the hell is going on?"

Katy looked to Paige, then to Steven and said, "Look, he's my brother. If you don't tell him then I'm going to. This isn't fair."

Steven appeared to be having a terrible argument within himself. He looked at Katy, then at Jeff and finally made up his mind. "She didn't want you to see her," he said quietly. Jeff looked like that answer made him more upset than before, so he continued. "Look son, we all were hoping she'd tell you herself. None of us were trying to hide it from you, but it's such a difficult situation." 

Jeff started to really get upset as the tap dance continued. "Steven, you're obviously going to have to tell me, so just do it. This guessing game is just making it worse." 

When he saw the man cringe, Jeff regretted his words. This was obviously very serious and incredibly difficult for him to talk about. No matter what frustration he was feeling, there was no need to make this harder for him.




Hero's Reward



Paige couldn't take it anymore and just blurted out, "They were so happy when you saved me. No one wanted me to end up like her." She covered her face and burst into tears.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jeff had a sinking suspicion, but he couldn't bear the thought.

Steven finally spoke again. "Jeff, when Sarah was in High School, she was raped."

Jeff felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. This had to be some kind of cruel joke. Then he remembered the wall she would put up when discussing the past and everything suddenly made sense.

"What happened?" he mumbled, wishing he didn't want to know.

Paige moved to her father, putting her arm around him for support. Jeff felt twice as bad for snapping at him earlier. A father having to explain something like this must be horrible beyond words.

"She was grabbed off the street on her way home from school. The sick son of a bitch forced her into his van and . . . " he stopped and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. 

When she saw he couldn't continue, Paige took over trying to ease his pain. "When he finished with her, she was furious. She's always been a fighter. She spit in his face and told him how weak a man he must have been to have to grab a girl off the street. He was so angry, he cut her." She stopped, unable to continue.

"What do you mean, he cut her?" 

Katy couldn't stand to see either of them continue to relive this. "Jeff honey, he cut her face. She has a terrible scar all the way from above her ear to the middle of her chin."

Jeff thought about the conversation they had about Paige and what her life would have been like, realizing painfully that Sarah was talking about herself. He thought about all the clues that had been there, but he had never noticed. The thought of the kind of pain she must have suffered was unbearable. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and bolted from the bed. He almost made it to the bathroom when he began vomiting. 

After a moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard his sister's voice. "Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not fucking all right. Why the hell didn't you tell me? I feel like such an idiot."

"What exactly was I supposed to tell you? That the lovely young woman who looked after you every day had a scar? Would that have made any difference to you?" 

He thought for a moment. "No, but what if I said something to hurt her. Shit, I had no idea."

"That was the whole point. The reason the doctor wanted someone other than Paige to look after you is because you weren't supposed to worry about anyone but yourself. If you had been worried about hurting her feelings, it would have stressed you out. You needed to relax and heal. 

When Sarah volunteered to take care of you, her family hoped it might help her come out of her shell. We all hoped this could somehow help both of you." She helped him up and over to the sink, where she cleaned him off. Then she said firmly, "Now come back to bed."

After she helped him, he tried to decide what to do next. "Okay, now that I know what happened, some of it makes more sense. But I still don't understand, it's been what, seven years? She still hasn't been able to find a way to...well, to get past it?"

Paige sat down next to Jeff and took his hand. "She dates sometimes, but never let's any guys get close. She was a virgin when it happened to her. After she recovered, she tried going back to school. She had a really hard time because she felt so self-conscious. Everyone knew what happened and treated her differently. She didn't have many friends and some of the kids even picked on her because of it. 

"In her senior year, one of the most popular guys in school asked her out to a school dance. She was nervous, but decided to try." Jeff noticed Steven turn away. "The last few days she got cold feet and tried to back out, but I stayed on her to go out with him. The day of the dance, another girl came up to her and told her the guy had been bragging that he was going to finally get a piece of the 'Ice Queen', now that someone else had loosened her up." 

"Son of a bitch! Are you fucking kidding me?" Jeff didn't know what to say. He knew teenage boys could be cruel, but this was too much.

"Don't worry Jeff, he never said it again," Steven said firmly. He didn't elaborate, but Jeff had a feeling he knew what happened. He hoped it was really painful. 

"Unfortunately, the damage was done. Sarah never trusted anyone after that. When she goes out with someone, it's always the same. They have a nice time, but she always finds some reason to end it before it can get serious." 

"My wife and I home schooled her the rest of her senior year. When she went to college, she refused to stay on campus. After her mother died, she told me there was no reason for her to move out because I needed her. The truth is, she's hiding out and I'm afraid the longer she does, the harder it will be for her to ever get on with her life. She got a good job, but it's behind a desk talking to people on the phone. I'm afraid we just don't know how to help her more than we have.

The problem is that the scar is a constant reminder of what happened to her. Every time someone meets her, she knows that it's the first thing they notice about her, and it's tied to the worst memory imaginable." 

"I don't understand," Jeff said, unable to comprehend the pain she must have been dealing with. "If she had such a hard time coping with the scar, couldn't they have done something about it with surgery?" Jeff asked, unsure of how to process the information. 

"It got better with the first couple," Steven replied. "Then she refused to have any more. She said she didn't care, but I think part of it was her being scared and part was that financially, it would have wiped out her mother and me. 

Paige is right. Sarah is incredibly stubborn and refused to consider it, no matter what we tried. Doctor Wolcott told us it wouldn't be a good idea to push her. He said she needed to decide to have another surgery or live with the scar the way it was, but us trying to force her could push her away from us. Her mother and I were so afraid of doing the wrong thing, we just let it go." He looked down in frustration, 

"You'll never understand how hard it was for me to deal with something like this, I just wanted my baby to be all right again."

Paige hugged him tightly, wishing there was some way to make him feel better. Katy put her hand on his shoulder, afraid to imagine anything like that happening to one of her kids. 

After things calmed down, Jeff asked everyone but Paige to leave. Once they were gone, he asked softly, "Paige, no more stalling, I want to know everything. I'm not going to sit here and let her walk out of my life."

Paige looked at him uncertainly. She felt incredibly torn between her loyalty to her sister and the debt she felt she owed to Jeff. "Before I say anything else, I need to know how you really feel about her. She's really tied herself in knots about this and I don't want her to get hurt again."

He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "Paige, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her, I think I love her."

She pulled him close again, giving a relieved sob against his chest. "Tell me what you want to know."

~~~~~

Jeff had the cab take him to the address Paige had given him. He was going to go to the door, but decided to run into the small grocery store across the street to get some flowers. This wasn't going to be easy. He went through the store and found a small section with some roses. He bought a dozen and went to the counter.

There were three open registers, so he jumped in the shortest line and waited. He wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around him as he ran through what he might say in his mind. It terrified him. Anything he said could make things worse. 

The information about the scar or the story didn't change his mind about anything. He felt deeply for Sarah and the only thing on his mind was that she was in pain and he had to help. It had only been a week and he already missed her more than he could stand. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if he blew this chance.

He was deep in thought when a woman's laughter caught his attention. Even though he hadn't been paying attention, there was no doubt who it belonged to. Jeff looked from person to person, afraid he had imagined it. He finally settled on a blonde woman standing at the register, about four customers in front of him. She was about his height, thin, with straight hair that reached the middle of her back. He couldn't see her face.

As he tried to listen in on the conversation, he heard the young man at the register ask her what was wrong. She said something he quite make out, but he recognized the voice. 

"Sarah?" he said, cautiously. 

The woman spun around to face him. She was beautiful with green eyes, high cheekbones and luscious, full lips. There was a softness to her features that he found appealing. Her looks were in stark contrast to the faded, but still prominent scar that ran all the way across one side of her face. 

Suddenly Jeff realized that if he had passed her on the street a few months ago, he would have noticed the scar and thought, What a shame' The idea embarrassed him as he confronted the shallowness that would have cost him the chance to meet such a spectacular woman. Maybe he needed that time in the hospital to grow up. Suddenly he wanted to believe in Sarah's theory of a master plan.

Sarah heard Jeff call her name and turned so quickly that the bottle she was holding slipped from her hand. It hit the ground, smashing into dozens of small pieces. While she tried to recover from the shock, she realized that all activity in the store had ceased.

The activity around them stopped to as the people waited to see what was happening. The young man at the register saw her reaction and tensed, ready to step in if this was unwanted attention. 

Jeff pushed past the other people in line and gently grabbed her by the shoulders. He studied every detail of the face he had waited weeks to see. There was a tear falling down her cheek and he couldn't stop himself from wiping it away. He pulled her close slowly, afraid he might frighten her away. When she didn't resist, he closed his eyes as their lips met. She tilted her head back and her hand involuntarily moved behind his shoulder. 

Jeff slowly savored their embrace, in no hurry to have it end. She returned his kiss a little shyly, but he couldn't sense any reluctance. Their kiss intensified as he held her with one hand and ran the other through her hair. He was just beginning to lose himself in the feeling of her soft lips when they were both startled by the sound of applause. 

Jeff broke away first, finally realizing that they were the center of attention. He turned back to Sarah, intending to ask her to go somewhere more private. 

To his dismay, she pushed away. "Jeff, I'm sorry, I can't," she said, as she turned and ran from the store, pushing past the people in front of her.

It took him a second to recover. By the time he reached the door, she was crossing the street and running up the stairs of her apartment building. "Sarah, please stop," he yelled. 

Jeff had to wait for several cars to pass before he could cross. When he finally saw an opening, it was too late and she disappeared into her building, pulling the door shut behind her. He buzzed her apartment for fifteen minutes, but she refused to answer.

Dejectedly, he turned and walked back to his car, not knowing what to do next.

~~~~~

As he sat in the waiting room, Jeff tried to keep some spark of hope alive. Sarah obviously had feelings for him. The way she returned his kiss left no doubt about that. The problem was getting past the wall she had built up over the years. She had evidently made up her mind that she would be better off without him, or maybe she thought he would be better off without her. Either way, he resolved to not give up without a fight.

A pleasant looking young woman sitting behind a desk caught his attention. "Doctor Wolcott will see you now."

Jeff walked through the door and the doctor rose to greet him. "Jeff, you are looking well, how can I help you."

"Paige told me to talk to you. She said you helped Sarah through her recovery and have stayed close with her over the years."

The doctor frowned, "Jeff, I can't talk to you about what I discussed with a patient. You understand that, right?"

Jeff met the doctor's gaze firmly. "I'm not asking you to betray any privilege, but I need to find some way to get through to Sarah. If you're as close to her as Paige said, you have to have an idea of how to help me. She hasn't been your patient for years. There has to be something you can tell me. I am crazy about her and from what her family says, she feels the same way about me. She just won't give me the chance to get close to her."

Dr. Wolcott sat quietly, trying to choose his words carefully. "Well, I can talk to you in general about the way trauma victims feel. The victim of a sexual assault can have a wide variety of reactions. Some become insatiable with their desires, trying to fill a void in their emotions with the act of sex. Some even crave degrading acts because they feel unworthy of anything better."

"Some," and he paused looking directly at Jeff to indicate his meaning without saying it aloud, "retreat into themselves. They are afraid of being rejected to the point of making themselves miserable rather than risk being hurt. Some part of their behavior can be attributed to the guilt they feel."

"Guilt?" Jeff asked uncertainly. "How could she . . . they feel guilty about something they couldn't control?"

"Control is a matter of perspective, son. In some victim's minds, they continue to question if they made all the right choices. If they had done something differently, could they have avoided what happened? Everyone in their life is exposed to their trauma, so sometimes they feel like they're responsible for everyone's pain, in a way. This is incredibly difficult to cope with, and it's why therapy can be so important."

"In Sarah's case, she has a permanent reminder of the event because of her scar. Every time she meets someone new, she knows the first thing they notice is something that is tied into the most traumatic event of her life. To be honest, I think she uses it as an excuse to keep men at a distance. She hates it, but it's also part of her defenses."

"Ok," Jeff responded, "so that explains why she hasn't dated much, but what about me. She already knows I care about her and that she cares about me. What happened to her doesn't change the way I feel about her, I already know the real Sarah and she's wonderful."

The doctor nodded his agreement. "She is a remarkable young woman, but in a way, you are more of a threat to her than anyone." He paused as Jeff shot him a confused look. "She knows you had feelings for her before you found out about her past. Now that you know, I'm sure she's afraid you might reject her. She's probably also worried about you being too nice to walk away, even though you might want to. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she has talked herself into believing that your pursuit is based on pity, which would be even more devastating to her."

"So let me get this straight," Jeff said, starting to get angry. "If I blow her off, it's because I'm a jerk. If I try to get her to see me, it's because I'm still a jerk, but don't want to look like a bad guy? How the hell do I deal with that?"

"Exactly," Dr. Wolcott answered cryptically. "How do you deal with that?"

"Great, now you sound like a shrink," Jeff answered, clearly frustrated.

"Jeff, I can't tell you any magic words to make things better. If I knew them, I would have used them with her seven years ago. She is such a special young woman that it kills me to not be able to help her. I watch her every week, wondering if there is something I could think of . . . "

With a swift movement, Jeff's head jerked up to look at the doctor. "What do you mean, every week?"

This time it was the doctor's turn to look confused. "She volunteers here every Monday and Friday in the children's ward. She has for years. I would have thought her family would have told you that." 

He was surprised by Jeff abruptly rising and heading for the door. "Sorry doc, I've got to go."

~~~~~

Sarah walked into the hospital lost in her thoughts. It was the first time back since her last night with Jeff. She had missed three of her volunteer dates in a row and wasn't going to miss another, no matter what. Some days it was like the kids were her reason for getting out of bed. People often complimented her on how caring she was, spending time with sick children. The truth was, her time with the kids did as much for her as it did for them. 

She had taken two days off work after her encounter with Jeff. It was so unsettling that she had no idea how to begin to deal with it yet. Part of her wished he had never come looking for her because of all the emotions it had stirred up. Part of her wished he wouldn't have left. She sat by the window of her apartment for hours, hoping he'd come back, wondering if she could have forced herself to talk to him. Jeff was a very good man, this was incredibly unfair to him and she knew it. How could he have any idea what she wanted when she didn't know herself? 

Paige had tried to help, but Sarah had been angry with her sister for interfering and let her know it. She knew Jeff would find out her secrets eventually, but Paige had related the details from last Tuesday's conversation. Her sister had given up far too much information, then tried to defend it by telling Sarah how much Jeff cared. 

"It doesn't matter. It's my life not yours!" she had said heatedly. 

Although Paige had called every day, Sarah refused to talk to her. She loved her sister and knew Paige meant well, but this wasn't the kind of situation that called for an 18-year-old who thought she knew everything. As she walked down the hallway, Sarah thought again about what her younger sister had been through and what could have happened. 

She shook her head as she approached the door. I've got to call her tonight and apologize, she thought. She loves me and is just trying to do what she thinks is right. Sarah even flirted with the idea of calling Jeff to apologize. She just couldn't imagine what she could say. 

As she entered the rec room, she knew immediately something was going on. The kids were standing around with conspiratorial looks on their faces. She put it out of her mind as several of the younger ones ran up to her. 

"Sarah," cried Jessie, a little girl who was her favorite. She had been injured in a fire and even after several skin grafts, still had terrible scars. Jessie's mom had told Sarah how much her visits had meant because the little girl identified with the caring woman who had her own scar.

She hugged Jessie and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "How are you, little angel?"

"Good," said the seven year-old. "I missed you. Where have you been?"

"I'm so sorry I missed the last few visits. I wasn't feeling very well. I'm better now, so I promise I won't miss any more, all right?"

Jessie smiled and said mischievously, "Ok, but you owe me a promise."

Sarah looked at her with an amused expression. "Ok Jessie, I owe you a promise."

"Anything I want?" 

"Yes, I promise, anything you ask me." She laughed at Jessie's persistence. She expected to be making a trip to the cafeteria for a candy bar any second now.

"Well," said the child shyly, "one of the boys here likes you." Sarah looked around the room quickly, noticing flowers on one of the tables. "He was scared to tell you, so he bought you flowers and asked me to do it because we're friends. He wants a kiss from you and wants to tell you something. Remember, you promised."




Hero's Reward



Sarah was on the verge of laughing over the precocious child's demands. She tried to keep a straight face, not wanting to hurt any of the boys' feelings. The oldest child in the room looked to be eleven or twelve. It would be terrible to make any of them feel like she was making fun of them. 

"Yes Jessie, I promise I'll give him a kiss for the nice flowers and I'll talk to him. So who is it?" she asked, still looking around the room.

Jessie smiled wide, and pointed behind Sarah. "It's him," she yelled, jumping up and down; excited to have succeeded at her mission.

Sarah turned and felt her knees go weak as she saw Jeff standing with a bouquet of her favorite roses. 

"Hi Sarah, how about that kiss?" he said as all the kids began cheering.

She blushed as she looked around in embarrassment. She saw Jessie smiling with glee and knew she had no way out. 

Sarah watched motionless as Jeff walked up to her. "You tricked me," she hissed.

"You didn't give me any choice. Now are you going to let the kids down or are you going to kiss me?"

She leaned forward to give him a peck on the lips, but he caught her and pulled her against him. He kept his lips pressed against hers, tilting his head so he could kiss her more deeply. She felt herself losing control again, just like at the grocery store when the loud, "Ohhhh," of the children broke them out of their moment.

"That was nice," Jeff said in awe. 

"Yes," Sarah replied, still struggling to hold her emotions in check. "That just leaves the talk."

"We can talk later. Right now I have a lot of troublemakers to thank." He turned away from her and gave Jessie a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

Sarah watched him, feeling caught in a whirlwind. As she watched him playing with the children, seemingly without a care in the world, she thought again about how amazing he was. She knew how strongly she felt for him, but didn't know how to begin to gauge his feelings for her. She had spent such a long time building the wall to protect herself, she wondered if it was possible to let down her guard and trust someone. The one thing she was sure of was that if there was anyone she would ever be able to trust, it would be this man. 

~~~~~

Sarah drove, unable to organize her thoughts. Seven years of protecting herself and not allowing anyone inside had left her unprepared to change. It scared her more than she could face. Jeff already had the power to hurt her more than any man since the attack. If she let him in further, she couldn't imagine how intense it would get. 

This is crazy, I've only known him four weeks, she thought. Twice she had talked herself out of going to his place, but couldn't seem to make herself dial the phone. It was like the scene at her apartment, but reversed. Now she was afraid something would happen and he would change his mind. It was a fear she wasn't used to and it hit her hard. 

She found a parking space close to his apartment and reluctantly got out of her car. As she slowly walked to the door, Sarah nervously fidgeted with her hair and clothes, trying to make sure she looked her best before he answered the door.

When he opened the door, Jeff looked at her with open admiration. "Wow, you look amazing."

Sarah felt embarrassed, but accepted the compliment. Jeff asked her to come inside and offered her a seat on the couch. He went to the kitchen for drinks, then sat next to her. He suddenly was at a loss about what to say, so they sipped their wine in an awkward silence. Finally Sarah couldn't take it and spoke up, her voice sounding surprisingly brittle. 

"So how did you work that out today? I didn't realize working with kids was one of your specialties. That was kind of a dirty trick."

Jeff replied evenly, "I told you before, you didn't give me any choice. I'm not going to apologize. I would have done anything to get you to talk to me. Are you upset?"

"No," she admitted, unable to suppress a smile. "I thought it was . . . original. How did you know about me working with the kids?"

"I'm not going to tell you all my secrets," he replied cryptically. His mood abruptly lightened. "I've been spending all my free time with them since Tuesday. I was surprised. It was a lot of fun and they seemed to like me too. When I told them about my plan, they all wanted to help, especially Jessie. You're really close to her, aren't you?"

She nodded, "How did you like your new start?" When she saw Jeff's confused expression, she continued. "You told me in the hospital that you wanted to do something more important with your life. I can't think of anything more important than caring for those kids, even if you did it with an ulterior motive."

"Well, I had a great time with them. I'll be happy to go with you every week," he paused, "if you want me to." 

Sarah nodded, feeling more comfortable. "Listen Jeff, I have to apologize about not coming to the hospital at the end. I didn't know how to handle what would happen when you could see again, so I ran away." She looked away, "I guess I've been doing that for a while."

He took her hand. "So my question is, are you ready to stop running? I don't want to push you to talk about anything until you're ready, but I want you to know you can trust me. I don't know what else I can do to make you see that I'm right where I want to be and I'm not going anywhere."

Sarah sat quietly for a moment. "I can think of one thing," she said quietly, unable to look him in the eyes. "That night at the hospital, I did something I've never even considered doing before. It made me want more." He could hear her voice start to break. "The only memory I have about sex was a terrible one. I want to have good a memory with someone I care about."

Jeff put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes. "Sarah, I don't just care about you, I love you." 

He moved in to touch his lips against hers. He kissed her lightly, moving his lips across her cheek, her ear, then her neck. Finally, he returned to her lips, kissing her more passionately. He felt her lips part and gently began teasing them with his tongue, encouraging her to reciprocate. As his fingers gently caressed her cheek, his thumb softly traced the scar, causing her to blush. She pushed at his hand, uncomfortable with the contact.

He broke their kiss, and began leaving a trail of kisses along the only blemish to her features, trying to let her know he wasn't going to avoid it. After a moment, she gave up protesting and allowed him to proceed the way he wanted. When his hand moved from her face to her side, eventually rubbing the side of her breast through her blouse, she made a small involuntarily jump. 

Jeff hesitated, reminding himself to be careful with her. "Let's go to my room, Ok?"

Sarah nodded her consent and followed as he led her down the hallway. When they reached his bedroom, he watched her reactions closely. She still appeared to be nervous, although she tried to appear confident. 

They sat on the edge of the bed and resumed kissing for several minutes. Jeff ran his hands softly up and down her back, the touches slowly wearing down her anxiousness. When he thought she was ready, Jeff kneeled on the floor in front of her and began unbuttoning her blouse. 

Sarah felt confused, she was uneasy, but every time his hands touched her shirt they would graze her breasts, causing a fluttering deep in her stomach that was building. She felt the button just above her bra give way and Jeff leaned in to kiss her between her breasts. She arched her back as she felt his lips touch her like no man ever had. Although he was clean shaven, she could feel the stubble on his chin rubbing against her sensitive skin. She was so lost in the sensation, she didn't notice he had finished with her buttons, only realizing how exposed she was as he pulled her blouse from her jeans.

She felt the nervousness giving way to the excitement he was causing. He gently caressed her over her bra. Sarah took a sudden, deep breath as she felt the front clasp give way and the material slide across her sensitive nipples. She pulled him close, thrilling at his warmth.

That immediately gave way to frustration when he briefly grazed her breast again with his lips, only to skip down to her stomach. He gently pushed her back until she was lying flat on the bed, then ran his hands down her legs until he reached her feet. He quickly pulled off her shoes before moving back up to her jeans.

Jeff paused for a moment, letting his hands run up and down the outside of her thighs. He reveled in her reactions to his touch. For a moment, he stopped worrying about what she might be thinking and realized just how lucky he was to be with an angel like this. The fact that she still was partially dressed added to her allure. He ran his hands over her stomach, settling on the snap of her jeans, which gave way with a pop that startled her causing another small jump. He again reminded himself to go slowly until she was ready. 

He moved to her stomach, kissing and running his tongue teasingly around her navel to distract her. It caused her discomfort to grow until it felt like she was riding a roller coaster. It didn't keep her from noticing his hands working on her zipper. She felt it begin to slowly creep down, imagining she could hear every metal tooth click as his fingers worked the slider down. When he grabbed her jeans with both hands and began inching them down her hips, she nervously lifted slightly off of the bed to help. 

She could feel her anxiety growing, thinking about him looking at her in just her panties. Sarah knew she was already wet, she could feel her underwear sticking to her outer lips and felt a little awkward. Even though she wanted this more than ever, part of her was glad he hadn't tried to undress her completely. 

When Jeff pulled her jeans the rest of the way off, he urged her to turn onto her stomach. Moving his lips up her legs, he used his tongue to leave wet kisses up her calves. Reaching her knee, he lingered at the sensitive spot, watching her tense and grab at the bed sheet with her hands. After a moment, he worked his way up the inside of her thigh, tenderly kissing every inch and began to feel her shake. 

Continuing up, he bit at her back and shoulder a little more aggressively, noticing the skin around her neck redden as she became more excited. Jeff touched a shoulder and urged her to roll over again. As she turned, he pulled off his shirt, then slid down again, this time only his skin to touch her body as he moved.

He looked at her panty covered crotch, forcing himself to wait before touching it. He settled at the midpoint of her thigh, leaving small love bites, while moving his hand up and down the back of her leg. Her skin was smooth and impossibly soft. He let his hand wander to the edge of her panties, feeling the well-toned cheeks of her ass before dragging his fingers back down to her knees. 

The combination was making Sarah forget about everything except his touches. His kissing and sucking were making the earlier sensations much more acute and instead of her stomach, she was feeling it lower. His fingernails were softly scraping her skin causing goose bumps. She wasn't sure what to do with her hands, so settled for touching her sensitive breasts. 

Sarah started making small noises, her breath catching in her throat every few seconds. Without realizing it, she began moving her hips, partially because she was enjoying the feeling of her panties rubbing against her lips, and partially to move herself closer to his skilled mouth. 

Jeff knew she was almost ready. She wasn't holding back any more. Now she was moving toward him, trying to create contact. He leisurely slid his tongue up her thigh until it reached the inside of her hip. He gently pushed her legs apart encountering the edge of her panties, so close to that her intoxicating scent threatened to overwhelm him.

Sarah felt completely out of control. Jeff's slow, sensuous attack was pushing her past anything she had thought possible. Her hips were no longer moving unconsciously; now she knew exactly what she was doing. When his tongue made contact with the waistband of her panties, she moved, trying to force him touch her most sensitive area. 

She was afraid for a moment that he was teasing her because he wasn't planning to go further. After the buildup of the last ten minutes she felt like she'd scream if he didn't. 

Sarah felt his hand touch hers as he encouraged her to caress and pinch her nipples. She stopped for a second as she felt a light pressure against her panties. She thought it was wishful thinking until she felt it again, this time stronger. He was running his mouth from leg to leg, letting it drag across the panties, each time pushing a little harder. 

When she felt his tongue push against the front, forcing the material just between her outer lips, she brought down her other hand without thinking, now squeezing both her breasts aggressively. 

"Oh Jeff, that feels so good," she moaned, relieved to finally feel him stop teasing. 

He continued pushing harder, his hands cupping the cheeks of her ass. She felt his fingers wrap around the waistband of her panties, slowly sliding them down her hips and again arched up to help, this time without any thought but the desire for him to get back to what he was doing. 

Jeff dragged his fingers up her legs as he paused to look at her naked for the first time. She was more beautiful than he could have imagined. Her skin had just a hint of brown from her summer tan. Her breasts were just the right size for her body, with pink areolas and nipples. She had thin hips with an even slimmer waist and as her body moved, her abdominal muscles flexed, making her look like an athlete. 

Her pubic hair was trimmed, but still looked natural. Her outer lips were engorged, but firmly together. She looked so sexy that for a moment he stopped, unsure of what to do next. 

Sarah had lost all control. She never could have imagined being in this position with a man staring at her naked body, while she was massaging her breasts. Any vestige of her previous awkwardness was gone. "Please Jeff, touch me now," she lifted her head and begged. 

It didn't make any difference to her what he was going to do, just that it needed to happen quickly. She could feel her body on the edge of an orgasm even though her sex had been virtually untouched. 

Sarah watched him staring at her with a fascinated look on his face. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally saw him move in toward her. She felt the first soft touch of his tongue dipping between her outer lips just a little, then moving up until it brushed her clit. He looked into her eyes as he continued the movement from her clit, to inside her, then back. When he pulled out and traced the labia all the way around she stopped massaging her breasts and grabbed the back of his head. 

"Oh Jeff, that feels so wonderful, please don't stop." 

She felt him move one of her legs onto his shoulder, allowing him unfettered access. He brought his mouth over her clit, grabbing with his lips and sucking while roughly running his tongue back and forth.

"Oh shit," she shrieked, her voice betraying a mixture of surprise and arousal. Her breathing and moaning let him know she was almost there. He focused solely on her clit, stroking it faster with his tongue and also pressing harder as her hips began moving off the bed.

She wrapped both legs around his back and squeezed him hard. "Yes, that's it Jeff, right there . . . please don't stop!" she screamed. "Oh Jeff, yes . . . I love you!" 

As she came, her hips moved completely off the bed, taking him with her. She felt like a bomb went off inside her body. The ripples went on longer than she imagined possible, each causing her to body to spasm until they receded, leaving her gasping for breath.

Jeff felt like he was in a dream. Although her declaration startled him, he stayed with his mouth glued to her throughout the climax. As her orgasm subsided, his tongue moved away and he inserted it as far as he could inside her, riding out her gyrations. Once she slumped back to the bed exhausted, he slid up her body.

Jeff kissed her, then sat up, pausing to etch the image into his mind. Her long blonde hair was fanned everywhere and her body was bathed in sweat. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, but there was so much more to her than just that. Jeff knew he had seen a glimmer of the woman she worked so hard to keep hidden, and it was spectacular. 

Although she was anxious about intimacy, Sarah had given herself to him completely, with no reservations and showed a passionate, sexual side that exceeded anything he could have hoped for. He couldn't imagine what she could ever do to make him feel more strongly than he already did. 

"Did you say you loved me?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Sarah flushed, "It wasn't my fault, I was distracted." She smiled back, allowing him to see her with her defenses down. "You weren't playing fair." 

"Well, let's see if I can make you say it again," he said with mock seriousness. 

He sat back and unbuckled his pants. As he removed them, he could see something in her eye, just for a second. It looked like fear and immediately made him feel uncomfortable. He finished undressing, then pulled her up to put his arms around her. 

"We'll take as much time as you need, Ok?" he said tenderly. Jeff wanted to reassure her. He knew she wanted this, but was still unsure of herself and of him. 

He kissed her, running his hands up and down her body, trying to recreate the earlier mood. He held one hand behind her head while kissing her, using the other to massage her breast, she seemed to melt against him. Her moans indicated she was ready for more, so he slowly lowered her to the bed, moving with her until they were lying next to each other. He pulled her, somewhat reluctantly, on top of him.

"Honey, I don't know . . . " she started to protest, but Jeff stopped her with another kiss. His was completely erect and as her legs straddled his hips, he felt her wetness as his shaft nestled between her lips. "Ahhh," she moaned, as he pulled her hips forward, causing friction against her clit. 

Jeff used his hands to move her hips back and forth until he felt her begin to move on her own. Sarah put her hands on his chest to steady herself, getting more comfortable with the motion of her hips. His smooth, warm shaft slid between her outer lips and across her clit, coated with her overflowing juices. As she leaned forward, the pressure against her sensitive bud increased, causing another shock to run through her body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, feeling another orgasm approaching. 

"Oh Jeff, I'm cumming again," she moaned. 

He was surprised to see tears in her eyes as her body trembled, then shuddered violently several times. He pulled her down against his chest, savoring the sensation of her climax. He was doing everything possible to delay his own orgasm, desperate to make this as memorable for her as possible. 

They kissed briefly and he asked her to slide forward a little more. When he felt her move off his erection, he grabbed it by the base and tilted it up, trying to find her opening. She looked intently into his eyes as she pushed back and felt the tip work it's way between her wet folds and ease inside her. 

"I love you," she said again, never letting her eyes lose contact with his. 

She pushed back harder and he slid deeply inside her. Sarah moaned incoherently, feeling like she might pass out from the incredible sensation she had denied herself for so long. She continued staring directly at Jeff, as if she needed to have some kind of unbreakable connection for this moment. 




Hero's Reward



Her hips moved down until she couldn't push any further. She felt full, both physically and emotionally. After a moment to savor the sensation, she gave him a blank stare, unsure what to do next.

"Let me," Jeff said softly. 

He put his hands on her hips and urged her up until only the tip remained inside her. Then he pulled her down until he was fully insider her again. He urged her up a few inches higher, then controlled the motion himself, never stopping, but constantly varying his thrusts. 

Sarah was already mentally exhausted from the events of the day, and physically exhausted from her earlier orgasms, the sweat was pouring off of her, and Jeff felt impossibly huge. She felt herself nearing another orgasm, but wasn't sure how much longer she could continue. 

After another minute, she smiled at him weakly, "Honey, I don't know how much longer..." She pleaded with her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed.

Jeff smiled broadly, "I think I might be able to help." 

He carefully spun her until she was on her back underneath him, the still lodged inside her. He moved forward at a pace she was already comfortable with. He slid his hand under her knee, picking it up high. His pace increased steadily until he could see the telltale signs of her climaxing again.

Her breaths were coming in short, uncontrollable gasps, offset by the soft moaning sounds she was making every time he pushed himself into her. Jeff's own self control was being pushed to the limit. He wanted to cum so badly that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to last, but held back, forcing himself to wait for her. He propped himself up so he could increase his tempo again, lengthening his stroke so he was pushing almost all the way inside her with every plunge, pulling back until only the tip remained inside her.

"I'm . . . going . . . to . . . cum . . . again," she panted, sounding almost frantic. 

He moved his hips forward one last time, not stopping until he felt his hips touch against her. She screamed in ecstasy as she finally felt him all the way inside her, not believing that anything could have felt so perfect. Her body writhed as one last orgasm rocked her violently, the only thing keeping her on the bed was Jeff's body pressing against her. 

As he felt her body move, Jeff couldn't put off his own release any longer. Before the last wave of her orgasm subsided, he felt his climax overtake him. He made a strangled noise, trying not to scream as he came deep inside her, basking in the luxurious feeling of her body. He held her tightly until his own orgasm receded, then kissed. They stayed locked together, neither of them willing to break the embrace. 

Finally, not trying to conceal his amusement, Jeff asked, "Was that Ok?"

Sarah couldn't contain her laughter as she pushed him off. "I guess it will do, for now," she replied playfully. Her expression turned serious, "Jeff, I meant what I said . . . I love you. I didn't think I could ever feel like this about anyone. When I tried staying away from you, I felt like I was dying. I'm so glad you didn't give up on me."

"I meant what I said too," he said with equal seriousness. "I tried to deny it in the hospital because of the situation, but I knew it right away. I've never met anyone like you. The time you were gone made me realize I didn't want to be without you. I know how hard it was for you to trust me, but you won't be sorry." He kissed her softly, savoring the taste of her lips.

They held each other for a long time, almost drifting off to sleep when they were startled by the sound of his phone. A quick check of the caller ID showed that it was Paige's cell phone. 

"Hi Paige," Jeff said wearily, "what's up?"

"What's up?" she said angrily. "You were supposed to call me to let me know what happened. I've been sitting here on pins and needles for an hour. Did you talk to her?"

"Listen sweety, now's not really a good time. We talked and things look good, can I call you tomorrow?" 

"Tomorrow?" she asked incredulously. "How do you expect me to wait until tomorrow? Please Jeff, you have to tell me something. Is she Ok?"

Sarah head was on Jeff's chest, allowing her to listen in on the conversation. She heard her little sister's barrage of questions. It was obvious she wasn't going to let Jeff off without more of an explanation. She reached over and took the phone away from him.

"Sis, Jeff's a little worn out right now," she said, looking at him with a mischievous grin. "He's going to have to answer all your questions tomorrow after he's had some rest." 

There was a long pause on the other end. "You mean . . . you two . . . you did it?" Paige finally managed. 

"Yes nosy, do you think you could manage to keep this one to yourself? I know dad likes Jeff, but this might be a little too much information." She winked at him. 

Sarah was going to keep teasing her sister when she heard a sob on the other end of the line. "Paige, are you all right?" she asked.

"I wanted this so badly," the younger girl cried, "I just wanted you to be happy. I told you he was the right guy for you."

"Oh sweetheart," Sarah said, suddenly ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry I yelled at you last week. I understand you were just trying to help. If you hadn't butted in, I might not be here right now . . . thank you. You come over here tomorrow morning and we'll tell you everything, all right? Besides, I owe you a giant hug, little sister."

Jeff put his arm around Sarah's shoulder when he saw tears in her eyes. He took the phone away from her, "Paige, now you made your sister cry. I'm going to have to figure out some way to distract her," he said, flashing Sarah a lustful grin. He reached over and stroked her breast, drawing a soft moan from her. "I think we'll tell you the rest when you get here in the morning. Then maybe we'll all go out with your Dad for dinner and figure out what to tell him." He smiled, picturing the uncomfortable conversation, but one he believed would make Steven very happy.

He watched Sarah close her eyes as his soft touches started another wave of sensations inside her. She brought her hand up to cover his, stroking it appreciatively, indicating that their night wasn't over. He turned his attention back to the phone, "Paige, not too early, Ok?"

*

I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote on the story, but especially to those who commented (and many who contacted me directly to express their feelings about the story). It is truly humbling to see some of the comments I've received. Trust me, I read them all and appreciate the good and the bad (but none more than the personal ones telling me that in some small way this story touched their lives).

These characters were very special to me and nothing makes me prouder than to hear they meant something to you as well.