Hero in Cowboy Boots Chapter 2

Hero in Cowboy Boots Ch. 2 V.1 wc 1402

THE RESCUE

As the headlights grew closer, Jayda prayed that this person would be someone who might help her, not harm her. She hated that she couldn’t trust people anymore. Brad ruined her naivete to the point that she cowered when people approached her.  Would God be that hateful that he‘d send someone who would do me harm? Surely not.

The lights were almost upon her. She gathered her purse, keys and the overnight bag she had packed for her hospital stay. The vehicle was a large pickup. It stopped in the middle of the road. The driver’s door opened and long jeans-clad legs ending in cowboy boots stepped out into the mud, followed by a tall man in a cowboy hat.

He left the pickup running and hop-skipped over the muddy road to her car window. Jayda rolled her window down just enough that she could ask for help.

The man leaned down and peered in through the narrow opening.

“Are  you needing some help, Ma’am?” a deep masculine voice asked with a country drawl.

“Oh, my goodness, yes! I almost hit a herd of cattle here in the road and when I swerved, I slid into this ditch,” Jayda blinked as rain and wind came through the open window and blew into her eyes.

The man shivered and huddled in a futile effort to avoid the rain and wind. Debris from the storm was swirling around the car. The man wiped moisture from his face and looked closely into the car.

“Are you alone? Are you pregnant?” The darkness of the night prevented him from looking very far into the vehicle.  

“Yes, and I’m in labor.  I need to get to Salina Regional Hospital right away!  Please! Can you help me?” Jayda begged. The man drew in a sharp gasp and then nodded.

“You bet, Ma’am, just let me get turned around in the next driveway and I’ll be right with you. Can you get your personal belongings you will need ready and I’ll transfer you to my pickup. I’ll be right with you.” 

He turned back to his pickup, an F-250 Ford pickup, and hopped back across the mud. He opened the door and drove away from her. About half a mile behind her, he made a U-turn and drove back to park behind her.

He once again hopped through the rain and mud to her driver’s side door. Jayda gathered her bag and purse, opened her door, and turned to step out. At that moment, another contraction hit and she gasped and cried out. “Just a moment. I’m having a contraction. It will just be a moment. Can you take these things to your pickup while I try to relax?”

“Of course, here, give them to me,” the man took her belongings and hurried back to his pickup where he put them in the cab. Back to her car, he hurried through the muck. He was soaked and shivering with cold, even though it was summer. But he was determined to help this damsel in distress.

Jayda tried to stand, but the road was slippery and she slid, almost falling in the mud.

“Oh, no! Let me help you!” the man grasped her arm and helped her to stand, putting his boots in front of her so she wouldn’t slide. When he saw just how advanced her pregnancy was, he put one arm behind her knees and swooped her up into his arms against his chest. “I don’t want to take a chance on your falling. I’ll just carry you. It’s not that far.”

Jayda looked into his eyes and saw kindness and compassion. She nodded and he walked as quickly as the situation permitted to the passenger door of his pickup. With his hands full, he struggled to open the door. Jayda reached out and opened the door. He backed up and she pulled the door open as much as she could.

“Thanks, lady. I wondered how I was going to get that open.” He chuckled and carefully deposited her on the seat of the vehicle. He softly closed the door and moved around the front of the pickup as rapidly as he could.

Once seated at the steering wheel, he looked over at her and smiled. It was a very nice smile, on a stunningly handsome face.  He removed his dripping cowboy hat and placed it on the bench between them, resting it on its crown.

“Ok, let’s get this baby to the hospital right now.” He put the truck in gear and they slowly started moving. “I’m not fond of the idea of delivering your baby here in this vehicle.” He grinned at her, and her heart gave a little flutter.

“Me neither,” she commented. “By the way, my name is Jayda. Jayda Michaels. I live just three miles west of where my car is perked in that ditch.”

She gave him a weak smile, as another contraction gripped her belly. She winced and grabbed the door handle in her right hand and the edge of the seat in front of her. At first, she held her breath and her face appeared tense and painful. Then she started doing the labor exercises she had watched on a video at home. That helped her relax through the contraction and soon she was able to talk once more. She regretted not having regular doctor visits through her pregnancy. But with no money or insurance, that hadn’t been an option.

“I want to thank you for what you are doing. You’re my hero. And I don’t even know your name,” she laughed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Mark. Mark Reeves. I live just about five miles west of  you. I own a farm there, which I inherited. I’m divorced. My ex-wife, Lucinda, didn’t like farm life. She’s a city girl and hated the animals, the smells, and everything about it.”

“That’s terrible. How did you get together in the first place? Oh, forgive me. That was intrusive and none of my business.” Her face flamed and she looked down at her belly, starting to feel another contraction building.

“Oh that’s ok. Don’t worry about it. It’s common knowledge around here. I met Lucinda while I was in New York. I was on leave from the Marines after returning from Afghanistan. I’d always wanted to see the Big Apple, so that’s where I went.  I hated it. There were so many people! I was surrounded by people but felt so lonely.”

“That sounds strange, but I can understand it. People in crowds don’t communicate well. Makes a person feel like an island in an  ocean!” Jayda scrunched her face up in pain, gripping the door handle. Her knuckles whitened from the pressure she was applying.

“Anyway, I was sitting in this bar commiserating with a drink in front of me. This  gorgeous brunette stepped up to the bar beside me and hopped onto the next barstool.”

“She put her hand on my arm and asked, “Are you going to drink that? Or can I have it. I’m out of money and I’m not ready to go yet.”

So, being the gentleman I am, I bought her a drink and we started talking. She was a student at Berkeley College and was on Christmas break. We hit it off—then. We dated for a few months, a lot of it letters while I was still on duty.  We tied the knot in front of a Justice of the Peace and when I was discharged, I brought her home to meet my parents.”

Jayda listened to his story, while tensing through several labor pains. She peered out into the dark night. The winds and rain had died down, and the stars shone bright in the sky.  She tried to relax, using her Lamaze breathing, and hoping they would arrive at the hospital soon, because she was starting to feel urges to push.

They pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot and Mark stopped at the ER door.  He rushed around to her side and opened her door, pulling her into his arms once more and ran for the door. Pushing the entrance intercom button, he shouted into the speaker. “I’m Mark Reeves and I have a woman in intense labor. Please let us in or she’ll be having this baby in your parking lot!”