Force of Nature

by Kim Baldwin

  “Can I get anyone another beer?” Jerry got to his feet.

  “I’ll take another, please,” Erin said.

  “Me too.” Gable held up a hand.

  “I need to stretch my legs,” Carl said, heading for the front door.

  “Translated…he has to talk to his wife.” Gable looked at Erin. “He won’t admit that to the guys of course. They’d rib him about it. But he’s on that cell phone with her at least a dozen times a day.”

  “Not all men are afraid to admit they can’t stand to be away from the women they love,” Tim said, and Gable knew he was being sincere.

  That was the awful thing. She liked Tim, she really did. He was honest and honorable. A sweet man and a genuine hero, though he didn’t like to talk about his experiences as a firefighter. She’d heard the stories from the other guys on the squad.

  “Is that right?” Erin asked him with a bemused smile.

  “That’s what I hear,” he said, smiling back at her.

  “Well, you’ll let me know if you run across one of ’em,” Erin said. “Cause they’re a rare breed.” She glanced at Gable. “Can you direct me to the restroom?”

  “Through the archway, down the hall, second door on the right.”

  As soon as Erin departed, Tim got up and came around the table to sit beside Gable.

  “Gable, we’re friends, right?” He had a fresh-faced eagerness about him, like a teenaged boy with his first car.

  “Of course, Tim. Good friends.” Gable leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, and gave him a cocky smirk. “But I’m still gonna take all your money.”

  “Oh, I don’t care about that,” Tim said, shaking his head. “I was hoping you’d put in a good word for me with Erin.”

  Her smile disappeared and the butterflies in her stomach became stampeding buffalo.

  “Put in a good word for you?”

  “Yeah. I’d like to ask her out, but she doesn’t know me from Adam. I know it’d help if you vouched for me.”

  Gable was momentarily speechless. How can I say no? He is my friend, and he’s asking me for a favor. And I think he’d really be good for Erin. How can I deny her that chance for happiness? Just because it’s killing me?

  “Gable?” Tim’s voice told her she better find an answer soon if she didn’t want to make it obvious she had feelings of her own for Erin.

  “Sure, Tim. I’ll put in a good word for you, not that what I say will necessarily make any difference on who Erin goes out with.” She was proud of how calm and composed her voice sounded when she was dying inside. “I’m going to get a breath of fresh air.” She got to her feet and hoped Tim wouldn’t read anything into her rapid departure.

  She went out the front door and sat on the steps. Carl was in the street, still talking on the cell phone while he paid the pizza delivery guy who’d just pulled up.

  Gable held it all in as he approached her, heading back inside, juggling three pizzas in one hand while he stuck the phone in his jacket with the other.

  “Hey there, Lucky,” he greeted her. “You’re sure on a hot streak tonight.”

  “Yeah, lucky me,” she echoed with halfhearted enthusiasm.

  “You okay?”

  “Fine, Carl. Get in there while the pizza’s still hot. I’ll be right in.”

  “Whatever you say. But I’m here if you want to talk about it later.” He went inside and Gable put her head in her hands and let the weight of the evening fall on her.

  The gnawing in her gut threatened to unleash the beer she’d consumed earlier onto the tidy hedges that surrounded her. She was angry as well, and where had that come from? Not angry. I’m jealous, that’s what I am.

  She hadn't recognized what it was immediately because it had never really happened to her before. This wasn’t a crush at all. No sir, not by a long shot. She was jealous as hell. And that could only mean one thing. She was falling in love. At forty-six, she’d finally found the real thing. Just with the wrong person. And as Erin’s confidante and Tim’s good friend, she’d have a front-row seat for much of their courtship.

  Her eyes grew moist at the thought of it. And she did lose her beer then—her stomach heaved and sent it flying over the narrow railing and into the bushes below.

  *

  Her game went all to hell after that. She was determined to continue on as if nothing had happened, but it was impossible. Tim was grinning all to hell, and Erin looked so damn cute. Gable suffered in silence as her pile of chips began to shrink.

  “Well, someone’s tide certainly has turned,” Jerry observed with commiseration from the sidelines. He had pulled out two hands earlier, leaving only Gable, Tim, and Erin playing. Oscar, Carl, and Don had gone home.

  “Hey Gable, I need to run to Home Depot in Cadillac and pick out a couple of ceiling fans for my place,” Erin said as Tim dealt the next hand. “Want to ride along? Maybe this weekend?”

  Now’s your chance. You need some distance. This is the perfect solution. She considered it and made her decision all in the space of a second or two. And when she answered, her voice betrayed none of her inner turmoil. “You know, you should get Tim to give you a hand. He’d know better than I what to look for, and I bet he’d even put ’em up for you. Didn’t you tell me you rewired your cabin yourself, Tim?”

  “Yup, sure did. Pretty handy with plumbing too, if you have anything in that area you need help with, Erin. And I’ve got a flexible schedule. We can go tomorrow, if you like.”

  “Well, if you’re sure…” Erin glanced first at Tim and then at Gable, her eyebrows cocked in confusion.

  Gable did her best bluffing all night, making it look as though she was real happy about the whole proposition.

  “Great,” Tim said. “What time shall I pick you up?”

  “How’s nine?” Erin answered.

  “Fine with me.”

  “Well, since you’re assigned to my zone, I would bet you know where my house is, right?”

  Good thing Gable turned down that second beer. The buffalos in her stomach were back, and they’d brought their friends. If she was going to feel this awful seeing them together, how would she ever get through Erin’s training? And working at the firehouse?

  *

  She was glad the pharmacy was busy the next day. It helped to keep the images of Tim and Erin together at bay, at least for a while. After work, she drove home slowly with the radio playing, not anxious to be alone with her thoughts.

  It was agony. But there was a spark of something wonderful there too. I’m falling in love. Words she’d never been able to say. Was beginning to doubt she’d ever say. Still may not ever say them aloud. The thought of that made her even sadder.

  She pulled into her driveway, and when the two-track crested a small rise she could see a flash of red through the trees near the house. Her heartbeat picked up. As she got nearer, she saw that it was…Yes! Erin’s truck!

  “Hey there,” Erin hailed her from the screened-in front porch, where she was sitting on an oversized wicker chair.

  Gable mounted the steps and opened the door. “Hi. Didn’t expect to see you today.”

  “Well, I got everything done that I needed to do. I knew you had to work, so I thought I’d bring you some dinner. They got a new Chinese place in Cadillac.” She held up a large plastic bag. “Needs to be reheated, though.”

  Gable took the bag and unlocked the entry door. “Awful nice of you. Come on in.”

  Erin followed her inside and looked around while Gable zapped the food in the microwave and got out plates, silverware, and napkins. “Nice place, Gable. Really nice. Feels really comfortable and cozy in here.”

  Gable’s single-story home was decorated in earth tones; dark brown furniture and a tan Berber carpet, hunter green curtains, and the accents around the living room—rugs and pillows—followed the spectrum of autumnal color. The room was a seamless extension of the forest outside the door.

  An overstuffed sofa and matching easy chair and ottoman pro
vided comfortable seating in a space where the predominant feature was books. Built-in floor-to-ceiling bookcases covered most of three of the four walls of the expansive living room, and the shelves were crowded with books, framed photographs, and items found on a walk in the woods. Wild turkey feathers. Porcupine quills. Enormous pinecones. Unusual rocks.

  The handsome coffee table and end tables, and the matching entertainment center that held the TV and stereo, all were made of maple, and all by the same careful hand. A cast-iron woodstove sat in one corner, on a hearth made of brick and slate. Illumination was provided by wall sconces and indirect lighting, which lent a subtle warmth to every surface.

  Gable had furnished the room with the sole purpose of her own enjoyment, as she seldom had any visitors except family. But she was thrilled that Erin was here, and very pleased she seemed to like what she saw. She wanted her to feel welcome so she’d visit long and often.

  But she had to know what had happened. “So how was shopping?”

  “Good. Got a lot done. Tim put both the fans in. One in the main room, and one in my bedroom. We had lunch at the Chinese place, and I got takeout for us. They have a great menu. I hope cashew chicken and Mongolian beef are okay.”

  “Two of my favorites.”

  “So tell me about Tim,” Erin said, taking a seat at the opposite side of the table.

  Gable froze, but just for a second. Oh Great. Make me extol his virtues. “Did he ask you out?”

  “Yeah. I told him I’d think about it.”

  Gable took a deep breath and let it out. “Tim’s a good man. He’s been a firefighter for…fourteen years, I think.” She dished food from the containers onto her plate, but she didn’t have much of an appetite. “He was married for ten years, but his wife passed away a couple of months before I moved here. She had breast cancer. He took it very hard, the other guys say. Beth used to play poker with them, even though she wasn’t on the squad. Tim hasn’t played much since she died.”

  “That’s so sad. He seems like a really nice guy,” Erin said, digging into the chicken.

  “He is. The genuine article. Tim’s seen a lot of fire and been in some bad situations—he’s lost count of his saves and had some close calls himself. Most of that was in Chicago, where he was a paid firefighter. He’s been a volunteer here about five years, I guess. You know he’s an EMT, right?”

  “Yeah, he did tell me that. But he really didn’t talk much about himself today. He kept asking about me.”

  “It’s obvious he likes you,” Gable said. But I'm falling in love with you.

  “I haven’t been on a date since I can’t remember when. And first dates, especially, can be pretty awful.”

  “I don’t think Tim has seen anyone since Beth died,” Gable told her. “So he’s probably as out of practice as you are. I don’t think you need to worry about that. He’s an easy guy to talk to. I know from all the driving around we did during my SAR training.”

  “You sound like you’re trying to convince me to go out with him.” Erin had stopped eating and she was watching Gable intently.

  “No. That’s your decision. I’m just saying that if you’re interested…you could sure do a lot worse.”

  “You have no idea how right you are,” Erin said without elaboration. She put her fork down. “I guess I had a bigger lunch than I thought. I can’t eat any more.”

  Gable had hardly touched hers, either. She was too preoccupied with wondering what Erin’s hair would feel like, sliding through her fingers. It was lustrous and shiny—a blend of coppery red and golden blond.

  “Well, I better run.” Erin rose and slid her chair in. “I have a full day of training tomorrow. As I recall, you’re in the first aid sessions with me that begin tomorrow night, right?”

  “Yup.” Gable followed her to the door.

  “Good. I’ll see you then. And maybe we can get together this weekend?”

  “We’ll see. Thanks again for dinner.”

  Erin paused at the doorway. “Thanks for the chat.” She reached out and hugged Gable. “I’m so glad we met.”

  Gable hugged her back, allowing herself the brief thrill of holding her.

  “Me too,” she whispered after Erin had gone.

  *

  Tim corralled her the next night as she was getting out of her Jeep at the firehouse. “Thanks, Gable. I owe you big-time.”

  “Oh, you don’t either, Tim. Just be good to her, okay?”

  “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  “She say yes to your date?”

  “Yeah, this afternoon. We’re going out to dinner and a movie Friday night.”

  Too much information, Gable thought, picturing them at a romantic candlelit table. Tim with his arm around Erin in a darkened theater.

  “That’s great. We better get inside, don’t you think?” She led the way into the large conference room, where Erin was chatting with two other firefighters, both men. There were about a dozen other people milling about, none of whom Gable recognized.

  “Okay, looks like we’re all here,” Chief Thornton announced, motioning everyone to the folding chairs that had been set up. Erin came over to sit between Gable and Tim.

  “We’re happy to have Leslie Franks with us. Leslie is with the local Red Cross and will be doing the training with us this week.”

  Leslie, a tall thin woman with graying hair, stood and waved. “Hi, folks. Glad to be here. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as I go along.”

  “And for those of you who don’t know him, Tim Scott…” The chief motioned toward him and Tim waved his hand. “Tim’s an EMT with the county ambulance service. He’ll be going around and helping out, making sure everyone is doing everything right.”

  The chief then acknowledged the strangers among the gathering. “I’d also like to say welcome to the teachers from the Pine River Schools who are joining us tonight to get their CPR certification. Okay, I think we’re ready to get started. Leslie?”

  “Thanks, Roger,” Leslie said. “Okay folks, tonight we’re going to cover CPR— that’s cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as most of you know…and AED, that’s how to use an automated external defibrillator. I’ll be back tomorrow and Thursday to teach Standard First Aid and Preparedness, and how to administer supplemental oxygen.”

  Chief Thornton wheeled out a TV and VCR on a stand while she was talking and set it up in front of the chairs, then plugged them in to a nearby outlet.

  “First I’m going to show you all a video. Then we’ll do some hands-on training. Can someone get the lights?”

  “Haven’t you done this already?” Erin whispered to Gable while they waited for the video to begin.

  “Yup, back in Tennessee. But my certification was going to run out in a couple of months anyway. I thought I’d take it again with you, in case I could help you out.” She glanced past Erin at Tim and forced herself to smile. “I didn’t know you’d have your own EMT at the ready.”

  The video interrupted any further discussion. It was a good thing Gable knew CPR as well as she did, because she missed the entire screening. She kept glancing sideways at Erin and Tim in the dim light cast by the TV, expecting to see them holding hands or something. When it was over, Leslie hit the lights.

  “Okay, first we’re going to practice on Resusci-Andy,” Leslie said, gesturing toward a flesh-colored mannequin the chief carried in and laid on a mat in the front of the room. “He was developed especially for CPR training. You can actually do the breathing on him and watch for the rise and fall of his chest. Plus, he’s got an air-pressure device in him that will help you gauge how hard to press when you do the compressions. When all of you have had a turn with him, we’ll split up into pairs and you can practice on each other so you can get a feel for what to do with a real person. Okay, who’s first?”

  After they had all had their turns, they cleared away the folding chairs and set up mats on the floor.

  “Okay, if you’ll all split up into pairs now,” Leslie said. “You
can take turns practicing on a real person. Remember the key elements. A-B-C. Airway, breathing, and circulation. Simulate the breathing, and don’t really press during the compressions. We don’t want any cracked ribs tonight!”

  Erin looped one arm through Gable’s, claiming her as her partner for the exercise.

  Gable couldn’t mask her surprise. “Don’t you want to work with Tim?”

  “I can’t, I have to mingle,” Tim said before Erin could answer.

  “You want to be victim or rescuer first?” Erin asked.

  “Rescuer,” Gable said.

  Erin lay flat on the mat and Gable went through the process, reciting what she was doing aloud so Erin could follow along. “Gently tilt the head to clear the airway. Look, listen, and feel for any sign of breathing. Clear any airway obstruction.” Her hands were shaking slightly as she touched Erin’s face and neck. She hoped to God Erin didn’t notice.

  “Now the breathing.” She put her mouth near Erin’s, and simulated the technique, turning her head to watch for the rise and fall of Erin’s chest. She could see the faintest outline of Erin’s nipples through the thin material of her T-shirt, and it made her pulse quicken and her mind go hazy for a moment.

  She snapped back to what she was doing. “The victim is unresponsive,” she said, her voice higher than usual. She put two fingers on Erin’s neck near her windpipe, feeling for the carotid artery. Erin’s pulse was strong, but a bit faster than normal. “No pulse. I’m starting compressions.”

  She positioned her right hand on Erin’s chest below her breasts, feeling for the sternum, and used it to judge where to place her hands. Locking her elbows, she began simulating compressions, all the while trying to keep her mind on the task at hand.

  Her former CPR training was certainly nothing like this. Despite her best efforts, she was getting aroused touching Erin.

  It only got worse when they switched positions. Erin’s lips, so close to hers, were a profound temptation. And having Erin’s hands on her, however clinically, unleashed a growing pool of wetness between her legs.