DISCLAIMER: I do not own the television show Jericho or any part of it. The characters are not mine in any way. I am just borrowing them for a bit. I am not affiliated with CBS, the television show Jericho, the writers of Jericho or the actors.
This is, hopefully, the beginning of a great romance.........
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The day after the Ravenwood adventure dawned sunny and windy. There had been an unbelievable windstorm after midnight. Jake could tell winter was on the way, mornings were definitely getting colder. He laid in the bed he had slept in, in the room he had grown up in. He knew that he and his son's life had changed forever. He had been avoiding telling Jacob that their home more than likely didn't even exist anymore. He agonized over having to tell him that Nana Kate, the only mother he had ever known, was probably dead. After the meltdown yesterday he knew the time had come. Every time he started thinking about how to tell him, the face of Heather Lisinski popped into his mind. He could talk to her, she would know the best way to tell him. He put his hands behind his head and smiled thinking about how cute her smile was, especially after the way she had gone off him last night. Boy, did she have a temper. He would never forget how good it felt to hold Heather in his arms. He smiled to himself, lost in the memory. All of a sudden a hand came sailing through the air and landed smack across his face at the same time that a small foot landed full force mid-thigh. Jake's eyes watered as he bit his lip to keep from yelling with surprise. The sleeping arrangements had to change....today....before Jacob killed him in his sleep.
Jake quietly slid out of bed and quickly dressed in the half light coming in thru the window. He looked out, everything was covered with frost. Yeah, winter would be here soon. Today he was going to head out to the ranch and check on his mom's horses and then to Stanley's farm to find out about getting hay and food for his mother's horses. He thought Jacob might like seeing horses. They needed some one on one time together....it had been a long time since they had had a day just father and son.
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Gail had made coffee. She was sitting at the table with a steaming mug. She smiled at Jake as he came into the kitchen and kiss her on the cheek.
"Good Morning, Honey. Coffee?", Gail asked.
Jake stretched and said, "Umm...sounds good."
Gail started to get up and get the coffee for him. Jake waved her down.
"I can get it. Want a refill?" Jake asked, after filling his cup.
"Thanks," Gail said, holding out her cup. "Jake, you've grown up so much. I'm proud of you. Jacob is a good boy. It must have been very hard, taking care of a baby by yourself. You did a good job."
Jake patted her hand, "Thanks, Mom."
They fell silent, each nursing thoughts of their own, and enjoyed their coffee.
After about 10 minutes, Gail set her cup down and looked at Jake, "What do you have planned for today?"
"I thought that Jacob and I would go out to the ranch and check on the horses and see if there was any damage from all the wind last night and then head over to Stanley's and see about getting hay and food for the horses for this winter. Want to come?" Jake asked.
April and Jacob came blearily into the kitchen. April poured herself some coffee and sat down.
Jacob sat down beside Jake and laid his head down on the table with a big yawn. Gail smiled at her grandson. It was amazing at how much he reminded her of Jake at that age. He was the spitting image of him. Jake had sat down at that same table the same way for years and years.
"I think I am going to stay around here today and poke around in the attic and see if there is anything tucked away we might be able to use, " Gail said.
Jacob's head popped up when he heard that. He loved exploring.
Gail smiled, "Do you want to help me? I think there are still some toys packed away that were your dad's. I think there are still a lot of books up there in an old bookshelf, too."
Jacob smiled, a rare occurrence these days, and looked over at Jake, "Can I?"
Jake smiled and nodded, "Sure, if that's what you want to do."
By 10am Gail and Jacob were on their attic treasure hunt, April had left for the clinic and Jake was ready to leave for the ranch.
On his way out of town, Jake decided to swing by Heather's apartment and check on her. As he walked up the steps he heard a lot of muffled banging followed by a loud scream. He ran the rest of the way and pounded on the door.
"Heather!" Jake yelled, "are you OK?" There was no answer, just more muffled banging.
"Heather!" Jake yelled again. Still no answer. He tried the door and found it unlocked. He went into the apartment. Everything in the living room looked the same as it did last night. He glanced into the bedroom, no Heather. There was another scream. Jake ran into the kitchen and a broom came flying down on his head.
"What the hell are you doing!?", Jake yelled as he pushed the broom away.
Heather dropped the broom and turned red in embarrassment.
"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there."
"What was all that banging and screaming about," Jake asked, rubbing the top of his head.
Heather looked even more embarrassed.
"Um, well, there was a rat. A very big rat. I'm terrified of rats", Heather said.
"A mouse? You nearly killed me for a mouse?", Jake said, starting to laugh. God it felt good to laugh.
Heather reddened even more, "Rat, Jake. It was a rat. This thing was waaayyy beyond mouse. It had really big teeth and claws."
"Uh huh," Jake said as he continued to laugh. After a minute Heather joined in.
Jake sat down at the kitchen table, still chuckling. Heather sat down across from him. She put her hands up to the sides of her head.
Jake reached across the table and patted her arm.
"Hey, how are you this morning?", Jake asked.
Heather looked up over her hands, "I have a little headache. Why do you ask?" she asked suspiciously.
Jake grinned and laughed, "A "little" headache? Last time I got that wasted, I was so hungover I couldn't move the next day."
"What makes you think I was wasted last night and that I would have a hangover?" Heather asked hesitantly.
"I was at Bailey's last night too. I took your keys and gave them to Mary and then I brought you home and put you to bed."
"Oh my God. That was you? That was real, not a dream?", Heather asked, blushing bright red again. "I only remember bits and pieces."
Jake could see how embarrassed she was. He took her hand, "It's OK, ya know. Everyone needs to cut loose sometime." Jake smiled at her. "You didn't puke or anything."
Heather groaned and dropped her head. "Wait, I have a sorta memory of yelling. Did I yell at you?", Heather asked very embarrassed.
Jake smiled his sideways smile and said, "Let's just say you were very to the point about how I should be considering things other than myself. Now, really, how are you?"
"I'm OK," Heather said smiling slightly. "I really wish I had a huge bottle of aspirin but other than that, I'm OK."
"I left you some on your bedside table. Did you not find them?", Jake asked.
"I didn't take them. I didn't know what they were...only that they had just appeared," Heather said quietly.
Jake took the aspirin bottle out of his jacket and shook some out, "Here, take these. They'll help your head."
Heather got up, got a bottle of water and swallowed the aspirin.
"I was wondering," Jake asked, "if you wanted to go with me to check on my mom's ranch and the horses? After the wind storm last night there might be some damage. After the last few weeks it might do you good to get away from town for a few hours."
"Wind storm?", Heather said, confused.
"Yeah, it got really windy last night after you went to sleep. Really windy.", Jake said.
Heather smiled, "That sounds like a good idea. I'd love to go. Let me go change my clothes."
Jake wondered into the living room and started looking at the bookshelves. He smiled when he saw several shelves packed with romance novels. He had thought she was a romantic, now he knew for sure. He looked at another shelf that was packed with fantasy and science fiction. Now these were his types of books.
Jake looked up from his inspection of the book shelves when Heather came back into the living room. She sat down on the couch and began pulling on her shoes.
"You have a great fantasy and sci-fi collection. Jacob could get lost in this shelf for days. He loves to read fantasy and science fiction. Especially, Star Wars," Jake said.
"You will have to bring him over and let him get some books. I'd be lost without something to read," Heather said. "Sorry, the geek is always lurking," she said, smiling.
Jake smiled at her, "He'd love that, he is out of stuff to read. April caught him reading a Harlequin romance last week, " Jake said laughing. "He was reading the Harry Potter books for AR reading at his school and Eragon at home so he would be ready for the movie."
Heather reached around Jake and pulled a blue book out, "Here's a copy of Eragon. Take it to him. It's a great book. I'll go over to the school tomorrow and see what I can round up for him. There're tons of books over there just getting dusty now that school is closed. I have two complete sets of Harry Potter in my classroom, I know," Heather said. "And there is nothing wrong with a good Harlequin romance," Heather laughed.
Heather grabbed her jacket and backpack and started towards the front door. Jake pulled his jacket on and followed her out to the car.
The ride to the ranch was quiet but it was the quiet of people who are very comfortable with each other.
"I noticed your apartment has electric heat and all that is there is that little ornamental fireplace. What are you going to do for real heat? You can't live there with no way to stay warm," Jake said.
"I was thinking about trying to find a wood burning stove. My apartment is small. It shouldn't take very much to keep it warm," Heather said.
"I'll help you. We'll see what we can come up with," said Jake.
They slowly pulled up in front of the barn. Jake whistled as he looked around. The wind must have been worse out here last night. It looked like several trees had given it up. He could see at least four down. Thankfully, nothing had hit the barn.
Jake looked at Heather, "Looks like I'm gonna be here a while. Do you want me to take you back to town?"
"No, I haven't had a chance to just sit in the sun and relax since September. I'll stay, if that's alright," she said and then smiled and giggled, "I have a Harlequin romance to keep me busy."
Jake laughed too, "That sounds great. I'm gonna check the horses and look around the barn and see if my grandpa's old chainsaw is still there. I really don't want to have to use an axe."
Heather spread her jacket out on a bail of hay and sat down with her eyes closed and head thrown back, drinking in the sun. After a few minutes she got up and wondered into the barn. Jake was busy with the horses.
"Do you need any help?", Heather asked.
"No, I have this but if you wouldn't mind would you look at the chainsaw over on the workbench and tell me if you think it is worth trying," Jake asked.
Heather walked over to the workbench and started inspecting the saw.
"Jake, if you can find me some oil and gas, I think I can get it going. It hasn't been used in a while but it looks like it is in pretty good shape."
"Look over in that cabinet and you should find some oil. I have a gas can in the trunk," Jake said as he finished putting the food out for the horses.
With Heather's know how, the chainsaw was working within minutes. There were two small and two medium sized trees that were going to have to be cut up. At least this would solve some of the problem at home of where to get logs for the fireplace. If he and Heather were able to find her a stove it would help her with fuel as well. Jake surveyed the job and decided to start with the smallest tree and work his way up. He stripped off his shirt and pulled the cord on the saw and got down to the business at hand.
Heather had taken a definite interest in the job when Jake stripped off his shirt. He knew how to handle a chainsaw, that was for sure. The muscles in his back and arms rippled with the motions of cutting the trees and the vibration of the saw. Heather kept trying to get into her book but she just couldn't get into it. 'WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM HEATHER,' she thought to herself, shaking her head. She had noticed that Jake had a long scar running down the left side of his chest. She wondered what had happened to him. She also noticed something that made her stop and stare. Jake Green was wearing dog tags. Now that was very interesting.
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Jake had been working a couple of hours when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced around and saw Heather with a bottle of water. Jake turned the saw off and wiped sweat from his face. He drank the whole bottle of water in one drink.
"Thanks," he said. "I'm gonna stack this up and get cleaned up and we can decide what to do from there."
Heather went back and sat and pretended to read while she watched Jake over the top of her book. Jake was well aware of the attention he was getting but he didn't want to embarrass her by making a big deal out of it. He smiled over at her and kept working.
Jake was putting the last piece of wood on the pile when the woodstack shifted. Jake jumped back but the log he was holding slipped. As he tried to grab it it turned and the bark scrapped off the skin on the palm and heel of his hand. It looked like road rash and stung like fire.
"Damn!" Jake yelled.
Heather went running over worried that he had broken something until she saw the blood.
"Oh, Jake, are you alright? Does it feel like anything is broken?"
"Nothing is broken. Its just cut."
"Let me clean it up so we can see what we are dealing with."
"No, I'll be alright. I'll go over to the well and pour some water on it. It will be OK."
"Jacob Green, give me your hand," Heather said in her teacher voice.
He knew there was no winning this argument when he heard the commanding tone in her voice. He slowly unfolded his hand and held it out to her. Heather winced when she saw it. She knew it had to be killing him. From the top of his palm to his wrist was nothing but raw meat with dirt, splinters and pieces of wood.
"Oh my God, Jake. That looks awful," she said, her voice full of sympathy. "We have to wash this and get it cleaned out."
Jake winced, "I know. There should be a first aid kit in the bunker."
"The bunker?", Heather asked.
"Storm shelter. My grandfather named it that years ago. My parents keep it stocked in case they are out here and there is a storm or an emergency. It's in the back of the barn. Get some water in that bucket. I'm sure we'll need it. I'll get the first aid kit."
Jake walked slowly into the barn. He unlocked the door to the bunker and propped the door open with a chair. There was a fully stocked first aid kit exactly where he remembered it being. He brought it out and Heather gently went to work cleaning the wound. She managed to get all the dirt, wood pieces and splinters out.
"Jake, I hate to tell you this because it is going to be painful, but I have to disinfect it. I can't just leave it with germs," Heather said.
"I know. Grab that bottle of alcohol and just do it. Pour it all on at once and get it over with."
"I don't want to hurt you but I have to kill the germs," Heather said with tears in her eyes.
Jake smiled at her and stroked her cheek with his good hand.
"I know. Babe, you have to do it. I'll be alright. I promise," Jake said, continuing to stroke her cheek.
Heather opened the bottle and poured the full strength alcohol straight onto the raw flesh. Jake gasped in pain and tears ran down his face but he never uttered a sound. After a few minutes he dunked his hand in the bucket of cold water. He looked at Heather and gave her a weary smile.
"OK, put some Neosporin on it and bandage it," he whispered, barely loud enough for Heather to hear.
Tears ran down Heather's face as she finished bandaging Jake's hand. Jake took her in his arms and held her. "You did good. You did exactly what a good medic is supposed to do....clean, disinfect, field medicine and bandage. I'll let April look at it when we get back to town. Don't worry."
Heather continued to silently cry.
"It's OK, Babe. I'm alright. I promise," Jake said continuing to hold her tightly and rub her back.
After a few minutes, Heather put everything back in the case. Jake picked it up and went back into the bunker to put it away. The sun was starting to set and throw shadows across the barn.
"Hey, would you bring that flashlight? With the sun going down its so dark in here I can't see the shelf to put this on," Jake called to Heather.
"Sure," Heather said. On her way into the storm shelter she stumbled over the chair moving it away from the door.
Jake looked up and yelled, "Heather, catch the door. Don't let it close!"
Heather lunged for the door but it was too late. The door slammed shut with an audible click. The only light in the room was the single beam of Heather's flashlight.
To be continued.......
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