by Mary Tribbey
Chapter 2
They turned at the sound of the treatment door opening. With a sigh of relief, they saw Dave walking out under his own power. They quickly surrounded him.
“Are you all right?” Lyle asked quickly.
“The doctor says I'm healthy as an ox, and that it's a miracle, considering I was clinically dead a few minutes ago! I can't remember much of what happened, but the paramedics and emergency room attendants filled me in on what they knew. They told me a woman saved my life,” Dave added quietly.
“That's right,” Henry interrupted. “She sure did! She took over and brought you back. You looked awful! Your lips were blue, and you were even whiter than usual. We were too shocked to do anything.”
“I vaguely remember seeing a woman with blue-green eyes. Was she the one?” Dave asked.
“You should know. You gave her a kiss before they took you out to the ambulance. She breathed life back into you. We thought you were dead. You had started to turn blue,” Alonso explained.
“I didn't notice her eyes, but she was very pretty, about 5 feet seven, light brown hair, cute figure. Everything happened so fast that Henry didn’t even have enough time to ask her out. You know that had to be fast!” Jordan joked. The others looked at Lyle and shrugged their shoulders.
“She does have blue-green eyes, and she is very pretty, and she is also incredibly shy,” Lyle added.
“Is she here?” David asked, looking around.
“No.” Lyle answered. “I tried to get her to come here, but she refused.”
“Who is she? How can I find her? I can't just let her save my life, and not even thank her!” Dave fussed.
“I’ll fill you in on what I know in the car. It's been quite an evening, and I think we’d better get you home to rest,” Lyle answered glancing around at the others.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Alonso added.
“I think I'll hang around here for a few minutes. That cute little nurse gets off work soon,” Henry announced with a smile.
“I'll drive you back to your car, or do you just want me to drive you home? We can get your car tomorrow before practice, if you don’t feel up to driving,” Lyle offered.“Take me back to my car. They checked me over and said I am fine, but I do feel a little shaky. Nervous reaction, I guess, since I've never been dead before,” Dave joked. After signing some forms, Dave and Lyle walked outside. Once in the car, they both rode in silence for a few minutes.
Lyle glanced over at Dave. “Are you really okay?” he asked.
“Yes, but I can't stop thinking about this woman and how much I owe her,” Dave admitted.
“She doesn't want any thanks or anything else. She's very shy and said saving a life was reward enough for her. From what she said, I don’t think you’re the first person she’s saved.” Lyle added.
“Tell me everything you know about her,” Dave ordered.
“I don't know that much. I did talk to her for a while after the ambulance left. She’s apparently had a bad experience with hospitals before and refused to come to the hospital with me. She wouldn't tell me where she lived or give me her phone number, but I did get her name.”
“Well, what's her name?” Dave asked impatiently.
“It's Joan, Joan Marshal,” Lyle added.
“How can I find her and thank her? Marshal is a common last name. There are probably hundreds in the Los Angeles phonebook. I'll find her if I have to call all of them,” Dave announced with quiet determination.
“Hold your horses; I may be able to save you the trouble. I was going to wait to tell you until you've had a chance to rest, but she promised me she’d come to the game on Sunday. I gave her a ticket for the extra seat in the box with Cindy. If she comes, Cindy will try to talk her into staying to meet us later after the game. She was very reluctant to even accept the ticket, but she finally did promise to come. I think she will keep her word. I don't think she's the kind of person who would break a promise, and she finally did promise to come. She didn't have any idea who you were, even after I told her your name. Apparently, she doesn't follow football at all. She explained she's never been to a professional football game. If she does show up, maybe we can figure out something special to do for her,” Lyle suggested.
”That's a great idea! Thanks for arranging for her to come on Sunday,” Dave said eagerly.
“I hope she does show up, for more reasons than just saying thanks. She lost a notebook at the restaurant, and I told the waiter that I would see her on Sunday and would return it to her. I don’t know if it is something important, but I want to find a way to get it back to her,” Lyle added.
“Let me have it. I’ll keep it for her until the game. It may give me some clues about my mystery Lady,” Dave ordered.
“I don’t know if we should read through her papers,” Lyle protested.
“Let me worry about that. You know I'd never do anything to hurt her after she saved my life. Lyle, I'm so curious. I just need to know about her. It’s very important to me,” Dave insisted.
Lyle drove back into the parking lot at Adam's Rib and parked near Dave's car. First, he handed Dave the jacket that he had retrieved from the restaurant and then he gave Dave the small notebook that Joan had dropped. Dave took both things and quickly climbed into his car. With a wave to Lyle, he started his car. They drove out of the parking lot at the same time, turning in opposite directions to go to their houses. When Dave got home, he unlocked the door and entered the spacious living room. He tossed his jacket over the back of the nearest chair, walked over to the sofa, and sank down into the soft upholstered cushions.
He opened the notebook and started reading through the pages. The book seemed to contain an assortment of lists and short descriptions of places and people. He skimmed a series of notes about the bicycle path along the ocean. He easily recognized the area she'd described. Because his house was built on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Malibu, one of the bike trails ran along the western edge of his property. He continued thumbing through the pages.
When Dave came to the last page, he drew in a deep breath. Although there were no names in the notebook, he easily recognized his friends. The descriptions were all short, but very accurate. He re-read one. “A black man, massively built, with arms that look like they were used to picking up cars for a living, dominated one end of the table where the group was sitting. Thick muscles bulged through his tight blue knit shirt, barely concealing the strength hidden beneath the soft material. He looked around the room frequently and openly flirted with a couple of young women at a nearby table. He flashed them a quick smile, raised one eyebrow and winked playfully. As his attention drifted around the room, his smile burst forth, like sunshine after a storm, transforming his features from formidable to friendly.” With an amused smile, Dave could see Henry. Her description seemed to capture not just his appearance, but his personality as well.
He continued reading. “The smaller of the five men, a ruggedly handsome man with dark brown eyes, seemed to be the leader of the group Women at other tables frequently glanced at him, but he seemed unaware of their interest, and his concentration never seemed to stray from his companions. Although his eyes constantly swept the room, he was taking in everything he saw, but was still concentrating on his friends. He was obviously their leader: strong, intelligent, alert, well liked and respected. He was someone easy to follow. (I wonder what it would be like to be led by him; it would be so easy to get lost in the warm darkness of his eyes.) His shoulders are broad and well developed, although they don't have the excessive bulk of his companions. It was obvious he was strong enough to handle any problems that came his way. He seemed to ooze quiet confidence without a trace of the arrogance that often hovered over someone as handsome and as poised as he appeared. It was obvious from the way the men reacted to him that he was respected and liked by all who knew him.”
He read the descriptio
n again. It was an odd sensation reading what a stranger had thought about him. If he had been among other people when he read it, he realized he would probably have blushed with pleasure. He was deeply flattered by what she'd written. He hoped when she got to know him, she would feel the same way about him. For some reason, her opinion mattered to him, although he didn't know why.
He had to admit that this mystery woman had captured his essence in her descriptive words. He did have a habit of constantly looking around. He had to do it most of the time, especially on the playing field. As the quarterback, it was a necessity. It carried over into his everyday life. He did concentrate and focus, but his eyes still took in everything around him. He'd never thought much about the way others saw him, but the things she noted about him filled him with pleasure.
He tried to remember the events of the evening, but much of it was a blank. The doctors said that was normal after his experience, but it still bothered him. He wanted to remember everything about her. He tried to call up the memory of the face he'd seen from the stretcher. He vaguely remembered the sweetness of their brief kiss. He touched his lips with his fingers as if to bring back the sensation of her lips touching his. He swore in frustration because he didn't know who she was or where she lived or how to find her. He wanted to see her again now. Thoughts of finding her and thanking her filled his mind. Later that night while lying in bed, fleeting memories of her face drifted in and out of his dreams. Each time she came close and gently kissed him, he tried to put his arms around her to keep her from disappearing, but she always vanished. He awoke feeling strangely lonely and even more determined to locate her. He prayed she would come to the game, but no matter what he would find her if it took the rest of his life.
At practice the next day, the team doctor checked him over and pronounced him fit to play. The coach and all the other players were astonished at the story of Dave’s near death. It was unanimously agreed that they all wanted to do something special for this mystery woman. As the week went by, plans for a presentation after the game took shape. She would be made an honorary member of the team and would be thanked by them for her quick thinking. They would invite the press and give her the recognition she deserved for her quick actions.
The success of the plan would all depend on whether Joan showed up at the game and whether Cindy could talk her into coming to the team's locker room. Those were two big ‘ifs,’ but Dave clung to the hope that she would come. He worked on arranging a special surprise for her. The week dragged by for Dave. As he waited for Sunday, he couldn't remember ever being so anxious for a game to start. He'd arranged for the ushers to keep an eye on Cindy and to get word to him if another woman joined Cindy in the reserved seating area. If she showed up, he would find a way to meet her. Cindy was a willing co-conspirator. She and Lyle were going to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. She suggested going out for a small party after the game at a local jazz club. The others eagerly agreed. By the time Sunday afternoon arrived, everything was ready, but there was one question on everyone's mind: Would she show up?