Jessi shook her head as the doctor came over. After a quick examination, he declared her well enough to go home, but he cautioned her to go to her GP or the hospital if she got any of the usual concussion symptoms. Ric followed her out of the tent and took a few minutes to take in her form; she was very attractive, her jeans and the short-sleeved denim shirt she wore outlining her curves. Her light brown was pulled back into a ponytail, showing off the graceful curve of her neck.
Jessi stopped and turned to face him. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Ric noticed the shine of unshed tears in her green eyes and realized she was scared about he might or might not tell her.
“You ...” He paused, not really sure how to tell her. When she kept looking at him, an expectant look on her face, he just came out and said it. “You were knocked out and almost raped.”
She drew in a quick breath and nodded before asking, “Almost?”
“I interrupted him.” Ric said.
Jessi smiled and stuck her hands into the front pockets of her jeans as she said, “Thank you.”
“Don't mention it.” He replied, captivated by that smile. It made her look very youthful and beautiful. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Can I give you a ride someplace?”
She bit her lip and looked in the direction of the rodeo-after-party, making Ric think she might have come with someone – boyfriend, fiance, lover, husband – and he was stepping on toes.
But then she looked back at him and said, “I guess that'd be okay. If it's not too much trouble.”
“Absolutely not. I don't have to be back at the ship until eleven.”
“Ship?” She looked at him. “Oh. You're with the Navy.”
Ric grinned and said, “Uniform kinda gives it away, right?”
Jessi laughed, a warm rich sound that washed over him and made him want to hear it more.
He didn't know Jessi. They'd only just met and all he knew about her was her name.
But he already liked her.
Maybe more then he should.
Jessi sat alone in her apartment, her feet tucked up beneath her on the couch and a cup of hot tea nestled between her hands as she relived the events of the night.
It'd all come back to her, and it scared her to think about how close she'd come to being the victim yet again.
The events that had taken place under that tree had been too similar to what had happened just a few short months ago. She'd sworn she wouldn't let anything like that happen to her again, and yet she hadn't been able to do anything to stop that creep who'd attacked her.
If it hadn't been for that sailor, who knows what might have happened to her?
Ric Jordan.
Jessi smiled as she remembered her handsome rescuer.
She'd thought, after her attack, that she would never find another man attractive ever again. But she'd been proven wrong tonight when she'd laid eyes on the man that had been asleep next to the hospital cot when she'd woken up. When she'd taken in his typical Navy uniform, she'd felt something deep inside her wake up and take notice.
He'd given her his card and told her to call anytime she wanted to, so she decided to give him a quick call now, before he left for that patrol he'd told her about on the drive to her apartment.
Crossing to the phone, Jessi dialled the number on the card, wincing when she saw the red marks still marking her neck when she got a glance of her reflection in the mirror she kept by the front door.
“HMAS Sydney, Lieutenant Conrad.”
“Oh. Hi. I'm looking for ...” Jessi glanced down at the card. “Chief Petty Officer Jordan.”
“Can I ask what this is about, ma'am?”
“I just want to talk to him about the help he gave me at the showgrounds tonight.” Jessie said, hoping she wasn't going to get Ric in trouble.
“Oh, you're the woman he saved.” Conrad said, the authoritative tone in his voice disappearing.
Jessi was a little surprised he knew about her, but she said, “Yeah, that's me.”
“Hold on for one sec and I'll get Jordan.”
“Thank you.”
There's a brief moment of silence before Ric's voice came over the line. “Jessi?”
“Yeah, it's me.”
“What's up?”
“I just … I wanted to thank you again for what you did tonight.”
“It was no big deal.”
“Trust me, Mr Jordan, it was a very big deal.”
“Call me Charge.”
She frowned and repeated, “Charge?”
“It's my position on the ship. Everyone calls me Charge.”
Jessi smiled and agreed. “Okay, Charge. But, I meant what I said. Saving me like you did was a big deal for me because … well, let's just say I've been in a situation similar to that before and it didn't end with someone saving me.”
There was another pause before Ric said, “Tell you what then. You can thank me properly when I get back to shore.”
“O-Okay. When do you get back?”
“We should only be gone for two months, but I'll give you a call when we return to port. Sound good?”
“Yeah.”
“And Jessi?”
“Yeah?”
“If you need anything while I'm gone, call the Naval yard and tell them you're with me. They'll send someone to help you or call the police to assist.”
Jessi was shocked for the second time that night.
Ric Jordan didn't know her or anything about her, save for her name and the building where her apartment was, and yet there he was, offering his assistance.
It touched her to know someone could care about her in that way.
“Jessi? You still with me?”
“Uh ...” She cleared her throat as emotions welled up inside her and replied, “Yeah, I'm still here. Thank you, Charge.”
“It's no … It's okay.” He said. “I'll see you when we get back?”
“Absolutely.” Jessi said, a smile on her face. “Stay safe, sailor.”
Ric chuckled and said, “Aye, ma'am.”
They hung up and when Jessi went to bed that night, she wasn't tormented by memories of past or more recent hurts. She slept peacefully and even found herself looking forward to spending some more time with her hero in uniform.
HMAS Sydney was on it's routine patrol in the Arafura Sea, near Papua New Guinea, fulfilling their orders to watch for any FFV's trying to illegally cross into Australian waters.
Ric sat at his post on the bridge, monitoring the engines as he tossed a rubber ball between his hands. They'd left port at 2300 hours last night and had been at sea for nearly seven hours, but Ric couldn't get Jessi off his mind.
Her unexpected call last night had been a welcome surprise and he found himself looking forward to her thank you when they returned to port.
“Charge.” Lieutenant Daniel Coleman came over to his station, drawing Ric out of his thoughts as the Lieutenant gave him a cup of coffee and asked, “How did things go last night with that woman?”
“Jessi? She's fine.” Ric replied.
“That's good to know. Did the police locate that scum trying to rape her?”
“No.”
“Too bad.”
Ric took a drink of hot coffee before asking, “How's Kel?”
Daniel smiled. Every time someone mentioned his fiance or their daughter, the Navigator changed from the hardcore sailor he could be to a man in love. “She's good. Planning the wedding and looking forward to it more and more.”
Their CO – Jackson Tanner – came onto the bridge then and joined them at Ric's station. He handed Daniel a slip of paper and said, “This just came in from NAVCOM. You've been approved to take more time off.”
Daniel was lucky he had a CO like Tanner pulling for him.
In the last year, the Lieutenant had had to take more time off then any other sailor on the ship in an attempt to keep Kelley Harmon safe. His psychotic brother had been bent on seeking revenge against her and it'd been up to Da
niel to keep Kelley and her unborn daughter alive. If he hadn't, there's no doubt that the sweet woman from Melbourne would have died at the hands of her former boyfriend, who'd once been a federal agent with the AFP.
“This says I can take it from the beginning of November until the end of January.” Daniel read.
Jackson smiled and simply stated, “Looks like you'll be getting married at the end of the year after all.”
Daniel grinned and said, “Thanks, boss.”
“Take five and go call Kelley.”
Daniel left and Ric gave Jackson an update on their fuel and engine status. “Everything is looking good here so far, boss. Nothing to report.”
“Good to hear.”Jackson said. Then, “Tell me about this woman I've been hearing about. Jessi?”
“I stopped some arsehole from raping her at the rodeo last night.” Ric said. “She's fine now, but she was pretty scared at first.”
He remembered what she'd said on the phone last night; it was a very big deal … I've been in a situation similar to that before … He didn't know what to make of that, but he told himself he'd find out more when he got back to port.
Three
Two months later …
Since her attack, Jessi had been attending a self-defense class at a gym not far from the cafe. She'd told herself that she wouldn't be the victim ever again and it was time to do something about it. The class was teaching her and a handful of other local women the basics of hand-to-hand combat that would allow them to slow down an attacker long enough for them to get away and get help.
Jessi wasn't delusional; she knew she wasn't going to become some Alpha-female Ninja just because she knew a few moves, but the class was giving her the one thing she'd been lacking in her life.
Confidence.
She felt stronger and more capable of standing up for herself.
And that new-found confidence was put to the test one afternoon when she was at the cafe. Jessi was in the middle of cleaning the service counter and rearranging the display cabinet that held their salad bar when a very familiar voice spoke to her from behind.
“Jessica.”
She froze, her heart lurching to a full-blown stop before picking up speed again and racing a million-miles-a-minute in her throat. Her hand tightened around the rag she held and her stomach rolled, but she forced herself to turn around and face the man who had made her his personal punching bag. Seeing him again after three months was a shock to the system, so Jessi was proud when her voice sounded normal when she spoke. “What are you doing here, Kevin?”
Kevin Nolan smiled a slow, feral smile and asked, “Is that any tone to take with your husband?”
Jessi swallowed and replied, “Ex-husband. And you didn't answer my question.”
“I'm impressed, Jess. You've grown some balls since you've been away from me.”
Why did he have to show up the one afternoon I'm here on my own? Jessi silently fumed, hating that Judy had needed to go home and Eve wasn't due to start for another ten minutes.
“I'm here to talk.” Kevin said. “That's all I want. To talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you.” She told him, “And I don't want to listen to anything you have to say, either.”
Kevin came closer and took her hand, his grip tightening painfully when she tried to pull away. “Jess, baby, don't be like that. We left things unfinished.”
Jessi stopped trying to free herself because his tight grip was hurting her. Instead, she forced herself to meet his cold gaze and said, “Nothing is unfinished between us, Kevin. It was all finalized when those divorce papers were signed.”
“I didn't want to sign those papers.” Kevin snarled. “I didn't want to lose you.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided I would make a good punching bag.” Jessi told him.
Kevin stared at her for a few minutes, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking, which scared her. When he spoke, his voice was normal and calm. “Give me a second chance, Jess. Please, baby. I can't live without you.”
His pleading made her sick and she jerked her hand free when he wasn't expecting the move. She pointed a finger at the entrance and told him, “I suggest you leave, Kevin, before I call the police.”
Anger clouded his eyes and he growled, “I'll leave. But I will be back.”
He left and Jessi sagged against the back counter, pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart as she wondered how he'd managed to find her. And with his finding her, her attempt to start over in a new city had just been squashed.
The next day, the HMAS Sydney returned to port.
Christmas was just around the corner and that meant that the Sydney was one of a handful of patrol boats that were going to be in port for the holiday.
And that meant nearly every sailor on board could attend the wedding of Daniel and Kelley, which was happening in a few days, at the beginning of December.
Ric made a call to Jessi the minute he was on leave, and earned himself an invite to her apartment.
“Hi. Welcome back.” Jessi said when he arrived.
“It's good to be back.” Ric said. He smiled at her, reacquainting himself with her beauty as he asked, “Are you still wanting to repay me for that night?”
“Absolutely. What did you have in mind?”
“How about attending a wedding with me this weekend as my date?”
“A wedding?”
“Yeah. If that's not too weird.”
“I don't think it's weird.” Jessi said with a smile. “I'd love to. When is it?”
“The ceremony starts at ten this Saturday.”
“Then I'm there. Where?”
“How about I pick you up?” Ric suggested. “0900 hours?”
Jessi smiled and said, “That sounds great.”
Ric had a grin on his face when he left a few minutes later, run out early when Jessi's boss called and asked her to cover for a colleague who had fallen ill.
Jessi was the type of woman who could be a really good friend or an even better partner – lover, girlfriend – and he was very interested in seeing where this new-found relationship went.
The first Saturday of December dawned with clear blue skies and warm, sunny weather that wasn't too hot.
It was the perfect day for a wedding.
At nine o'clock, Ric arrived at Jessi's apartment and when he saw her standing on the curb outside her building, waiting for him, he felt his breath freeze in his lungs.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful in a strapless blue dress that reached her knees and strappy silver heels with her light brown hair flowing in loose curls around her shoulders.
He knew he was in trouble.
Jessi climbed into his Holden SV6 Thunder ute and smiled at him as she buckled her seatbelt. “Morning.”
“Morning.” He replied, pulling away from the curb and heading for the church.
“I forgot to ask. Whose wedding is this?”
“The Navigators, Daniel Coleman.” Ric told her.
“Their getting married at the perfect time.” Jessi said. “Just in time for Christmas.”
Ric heard a touch of wistfulness in her voice and told himself to remember what she'd said, even if he couldn't explain why it mattered.
“Do you get Christmas off, Charge?”
“Yes. The Sydney is one of a handful of patrol boats that is lucky enough to be staying in port for a few weeks over the holiday.” He told her. They stopped for a red light and he looked over at her, smiling as he told her, “You look very beautiful today, Jessi.”
A slight blush came over her cheeks, but she smiled and replied, “Thank you. But one day I'm going to have see what you look like in something that isn't Navy related.”
Ric looked down at his formal dress whites and grinned. “Yeah. That'd be nice.”
They arrived at the church a little before ten and were met by the Steven Leigh, the ships Radio Operator, and Jackson Tanner, their CO. Jackso
n held a very adorable Annabelle Coleman and, after Ric had introduced everyone to Jessi, little Annabelle held out her hands to Jessi, indicating she wanted to change holders.
“Oh … is it okay?” Jessi asked, clearly wanting to hold the little girl but not wanting to step on any toes.
A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series Page 7