It was the middle of the night when it hit. Jennifer’s bed was shaking across the room. It was the wildest feeling in the world and it didn’t seem to be ending either. She tried to get off the bed, after all it wasn’t far from the doorway, but the shaking was so violent it threw her back against the pillows.
“Get to a doorway during an earthquake,” She remembered her mother, Felicia, always saying.
Her mother had been gone these past 10 years now and it just seems like yesterday when she said it. She was an amazing woman. Even when the doctor’s told her she had only a few months to live, because the cancer was spreading through her body, she never gave in.
She had long, beautiful brown hair, that was before the Chemo took it. Even when she was sick, she would still find ways to make her daugater smile and laugh. Anything to take the worry from her heart.
It amazed Jennifer, what she was thinking about during the middle of an earthquake. The light fell over, as she fell off the bed. That’s when it happened. The ceiling collapsed, right on top of her. She was lying on the floor with plaster pinning her legs. The upstairs neighbor lying on top of her.
The pain was excruciating making her scream. It must have woken him up, because he seemed of out of it.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” he asked scrambling to his feet and rubbing his head. “Damn, that hurt.”
“Not really,” she said. “I’m kind of pinned here.”
“Let me help,” he said.
Instead of walking and getting off the plaster that had fallen he walked across it.
Genius, she thought, “Get off,”she screamed.
He jumped off to the side and came up to where her head was.
“I’m going to try to get you out of here,” he said.
Now that she could see him, she could tell he worked out. He was one of those body builder types with the arms as big as semi’s. If his actions when he first got up were any indication of his brains, then she was in some serious trouble.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said, looking into his brown eyes.
“Why not? I’m not on the bed now. I can just pull you out,” he said, like this was something he did every day.
Jennifer looked down at the plaster and the bed on top of her. Then she looked at her night clothes, which consisted of a nightshirt she knew wasn’t covering much. She didn’t feel much pain, thankfully.
“Can you lift the stuff up?” she asked, afraid he might try just pulling her out.
“I might be able to,” he said. “Let me try.”
He went around to the side of the bed. When he stepped on the fallen plaster she screamed again. It was digging into her stomach and it hurt. It hurt like hell.
Piece by piece he took the bed apart. First the mattress, he stood up and laid against the wall, then the box spring. As he was moving the frame another earthquake hit. He dove over top of her, covering her head from more falling plaster.
A few cement pieces broke off of the ceiling. One or two pieces hit him on the back, she assumed because he cursed.
“Thanks,” she mumbled into his chest. This guy smelled good, for someone in the middle of the night, covered in dust and debris. Kind of like Old Spice, and musk put together. It was comforting.
When it was over, he got up mumbling an apology.
“I don’t know how long it is going to be before another tremor hits,” he said. He grabbed the frame and tossed it aside like it was paper.
“Be careful,” she said weakly. “The drywall and floorboards are digging into my stomach.”
“I’ll do what I can,” he said.
“Can I ask your name?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It seems only fitting I know the name of the man trying to save me.”
“Tyler,” he said kneeling down. “And you are?”
“I’m Jennifer. Jennifer Bryson,” she said, unable to hold back a laugh. “You’re downstairs neighbor and apparently, at the moment you’re roommate.”
Jennifer began coughing which really appeared to hurt her stomach, but what was worrying her was the fact she couldn’t feel her legs. She knew they were somewhere under all the debris, but where and how bad they were cut up she didn’t know.
“Are you ready?” he asked getting back to his feet. “I’m going to be as gentle as I can but we’re going to have to get this off you.”
When he turned around that’s when she saw the damage to his back. He had several cuts through his t-shirt and a couple of them looked deep. She couldn’t help but wince because it looked painful. Then as if cluing in, she realized she hadn’t even asked if he was okay from his fall.
“Are you okay?” she couldn’t help but ask. “Your back, I mean… or even falling through the floor? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” he answered roughly. “We can worry about my stuff after we get this off you.”
Typical male, she thought.
He started to lift the drywall and Jennifer felt something dig into her stomach. She screamed so loud, it sounded like someone was murdering her.
Immediately he dropped it back down.
“I’m sorry, are you okay?” he asked, practically running to her side.
“Can I bug you to get me something to drink? My throat is really dry,” she said.
“Sure,” he got up and left the room. A few minutes later he returned with a bottle of water that was in the fridge. “Power’s out.”
“Figured as much,” Jennifer sighed. “I just got groceries.” Why am I worrying about food when I’m trapped under this crap? she wondered.
“Always happens when we don’t want it to,” he said sympathetically.
He looked down at her nightshirt and his eyes widened.
“Umm, hang on okay? I’m going to try and see if the phone is working,” he said rushing out of the room.
“Oh, alright,” she said, confused.
“Damn it!” he cursed from the other room. “Phone’s out.” He walked back in the room.
“You can try my cell phone, although I don’t know how good that’s going to work,” she said.
“It’s better than nothing,” he said. “Where is it?”
“My purse, by the front door,” she said. “I’m just going to rest for a few minutes I’m getting tired.”
“No!” he said emphatically. “Stay awake. Whatever you do stay awake!”
He ran back out of the room.
“Watch the…” she heard him trip, “ottoman.” She closed her eyes for a moment.
“Jennifer!” he yelled when he came back in the room. “Wake up! Cell phone’s not working either.”
“I’m tired, Tyler,” her voice was beginning to fade.
“So what?” he said. “I am too, that fall through the ceiling was no picnic you know.”
“I know,” her voice was now barely above a whisper.
“What the hell am I going to do,” he said more to himself than to me.
“Don’t know,” she answered, her eyes still shut tight.
“I don’t have any choice. I have to do this. If I don’t you’re going to die,” he said.
“Okay,” she said sleepily.
He walked out of the room and came back carrying an armful of blankets and towels. He set them by her head and looked around the room until he saw her leather belt hanging on the door. It was the only one left that hadn’t fallen to the floor.
“Put this in your mouth and bite down,” he said sternly. “This is going to hurt like a bitch.”
“Okay,” Jennifer said, opening her mouth. She bit down onto the belt as he slid it between her teeth.
He moved all the debris he could, so that there wasn’t going to be anything falling onto her when he lifted.
With that done he knelt down to her side, he brushed her hair from my eyes.
“It was really nice meeting you Jennifer, even if it was like this,” he said.
“Me too,” she mumbled, through the belt.
“Ready?” he asked nervously.
“Mhmm,” she muttered.
“On the count of three,” he placed his hands firmly under the drywall. “One! Two!”
“Three!” they said in unison.
He lifted the drywall off of her.
Jennifer screamed again, the pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
That’s when he saw the damage. He tossed the piece away and immediately grabbed the blankets. He began shredding them, and she heard him cursing.
“What’s wrong? Is it bad?” she asked. “I can’t move my legs.”
“Your legs are broken, I’m afraid,” he said sadly. What he couldn’t bring himself to tell her was that a piece of drywall had actually severed her in half. It was standing straight up through the mattress and through her stomach. Both her legs were crushed and deformed.
“I should take a look,” she said, struggling to move.
“No, you just lie there. It’s going to be a while before anyone can get here.”
He couldn’t stop staring at the drywall. There was just no way she would survive this, he thought. Once that’s moved, she’ll bleed and chances are it won’t stop. There was blood already beginning to ooze through the side of the drywall. He tried bandaging it up the best he could but when he did part of her stomach protruded over the front of her skin. He didn’t dare do anymore.
“Can I have another drink?” she asked, spitting out the belt.
“Sure,” he said, passing me the bottle.
Jennifer took a drink and closed her eyes.
“Tired now, I need to rest,” she said.
“Maybe that’s a good idea,” he said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. “Soon it will all be over.”
