No Hero

{Nothing erotic here at all, which is why it is posted as "Non-erotic." Sure, one naked female, but if you bother to read this you will see that was not erotic, either.

It is strange how things just happen. I spent two decades with my former wife Dotty, good ones where nothing happened at all. We worked together, ate together, made love on Saturdays together. No real families for either of us, just friends around from time to time.

To some, that might be a boring life, it wasn't. It was sweet and good, we loved each other. Losing her left a hole so big I thought nothing could ever fill it, and I went for almost another decade waiting for my time to come.

Then I met and married Debra, a Registered Nurse Practitioner, since then it is one thing after another.

But this sure wasn't her fault, except she says I can eat the Licorice whips, those aren't that bad for me. So I gave up the chips and other junk foods.

Maybe it is her fault in a way.

Did this one actually happen?

Well, if you read the big city papers, then you already know. There was a blurb on TV also, mostly about the ending.

They called me a hero, but no real truth to that.

But I was there.}

+++

All I wanted was some change, I had stopped at a corner store to get myself some of those long red Licorice whips.

We all have seen those, remember when they used to be a foot and a half long for a nickel?

Anyway, that is candy for kids and I am 70, I also don't care, I like them. I like the black ones too but it's too damned hard to get the color off my dentures so I buy the red ones.

Those are six inches long now and come in a little package.

I reached in my wallet, but all I had was a 50 dollar bill. I know Clara pretty well, she runs the little corner store. I doubted she had 50 dollars in the whole place.

"Take them, Danny, just come back and pay me later." Which I did. But I am also a type of guy that doesn't like owing anyone anything, so I pulled into the bank to get change.

In our town, a 50 dollar bill is the same as being broke unless we are buying gas. I use my credit card for that anyway.

There was no one in the bank except for Jane at the teller's window and Ron Carstens, the bank manager. Plus some guy I didn't know, at first glance it was just a customer.

Jane had both hands up on the counter, palms down flat? I noticed that as I stepped up to her window. Her eyes darted sideways, looking at something.

I turned my head and saw Ron standing over by the big steel door to their walk in safe.

The man I didn't know was standing there, Ron looked over at me and the look on his face told me something was wrong.

I glanced over at Jane, she had the same look on her face.

I know scared when I see it.

Just as I turned to take a second look at Ron and the other man, the guy scowled and yelled at me.

"Get down on the fucking floor, mother fucker!" He snarled at me, then I saw the dark pistol in his hand. It was a revolver, I saw that. It wasn't huge, probably a .38 but that scared the piss out of me.

Well, not actually, with my 70 year old Prostate it takes me 5 minutes to get anything going but I would have wet my pants if I could have.

When I just stood there, the guy lifted the pistol and pointed it at me.

OK, OK, I got down, I was thinking of my own .45, but it was in my desk drawer at home.

The bank is of course one of those no firearms zones. Lots of opinions on that, I guess. I was wishing I had mine right then. Would I have pulled it, or could I even manage to hit the guy with it?

The truth is, I don't know, so there is that argument, also. I did fire the thing once, it hurt my wrist so I oiled it and put it away.

It struck me that this guy just might shoot all three of us, after all, we saw his face. They say that eye witnesses are not all that reliable, but this prick I would remember for the rest of my life.

Everything I had ever learned from watching cop shows on TV was running through my head. The clothing, colors, scars, tattoos, anything and everything. Remember it.

Anything at all.

Brown slacks, black jacket with a hood pulled back, dark gun. Taller than Ron, white guy.

I got that much.

It even popped into my head that if he got close enough and it looked like he was going to shoot us, I would try and scratch him and get some DNA under my fingernails.

After all, I do watch "Forensic Files."

Yea, sure. What I was really hoping was he would hurry up, grab the money and run. Yes, I was scared.

There was some shuffling, some orders to Ron. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ron filling a bag.

Then there was a yell and some more noise like a desk or something getting shoved, then the damn gun went off. Ron I think had tried to grab it and missed.

Dumb move certainly, it was later I found out why he attempted that.

I came right to my feet, hit the little swinging door that separates the small lobby from the back where the desks are. It was maybe 15 or 20 feet to him.

Jane was suddenly running, I saw that out of the corner of my eye. She was headed for the door, her hands up over her head like she was trying to protect herself. Ron was down, the guy standing over him. Ron had one hand out in front of him, shock on his face.

"Please!" He said. I heard that clearly. We hear that in moments like this, things seem to be in slow motion.

They weren't.

I could tell that it looked like the thief was preparing to shoot again, and my brain was focused on that pistol, but he must have heard me. He turned just before I got there and pulled the trigger.

Hell, that was almost point blank, no way to miss, except charging at people and making them hurry sure can cause them do just that.

It was loud, that much is for sure. I almost expected to feel something, go down, but there was nothing.

Then I was on the guy and somehow got hold of his wrist, shoving the pistol away from me. He spun, and I went ass over teakettle past him, bounced off one of the desks and ended up face down on top of one of the roller chairs they have back there.

The damn little chair did exactly what it is supposed to do, which is roll. I was trying to get my feet under me but the chair was moving and I couldn't.

For a couple of seconds there I probably looked like the guy that plays the old man on the "I Love Lucy" reruns.

There was another loud bang and I guess at that point I was thinking I just met my maker.

He missed me again?

Still, now he had me cold and I knew it. I did manage to get one hand on a desk, started to get up.

The jerk just ran, I suppose trying to run is a typical response of robbers when things go tits up for them.

And tits up it was, he went from total control to having a fight on his hands, so he took off.

That is something else I have noticed, thieves are usually also cowards.

It took me maybe 3 or 4 seconds to realize I wasn't dead and I didn't even seem to be hurt, except for my wrist. I am not sure how that happened.

Getting up, the place was empty except for Ron Carstens lying on the floor. He was bleeding like a stuck hog, I went to him and took a look. The bullet went in just about at his collar bone.

There was lots of blood and his face was already white as a sheet.

I rolled him up to look behind, the bullet hadn't gone all the way through. Then he let out a groan. His eyes opened but I knew he wasn't seeing me, and his mouth worked, no sound coming out.

I went over and grabbed one of the phone to call the police. My sort of son in law Hal Jordan is our County Sheriff and I wanted him there right now.

{I call Hal my sort of son in law, because he married Sandi, our sort of daughter. Now I also have a sort of Grand daughter, some who don't know the story say she looks just like me.

I hope not. No real relation, but it feels like there is. Besides, no female on Earth wants to look anything like me.

I already wrote that story.}

The line was dead, I ran over to a different desk, that line was dead also. The guy must have taken the time to cut the lines.

Nice modern bank we have, huh?

I looked around for a cell phone sitting on a desk somewhere, nothing.

I didn't have a cell phone on me, the damn screens are too small for me to read even with my glasses on, and I never could push those tiny little buttons without a toothpick.

I ran back to Ron, on one of the desks were some tissue so I grabbed a wad of those and pressed it to the hole. Damn, was blood pouring out. He was awake now, I told him to hold that while I went for help. He reached down and pressed that to the wound with a grimace.

"Danny!" Ron called to me as I started to get up.

"What?"

"He hurt Kathy. At the house. Go help her, please!" Ron was trying to get up.

I know Kathy, of course, like I know about everyone in our small town of about 4000 people. She is a pretty little sweetheart, my wife Debra and I see her and Ron around town all the time.

I even danced with her at the Elk's lodge maybe six months earlier, she is a good dancer, always happy and smiling.

I told Ron to lie still, I would get some help. I really didn't like the way he looked one bit, but I had nothing to help him with.

I saw a few things back in Vietnam, and I knew damn good and well that this much blood was bad news.

Then I heard the siren, Jane had the presence of mind to hit the panic button before she ran. That I guess sets off an alarm at the Sheriff's office, it was something I didn't even know they had.

Thank God for that.

The thief obviously didn't know about that either or poor Jane might have gotten it first.

I met Hal at the door, told him what had happened. He listened for a few seconds, stuffed his huge pistol back in it's holster. He was on his radio instantly to get more help coming.

I also told him what Ron had said about his wife, so Hal called to send our emergency crew out to their house which is perhaps 3 miles from where I used to live on a little 5 acre ranch.

"Fuck, they are at a traffic accident North, it will be 20 minutes." He told me. Ron and Kathy's house was a good 10-12 miles the opposite direction.

Hal of course has medical training, that is part of his job since he is our County Sheriff, he went to Ron and began trying to help him.

I headed for the door like I was shot out of a cannon.

"Dan! Wait!" Hal yelled at me.

I didn't.

"God Damn it!" I heard Hal yell just as I reached my truck. I knew he was just concerned, the thief might have headed back out there, but I didn't think so.

My big Dodge pickup has the Diesel engine and she will haul balls when I put my foot down, and I had it down. I bawled the tires taking off, swapped ends in the middle of the street and headed out there.

The road I know like the back of my hand, I drove it for years back when it was gravel, now it is paved. I was taking some of those 30 MPH corners at close to 60.

On the way it popped into my head that we had just had the vote for more funding in case of emergency, and while I voted for it, it didn't pass.

Which meant there was one ambulance, one regular EMT on staff, and volunteers. Same with the Sheriff department, Hal had two deputies, to cover the entire County 24/7 plus three men working as guards at the jail. He and his deputies fill in on the off hours at that, also. Usually all they have in there are a couple of drunks, sometimes driving without a license so they manage somehow.

I probably broke some records on the way to Ron and Kathy's house, sliding to a stop by their porch.

The front door was standing open.

"Kathy!" I yelled as I went through the front door. There was no answer.

I found her in the back bedroom, she was tied to a chair, gagged with duct tape. Her eyes were huge, she was terrified. Clearly she had been crying.

She was also naked.

I saw what looked like bite marks on her breasts, I knew right then this had been bad for them.

I keep a small knife in my pocket, I use it for fishing. It is sharp, I can easily shave with it.

I cut the thin rope, got her hands loose, then pulled the gag.

"Danny. He took Ron, they are at the bank." She told me as she was trying to get her feet loose. I got her hands out of the way and cut that rope, looking around I saw a blanket on the bed and grabbed that for her.

"I know, I was there." I told her.

"Oh, God. Is Ron....?" She saw my hands and forearms, still covered with blood. Her eyes were now brimming with tears, I reached out and hugged her.

"He is fine, he got shot but it's just a flesh wound." I wasn't real sure how bad that was but right then I needed her calmed some.

"Who is that guy?" I asked her, by now she was digging in a dresser for some clothing. She had dropped the blanket on the floor, no concern about modesty at that point. I turned my back while she tugged on some slacks and a blouse.

"I don't know, we were just finishing dinner and suddenly he was in the house. We never even thought to lock the doors, not way out here. He held us all night, then this morning he took Ron to the bank." Kathy was still clearly rattled but getting better.

"Come on, I will drive you down there." I told her. We climbed into my truck and headed back to the bank. I was driving more carefully now. I glanced over at Kathy several times, she was being quiet but her jaw was set.

This was one strong lady from what I knew of her.

Jane was standing outside when we got there, along with perhaps a half dozen other people. Hal saw us coming and let Kathy inside to where they were working on Ron. By then they had him bandaged and loaded onto a stretcher. The bullet had struck the bone, he was hurt pretty bad. They did tell me I did the right thing, using the tissue to slow the bleeding.

As they wheeled him out, Kathy came over and hugged me, then she climbed into the back of the van they loaded him into.

So that is about all that there was other than I had to tell Hal and some guy from the State what had happened about 30 times.

Plus the two detectives that showed up at the house later that evening.

Our phone was ringing when I walked in the door, it was Debs. She sounded a little bit upset, she asked me if I was hurt.

My wrist hurt, I told her about that and she told me to come down to the clinic for an X-ray which I sort of didn't want to do.

But I finally gave in, stopping at the store first to pay Clara for my Licorice whips. Once the police had asked all of their questions, Jane went over and broke my $50 bill for me.

The world was all normal again somehow.

+++

"What was all that fuss?" Clara asked me as she handed me my change. Of course she had heard the sirens earlier.

"Someone robbed the bank." I told her. No point in going into detail.

"Oh. I hope they catch them." She answered.

Good thing I did go in I suppose, sure enough my left wrist was cracked. I had no idea how except for maybe the way I landed.

Great. Now I had to wear a cast, so I was sort of pissed off at that robber asshole. I also find out that Ron was going to be OK, he did get a transfusion and they operated to repair his collarbone and get the slug out. I was right, it was a .38.

Hollow point, too. No wonder there was so much damage.

The robber got his, though, he was headed for the valley, if he had made the freeway he might have gotten away, but radios are way faster then his car was.

From our little town, there are just three ways to go unless they have a boat, and the cops had those covered in less than 15 minutes. He was spotted going up a long grade about 40 miles out towards the valley.

Jane was outside across the street trying to call the police when the guy ran out, and saw the car he jumped into, an older Hyundai.

He first tried to run but the little import car was no match for the big State cruisers and he got dumped into a ditch barely a couple of miles from the freeway.

He put up a fight, shooting at Cops is not a good idea. At least he didn't have to stand trial, that situation was ended right there alongside the highway.

He had $1700.00 in the bag.

Hal Jordan told me later that they think it was the same guy that held up a gas station a hundred miles or so down the coast. They can't be sure because whoever that was shot the clerk and they didn't have cameras in the place. Ballistics didn't help, it was a different gun so who knows?

Anyway, they were thinking my being there might have stopped another tragedy.

I was thinking how close I came to being part of that.

+++

The story in the papers made me out to be some kind of hero, hell, no truth to that. I just wasn't about to lay there and get shot.

Of course, in our town the big stories are about when the good clamming tides arrive, and the local Crab festival.

Art festival, too. People come from all over to look at paintings of...well...something.

Armed robbery and a shooting was a big deal.

I did get my picture in the paper, I didn't even see the reporter who took it but since the newspaper office is four doors down from the bank I can see how he got there so fast.

I was standing there talking to Hal Jordan, Ron's blood rather obvious on my hands. That had to be right when Hal was telling me that our only ambulance was nearly 20 miles North at a traffic accident.

To hear Jane's side of it, it sounded like I was some kind of Superman, and Kathy sure didn't help any with her description.

"Danny saved me!" They quoted her as saying.

No, I went out there and untied her is all. Our little community had no one else to do it at the moment.

The papers didn't mention that Kathy was naked when I arrived, that was nice of them. No need to embarrass her. Although I don't think she was embarrassed, not about me anyway, not in that situation.

There was also no mention of some of the things that man did to Kathy, Debra was the one that told me about that part. Debs was her nurse when she came in to the hospital, the police insisted on getting a rape kit as soon as her husband went into surgery. Those were the detectives from the State, she refused to let any of them near her.

Kathy insisted on it being Debra, there was also an intern on staff of course but Kathy and Ron had been patients of my wife for years.

That I did understand, small town and Kathy needed my Debra right then. The hospital is just three blocks from the clinic so Debs got there fast.

Debs did give Kathy one of those morning after pills, no point in taking any chances.

The good part there is that Kathy seems to be handling it well, she turned out to be one strong young lady.

I guess the guy threatened her if she didn't just go along with it, and had Ron tied up at the time.

He knew somehow when the safe would open, so he invaded Ron and Kathy's home. He told Ron he would go back and kill Kathy if he didn't do what he was told.

Probably not, as soon as the cops knew about what had happened, their house would be the first place they would go check.

Still, terrifying. I say that five rounds from a Glock was a just reward for what he did.

Me? I just happened to be there, then available to go help Kathy, anyone would have done the same.

He might have gotten away with that robbery, except for some Licorice whips and no change.

Odd how the tiniest things can have so much effect.

The story made all of the papers, even the main newspaper in the big city up North. Yep, made me out to be some kind of hero. I sure do get waved at a lot now, but then I did before since I am sort of a fixture around here.

I'm not any hero. I just wanted to stay alive.

A few of the locals even tried to get me to run for County Commissioner, I don't want to.

That would cut into my fishing time.

What I do want is to get that increase in the emergency response budget passed, and I talk to everyone that will listen.