Heroic Act Triggers Taking a Gamble

HEROIC ACT TRIGGERS TAKING A GAMBLE - EDITED

A couple sometimes needs a change - V2

Some of you may have already read this story and seen the comments on how poorly I did in some areas of the story. If you have seen the comments as well as my response, you can understand that I did a poor job of editing and rushing this to submission, when it was indeed a half-baked story released before it was ready. Oops, sorry about that and please don't be offended as my main goal is not to waste your time and give you the entertainment value that you are hoping for. Optimistically this is a better version. But I'm confident the readers will have split views, as always, and those with strong feelings will let me know their mind. That's okay, I get a kick out of the responses, both good and bad.

I hit the snooze button for the fourth time, knowing that my wife, Molly, was going to tear me a new one. I knew, I just didn't give a shit. I really didn't want to get up and start the day. I was so sick of the routine. Shit, shower, shave, dress in some stupid looking and worse feeling clothes and go to my boring job at the bank where I would once again add no value to mine or anyone else's life. As I started down the black hole of reviewing what my life had become, a fist came flying from the other side of the bed and smacked me in the chest.

"Dammit Jack! Turn off that obnoxious alarm and get out of bed. You've been late four times in the last two weeks and with your lack of ambition and your shitty, lackadaisical skills at doing anything related to making an income, you can't afford to lose your bank manager position. So, get up and quit waking me up every ten minutes with your god-awful snooze alarm!"

I mustered as much sarcasm and thinly veiled contempt as I could in my response and said, "Okay Molly, love you too. Glad to see you in such a sunny supportive mood, as per usual. Thanks for the blow to the chest, that really helps my day start off in a positive way!" Why is she always so crabby with me, I wondered? We used to have playful and loving banter, now we just ignore or attack whenever we talk.

"By the way, Molly dearest, what's on your agenda today. Are you going to work and spend lunch and office time bonding with your boss John; getting emotional and tender care and support after telling him how horrible your marriage is? And after work I suppose, you'll be going to the gym again and spending as much time as you can with your personal trainer Dane? Are you actually going to work up a sweat today or just flash your ass and tits in his face and see if you can get an offer for more personalized training?" Oops, that thought had been floating around in my head for a few weeks and unfortunately, I actually said it out loud today. But now I was on a roll and my sleep addled brain wasn't conscious enough yet to shut me up.

"Molly, just do me one favor for old time's sake. If you decide to sleep with either of them, assuming you haven't yet, please let me know beforehand so we can separate and end this amicably. Please at least respect me that much."

Molly bolted up in bed at that comment and screamed, "How dare you say that to me you asshole! What the hell are you insinuating Jack! You respect me so little that you think I'm cheating on you behind your back?"

"Molly based on how you treat me and your lack of interest in spending any time with me, especially time between the sheets, I can only believe that something is going on that has derailed our marriage this badly. I can't even take a piss without you somehow telling me how I'm doing it wrong and how pathetic I am."

Molly let out a gasp and a scowl wrinkled her face into a beat red flush as she yelled, "Tell me Jack, why would you think I would spend time with you and make love with you when all we do is battle and yell and you treat me like you can't wait to leave this marriage and move on with your life. Well Jack, let me tell you, when I decide to dump your ass and find someone who can actually take care of my needs, believe me, you will be the first to know. When did you change into such a heartless asshole saying those things to me!"

She rolled out of bed and started to walk away as I said, "Molly, whatever change seems to be happening to me, to us, is a symptom of where our marriage is currently at. But thanks for the heads up about finding someone to take care of you. Good to know Molly. Maybe I should start looking now for the divorce lawyer!" When she turned and looked at me I cringed at the shock and hurt on her face, knowing I had pushed things too far, but I just couldn't stop myself and kept thinking that her love for me seemed to be gone and she was ready to pull the plug.

As I climbed into the shower I wondered, how had it come to this? Here we were, Molly and Jack Jenson, married for 12 years now and at least 9 of them had been incredibly good. We were still young, only approaching 38 for Molly and 39 for me. Certainly, too young to forego sex and lovemaking. I honestly didn't know if she was or had cheated on me or not, but I could tell she was emotionally more and more distant and our relationship was getting colder and colder. Part of me believed she loved me enough to never actually cheat on me, but part of me wondered if we weren't pushing each other to that inevitable conclusion.

It hurt me to think about how our marriage had deteriorated. Molly was always criticizing me and finding things I had failed to do to her standards. The last time we did make love, was it already six weeks ago, she had closed her eyes and turned her head to the side as if waiting for me to be done. That really does a number on a guy's ego. I just pulled out of her, turned over and moved as far to my side of the bed as I could. The fact that she never uttered a complaint and did the same seemed to confirm my fears.

I had to admit that I wasn't fault free in all of this. I hated my job, hated our current life. I was bored and resentful. We were getting by but not really getting ahead. We never did anything. We rarely saw our friends or went out partying like the good old days. The only enjoyment I got was trudging in from my job, eating a quiet meal and moving into my study where I spent my free time playing on-line poker and doing some day trading of stocks. Those hobbies seemed to be the only thing that gave me any excitement anymore, and I was actually pretty good at both and was making a reasonable income for the few hours I dedicated to these hobbies. Math and statistics were the only things that I was actually good at, and these activities nurtured those skill sets and helped me feel at least a little bit of pride.

Molly had escaped into long hours at the gym, 4 to 5 times a week, and the occasional girls-night-out with her work friends. I did wonder if she was cheating on me, but in a way, I really didn't want to know. Each day when I drove off to work, I resolved to myself that I would work to make things better. I would work to improve my attitude, improve our relationship, and try and bring something new and exciting into our lives. But each day just morphed into the same old routine, fight, work, fight, play poker, and repeat. I was stuck in my own Groundhog Day movie, with no happy end in sight.

The next few days with Molly were as if we were in a freezer. We hardly looked at each other, much less talked to each other. We both clung to the edge of our side of the bed, and neither of us could get past our stubbornness to apologize and try to start anew after our last bombastic argument.

When I came home on Wednesday (thank God it was at least another hump day done with) I came into the kitchen where Molly was drinking a glass of wine and sat down across from her. She looked at me and without speaking pushed an empty glass towards me so I poured myself a healthy portion of the crisp red Syrah that we both enjoyed.

I thought this might be her working up to the "honey we have to talk" speech, but she just sat silent and looked at me. I finally broke the ice and said, "Molly, let me start by saying I am really sorry about the things I said the other morning. I was cruel and hurtful to you and I have felt guilty about it ever since, although at the time, for some reason, I just didn't give a shit.

"Molly, I think that is part of my problem. I just don't seem to have any passion for my job, our lifestyle, our current routines. I really think I need a change, but I wonder how you see our life and how you would like to see us change for the better in the future?"

She looked at me with a hint of optimism but a larger amount of apprehension. "Jack, after the last conversation we had I didn't think you even wanted a future with me. You were so disrespectful and hurtful and that made me say things that were intended to be hurtful and spiteful and I am sorry. But Jack, we can't keep going on like this!"

"I know Molly, I agree. Molly, do you want a divorce? Is this marriage beyond fixing?"

As soon as I said the words Molly turned pale and screwed up her face and tried to hold back the tears. But she just couldn't. She broke into a sob, got up and yelled, "Fuck you, Jack. Just like you to go for the nuclear option. How can you say that? Do you hate me that much that there is no love left for me and no chance for our marriage?"

With that she started to sob, stood up, turned on her heels and bolted upstairs to the bedroom and shut the door. I walked to the edge of the stairs and could hear her wails and gasps of breath as she cried her eyes out. It continued for quite some time, until I assumed she had cried herself to sleep.

"Well shit," I said to myself. "That sure didn't go the way I intended it to." Yet I was no clearer in my mind as to whether she did or didn't want to work on the marriage. I was depressed, sad, angry, confused, a gamut of emotions overcame me. I did something I used to do quite regularly, but hadn't done for several months. I went to the mud room, grabbed my running shoes and an old pair of sweat pants that were hanging on one of the hooks, stripped to my t-shirt, and walked out the door. After a few minutes of warming up, I broke into a run and ran until my mind and body became numb.

When I got home, I took a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom and just laid out on the couch until I fell asleep.

In the morning, I was aroused by the sound of cups being rattled and the smell of coffee brewing. I walked upstairs, quickly avoiding any looks into the kitchen and went up to the master and got dressed for work. I came back down and Molly looked at me and said, "I never cheated on you Jack. I never gave up on you and me. I think we both need to think about where we want this to go and let's try and have a civilized conversation about this tonight. I'm going to work, then to the gym, and I want to talk with you at around eight tonight, okay?"

"Molly, I'd like that. I've never cheated on you either, and I never will. I am really sorry about how the conversation went last night. It wasn't my intention to make you think I wanted a divorce, I just wanted to find out where your head was at. I guess I have been anticipating the worst, thinking that you have emotionally left the marriage. I'm sorry."

I looked at her long and hard and saw the pain and hurt in her eyes as she said, "Jack, let it lie until tonight. I'll see you then."

I finished my coffee and slogged out to my car, depressed with the idea of spending another meaningless day in my meaningless job at the bank. But I told myself, a man has got to make a living and my limited winnings from on-line poker aren't quite enough to support us. I realized that if I was going to work on improving my marriage and relationship with Molly, I was going to have to work on myself and my shitty attitude and outlook. But like every day, when I pulled up to the bank and parked, I left all of those thoughts behind and walked into my job like a man walking to the gallows.

I was in my office, going over some loan applications, depressed about my role in determining who would get approved and who wouldn't make the cut, when I heard some shouting and commotion coming from the bank lobby. Although I hated my job, I liked and respected my employees and I wasn't about to let them take any gruff from some disgruntled customer.

I got up and started down the short hallway to the lobby when a man in camo clothing and a black face mask, carrying an AR-15 style rifle crossed the hallway looking the other way at the tellers and started yelling, "Prepare to meet your maker you blood sucking leeches cause I'm going to kill each and every one of you!" With that he raised his rifle and flicked off the safety and I exploded with a massive jolt of adrenalin and anger screaming as I charged at him, "Hey asshole, you're the one who's going to die!" With that I charged and slammed into him as he spun toward me and started firing.

I looked into his eyes as I rammed into his body and wrapped my arms around him and we both fell to the floor. The AR-15 was bursting rounds of bullets that were flying everywhere, hitting the floor, walls and ceiling. Luckily, as we hit the ground, he jammed the nerve in his elbow and lost his hold on the rifle. I was able to push it away as he tried to reach for it, so instead he quickly drew a pistol from a belt holster and we started to wrestle for control of that gun, as we gyrated around on the lobby floor.

I heard the gun go off and instantly felt a sharp bolt of pain in my left shoulder but as he brought the gun up and around my body to point it at my head, I was able to grab his wrist and bend it just as he pulled the trigger. The boom of the gunshot was incredibly loud, right next to my ear, and I felt my body getting weak and my vision narrowed down to a tunnel of black as I passed out on top of the shooter. My last thought was about Molly, and how I loved her and I prayed that I would be able to tell her that before I died.

Molly and John, her boss.

I sat at the table with, John, and as I finished telling him about my latest encounter and fight with Jack, tears came to my eyes and I looked at him for compassion and support as I had been doing the last two months. "John, what am I going to do. I don't know if I can take much more of this!"

John seized his chance to try and break the hesitancy that I was still showing in the relationship he was trying to advance and he said, "Molly, you shouldn't have to take it. You deserve so much more. I keep telling you what a special woman you are, and how any man in his right mind would be lucky to have you. If I were your man, I would treat you with the respect and love that you deserve. I would hold you in my arms, kiss you tenderly, and tell you how much you mean to me. Molly, you only need give me the chance and I will help heal your pain. Please Molly, I want you so badly."

With that John leaned in and kissed me on the lips, gently at first, but thrusting his tongue into my mouth as and I just as quickly countered with passion, without thinking and sucked on his tongue and pushed my tongue deep into his mouth running it around in a game of tag with his. But just as quickly, the guilt consumed me as I remembered my promise to Jack that I hadn't cheated on him and never would without telling him. That quickly made me snap my head back and stop, saying, "No John. Not now or at least not yet! It isn't right, I'm still married and I do love Jack, although I'm just so confused. I really do like you; I just don't know where my head is at. I just don't understand what I feel and what my future will be, but please, I can't be with you now."

As she looked away, I nearly broke into tears thinking to myself, "I told Jack I hadn't cheated on him, but what would he call this. Surely this is cheating and would never win the approval of my family, friends, and certainly Jack if he were to know. What am I doing?"

I shook my head and said, "John, I'm sorry. I've got to go. I'll see you back at the office," and with that I got up and walked out of the restaurant with my head hanging low and the guilt consuming me.

Later after John paid the bill and was walking back into the office, he nearly collided with me, as I rushed out the door. I felt light-headed and frantic and was in a panic to get to my car. I yelled to John in passing, "There has been a shooting and Jack was involved somehow and I have to rush to the hospital. I'll be in touch later!" and with that and with an incredible fear in my heart, I ran out to rush to the hospital.

Jack wakes up in the hospital.

The next time I remember being conscious I heard a beeping sound, a pump running, and I slowly became aware of the fact that I was laying on my back in bed. I opened my eyes and saw tubes running into my arms, and I had an oxygen mask on and my shoulder hurt like hell. I tried to yell out but couldn't talk and my throat was killing me.

The beeping noise escalated and suddenly there was a nurse in blue scrubs looking down at me saying, "Mr. Jenson, lie quietly and don't move. You are in Mercy Hospital, and you came out of surgery three hours ago. You have an oxygen mask on and your hooked up to several machines along with getting fluids and a blood transfusion. I'll get the Doctor, and I'm going to give you a shot of morphine for pain relief. Don't talk, just lie there and breathe."

With that she ran off and I tried to remember what the hell had happened and what I was doing in the hospital. It all came back to me in a rush, the shooter with the AR-15, our struggle, and his brains being scattered across the room just before I passed out. I had a fleeting thought of how that was a change to my typical boring day, and then the room again went black.

Sometime later I sluggishly woke up with a doctor and nurse hovering over me as she updated him on my blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels. The Doctor looked at me and she said, "Mr. Jensen. Welcome back to the living. You lost a lot of blood and it was touch and go for a bit, but you are stable now and you will eventually be out of here and back to your life." I inadvertently cringed at that last comment.

"Doctor, did any of my employees or customers get hurt? Did anyone call my wife?"

"No Mr. Jenson, you stopped the shooting before anyone else got hurt and evidently the employees and the police are saying you are a hero who risked his own life to save everyone else in that bank. The police are waiting outside to get a statement from you, but I won't let them in here till I think you are ready. We called your wife and she has been in the waiting room for the last four hours hounding us every fifteen minutes for an update. I'll let her in to see you before the Police but after those two visits I'm sending everyone home and you're going on pain meds and sedatives!"

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when I opened my eyes and Molly was holding my hand, crying, and looking into my eyes. "Jack!" she exclaimed. "Oh Jack, I am so worried about you. Please don't leave me Jack. You can't leave me now! Jack, we need to try to pull our lives back together, please...you have to come back to me! I'm so sorry about everything Jack!" and with that she started sobbing and put her head down on my chest.

I just stared at her, confused as to what she was telling me, but at that moment my overriding thought was thankfulness that she was here and I cried too as I realized she still had some measure of love for me and I knew that I still loved her.

"Jack, everyone is saying you are a hero and you saved all of their lives. Oh Jack, you could have been killed and we have so much to talk about and settle and you just need to get healthy and I'm going to take care of you!"

"I tried to say something but could only mumble, "Molly, I love you!" before the sedatives took me to dreamland and I again slipped into unconsciousness.