What Happens, Happens

Having driven for a few hours, he felt the need to stop and stretch his legs. As he thought about this, a sign noting a rest stop came into view. Two miles later, her turned into the rest stop and parked his car.

He walked up to the small building housing the toilets and vending machines. After taking care of his needs, he stepped into the sunshine outside the small building and stretched his arms wide, bending his back at the same time. That was when he noticed the redhead almost touching his outstretched arms. She was an inch or so shorter than his 5'10" and slim with a pleasant face. He noticed that she was also stretching in much the same way.

"A gorgeous morning for a ride, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is. I just love the springtime."

"Where are you bound for this lovely morning?"

"Las Vegas. I have a job offer there. I'm due to start next Monday, if all goes well. And you?"

"Las Vegas as well, except that its home for me."

Just then his attention was drawn to the high-pitched whine of an engine being revved very high. He spotted a small car barreling down the entrance ramp from the highway. On closer inspection, he noticed that the driver seemed to be in distress with his back arched and his hands clutched across his chest. In the next moment, the small car slammed into a parked car with a loud bang.

"My car!" she screamed, and took a step towards the wreckage.

He quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her from running.

"Wait! It's almost sure to explode. Is there anyone in your car?"

"No, but all my things are in there and all my money."

Just then the first explosion rocked the air as her fuel tank exploded, showering flames and debris all around. She shuddered as she realized that he had stopped her from being part of the carnage. In a few seconds, the other fuel tank exploded, engulfing both vehicles in a raging inferno.

"Well, so much for a glorious morning. Have a seat while I call it in to the state police."

The 911 operator responded quickly and he explained the situation. Emergency vehicles and police were dispatched and he agreed to remain on the scene until they arrived. It was nearly twenty minutes before the first fire truck arrived and by then the flames were nearly out. When the ambulance and police car arrived, he led the woman over to them.

"I'm pretty sure the driver was already dead by the time his fuel tank exploded. He appeared to be having a heart attack as he came off the interstate."

"We'll have to wait for the autopsy to come up with the cause of death and identification," the officer intoned, "there's nothing to go on here. I'll take your statements for the record and you can be on your way."

Half an hour later, after learning that her name was Kelly O'Brien and his was Jeff Sturgis, the officer closed his notebook. Since she was holding his hand, the officer waited a moment before asking his final question.

"Ms O'Brien, do you need transportation to somewhere nearby?"

She looked at Jeff with a sad puppy look.

"Thanks for the offer, officer, but she'll be riding with me. We're both going to the same place so it won't be any problem."

"Is that correct, Ma'am?"

"Yes, officer, Jeff and I are both headed for Las Vegas. Thank you for your kind offer."

Just after 3 pm, they walked to Jeff's car and began the next leg of their journey. She was silent most of the way and that was fine with him. About 5:30, he spotted a sign for a Holiday Inn a few exits up the road and mentioned it to her, saying they should stop for the night.

When they checked in, the only room available had a king sized bed. Once in the room, she looked around and sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't have any clothes, or money, not even a toothbrush."

"I saw a shop near the front desk. We can probably find you some things there. If not, I noticed that there appeared to be a small town just down the road."

"Jeff, I can't afford to buy anything. I am really down to my last pennies and this job was my salvation. I can't even rent an apartment until I get my first check. I was planning to live in a motel but now I don't even have the money for that."

Tears were streaming down her face as she spoke and Jeff almost laughed. Finally, he sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Ok, stop crying and listen. I'll loan you the money to get some clothes and I'll finance the trip. You can stay at my place until you get on your feet-no strings. The only catch is that I don't wear pajamas so you'll have to hide in the bathroom until I'm in bed or vice versa. We can probably sleep in this bed without even touching each other. Ok?"

"Yes, I guess so." She said between whimpers. "But you have to keep track of what you're spending on me so I can pay you back, agreed?"

"Agreed. Now dry your eyes and let's see if we can get you settled and get some dinner. We still have a lot of driving to do."

Three hours later, they had eaten and shopped for a few clothes to get her thru the next three days. At bedtime, she decided to get into bed first while he waited in the bathroom, then he slipped into bed after she turned off the light.

6 am. Kelly woke up laying on her chest. As she opened her eyes in the dark room unsure of where she was. She felt the bed move and turned her head. She saw a man's head above the covers a foot away and panicked. She screamed and swung her fist at the head, aiming for his nose.

She missed and just clipped his right eye as he rolled off the bed and onto the floor. She stared at the naked man and couldn't move. He quickly dressed and moved carefully around the bottom of the bed. When he reached the door, he snapped on the room light.

"When you come to your senses, I'll be down in the restaurant." Jeff barked, blood running down his cheek. He quickly opened and then slammed the door.

Half an hour later, Kelly crept to the door of the breakfast room. Jeff was seated at a table with his back to her. Sheepishly, she slinked up to his table.

"Jeff, I'm so sorry. I freaked out when I saw you in my bed and lashed out at you before I realized who you were. I'm really, really sorry. Please forgive me."

"Kelly, in the first place, that is my bed. In the second place, if you ever attack me again I will break your arm into little pieces, understood?"

"Yes, Jeff, I understand. I'm sorry, I promise never to do that again."

"Kelly, you should know one thing about me. I don't threaten to do that which I won't or can't do. In other words, when I threaten to break your arm into small pieces, I am capable of doing that and I will do that if you attack me again. Now, get some breakfast so we can get on the road."

The morning passed easily as they rode, taking turns telling each other their life stories. Neither of them had anything major in their backgrounds, just stories of relationships that did or didn't work. About noon, Jeff pulled off the road and found a restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, he pulled across the street to the gas station and parked facing the street. Kelly went into the station to get them some cold drinks for the road and Jeff filled the tank. As he was replacing the gas cap, he noticed a vintage corvette pull up to the door of the station.

There were two men in the car with the top down and the engine idling smoothly. As he began to walk towards the car, the passenger got out and started for the door. Jeff noticed that the passenger was holding a revolver in his hand, hidden from sight by his leg.

Jeff walked up to the corvette and began to speak to the driver.

"Nice car. Is it fast?"

"Fast enough. Now scram before I hurt you."

Jeff leaned down, putting his face opposite the driver. When the driver turned towards him with a menacing look on his face, Jeff grabbed his throat with his left hand. In a low voice, he instructed the driver.

"Turn off the engine, hand me the keys, or die right here."

With each phrase he uttered, Jeff added a bit more pressure to the driver's throat. The driver slowly reached for the ignition, snapped it off, and brought his had up towards his face. Jeff took the key and released the pressure on the driver's throat.

"Now, don't move and don't call out. You need to see a doctor and keep your voice to a whisper or you'll never talk again. Understand?"

The driver nodded in agreement.

Jeff stepped around the car and started for the door of the station. Just then, Kelly opened the door and came out with two bottles in her hands. Jeff pushed her quickly towards the side of the building.

"Get behind the ice machine, quickly."

He grabbed a broom that was leaning against the station wall and placed it between the handles of the door, effectively blocking anyone from exiting the building. When he joined Kelly, he dialed 911 to report a robbery in progress.

A few minutes later, there was a bang against the broom-closed doors. The would-be thief was so intent on leaving the building in a hurry that he didn't see the broom handle and bounced off the door. As he lay dazed on the floor, he heard the clerk start talking to the 911 operator.

He quickly got up and started shooting at the glass of the door in an attempt to escape. In his haste, he forgot that his driver was parked just outside the door. When the glass shattered, he reached thru the opening and shoved the broom handle out of the door handles, then walked thru the doors. When he looked into the car, he saw his driver slumped against the door with blood oozing from his body. His wild shots had killed his getaway driver and partner.

Just then, two squad cars slid into the lot, one in front of the getaway car and one behind it. The police officers in each car were quickly out of their cars with guns drawn. He looked left and saw a large officer behind the door of his squad with a gun pointed at him. When he looked right, he saw a woman police officer hiding behind her door with a gun pointed at him.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air."

He turned towards the female officer and fired his remaining two shots at her windshield. Both officers returned fire and he fell in place, dead before he hit the ground. The officer's holstered their weapons and walked towards the body on the sidewalk.

Jeff and Kelly left the safety of the ice freezer and advanced towards the body. The officer turned towards them with his hand on his weapon.

"Officer, I think you might want these. They're the keys to the getaway car."

"Are you the one who put the broom in the door handles?"

"Yes sir, I was attempting to slow him down until you arrived."

"You did good, son. It's too bad he lost it in the end."

Kelly was shaking as she held Jeff's hand. She had never been exposed to violence at such close range. She marveled at how calm Jeff seemed to be as he explained his actions to the police for their report.

Two hours later they were finally allowed to continue on their journey. As he started the engine, he turned to Kelly.

"In all my years, I've never had two days in a row like these last two. What do you have in store for me tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Jeff, we'll just have to see what happens."