Chapter twenty
“I think this is the last one,” I said, groaning loudly as I put the huge box on the floor in my living-room. Or should I say, our living-room.
Jay grinned at me from where he was sitting on the sofa, reading something on his tablet.
“Don’t think I didn't notice you left me to carry the last four boxes all by myself.” I flopped down on the sofa next to him. “What are you reading?”
I caught a glimpse of some article on treating scars before he turned the tablet off.
“Nothing,” he said, wrapping his arms around my neck and kissing me.
It had been two months since the fire. Jay’d been busy with recovering from his surgery, attending as many classes as he could, and finishing his Local Heroes project. He’d never gone back to his house after the hospital, but we just now managed to find the time to move him in officially.
“I had a very interesting conversation with Mrs Hurst the other day,” Jay said, pulling back slightly, but keeping his fingers clasped behind my neck.
The scar on his face was healing nicely, but it was still an angry red line going from his jaw to his cheek. It was much better than the mangled mess it’d been when the doctors had removed the bandages in the hospital. Jay’d been so distraught he couldn’t stop crying for days.
“Yeah? About what?” I snuck my hands underneath his t-shirt, feeling the warm skin there, my fingers gliding over the scars on his belly. He’d decided to treat them, and the ones on his hip, without surgery, at least for now. He’d spent an incredible amount of money on creams and oils, and even though I was quite sceptical at the beginning, after a couple of months of daily use I could definitely see an improvement.
“She asked to see my report on George N Whelan. She said that it was one of the most comprehensive reports she’d seen, and since the book burned in the fire, she asked if I’d mind giving the library a copy of the report.”
The fire in the library was treated as arson and full investigation was launched, but nothing had come of it so far. A lot of very rare books had burned, some of them first editions or unique copies. It made no sense to me who’d want to burn these books and why, potentially harming innocent people in the process.
“Did you admit you had photos of nearly every page of the book?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jay beamed. “Yes. She was so happy I’d broken the rules. She said my report and the pictures I’d taken have saved the book from extinction.”
I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him in for a long, leisurely kiss. Even though we’d technically been living together for a few months now, today felt like making it official.
“What do you say we go to London for the weekend? I feel like celebrating,” I said when Jay pulled away from the kiss. It was Friday afternoon, and if we were organised enough we could be in London in time for dinner.
Besides, I needed to go see Chris anyway. She had some issues she wanted to talk to me about, and have me sign some documents. I also wanted to check on the bakery and meet the new guy she’d hired. It’d been over a month since Brownies officially opened, and so far it had been plain sailing. Chris was constantly raving about how busy it was and how much everyone loved the bakery, and kept coming back for more. On weekends the queue was usually stretching outside the building. When Chris had sent me a picture of people queuing round the corner I couldn't believe it.
“You go pack a bag for both of us, I’ll book the train tickets and the hotel.” Jay’s eyes sparkled excitedly as he pushed me off the sofa and switched his tablet back on.
On the way to our bedroom, I texted Shane to ask him to take Flo home for a couple of days, and Rick to ask if he could handle Cookie’s by himself for the weekend. Rick had taken over for Chris and I couldn't have dreamed of a better guy for the job. He was a gifted baker, learning my recipes with ease and working with much more finesse than me. His cookies and cakes always turned out better than mine, and he never minded working extra hours. With a huge student loan to pay off he could always use the money.
Of course I couldn't expect Rick to stay long term. I was pretty sure he’d look for a job better suited for his degree in education once he graduated next year. I needed to hire someone like Chris, someone who had a genuine interest in running a bakery and everything it entailed.
I shook my head trying to get rid of these thoughts. We were going to London to celebrate. Everything else could wait.
******
The night before his Local Heroes presentation Jay couldn’t sleep. I’d never seen him this nervous. He tossed and turned until he gave up and snuck into the living-room. I let him have his privacy and didn’t follow. Knowing him, he’d probably be going over and over the Power Point presentation, even though he’d done it a million times already.
He wouldn't let me see the presentation, or help him with preparing for it. He said he wanted me to hear it for the first time in the student hall and see everything on the big screen.
In the morning, my alarm woke me up. I was surprised I’d managed to fall back to sleep after Jay’d left the bedroom. Stumbling out of bed, I found him snoring on the sofa, his laptop opened on the coffee table.
“Jay,” I said softly, sitting next to him. He startled, red, tired eyes opening wide.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 7 AM, don’t worry, you’re not late.”
His shoulders instantly relaxed and he rubbed his eyes, yawning.
“Come on, hop in the shower while I make us breakfast.” I patted his thigh, standing up and heading to the kitchen.
******
Jay’s presentation was scheduled third out of five for the day. The first two had been good, but nothing exceptional. It was an assignment for extra credit, so I guess a lot of people didn't bother to put any more effort in it than strictly necessary. Not my Jay, though. I knew he would blow everyone away.
I was sitting near the back, tapping my foot nervously when Jay walked in carrying his laptop. He set everything up quickly with practised ease, then introduced himself before loading the presentation on the screen.
I sat up straighter in my seat, my mouth opening in a silent gasp when I saw the first Power Point slide. It was of me and pretty much everyone in the centre taken on the day of the open house event. We were in the garden, all of us smiling and joking with Jay behind the camera. I could remember the exact moment he took that picture, but I never imagined I’d see it on a huge screen in front of so many people.
“All these man are heroes,” Jay said, his voice loud and clear in the hall. “They have fought for our country, risking their lives so that ours are not in danger. That alone makes them heroes. But there’s more.”
I felt goosebumps erupt on my skin, my heart beating so fast that I could hear it. Could everyone hear it?
Jay’d changed his presentation. That was why he didn't want me to see it before today.
His eyes found mine in the huge hall before he continued.
“This is Peter Foster, and he’s one of the local heroes I’m going to tell you about today,” Jay said when the slide on the screen changed to a close-up of Peter, smiling in all his glory, his scars startling on the HD screen.
“Major Foster has served twelve years in the British Army before a bomb nearly killed him.” Jay kept looking at me and in that moment I knew Peter had told him about that day. About saving me. “He came back home without a kidney, and had to have a pacemaker fitted in his heart. Horrific burns covered his body and his face, making him unable to recognise the man staring back at him in the mirror.
“He’s a hero because he saved someone I love.”
The slide changed to a picture of smiling Martin, and Jay proceeded to tell his story as well.
“This is Lieutenant Reed. He lost his leg in Afghanistan two weeks before the end of his tour. Nobody was waiting for him back home. There was no one to count on as he struggled with the mental and physical repercussions of his injury.
“He’s a hero because he found the strength to ask for help.”
With a click of his finger Jay changed the slide, Seth’s face appearing on the screen. The hall was incredibly quiet, everyone’s eyes glued to Jay, waiting for his next words.
“This is Captain Johnson. He served two tours in Afghanistan, only to come home in a coma that lasted forty seven days. His muscles were so weak when he woke up that he needed to learn how to walk again.
“He’s a hero because he fought the temptation of mindless oblivion achieved by alcohol and drugs, and managed to build his life back up again from the ruins.”
A photo of Shane came up next, his green gaze focused on the photographer, a slight crease between his brows.
“This is Dr Shane Sanford. He created the John Sherwood Veteran Rehabilitation Centre when he was barely twenty three. The centre provides free tailored healthcare and support for veterans. Without it many of our local heroes wouldn’t have been able to fight off their demons.
“He’s a hero because he saves heroes’ lives every single day.”
Another click, another slide change. This one made the breath rush out of my lungs.
It was of me.
It was taken on the same day, and I was staring at Jay, a smirk on my face, my eyes shining with amusement.
“This is Captain Amir Gopal. He lost his leg in Afghanistan at the end of his second tour.” Jay paused, our gazes locking. “He’s terrified of fire, yet he didn't hesitate to run into a burning building when my life was in danger.
“He’s my hero.”
Jay’s voice caught on his last words. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All I knew was that I loved that man on that podium more than anything in this world.
“All these men are heroes,” Jay continued, clicking through the next slides, all of them group shots of all of us together. “Not only because they’ve fought in a war and risked their lives for their country. They’re heroes because they fight their nightmares every night only to wake up every morning ready to face the day. They’re heroes because they didn’t give up when it was so easy to just... stop. They’re heroes because they care for others even when their own life is a mess.
“Their fight didn’t end when they came back from war. It had barely begun. And yet, they face each day with determination – with hope – that it will be better than yesterday. And tomorrow, the pain behind the smile will be less. A week from today, the nightmares will be less frequent.
“And if that doesn’t happen?” The slide changed to the same group shot the presentation had begun with. “They keep fighting. Because that’s what heroes do.”
The silence in the hall was deafening. I turned to look around and saw everyone staring at Jay, nobody moving for the longest time.
And then someone started clapping, standing up. People followed his example and soon everyone was on their feet, clapping and murmuring among themselves.
Jay blushed crimson before mumbling a thank you and starting to gather his things. People swarmed him then, I could hear their questions from where I was standing. They asked about the veterans, the centre, how Jay knew about it. Of course, Jay had come prepared. He had a whole bunch of the centre’s leaflets in his bag and gave them away, encouraging people to find out more about it and think about donating.
After patiently answering everyone’s questions, Jay finally managed to gather all his stuff and get ready to leave.
“You coming or what?” Jay asked, inclining his head towards the door. Everyone had left, but I still felt a bit dazed by this whole thing.
Walking down the stairs, I wrapped an arm around Jay’s shoulders and squeezed.
“That was quite a surprise.”
“Did you like it?”
“I loved it.”
Jay stopped abruptly and turned his face towards me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m so proud of you.”
Jay grinned, reaching up to kiss me. I met him halfway, pressing my mouth to his.
“My hero,” he whispered against my lips.
My heart melted at his words and all I could do was pull him even closer, kiss him even deeper, until we both needed to come up for breath.