Ryan and Gillian finally made it out of the city and had been driving down the two lane road for twenty minutes. They should’ve been to the resort by now, but the weather made it almost impossible to drive. The storm was in full swing, the sky almost constantly aglow with flashes of lightening followed by loud blasts of thunder. Rain hammered down on the windshield as Gillian broke the silence. “Ryan, I’m really starting to get scared. Are we lost? I mean, shouldn’t we be there by now?” “Relax, Gillian. We were stuck in traffic for awhile, that’s all. We’re not lost. And really, this storm isn’t that bad,” Ryan said. Gillian looked back out the windshield, but all she could make out was a wall of water. “I don’t know how you can see a thing,” she said to him. “Don’t worry. I can see fine.” He was lying to her. He could barely make out the road, let alone other cars - but he doubted there were any. To be completely honest, he was starting to get a little worried himself. But, it wouldn’t do any good to let her know that. “This weather has really slowed us down. Since we’re driving half as fast, I figure it will take us twice as long to get there,” Ryan reasoned with her. “Ok,” Gillian said, feeling some security. Suddenly there was a bright flash of lightning and Gillian could just barely make out an object ahead. “Ryan, what is that? Is there something in the road?” she asked. “What, Gillian? Where?” There were rapidly getting closer when the lightening flashed again. They could both see it this time and right in front of them. “Oh my God, Ryan! It’s a tree!” Gillian shouted. Ryan slammed on the brakes and swerved to the left. The car spun and skidded across the road, smashing into a tree along side the highway. For a moment they were both too shocked to move. Then finally, Ryan spoke. “Gillian,” he said, reaching towards her. “Gillian, baby, are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m, I’m all right.” “Are you sure?” “Yes. Look,” she said, showing him her arms,” not a scratch.” “Good. But, I’m afraid the car isn’t all right,” Ryan said. He fidgeted with the key in the ignition but nothing happened. “The car’s dead, Gillian, possibly totaled. We’re stuck here,” he said. “What? We can’t be stuck here. In the middle of a storm?” She could feel the panic building. Again lightening lit up the sky. “I’m going to go outside and see how bad the car is,” Ryan said. “You’re going outside, in this?!” “Just stay in the car, Gillian. It’s the safest place,” he said opening the door and stepping out. “But I’m not worried about me,” she said, as the door closed. “I’m worried about you.” Gillian inhaled and exhaled, trying to stay calm. “Wait! I remember!” she excitedly dug through her purse and retrieved her cell phone. She burst outside and the rain immediately hit her in sheets. “Ryan!” she shouted over the wind, running to his side of the car. “Look! I found my cell phone!” “Gillian!” Ryan said. “Get back in the car!” “But I found my phone!” she shouted, waving it in the air. “Gillian, get it out of the rain!” He reached for the phone as she was bringing her arm back down. Lighting flashed as the phone went flying. For a minute neither one of them could see where it went, but they heard a little crack as it hit a tree. Ryan fell down on his knees looking for it. He finally found the phone in a puddle below the tree that it obviously had hit. “I’m sorry!” Gillian shouted, nervously. “What are we going to do?!” “Well, we -” Ryan was interrupted by a load snapping sound. Gillian screamed as a large branch came crashing down and landed through the windshield of the car. Gillian inched closer to Ryan, now visibly shaking. A burst of lighting lit up the sky and Ryan spotted their salvation. “Gillian!” he said. “There’s a cabin over there. Up the hill, through the trees. We’ll get help there. Come on!” He took her arm and they started running. There was a loud clap of thunder and Gillian ducked, tripped over a fallen branch. “Gillian, are you all right?!” Ryan asked. “Yeah, let’s go” she said. Ryan helped her up and they starting running again. They made it to the cabin but were more then a little disappointed. It was really no more then a shack.. Ryan knocked on the door, but no one answered. “I think it’s deserted,” he told her. He jammed his body against the door and it burst open to reveal the emptiness inside. It was a single room with a small wooden table and cot. The two windows were merely closed with wooden shutters. Ryan closed the door against the rain and looked around. “Ryan, there’s nothing here to help us! No phone, no radio, no TV. What are we going to do?” Gillian said. “We’re just going to have to stay here until the storm is over. Then I’ll walk back up the road and find someone who can help us,” Ryan said. He looked over at Gillian who’s eyes where anxious and huge. He took hold of her forearms and drew her closer, looking in her eyes. “Gilly, it’s okay. We’re going to be fine. It’s just a thunderstorm. It’ll probably be over in a few minutes,” he said, soothingly. Loud sirens began to blare over the sound of the wind. “What’s that?” Gillian said, panicked. Ryan took a deep breath, struggling to check his own fears and remain calm. “Gillian,” he said steadily, worrying how she’d react, “those are warning sirens. They sound those to tell people to seek shelter.” Her eyes grew bigger. “The storm,” she said, beginning to cry, “it’s that bad?” “It’s a tornado, Gilly, maybe a hurricane. I don’t know. But it’s, it’s bad.”
Chapter 12
Gillian stood there frozen. “What?” she said, her voice scarcely above a whisper. “Oh, God.....Oh, my God. Where going to die.” “No, Gillian. No, baby. We’re not going to die,” Ryan said tenderly, trying to sound reassuring. He looked around the room for a minute and tried to figure out what to do. “Okay now, Gillian, I need you to stay calm and focused,” he said. Gillian nodded, and he went on. “I’m going to do the best I can to protect us, Gilly - and, nobody’s going to die. Okay? Now, what we’re going to do is take this cot here,” he said, pointing to the small bed under the window, “and tip it on it’s side in the far corner of the room. That’s as far away from the windows as possible. Then, we’re going to get in the corner and duck behind it. It’d be better if we could’ve fit under it, but it’s too small. All right, we’re going to move it on three. One....Two...Three.” Gillian and Ryan moved the cot to the corner and Ryan had her climb into the small cubbyhole they had created. He was about to follow her when he had a last minute thought. He had noticed one piece of wood left in the fire place and he fixed it into position across the door to secure it. By now the cabin, as pitiful as it was, had begun to slowly sway with the wind which had become significantly stronger. Just as Ryan was heading back to Gillian, both of the windows flung open and a mixture of wind, rain, and mud swirled into the room. Gillian screamed, but immediately Ryan took action. He slammed the shutters closed on both window, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t good enough. He needed something to secure the wooden shutters from handle to handle and tie them closed. Both he and Gillian couldn’t find rope anywhere in the room and he was about to give up, when he got an idea. He ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around the handles of the shutters, tying it with several knots. It seemed to work and the shutters where no longer blowing open. But there was still one more window. Ryan turned to Gillian, who was now at his side and said, “Take off your shirt.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “Come on, Gillian. This isn’t a come on. I need to tie the other window closed.” Wordlessly, she raised her arms and allowed him to lift her shirt off. Even in the urgency of the situation, he took his time with slow, deliberate movements, finally lifting the shirt over her head. He allowed himself the indulgence of admiring her beauty, and for one long moment, just looked at her. Gillian had thought that she and Jake would have time for a swim, so she had dressed with her bathing suit under her clothes. Since the purpose of the weekend had been seduction, she had worn her skimpiest black, string bikini. For the first time in longer then she could remember, Gillian actually felt shy under her ex-husbands roving glances and silently wished she had just worn her bra, which incidentally would’ve been less revealing then what she had on. The shutters blew open again and Ryan was reminded of why he had undressed her in the first place. He tied up the second window and they both climbed into their cubbyhole. There they huddled, half-naked and a bit muddy. There was a bright flash followed by a loud crack as lightning struck something very close by. Gillian screamed and clung to Ryan who held her close, skin to skin. The cabin swayed and the storm raged outside but, for the time being, they where safe.
Chapter 13
The storm fiercely continued as Ryan held Gillian, doing his best to calm her fears. The winds whipped outside and they could hear hail beating against the cabin. Gradually, they began to notice a sound off in the distance that seemed to be getting closer and closer. “What is that?” Gillian asked. “It sounds like a......train. Why would a train be out in this storm?” Ryan knew better then Gillian what the sound was. He knew immediately that what they were hearing was a tornado. “Everything’s all right, Gillian,” he said. “Okay. I just wondered why they would be a train. I think it’s getting closer. God, it’s really loud,” she said covering her ears. Ryan weighed in his mind whether or not he should tell her it was a tornado. It was definitely getting closer and he didn’t know what they we’re going to do if the cabin was in it’s path. He decided he had to tell her. It might be a matter of life or death - and they were running out of time. “Listen, Gillian,” he said, speaking loudly to be heard over the noise. “What you’re hearing isn’t a train. It’s a tornado. We have to....We have to get down. Duck down as far as you can into the corner. Stay close to the floor. I’m going to cover your body with mine to protect you.” Gillian hesitated. If a tornado was coming....If this was the end....There was so much to say. “Ryan I-” She was interrupted by the loud smack of a flying tree hitting the cabin. Gillian had reached her breaking point and began sobbing. “We’re gonna die, Ryan. We are. We’re gonna die.” “No, baby. No.” “I don’t want to die like this!” she cried. “There’s so much that isn’t, isn’t right.” Ryan looked at her, tears streaming down her face, and knew what she was trying to say. “It’s not fair....Oh please, God. If I could just have a second chance. I would change -” her voice broke and she closed her eyes. “I would change so much.” “Me too,” Ryan said, softly. “You know that I.....Still, I.....” The sound of the tornado got louder and louder. “Get down, Gilly. Get down!”******************************************************* Somehow that night Gillian’s prayer was answered and the shabby little cabin withstood the storm. The tornado passed close by, but ran out of intensity and lifted back up into the clouds. It took a long time for Ryan to convince Gillian that the tornado was gone and they were safe. He stayed up with her most of the night, talking about everything and nothing - just anything to take her mind off what had happened. Eventually, they tipped the cot back over and laid down. And, in the early morning hours just before dawn, they finally fell asleep in each others arms.
Chapter 14
The next morning came sunny and peaceful, without a hint of the destruction of the night before. Ryan and Gillian lay asleep on the tiny cot, Ryan holding her cuddled against him. Both were sans shirt, which were still knotted around the shutters. It had been several months since Gillian had shared her bed with anyone - even if it was just to sleep - and the tiny cot didn’t help. She sleepily rolled over on her other side and softly landed half on top of Ryan. In her groggy state of half-sleep, she settled down with her head on his chest, her face upturned towards his. The light jostling woke Ryan, and he opened his eyes to find Gillian more or less laying on him. He looked down at her peaceful expression and closed eyes and knew she was still asleep. He sighed to himself. He missed this. Holding her in the night, until they both fell asleep. Slowly waking up together the next morning..... He missed her. A wave of longing washed over him and, bending down, he gently kissed her temple. Gillian sleepily smiled, slowly opening her eyes. It took her a moment to fully wake up and remember where she was. As soon as she realized she was laying on Ryan, she quickly jerked back towards the other side of the cot. But Ryan instantly caught her around the waist and pulled her back on him, holding her there with his arm. Unable to move away, Gillian held herself rigid and looked downed at him cautiously. “Good morning, Princess,” he said. “Good morning,” she replied, slowly. Ryan smiled softly at her. “You’re alive.” This brought a happy smile to her face, and she relaxed her guard a bit. “Yes,” she said, “We both are.” A stray piece of hair fell across her face and Ryan reached up, brushing it behind her ear. “It looks like you got your wish,” he said, gently. For a moment, Gillian was puzzled and didn’t understand what he meant. Then, it all came back to her. The night before, in the midst of the worst part of the storm, she had pleaded with God to safe her and give her a second chance to fix what was wrong with her life. She looked down at Ryan and knew instantly what was wrong. Her eyes softened and she melted against him, laying her head on his chest. Ryan had watched the emotions play across her face, and saw as well as felt the change in her. With his free hand, he lightly stroked her hair. For awhile, that was enough. Then, Ryan broke the silence. “Aren’t you going to thank me?” he asked, playfully. She lifted her head off his chest and turned to look at him. “Thank you?” she asked, acting outraged. “For what?” “For saving you life,” he said simply. She smiled. “Thank you.” “What? That’s all?” She looked at him incredulously. “What did you expect?” she asked. “Well,” he said, his eyes sparkling as he talked, “generally, when the White Knight saves the Princess, she rewards him with a kiss.” “A kiss?” she repeated, smiling. “Yes. And you are a princess. And, I think it’s safe to say, I’m your White Knight.” “Oh, you are?” “I saved you from deportation. I pulled you out of the wreckage at Holidays. I saved you just now.....” He paused, the playfulness gone from his face. “But, in this case, the princess also occasionally saves the knight.” She looked at him now, with sheer love in her eyes, and slowly bent down to kiss him. Their lips met, for the first time in months, softly and sweetly. Then, as they tapped into the unbridled passion and love that was always there with them, just below the surface, the kiss deepened and threatened to spiral out of control. Gillian had both her hands wrapped about his neck. Ryan had one hand caught in her hair, the other softly caressing the bare skin at her waist. Clearly sensing that she was no longer holding back, Ryan ran his hand up her back and slid it underneath her bathing suit strap. Gillian tensed a little, but continued to kiss him. Then, he slowly moved his hand around to her rib cage. Gillian jerked away and Ryan, who was not prepared, couldn’t catch her in time. She moved to the opposite side of the cot and they stared at one another, breathless. She slowly moved her hand to her bottom lip and, with one finger, traced where he had just kissed her. “That’s....That’s all the thanking I’m prepared to do right now,” she said. Ryan looked at her for a second longer and, in one fluid movement, got up from the cot. This new position provided her with an excellent glimpse of his chest, which wasn’t exactly helping her. Ryan felt the same way looking down at her, and determined he desperately needed some air. “I’m going to go look outside,” he muttered, and quickly left the cabin. Gillian stared off after him, feeling his absence as soon as the door closed. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she decided getting dressed would be a good start.