“No, it makes you a woman who loves so deeply, that even after this sort of circumstance, that you give hope that maybe there will be a new chance. Your anger was justified in every way, but when our anger is gone, we are left with the realization of what is left, and what can be salvaged. If you open your heart to him….and he to you, there is no reason why you can’t give love a second chance. And I am sure, he loves you more than you possibly could ever imagine.”
His words, when spoken in such a way, gave her just a tiny shred of hope that maybe, one day, she could salvage her friendship with Simone. It would be a long time before she could trust the sexy blonde again…but she treasured the friendship she had for Pandora was one who didn’t make friends easily.
Brock, though, was a whole other matter. He betrayed her trust in the worst way possible and she just didn’t know how they were going to get past it.
She stepped away from Jason, grateful for his presence, but feeling like she’d invaded his personal space, and sat down on the edge of her bed. But she also felt like she had gained a new friend. That he was her doctor, and had extraordinary powers like herself, and that he would keep her secrets, was just the icing on the cake.
“I don’t want to go home just yet. I know I should, but I need time. And the airline paid for my stay here. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.” She looked down at her now castless foot, the material having burned away when she had blown up the parking lot earlier. “And look…all healed.” she chuckled, wiggling her foot and ankle around, surprised she could still laugh under the circumstances. She looked at Jason from beneath her hair. “Thanks, Doc.” Those two words…a cupful of meaning.
Thanks for helping me, thanks for being there for me, thank you for being a friend.
Watching her step back from him, Jason folded his arms over and listened to how she wasn’t ready to go home yet. The airline having paid for her stay was a gesture she didn’t want to waste. That was a fair call, and he couldn’t help but agree. When she showed off her healed foot by wiggling it around, Jason went down on one knee and decided to inspect it for himself. With gentle and cool hands he held her foot and checked the bones with his fingers, pressing the pressure points, and looking up at her reactions. She was pretty sure it was healed, by the giggles that came from her. Now certain that was the case, he patted her foot before setting it down, and then rose up to standing.
The gentle thanks offered by Panora from beneath her veil of hair was greeted with. “You’re quite welcome. I’ll get the resort to put my fee on the overall bill to your room.” Course he was joking about that part and gave a bit of a wink, before heading towards the door.
“I’ll just see myself out. Enjoy what is left of the night, Pandora.”
Jason had actually said her name, and not used the more official title of Miss LaRue. Yes, things had changed between them. From Doctor patient, to good friends.
As he opened the door, Jane was standing outside. She was holding a dish of deserts. Seeing the hunky doctor leaving the room, Jane blushed fiercely.
“Oh my….I was here to give Miss Pan some desert, but it looks like she already got some Man cake.”
Mikala could be heard calling out. “JANE!”
“What?!…You should see this guy.” Jane then handed the desert to Jason and said with an exaggerated whisper.
“For extra strength.” Jane then winked and skipped back to her room with a laughing Mikala at the door.
<3>
That he was able to crack jokes at her, went a long way toward cementing their new friendship. He wished her a good night and made to leave. She jolted when he said her name, surprised to hear him say it.
“You too…Jason.” she stated as he opened the door.
Jane was standing in the hall and from where Pandora sat, she could see the perky blonde was holding a dessert dish. Upon spotting Jason though, Jane got other ideas.
“Oh my….I was here to give Miss Pan some desert, but it looks like she already got some Man cake.”
“Jane!” Pandora exclaimed, embarassed. There was an echoing shout in the hall from Jane’s wife, Mikala.
“What?!…You should see this guy.” Jane called back. She passed the dish to Jason and gave him a conspiratorial wink. “For extra strength.” She stated before she returned to her own room.
Pandora slapped a hand over her eyes.
“I am SO sorry about her.” she chuckled, mortified. “I can imagine what she’s thinking. I’ll set her straight.”
Now you would think with Jane’s excitable chatter about Man cake, desert and Pandora apparently already having had some, that Jason would be taken aback, or possibly offence. He was neither of these things. In fact, he was most gracious in taking the dish of desert.
“Why…thank you, Jane is it?”
Jane bobbed her head and smiled. “You know my name.”
Course he did, since both Pandora and Mikala both shouted it. Jason took a cherry off the top of the hill of ice cream and popped it into his mouth as he went on his way to his own apartment. Jane popped her head back in Pandora’s door and gave the thumbs up. That she approved of the hunky man in her room.
“He’s cute…and so polite.” The ditzy blonde said with a huge smile, as Mikala came up behind her and picked her up by the waist and carried the squealing Jane back to their own room. “Remember who you married, Angel.”
You could hear the door close to both apartments – Jason with his desert and Mikala with her cheeky young wife. No doubt everyone was getting desert.
Except Pandora.
<3>
After Jane, Mikala and Jason had left, Pandora had stayed hidden in her room until the furor of the fire in the parking lot had died down. She watched the news reports and thankfully, none of the security cameras had been active in that part of the area. They were chalking it up to some weird natural gas leak underneath. Sighing with relief, she rested in her bed, thinking about everything.
Restless, she left her room, via the balcony and went down to the beach. The air was warm with a slight breeze coming off the ocean and the setting sun was turning the sky into a painting of brown and orange hues. And yet Pandora noticed none of it. She stood, barefoot in the warm sand, staring out at nothing, her damaged, but still functioning cell phone in her hand.
Every once in a while, she would stare down at it, the picture she was using as a screen saver staring back at her. She hadn’t had the heart to change it.
Sighing, she looked up and out over the water, trying to decide what to do. Should she call him? Text him? Or do nothing? They needed to settle things between them.
Her fingers moved over the buttons on the phone, pulling up her favorites. He was still listed in the number one spot. Her finger hovered over the “call” icon. Taking a breath, she pressed the button. The phone rang for several moments and despondent, she was about to hang up when there was a click.
Then she heard his voice.
She said nothing.
He spoke her name, he knew it was her for he had caller ID.
And still she said nothing. Her heart was beating too fast in her chest.
Again, her name repeated, this time in an near-desperate whisper.
Her mouth opened, her thoughts swirling. She lost her nerve.
And hung up.
-The Next Morning-
Pandora woke up the following morning, feeling groggy and out of sorts. She hadn’t slept very well, the phone call she made to Brock shaking her self-confidence more then she cared to admit. She stumbled from her bed, running her fingers through sleep-tousled hair and headed for the shower. Then she would go down to the hotel dining room for some much needed coffee and food, in that order.
Today’s plan: Oahu’s Diamond Head Hike.
She’d never been on a hike before and she had heard this one had a fantastic view of the entire island. She wanted to experience that and collect some new memories before she headed home.
Once she was dried off, she dressed in an outfit quite similar to Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame, with a comfortable pair of hiking boots. Putting her hair up in a ponytail high on her head, she took up the backback of provisions she was provided with when she signed up for the hike and then left her room for some breakfast.
She was totally unaware her escapades in the parking lot, and the phone call she attempted to make were about to bring complications to her life that she was probably not ready for.
It seemed there were a few people that had booked to go on the Oahu’s Diamond Head Hike. Two of Pandora’s companions to be were none other than Jane and her Doctor, Jason Lumbard. Both were already down near the entrance, and Jane was excitedly telling Doctor Lumbard about the news reports of the car park bombing. That is what investigators were calling it, of course Jason knew the real reason and tried to play it off like he was interested to a point.
Seeing Pandora coming down towards them, Jane let out a high pitch squeal.
“Ooo whose Miss Tomb raider?” Her giggles were infectious as she gave Pandora a big hug.
“You look so…butch.” That was a word that you would associate with being gay and Jason had to cover his mouth to hide his smile. Composing himself, he added. “Well I think she looks dressed to thrill myself.” He was a gamer and thought the outfit did look a lot like Lara Croft.
“How are you feeling today, Pan?’ Jason was curious to know how her foot was holding up, but also about the fact she might be worried over the exposure from the car park incident. Did she even know it was on the news?
At that moment, the tour bus driver honked the horn, and Jane let out another high pitch squeal.
“That’ll be for us!”
She skipped off ahead of Jason and Pandora giving them a moment to talk.
“Any word from Brock?” He was asking since he figured she might have had the courage to call him.
<3>
