The Sun

Jackson

Jackson headed downstairs slowly. His head was swimming, again. He was so tired that exhausted didn’t even describe it. “God, please help me keep going…”  As he passed through the rustic living room to the sliding doors he pondered the girl upstairs.  The glass slid effortlessly under his hand. He whistled for the dogs. The view was spectacular. One of the reasons he had bought the cabin in the first place. No matter the time of year or the weather the view was always magnificent. The hilly woods were covered in white and ice. The whole hillside was covered in a thick blanket.  Rooftops, spotty here and there, barely visible at any time through the deep firs and winter pines, had small spirals of smoke curling up from them. The dogs, two great Golden Retrievers, came racing into the room. They shook a hefty quantity of snow everywhere, sniffed at Jackson’s legs and headed to the fireplace to go instantly to sleep. He muttered as he shook his head at them. To be able to just eat and sleep through life! Ben and Max certainly had it made. And at his expense too!

Jackson, clad in faded light blue jeans and a thick red sweater, was dressed too warmly for the fireside. He chose instead to sit at the wooden harvest table. His kitchen was very early Americana but still had many modern conveniences. His tastes ran along the Southwestern look and the influence could be readily seen throughout the entire cabin. From the tiled kitchen floors to the Mexican throws piled up in the open nook by the stairs. He knew that he was fortunate to have gotten the place at all. The old owner, a confirmed lifetime bachelor, had more or less picked him out of the potential buyers. Said that he couldn’t see the place ripped apart to make room for a dozen kids or so. A single lad was just what the old place needed.  Jackson didn’t figure that he should elaborate on his plans for a family right at that time.
His thoughts returned to the mystery woman in his bed. He felt a little more in control of himself now that he had a strong cup of coffee and his bowl of stew in front of him. A plate of buttered bread generously cut off to the side. He paused in his musings to lift a prayer to God of thanks for his food and for the girl’s life. What was it about this slip of a thing that got him so worked up? Sure she was beautiful, very in fact. Big, thickly lashed hazel eyes and long, slightly curly auburn hair. Thick and silky. Her eyes were truly fascinating. They changed color as quickly as the wind changed direction. From a deep green to a warm brown flecked with gold. It was very distracting. She was very well-built and curvy in all the right places. Slim but not thin. She had a very pretty nose and a full pouty mouth. She lit the room when she smiled. But Jackson had known many beautiful women in his lifetime so that did not account for the feelings she invoked in him as far as he was concerned.

He let his mind wander back to the day he had found her. That had been what 10 days ago now? He remembered how shaken he had been when he found her more or less dead in a heap of snow. There had been a large spot of red snow around her head. He was sure that no one could lose that much blood and live to tell the tale. The fact that she did not remember the tale did not signify. She was alive. The dogs had taken off like a shot when he had opened the glass doors. That was not unusual. Max, Ben's sire, loved winter and had taught his offspring to enjoy it too.  They normally romped for hours close to home. The fact that they took off straight down the road had him in his coat and after them. He had grabbed a flashlight and a blanket on his way out. Max, well-trained as a search and rescue dog, did not allow Jackson to ignore his behaviour. He came back every so often to make sure that Jackson was following.  They led him straight to her. By the time he caught up, Ben was curled up at her back with his snout on her ear. Max sat at her feet a big smile on his hairy face, his tongue rolling happily. He was proud of his offering and with good reason.

It was quite a job to rouse her and the scream she let out was unending. It almost seemed as if she did not realize that she was screaming. Jackson had shouted at her to no avail to stop the ear-shattering sound. He had even pleaded. But it was only when she passed out again that she had quieted. She had not made it easy to get her back to the cabin either. She was not a large girl but her dead weight made it hard to get her back up the road. The blizzard was unforgiving in its intensity and never let up once. In fact, it was still going strong. The area was known for its ferocious winters but this was a record even for here. 

Once he had her in the cabin he set about getting her settled. She was in bad shape. There was a huge gash on the back of her head and a smaller one on her forehead just above her eye. It would heal okay without stitches but not the alarming wound just at the base of her skull. She had a few small nicks and burns on her forearms and bruises and cuts on her face and legs. It looked as though some unscrupulous person had declared war against her small form. There was a nasty mark on her face just above her jaw too. Jackson still felt rage at the prospect of just how her injuries had come about. A fierce protectiveness had enveloped him at that moment and still held him firmly in its grasp. He cleaned her as best he could. Striped her unceremoniously and managed to get her into a flannel shirt and boxers. It would have to do.

Keeping her still and quiet had proven to be just as difficult. Her fever was high enough to keep her fussy and delusional. She fought and yelled, screamed and kicked. Whatever she was fighting was mean and had Jackson in fits of anxiety more than once. Holding her down had turned out to be a dangerous job for a man wishing to have kids someday. He had had a few very narrow escapes and near misses, enough to make his chestnut hair go gray. Well… almost. The worst part was when she woke though. Jackson could still feel his chest tighten at the memory of her face when she realized that she couldn’t see. Then to not remember her name, well …could it get any worse?

Jackson flinched. Ya, it could get worse he admitted. Letting loose his temper at her was about as bad as it gets. He offered up a quick prayer to God for forgiveness. It was totally unlike his character to lose his cool on someone…never mind someone vulnerable. He scowled at the reminder of her trip out of bed. He had thought that he would have a heart attack for sure. That was the whole reason that he had locked the door in the first place. He wasn’t sure about that determined gleam in her eyes. Between her fever and her fear, he worried that she would try something stupid and she had. He would never forget in his entire lifetime the feeling of finding her unconscious on the floor. Her head had hit the side table and now thanks to him she had yet another injury! At first, he had been angry. He had blown into the little room with a great roar. But one look at her crumpled body and he had felt only remorse. He had not left her side once until she had regained consciousness.

The fact that her vision could be coming back was amazing too. Hell, the fact that she was alive was a miracle! Jackson mused for a moment deep in thought. He was no Doctor, which he admitted without derision. The burden of his houseguest’s medical needs was heavy. Not for the first time did he consider the fact that she could hold him responsible for her medical condition and sue him. He let out a gusty sigh. What a mess! He had taken the opportunity to apologize to her as well. What a dunce! He had acted churlish and stupid. The explanation he had given her was accurate but he wasn’t ready to forgive himself.

It was true that he had not had much sleep in the days and nights that she had lain in his bed. At first, keeping an eye on her fits of fever and erratic behaviour had been a 24-hour job. He had put her in his room being the only comfortable sleeping place in the house. He usually kept a cot that he stored for the odd guest in his office but because he could not leave her alone he had pulled it into the bedroom and stayed right with her round the clock, only leaving her for short periods necessary to keep going himself. Once her fever broke he had put the cot back in the office and slept on the couch downstairs, relying on the alarm to rouse him rather than her discomfort.

The cabin was fairly large but only had two bedrooms on the loft-style second floor. It was comprised of one very large room and one smaller one. The larger of the two rooms was his office. He had chosen it for that purpose. He was a tall man easily topping 6 feet. Crowding into a room to work held no appeal whatsoever. The bedroom was smaller but still generous in its measurements. It easily accommodated his ¾ bed very nicely. An armoire, dresser and side table completed the ensemble. He had just bought a huge Chest for the end of the bed but he had not had a chance to bring it up to the bedroom yet. He was sure that it would compliment the suite well and still fit the room to his satisfaction, without making him feel crowded.

He finished his meal and prepared a tray to take up to her. Heading up the stairs to look in on her brought a sense of foreboding. The tray he carried was heavily laden with food and supplies. He had supposed that she would be awake but when he opened the door she did not stir. He quietly put the tray on the dresser and sat in the chair beside the bed. His eyes rested on her tranquil features. She had a child-like face in sleep. He guessed her to be at least 25 but she didn’t really look it. He wished he knew her name. He had dubbed her the Ice Princess, not because of her personality but due to the fact that she had been found almost frozen in a blizzard. He smiled. It really wouldn’t do to actually call her that. “We’ll figure something out,” he said allowed to himself. And as if summoned that very moment from some fairyland her eyes fluttered open. ♦️