I Guess I'm a Hero

Frustration

"So that's it," said Peg as she paced around the room. "Jess is having visions that she can't wake from and she can't tell Tim about. She's going to go mad from this."

"We don't know that," I replied, trying to comfort her.

"You saw the tears though! She's aware. She knows what's happening. She knows what each dream means. People are getting hurt – maybe dying– and she can't do anything to stop it. None of us can."

"I know."

"And did you see Tim? He's beside himself with worry."

"Peg. We all are. We all love her. We're all worried."

"Well,what do we do about it? I don't know. Do you?" Peg continued to pace back and forth, working herself into a frenzy.

"Peg. You're pacing," I pointed out. "You're going to wear a hole in the carpet."

Peg stopped and stared at me a second and then gave me a wry grin. "You're a fine one to talk."

I stood and put my arm around her. "It's going to be OK. She'll wake up and then everything will be back to normal – or as normal as it can be."

"But what about the visions? What about the people?"

"Peg. What about them? You aren't seeing anything, are you? You know how this works. The visions she has are for Timmy – no one else. He wouldn't leave her side anyhow."

"I know but..." Peggy sighed.

"Peggy. I'm worried too," I said, sitting down. "We're just going to have to wait until the doctor can tell us more."

"He seems like a good guy," Peggy said, sitting beside me. "It's good to have someone else on our side."

"Yes,it is." I put my arm around her. "Especially someone who doesn't seem like he has a hidden agenda."

Peggy sighed and put her head down on my shoulders. I could feel her breathing and could tell that she was trying to hold back tears. She was never one to go hysterical about anything, but I knew that she wanted to let it out and scream and cry in frustration. Her body shook with the effort of holding it in.

This is one of the things I hate the most. You men out there, powers or not, know what I'm talking about. When someone you love is hurting and you want more than anything to make the hurt go away. When you would pay any amount of money – do anything – to have the pain they are in inflicted on you instead, just so they wouldn't have to go through it. I feel that all the time. When she's frustrated. When she's hurt. When she has a vision that gives her a headache. I just wish I could take it away. I wish I could get the headache. I wish I could get the sore body from not getting enough sleep – but I can't. My best friend can smack me with a six-foot length of pipe and it hardly even hurts. When my girlfriend gets a headache from a vision, though, I can't do a goddamn thing about it. I consider myself a calm person but sometimes it makes me want to break things. And considering what I can do... yeah, it's like that.

So,right on cue, I feel her shoulders twinge and her left hand go to her temple.

"Bill,"she said softly. "You need to go to Boise. Main Street. Downtown. There's a fire in an office building."

I glance down at her and sigh. I actually consider not leaving. Not going anywhere. Who needs me more? A stranger in a burning building?

"I'll be all right," she said, as if reading my mind. She gives me a quick hug. "You better hurry."

I slowly get up, look down at her and shake my head and, after a few seconds, run out the door to save a stranger.