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Chapter 53
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Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 54
Most of the students had fled the building, but about a dozen remained. They were trying to help the injured. Gwen saw Charlotte gently move Billy off the bleachers and place him on the floor. Blood covered his front. Jared was still lying where he had dropped as blood spread across the back of his shirt.Kneeling by Steve, Gwen pulled out her phone and pressed a programmed number. It was answered on the second ring."Hey, Gwen! Shouldn't you be in class now?" asked Laura as she answered her cell."Laura! There's been a mass shooting at the school. We need ambulances and any help you can give us. I count at least 14 people shot and bleeding here in the gym. There's probably a few more wounded that managed to leave the building. Can you help us give first aid to the victims?""A shooting at the school?" echoed Laura loud enough so others at the hospital could hear her clearly. "Multiple injuries? Let me give you some phone numbers. Repeat them to the others so they can call and talk to
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 55
Gwen hurried back down the hall and into the waiting room. It was filling up with worried parents and families. At her entrance, the crowd suddenly went silent. Gwen saw Amber Stahl standing near the soda machine and rushed over to speak with her."Can you get me on TV really quick?" asked Gwen. "I'll trade you information for a chance to ask for blood donations, but I need it done now.""I have the van set up to transmit already. If I let them know I have a story, they'll patch me right into the network. This story is still just breaking across the country. Everyone wants to know what happened. You tell us what you know and I'll keep you on as long as you want. The station is dying to break some factual information on this event. Let me make the call.""Two minutes and we're on, Gwen!" reported Amber after calling her station. "I'll count down the last ten seconds with my fingers. When I hit one, you start talking. This'll be live and it's going network!"Gwen gathered her thoughts a
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 56
The Macy's department store manager found Gwen thanking more blood donors outside the Wellness Center. "I understand that you two aren't cleaning up or changing until a hundred units have been collected. I also understand that they are very close to your goal and will soon surpass it. Macy's wants to help you girls any way it can. We have a clean changing room with a shower. We'd be honored if you'd pick out whatever clothes you want to wear when you're prepared to clean up.""I don't have my pocketbook with me," responded Gwen. "And I don't feel like shopping right now anyway.""No, you misunderstood. Just take what you need to wear. We won't charge you for anything. It's just our way of trying to help you girls in a very difficult time. It would be our honor to have you select whatever you need from our store."Before one that afternoon, Gwen and Charlotte were clean, and dressed in new underwear, jeans, and sweaters.Amber Stahl called Gwen and asked for an interview to update the
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 57
As Gwen hugged the president, she recalled Steve's stated desire to attend the Naval Academy. "Mr. President, I'm sure that you've heard about Steve Hammer by now. This morning he saved the school from being destroyed, as well as all the students and staff in it. He's been badly wounded, but Dr. Masters said she expects him to make a full recovery."He wants to serve in the US Navy, to be an officer, and a SEAL. Could you use your influence to see that he receives an appointment to Annapolis?""Miss Anderson, he'll require a nomination to receive an appointment. I would imagine that a nomination will be forthcoming from any of several sources. I think I may have some influence in the appointment process," understated the President. "If his marks, character, and physical condition meet the standards, I think you can safely assume that he'll be a Midshipman next fall.""Thank you so much, Sir!" replied Gwen as she threw her arms around the President and kissed his cheek. "You'll never r
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 58
"Uncle Joe and I got to visit with him for a couple minutes. He's really weak, but he seems to be doing pretty good considering he was shot twice this morning. Governor O'Leary and the President stopped in to see him before they left. The President told Steve that he thought it was very likely that he would get into the Naval Academy!""So besides being on national television today, you rubbed elbows with the Governor and the President?" marveled Paula. "I heard he was in town. Roads were blocked and security was super tight. I should have guessed that you'd meet him, Gwen. You seem to growing in leaps and bounds right before my eyes. You and Steve have become household names. I don't think anyone has ever seen anything like the way you two are. You're building reputations for doing what others don't even dare attempt.""Can I get in to see Steve?" asked Lisa. "I drove here as soon as I could and it wasn't easy with so many roads blocked because of the President's visit. What room is
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 59
Gwen went and spoke to Jared's family briefly and then returned. "I promised Jared's family that I'd bring back couple burgers or sandwiches for them. They've had a horrible day. Jared's still on the borderline and they're worried sick. So am I, to be honest. That guy saved my life. Then Steve saved it again less than a minute later. That shooter was pointing his gun at me when Steve burst through the door."Marsh's Landing had numerous large screen televisions mounted on the walls, mainly for sporting events. They were all on when the Andersons walked into the restaurant with Charlotte. For the middle of the week, business seemed pretty brisk. The parking lot was almost full and most of the tables were in use.Charlotte and Gwen walked in first and it seemed like everyone in the entire place stopped what they were doing to watch them. Someone began clapping their hands and soon everyone joined in. Many of the patrons thanked the girls for their efforts that morning and for standing s
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 60
After they finished dinner, for which Billy's father refused to accept payment, Charlotte and Gwen returned to the hospital. Gwen sat by Jared's parents and gave them each a sandwich that Mr. Marsh had sent for them. She noticed some strangers sitting across the room watching her, so Gwen rose and introduced herself to them."We know who you are, Ms. Anderson," replied an older lady. "We're Angela Walker's brother and sister. I'm Roberta and this is Edward. Angela has spoken about you on numerous occasions. At Christmas she made us watch some videos of you and your remarkable boyfriend. We thought she was a bit overenthusiastic, shall I say? After hearing and seeing what you and Steve Hammer accomplished today, I realize that Angela had every right to be excited and proud. She told us all about the Inauguration and how much she enjoyed it. We're pleased that she had that opportunity. Can you give us some idea of how badly she was injured this morning?"Gwen spent some time describing
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 61
"The terrorist attack on a local high school yesterday was a terrible event. History will reflect that fact. What it will also reflect is the amazing string of coincidences that prevented this heinous act from being anywhere near as devastating as was planned by the terrorist."How could the terrorist speaking on his cell phone in the Farsi language, apparently to his leader, guess that an American high school student walking toward the gym at that moment was fluent in Farsi? What are the odds that the student, Steve Hammer, would turn out to be trained in hand-to hand combat and have the ability to immediately kill the terrorist? Then try calculating the odds that the same student had learned the workings of IED's and suicide bombs from his father, a Navy SEAL Commander."This same student searched the dead man while sending a female student to pull the fire alarm, knowing that these evil men planned on destroying the building and everyone in it with explosives. Evacuation was absolu
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Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 76
"Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half, Steve. Would you like to lie down for awhile? You look a little drowsy," commented Paula. "Good idea, Mom! Come on, Steve. I'll help you get situated. I forget what you've been through, at least until I look at your face. Let's get you in bed so you can rest," prompted Gwen. "You'd better come back and watch TV with us pretty soon or we'll all know he's not getting any rest," laughed Caroline as Gwen closed the bedroom door. "Mom, do you think we made a mistake allowing Gwen to be with Steve?" asked Paula in a serious tone. "Seriously? Not even close. I'm a little old fashioned, but you can't keep those two apart, even if you tried. They wouldn't lie or sneak around, but that boy has a serious dose of testosterone pumping in his veins and Gwen is about as beautiful a woman as I've ever seen. They can't be kept apart and it would be wrong to try. They aren't your average high school kids, not by a long shot. I don't think there's any limi
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 75
Gwen rushed over to Laura and followed her out of the room. Steve was covered in bandages and once again had an IV plugged into his left arm. Gwen walked up to his bed and took his hand and smiled. Steve tried to smile back and groaned as his split lip reminded him of his ordeal."Steve, you know what this means, don't you?" asked Gwen. "I'm going to have to wash your back in the shower again. You know I'm going to make you stay with us and I'm going to smother you in love. I just hope you're healthy enough to survive it because it's going to be constant and intense. Think you can stand it?""That's all I could think about when I was lying under that damn rock ledge! I knew if I could just hang on, you'd be rubbing your naked breasts against me again, washing my back and allowing me to wash your front. I had to time to think about my love for you, Gwen. I'll never love another woman the way I love you. I know that.""Oh, Steve! My heart was breaking when you were taken away, but I nev
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"I decided to check out his chest area for any injuries or punctures. His chest, stomach, and back were all covered with horrible long black bruises. It's pretty apparent that the guy must have beaten Steve with some sort of club!"Cries and moans filled the room at Brad's statement. He waited for the ladies to collect themselves. "He also had shrapnel buried in his back, buttocks, and legs. One large fragment and several smaller ones appeared to be infected. He's quite ill. I have no idea what sort of internal injuries he may have suffered from the beating and the wreck. His face is badly swollen, with one eye totally closed. There you have it as far as I can report. Obviously, the doctors will have much better idea of the extent of his health problems."No one had expected to hear that Steve had been badly beaten before crashing and then enduring several days in a blizzard. Everyone wore shocked expressions and tears flowed freely. Paula hugged Gwen and cooed into her ear much as sh
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 73
They had formed a plan for searching while in the copter and moved out to follow that plan. Two days later they still had almost half of the area they wanted to search untouched. The snow was well over three feet with drifts eight and ten feet high. They felt a real urgency as they pushed through the snow. It was not likely that anyone would survive for days in this environment without proper equipment. They feared that their window of opportunity for finding Steve alive was rapidly closing.They were not looking for a body. They searched likely areas where a man in distress would look for shelter during a storm. They looked for caves in the hillside, smoke in the air, tracks in the snow, and deadfalls where downed trees could offer some protection from the elements. By Friday afternoon, they were tired and discouraged, but in agreement that they would not end their search until they found Steve. Neither brother wanted to return home from this mission they had undertaken empty handed.
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 72
Steve had been taken totally by surprise when the gunman appeared from behind the car. He cursed himself for being so careless, and for endangering Lisa. Her fear was obvious, but it forced Steve to remain calm. The situation was tense and he knew that he needed to remove Lisa from danger.As soon as he realized that he was the man's real focus, Steve decided that he'd go with him if Lisa were allowed to leave unharmed. Steve was also certain that if Lisa was hurt in any way, he would find some way to wreak vengeance on the gunman.As the man secured his hands, Lisa was allowed to slip away. Steve was under no illusions about what was facing him, but with Lisa safe, he would be able to face it without concern for her.They drove a couple miles with his hands strapped to the car door. Then the gunman turned into a driveway as the garage door opened. He pulled alongside an SUV, shut the motor off, and closed the garage door. Steve's abductor then walked around the front of the car. As h
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"They had a blizzard up there a couple days ago. There's two feet of new snow and the temperatures have been in the teens with a strong wind since then. Steve must be in that weather, trying to survive after blowing that bastard to hell. He'll need help!""I have some connections," declared Brad as he headed out of the room. "Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out."Ten minutes later, Brad came back into the living room. "I called in a few favors to get this information. They found body parts all over the wreckage, but none were Steve's. They did find blood on some of the wreckage that was Steve's. They feel it's possible that he's alive and on foot in the Burns National Forest. Amber's dad tried to send the National Guard in with helicopters and other equipment, but couldn't because there's another blizzard bearing down on the area right now. They can't risk more lives, so they have to wait it out. They think it'll be clear by the weekend, or maybe Friday and they'll go
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 70
Amber had the camera on a tripod as she stood in front of it with Gwen. The voice in her ear told her she was going on in ten seconds. She counted down and turned to Gwen."What can you tell us about this situation, Gwen. What has happened here?""A dark man with a heavy accent and a gun stopped my sister, Lisa, in the parking lot of the Sparta mall a short while ago. He demanded that she text my boyfriend, Steve Hammer, telling him that she needed him outside. When he went out to see what Lisa needed, the gunman told Steve he had to submit to having his hands bound and to get into the gunman's car or he would shoot both Steve and Lisa."Steve told the gunman that he would kill him if he harmed Lisa, but if he let Lisa go, Steve would agree to being bound and leave with him. As he secured Steve's wrists, my sister was able to flee the area. She is unharmed but pretty shaken."We called the police immediately and they are doing their best to find the gunman and Steve. The man had a hea
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 69
"They're afraid that if they move me, they'll miss the exclusive features you've been granting me the last few months. Now that you have a hit song and your clothing line is being promoted all over TV and the internet, the station doesn't want to lose you. They've given me a raise and a promise to move up once you guys are in college."I'd like to do fifteen minutes with you two. It will be live, with a few seconds delay in case something unacceptable is blurted. It's going to be during the eight o'clock hour and the network may rebroadcast it during their morning show if it looks interesting enough."Saturday morning found Lisa, Kate, Gwen, Amber Stahl and Amber O'Leary setting up at Macy's, well before the normal opening time. Amber O'Leary had arranged to have a piano delivered to the area the kids were using. She felt confident that fans would be asking Gwen and Steve to sing since they had a hit song. The girls were shown their changing room, while Steve once again was given a gl
Struggles And Obsessions Chapter 68
School was scheduled to reopen Wednesday morning, one week after the attack. Steve had managed to cut off his bandages by himself that morning and limped to the shower to prepare for the day. He was doing his best to soap up his upper body when he felt hands stroking his back! He swung around in surprise to find a naked Gwen standing behind him.Trying to remain cool, he slowly ran his gaze over Gwen's body. His eyes lingered on the Y created where her long legs came together. Then he moved on to enjoy her full breasts and hard nipples."Do I look okay? I'm pretty nervous about you seeing me like this," admitted Gwen. "Am I too heavy or something?""You're incredible! I can't believe how beautiful you are, Gwen. Your body is perfect!""Thanks! The nice thing about us being naked is that I can actually see how much you appreciate looking at me. It looks like Little Steve enjoys the view. He's looking right at me!" laughed Gwen as she began soaping Steve's shoulders and chest.The showe
