Being Invisible (23 page)

I hesitate to get in the ambulance
with him. I can’t go until I can do my part to fix this… if there’s any way
that’s possible. Rob gets in with Colin, then looks at me expectantly.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital. I
have to try to figure out how to keep Colin away from all this.”

Rob nods his head in
understanding. I pull the doors closed, then wave the ambulance off.

I look around, taking in the
situation. Three different news stations are setting up to start the inquisition…
including my own station. Of course my boss is here. He’s practically glowing.
This is the kind of story he lives for. And he’s walking right towards me.

Son of a….

“Alex, hi. What are you doing
here?”

“Same thing as you, Lucy. Getting
the story on Vapor. How did you get here so quick?” He looks at me like he
knows. “You kept in contact with him didn’t you? All this time you acted like
you had no idea where he’s been. I’d be pissed at you for keeping this from me,
if I wasn’t so damn happy that you got him again.”

“I didn’t get him. I don’t even
know where he is.”

I can almost see the steam coming
out of Alex’s ears, but right now I can’t afford to care. “Then what the hell
are you doing here? How did you even know to come here, if you don’t know where
he is? Honestly, Lucy you need to start keeping me in the loop. If you can’t…”

At this point, there isn’t
anything I can say or do that won’t piss him off anyway, so I decide that now
is as good a time as any to stop listening and leave him to his rant.

I walk away to the sound of him
yelling obscenities and head to where a reporter just staked out a couple
officers. The camera is already rolling, and the reporter is poised and ready
to go.

“We have just gotten word that
Vapor was kidnapped and taken to this lab. After an anonymous tip, the police
arrived, and a daring rescue attempt ensued. You two were among those that were
first to arrive. Is that correct?”

The first police officer looks my
way before answering. “Yes, Ma’am we were.”

“And did you get a good look at
Vapor?” What can you tell us about him?”

“Sorry. I wish I had a story for
you, but Vapor was never found.”

“So he’s still missing?”

“We have reason to believe that
Vapor was killed before we arrived.”

“Are you telling me that Vapor is…
He… He died?”

“We believe so, yes.” This time it
was the other officer who speaks up.

The reporter is silent. She
doesn’t seem to know what to do. After a minute, she collects herself and
continues.

“Today the nation mourns the loss
of our hero. Vapor will be in all of our hearts. We will be giving you more on
this breaking story as we hear it.” The reporter shuts off her camera and
quickly walks off. She seems legitimately upset.

I’m not sure what to make of what
just happened. I look to the police officers for answers, but they just nod
before walking away.

Against my better judgment, I
decide to go back and talk to Alex. I really don’t need his shit, but I’m
curious about what his team has dug up. Frank, one of our camera guys, looks
like he’s taking footage of the lab and the surrounding area. Before Alex has a
chance to start yelling at me, I start talking first.

“Alex, what’s going on? Has anyone
seen Vapor?”

“Look who’s suddenly interested in
current events. Maybe you should check it out tonight on TV like the rest of
the city.”

“Damn it, Alex. I’m just trying to
piece the story together. But if you don’t want to help me, I bet one of these
other stations would be happy to talk to me. They seem to really be interested
in the lady who interviewed Vapor.”

“Fine, Lucy. I’ll tell you. But
only because I like you.”

I try to keep my eye rolling to a
minimum.

“The word from everyone around
here is that Vapor’s dead. They’re not saying anything more though. They’re
planning on initiating a full-scale investigation. Until then, no one’s
talking.”

But… how is that possible? There were people everywhere that saw him
leave.
At least one of them had to have said
something.

I walk away from my boss more
confused than when I found him.

As I wander around the grounds of
the lab, I hear murmurs all around me. Some reporters are asking the witnesses
questions, others are on camera talking. I watch as a reporter from the local
newspaper interviews a fireman.

“How does it feel to lose someone
who was such an important part of the team?”

“It’s a huge loss. He was an
asset. We will all miss him.”

I give the fireman a questioning
look, but he just nods once my way, before returning to his interview.

I drift through the crowd taking
it all in. I stop when I see a medic talking to a man I recognize from a
different news station.

“When we got the news that Vapor
didn’t make it, we were all devastated. He helped so many people. We really
wanted to be here to help save him. I wish it had a better ending.” The medic
turns my way and stops to give me a barely there smile. “A lot of people
counted on him. We would have done anything for the guy.”

I nod at him slowly, starting to
grasp the enormity of the situation. Fresh tears slip down my cheeks.
Thank you
. I mouth the words, not even
beginning to express my gratitude for these people. He doesn’t react, but I
know he gets it.

Everywhere I turn, friends,
colleagues and strangers are protecting Colin. As far as they are concerned,
Vapor is gone.

I want to hug every single one of
the men and women who are here tonight. If I could, I would give them everything
I have just so they know how I feel. Words alone cannot express how much I
appreciate them. They saved Colin. He’s going to be okay.

 
That’s when it hits me. That’s how Colin
makes people feel. He saves their children, protects their mothers and fathers and
gives people hope. I imagine all the people who have never been able to express
how much Vapor means to them. I don’t think he even knows the depth of
appreciation people have for him.

I think after today, he will
finally get to find out.

It’s amazing how two guys who
looked danger in the eye and lived to tell about it only one month ago can be
the same guys that are annoying the hell out of us today.

For the past two hours Drew and
Colin have been whining about the fact that Liz and I made them turn off the
Xbox. They keep begging for “just one more game” of Call of Duty, but we think
the fact that they have played it for the last six hours straight is more than
enough.

After they were released from the
hospital, Liz and I made them come stay with us at our place. We figured it
would be easier to help them recover if we had each other. We didn’t even know
the half of it.

The good news is that Colin
postponed his start date with the DEA to give him a chance to recover. And since
I wanted to help him, I decided to take a few weeks off of work too.

I can do that kind of thing now.
Ever since the Vapor died, I’ve kind of a become a big deal. I was, after all,
the only person to ever interview Vapor when he was alive.

I wish that could have been Ruth’s
claim to fame. Luckily, her investigation into gun smuggling in the library
basement turned out to be a lot less wrong than I thought. Not only was she completely
right, but Colin didn’t even have a clue it was going on. I need to give that
girl a lot more credit.

The last few weeks have been
perfect. I love having Colin all to myself. We have had so much fun together
that I don’t even mind that he and Drew are driving us crazy.
 

Liz and I have officially decided
that they have been milking their recovery long enough. So instead of playing Call
of Duty, we are going to make them snuggle with their girlfriends on the couch
and watch HGTV with us all day.

We even talk them into playing
Clue. This time when I lose, I don’t send anyone to the ER. Colin is proud of
my growth.

We also do the unthinkable. We
convince the guys to get out of the house and take us to Ruby’s for karaoke.
After calling Ruth, Annie and Annie’s new boyfriend to join us, we decide to
turn it into an impromptu get together to celebrate that everyone is safe and
healthy. Even Rob comes out to sing.

This time is so much better. I sit
on Colin’s lap for most the night, only getting up to drag Colin to the stage
to sing.

In the midst of Liz and I doing
our own amazing rendition of “The Greatest American Hero,” all of our friends,
including Colin, join in.

Singing this particular song makes
me feel bad for Annie. She still doesn’t know that Colin is Vapor. She mourned
along with the rest of the world when they pronounced him dead.

Colin told me that I could tell
her the truth, but I’m having a hard time bringing myself to do it. After all
this time, I don’t think she’s going to take it well.

The rest of the night we all take
turns singing badly and cheering each other on.

Being here, in this moment, makes
me happy. I am with my closest friends and the man I love, and we are enjoying
life… Something I was afraid we might never be able to do together again.

I know that our struggles are far
from over, but for now Colin and I have decided to enjoy what we have and
figure the rest out as it comes.

So, yeah. I’m in love with a
superhero. And he is as amazing as you would think. Always willing to help at
the drop of a hat. Kind to everyone-people and animals alike. Strong, quick and
courageous. And if think you might fall in love with a superhero, my suggestion
would be to go ahead and take a chance. Because when it all comes down to it, I
would do it all over again if it meant being with Colin today.

This is it. This is it. This is it.

I’m freaking out. I know I am. I also
know that I need to stop it, but hell if I know how. No matter how much water I
drink, my mouth feels like I’ve been eating sand while chewing on a sponge.

The waiter comes and refills my
wine glass, and I practically drain it in one swallow. I already feel like the
room is way too damn hot, so when the wine starts to take effect, I feel like I
am going to melt in my seat.

Liz and Drew are sitting across
from us, sipping wine and talking freely… like they don’t have a care in the
world. Must be nice.

Liz looks in my direction and eyes
me with suspicion. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because your face just turned the
color of a tomato, and you look like you want to pass out.”

“That’s just because it’s hot in
here. Aren’t you guys hot?”

Everyone shakes their heads no, and
Drew grabs the bottle.

“Do we need to cut you off?”

I ignore him and take another bite
of my steak. I just need some food in my stomach. I’ll feel better after I eat.

By the end of dinner, my nerves
are shot. I’m pretty sure that everyone at the table thinks I’m losing my mind.
I’ve been quiet the whole evening, and I’m pretty sure I took care of an entire
bottle of wine on my own.

What the hell is wrong with you? Get it together.

It’s just that it’s one of
those
moments.

You know that moment when something
amazing might happen any second now, but really it could go either way? Like,
for example, when you are about to ask the woman you love to marry you, but
you’re not a hundred percent sure she’s going to say yes?

I know that she loves me, and I
think
she wants to marry me, but I’ve
put her through a lot. Honestly, I’m kinda surprised she’s stayed with me as
long as she has.

Whether or not I’m sure she’ll say
yes, I have to ask her tonight. I’ve been holding on to this ring since the
first time I tried to ask her.

That’s right. I’m the kind of
dumbass who has to attempt to ask a girl to marry me three times before I
actually follow through.

 
The first time I had a whole evening
planned. I was going to take her to all the places that meant something to us
in college then ask her at the end of the night. We only got as far as Insomnia
when I couldn’t take the stress anymore. I almost blurted it out right then and
there, but the phone rang and… well, like I said- I’m surprised she’s still
with me.

The second time, I took her to my
uncle’s cabin. I had extra letters that I was going to use while we were
playing Scrabble that spelled out “Will you marry me?” Those plans kinda fell
apart when she decided to dump me instead. See? Dumbass.

This time, I’m not letting anything
stop me. Today is the day. No extra frills. I’m just going to ask her. I don’t
want to give myself any extra time to screw it up. I haven’t even told Liz or
Drew.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lucy
reaches over and grabs my hand. “You’re making me nervous.”

“No.”

“No? What do you mean? What’s
wrong?” Lucy looks really worried. I’m already screwing this up and I haven’t
even started.

“I mean, yes. I’m fine.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

The bill comes, and I pay it right
away. I need to get into the fresh air before I get sick.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask Lucy.
She’s right in the middle of taking a bite of cheesecake, so I’m gonna guess
that, no, she’s probably not. I need to stop losing my shit and get myself
together.

“Uh, sure.” She takes a couple
more bites of cheesecake, then gets up, while Liz and Drew follow. Once we are
outside, I suggest a walk. We head in the direction of a fountain near the
restaurant.

Lucy seems upset. I think my weird
mood is affecting her. I decide that I better ask her now before I accidentally
make her break me up with me again.

Liz and Drew sit down on one of
the benches that surround the fountain. I grab my phone and start the song
‘Pull Me Down.’ I planned ahead and made sure our song was ready to play.

As soon as Lucy hears the music,
she turns her head toward the sound. “Is that coming from you?” Her brow
furrows, and it reminds me how adorable she is.

I don’t respond to her question. I
just pull the ring box from my pocket, and blurt it out. “Lucy, will you marry
me?”

I hear Liz gasp behind me,
followed by her whispering, “Did you know about this?” to Drew.

Lucy, on the other hand, just
stares at me.

I hold up the box and open it, hoping
that might give her an incentive to say something.

As soon as she sees the ring she
gasps, then starts crying.

I’m a guy, so I don’t know what
this means. I look back at Liz and Drew for support. Liz is crying as much as
Lucy is, while Drew looks as confused as I do.

I turn back to Lucy, who surprises
me by throwing her arms around me and kissing me. Her kiss is filled with all the
passion and love that I have for her. But I’m still not sure if it’s a yes kind
of kiss or a no kind of kiss.

When she pulls away, her makeup is
smeared, and her eyes are red. “I love you, Colin.”

“I love you too, Luce. But I’m uh,
still not sure where we stand on the whole marrying thing. Was that a yes, or…”

Her face flashes with the
realization that she hasn’t answered me yet. “I can’t believe it. I forgot to
answer. Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

Relief washes over me. I pull her
into a hug and kiss her again. “She said yes!”. My excitement makes her laugh. Drew
and Liz start clapping and cheering too.

I put the ring on her finger, and
kiss her hand.

Drew hugs me, and tells me
congratulations. He seems genuinely happy for me.

Liz and Lucy immediately start
making wedding plans.

Afterwards, Lucy and I go back to
my place, so that we can have some alone time.

That night, Lucy falls asleep in
my arms right away, but I can’t seem to unwind. I run my fingers through her
hair and look at the ring on her finger.

I can’t stop thinking about how
lucky I am to have her, and how much she has changed my life- how she has saved
my life.

Lucy’s right. No matter how many
people you save, no matter what you do to make a difference, at the end of the
day you have to take care of the people who love you.

Take her for example. No matter
what I did to inadvertently push her away, she was still there for me every
time I needed her.

 
What she doesn’t tell people, and I like
to keep to myself is that
she
is a
superhero.

Just when you think that all hope
is lost, she sweeps in and brings you soup. Or drags you away from a drug
kingpin/ biological manipulator… even when you’re kicking and screaming. She
tracks down information so that she can find you when an evil doctor kidnaps
you, hell bent on finding out the secret to your power. And she patiently helps
you become the superhero you are today.

And the most important one of all,
she agrees to stay with you for the rest of your life even though she could do
so much better.

So now I know something most
people never get to know… that being with the greatest person in the world for
the rest of your life is so much better than being invisible.