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“Don’t you dare blame me for the earlier incident. Your clumsiness is what almost led to homicide in the galley.”
“Meer manslaughter. It wouldn’t have been premeditated. And if you hadn’t initiated the relationship counseling session with Sally the other night, we wouldn’t have had murder on our minds to begin with.”
“I think it is a good thing we are in the medical profession and not law since we clearly have no idea where killing your spouse falls in the legal system and, therefore, what penalty would follow…”
“Uh, hm, if you are finished discussing murder, we are ready to proceed with our lesson,” Sophia called, once again at the front of the room. Beth blushed, but Chad only chuckled at the conversations he and Beth engaged in. There was never a dull moment with this woman.
Sophia and Antonio modeled the box step, which was executed with little difficulty. “So far, so good,” Beth muttered under herbreath as she and Chad successfully pulled off the first steps of the dance several times in succession.
As they added the change step, Beth started with the wrong foot, effectively setting them off balance and nearly pulling them to the floor. Chad quickly corrected, pulling her close to steady them. Her face once again flamed with embarrassment.
Chad lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Breathe, Bethany. It’s just us. I’ve got you. Breathe. Relax. We’re having fun.” He pulled back far enough to look into her eyes. His sincerity showed in his expression, and the tension eased from her body. It took all his self-control not to kiss her at that moment. She was so beautiful. If she only knew how precious she was to him, she wouldn’t be embarrassed by her mistakes, and he was grateful for the opportunity to hold her in his arms, even if it meant they wound up in a bruised pile on the floor.
They resumed the dance and were ticking along well until the couple next to them made a wrong turn and collided with them. Once again, Chad was pulling Beth tight to avoid collapsing on the polished floor.
It felt like no time at all had passed when Sophia announced that the class had ended. She invited them back for another beginner class the next day as the couples collected their personal items and made their way to the door.
“I enjoyed that about as much as one enjoys a root canal,” complained the man who had caused the collision just moments before. “Feel free to come back tomorrow, but you will need to find another partner.” The look on his wife’s face was sad, but it was obvious to everyone that his heart had not been in the dancing lesson.
“What do you say, Beth? Sign up for tomorrow, or are we visiting the dentist with this gentleman,” Chad quipped, holding the door wide for her to exit before making their way toward the dining room.
“Thankfully, we will be too busy tomorrow for either of those activities,” Beth replied with a genuine smile. “I think it is funny Sophia didn’t mention the second level class, only the beginner. I guess that means we were all terrible and needed a repeat of level one.” She chuckled as they stood in line to be seated for dinner.
“I had fun and would be more than happy to take the class again. I think once we learn the steps, it could be quite an enjoyable hobby. Perhaps when we get home, we can sign up for classes at the dance studio down the street from the hospital. That could be our established date night.” A hopeful look covered his face as he made this proposal.
“You are a glutton for punishment Chadwick Fox. As if three possible injuries in a two-hour session weren’t enough risk for you, now you want to make it a regularly scheduled event. No wonder you spent so many years in the ER. You have an adrenaline junky in there.” Patting his chest, she walked past him and followed the hostess to their table.
Chad couldn’t help but smile as he followed behind her. She had no idea the cocktail of hormones that had been pumping through his veins during that dance class. They had nothing to do with adrenaline. Testosterone, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin for sure. Adrenaline was for risk-takers, and he didn’t feel he was taking one. In Beth, he found safety, security… love. He had so many visions of what their life could be like that he had had a difficult time focusing on the steps. It was pure chance it had been Beth’s misstep that had nearly taken them down and not his own. The thought of having Beth in his arms every day had him wanting to put a ring on her finger this very moment. He knew he should enjoy the journey and their time dating, but he also kicked himself for wasting so many years and didn’t want to waste anymore. He wanted this woman as his best friend, travel companion, and wife… now to convince her of that.
Chapter 14
The sun shone bright, and small whisps of clouds floated overhead as the zipline guide assisted them into their harnesses the next day. Never in a million years would Beth have imagined she would be exploring Jamaica from a cable suspended over the forest canopy. She felt equal parts young, brave, and a little insane. If she got hurt, it would take so much longer to heal. Chad had mentioned that if she got hurt on this particular excursion, she would not need to worry about the recovery as the fall would likely do her in. That earned him a pinch to the ribs, but he only chuckled. Listening to the safety procedures in place, she felt confident that this adventure wasn’t any more dangerous than snorkeling in the ocean with sharks. At least these safety measures were regularly checked by staff. Sharks came with no safety glass, and she had survived that just fine.
Approaching the first zipline and climbing the steep steps to the top of the tower, she appreciated the fact that she stayed in shape. This activity included a mile hike through the jungle and an extensive zipline course. The first trip across the cable didn’tgo as planned, and somehow, she wound up going backward. Chad and the guide on the other platform caught her and helped her glide to a stop and stand. The second, third, and fourth lines went perfectly, and she was able to enjoy the view of the forest below as the whir of the zipline rang in her ears. She had never wanted to fly before, but this experience came pretty close, and it was exhilarating.
Hiking between zipline stations, she saw a Red-billed Streamertail, and the guide informed her it was called a “Doctor Bird” because of the long tail feathers resembling the doctor’s robes of old. The name tickled her as she saw no resemblance to any doctors she had ever known, long robes or otherwise, but was pleased that they had been able to catch a glimpse of one.
One of their ziplining companions was poking around in bromeliads trying to get a peek at a poison dart frog when the guide explained to them that the blue poison dart frog was native to Jamaica and toxic enough to kill several humans. This discouraged the wayward teen from poking around in the foliage for about ten minutes before he resumed. At least this time, he used a stick and not his hand. Beth was not looking forward to administering first aid on her vacation. The look Chad sent her revealed he felt the same way, but both refrained from saying anything to the parents, who were trying to enjoy their vacation despite their obnoxious child.
As they took a short break to sip water, Chad leaned against a nearby tree with a cluster of bromeliads in its branches. A tree frog announced its displeasure at his proximity right next to his ear, causing him to jump. In his excitement, he crushed the water bottle in his hand, splashing water all over Beth’s front. Her joyous laughter rang out at his flustered look.
They reached the final platform to a zipline that extended six hundred feet between bases and hung over two hundred feet in the air. The family went first and disappeared into the forestafter clearing the platform. Chad followed but had difficulty unhooking from the cable at the end. Beth, who was soaking in the last look of the lush forest before placing her feet back on land, did not notice that she was coming in fast, and Chad was still standing directly in her path on the platform.
At the last minute, he turned, and she collided with him in full force. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and they clutched each other in near-death grips. He had been knocked free of the cable on impact, and Beth was terrified he would go over the edge of the platform as she swung wildly under their combined weight. She could feel a knot developing on her forehead where her head had slammed into his when the cable hit the stop point without slowing down. The wind had left Chad’s lungs, and Beth’s boa impersonation wasn’t helping him regain it.
“Beth, you can let go now,” he whispered, trying to suck air into his lungs. Shocked by what had just happened, she didn’t initially move, “Beth, honey, I can’t breathe,” it was more a gasp than a whisper this time.
Scrambling to untangle herself from his person, she dropped her feet to the ground and released his neck from her stranglehold, saying, “Oh, sorry. My goodness, I almost killed you!” Her voice reflected embarrassment and horror at the thought. Their guide followed down the line and landed just behind them, ushering them down the platform stairs.
“Never had anyone die. Things happen, but that is all part of the adventure, right?” the young man said cheerfully as he walked briskly down the trail ahead of them.
Beth grasped Chad’s arm, stopping him. “Seriously, you could have died if you had fallen off the top of that platform!” Tears filled her eyes, and he realized just how upset she was by the incident. He took her in his arms, pressing her head to his chest with his left hand and his right wrapping around her waist.
“Beth, I am fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me. Your legs should be considered lethal weapons. I remember seeing a James Bond movie once where an assassin did some serious damage with her legs. You could have auditioned for her role.”
With her arms wrapped around his torso, head snug under his chin, Beth squeezed and said, “Quit teasing. It’s not funny. This is why I avoid adventures. Too much that can go wrong.”
“Beth, life’s full of uncertainties no matter where we are. Personally, I’d rather spice it up with new adventures than stick to the same old routine. Nothing we’ve done or will do comes with significant risk. Sure, things could’ve gone south, but they didn’t. Let’s be grateful it wasn’t our time to go and make the most of the time we have left.” He gently lifted her chin, “That was quite the thrill. Thanks for looking out for me,” he added, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Nice egg. Hope I don’t have a matching one. Might mean my head’s tougher than yours.”
