A short story I wrote yesterday. It feels different after I translated it into english...
There would definitely be some grammar mistakes since it's not my mother tone. ..Hope you enjoy.
Another long day.
In order to protect today's number, Reese had to watch him in the cold winter night until dawn, then followed him crossing half New York, and finally identified the threat. After a gunfight and a close combat, John made it back to the apartment with several abrasions and bruises.
Finch said that there was no other number today. So he could get some rest after all.
Reese took off the pierced dusty suit and everything else, got into the bathtub and sat down, never minding the water splashing onto the ground. John stretched his body, bent his head gently against the bathtub, relaxing those aching muscles.
John opened his eyes, rubbed his bruising left wrist. The punk was even stronger than he though. I should be more cautious next time, after all, I'm no long 30,John thought.
John looked down and sighed. His body was scarred, almost every muscles had been injured once or twice. Just like annual rings to the trees, they carved the trace of time, indelible.
(A)
John remember the wounds of his left arm. How could he ever forgot. It's how he met Jessica.
John remembered it clearly. He was 27 back then, the fourth year since he joined the army. In fact, most of the time, a soldier's life was very boring, the daily practice seemed to be really meaningless. Everyone was busy making money, no one wanted to star a war.
John's fellow soldiers were in their early 20s, many of them joined the force because they were rejected by colleges and the army seemed to be one of the few options left for them. John felt a bit depressed. Affected by his dad, who was also a professional military man, John had longed for the army. John found himself useless and no one even cared. Although there was no task at all, John still insisted on daily drill, practiced shooting and physical training, kept reading or cleaning his weapons when he was free.
Later, it was the spring break, John returned to Washington to visit his relatives. One day, he took a walk along the streets, not before long, he heard a large noise"boom", then the screaming. Military intuition made John reacted immediately: ran out of the store and to the black smoke. A car hit a tanker. The tanker driver was lucky and he had climbed out already. But the car was severely damaged, the doors were out of shape. He could only see the driver lay there, unconscious and bleeding.
There was black smoke rising from the accident scene and gasoline flowing over the ground. No one dared to come forward. John didn't even stop to think about the situation, he ran through the crowd to the damaged car. John pulled the door with all his strength, but the door was hit so badly that it melt into the car structure. John know he has two minutes at most before explosion. "Go back!"John shouted to the crowd.
John climbed to the hood and found that the front window was already cracked. Without hesitation, John used his elbow to bump the glass. Once, twice...It was strange that John could see his blood flowing out slowly but he didn't feel any pain. Eventually, John broke the glass and quickly crawled into the car and released the driver. John pulled him out and carried him away from the car. The car explored before he had only ran a few steps. John was rushed out by the blast and fainted.
It took him some efforts to open his eyes, the bright sunlight irritated his eyes. The room was dazzling white, silent besides the beeps of the monotonous machines.
"You wake up!" A pleasant female voice.
John slightly turned his head and saw a blonde girl staring at him, smile on her face, still holding a vase full of golden tulips.
"Oh, someone sent them to you, I just added some water. They are beautiful, don't you think?"
John watched the nurses in white uniforms,innocently,didn't know what to say.
Seeing that, the nurses panicked a little, "Are you okay, feel any pain?"She held out her hand and touched John's forehead, "No more fever, the doctor said that you are OK except for some bone fractures, all you need is a good rest. "
Maybe it's the side effects of the medication, John only looked at the nurse, not knowing how to respond. For the first time, he felt his heart beating faster, and suddenly everything around was not important anymore, as long as she was here.
John stayed in the hospital for a week. During this week, people came to visit him: the driver's family, city councilors, his family and friends. But the best moment of the day was when she came around. She was always smiling, talking to him softly.
The day he left the hospital, John waited until noon, wanting to say goodbye and to ask her out. However she didn't show up. John asked about her only to find out she changed her shift due to family emergency. Other nurses were kind enough to give him her address and phone number.
Everything happened naturally, he wore a silly suit and waited for her downstairs of her apartment with flowers. He waited for hours before she showed up. He was nervous, her even more nervous, all blushing.
John did not remember what he said exactly. Later they went for dinner, and talked laughed a lot, then he took her home, kissed goodbye. Smooth yet unforgettable.
Not long after, Jessica found a new job in a hospital near John's base, the two had more time together.
Jessica would always kiss that scar on his arm, laughed and said that it belonged to her. Because of that accident, they had the chance to meet and fall in love with each other.
John thought it would go on like this. After retirement, he would buy a boat and spend the rest of his life with Jessica. But who would have foreseen that tragic and how his life changed permanently.
They've been separated for more than 10 years, and she was long gone. The past time seems left no trace besides except the memories and that scar.
And that is all they have.