𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕀𝔼𝕊 𝔽ℝ𝕆𝕄 𝔸 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝔻 ～ 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘤𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘺

23 - [D] Thanksgiver

T H A N K S G I V E R
noun [thangks-giv-er]

A person who gives thanks.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

You hummed the tune of 'I Want To Break Free' by Queen while it blared through your earphones. You were in complete concert mode as you walked down the street-lamp lit and eerily quiet road to your neighbourhood. You stepped onto an overhead bridge and started walking as the occasional cars drove past.

You yawned widely, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over you suddenly. You had a tough day at work, battling through proposals and reports that you don't remember half of any more. You just typed your way out of being in trouble.

You scrolled through your music playlist for a song that would fit the mood and weather but-

HONK! HONK!

SCREECH!

You looked up with alarm after hearing the sound of a car zooming off ahead. You glanced around to see who that druver was and what car but-

"HEY!" You yelled after spotting a man in his late twenties, or so it seemed, standing at the ledge of the bridge and clinging onto one of the support poles with one arm.

He turned back to you in surprise and grief, you ran as fast as you could to him. Someone committing suicide was the last thing you wanted to witness.

"What are you doing-"

"I'm sorry..."

CLANG!

He kicked himself off the ledge and jumped into the river below. You gasped in disbelief then hastened to the ledge, looking over for any sign of the man inside the far waters below.

You cupped your hands around your mouth and yelled, "HEY! ARE YOU THERE?!"

You saw no one resurface and you swallowed hard. You grabbed your phone out of your pocket and dialed '911'. To your relief, moments later, a woman picked up and you immediately exclaimed.

"I just saw a man jump of the bridge! He's fallen into the river and I can't-"

You widened your eyes and almost dropped your phone when you saw that a person had surfaced onto the water.

"OH MY LORD It's him. he's in the water, I can see him," You ran a hand through your hair, "I'm at the Woodland Park bridge, outside highway 12. Please hurry."

You ended the call and looked over the ledge once more to see if he was still in sight. "HEY DOWN THERE!" You shouted at the top of your lungs but it didn't stir him.

You tapped your phone then glanced around impatiently. Only a couple minutes had passed after you had called the emergency services but you felt that this whole situation was on your shoulders. You didn't even know the guy... but you wanted to save him.

*****

The next day, 7:49 AM

"Ma'am?" Someone bent closer to you and whispered. You stirred awake with a start and rubbed your face, sitting up straight in your seat from being huched over.

"What time is it?" You questioned hoarsely.

"Ten minutes to eight," The nurse informed, "The patient is awake. He was asking for a woman in a red jacket. Would that happen that you?"

You glanced to your arms then your chest, observing that you were still wearing the red leather jacket from your trip home yesterday.

"Y-Yeah it's me," You got up and followed the nurse to a room down the hall, "How is he doing? Is he okay?"

"Yes he'll be just fine. He just got a little chilled up, with a couple of bruises and a sprained arm," She explained, "Thankfully the water was deep enough."

You gave a slight sigh of relief. The nurse knocked then opened the door to a patient's room, letting you inside.

You stepped in hesitantly and awkwardly. You didn't personally know this individual but you felt inclined towards knowing him better... for some reason.

"Move the clipboard," He mumbled loud enough for you to hear and you raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Just... move the clipboard an inch to the right," He requested, pointing towards the patient report clipboard handing at the end of the bed. You paused for a moment before doing as he asked. He sighed loudly then shut his eyes.

"Thank you," He said and you bit your lip to hide the close-to-appearing smile.

"Sure, I hope I fixed your OCD-"

"For that and for saving my life."

You clenched your jaw. For a moment you forgot about that happening earlier. You rubbed your hands and looked to the floor.

"Why... Did you jump off the bridge? I mean, you don't seem like you wanted to die," You asked with dread and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"I... Wanted to make a point for the people I um, live with," He said then cleared his throat, "That's why I picked jumping into the r-river. I knew I wasn't going to die but it had to be that... th-threatening."

You played with your hair, feeling out of place. This guy was so cryptic and ambiguous, you had no idea what to make of it.

"Well I... I should be going."

"Dennis."

"What?" You turned back to look at him and he smiled slightly.

"My name is Dennis."

"I'm [y/n]," You smiled at him then headed for the door. You wrapped your hand around the handle then pushed it down to-

"Do you want coffee?"

You walked over to him slowly and tilted your head in confusion. "I'll get a cup from the cafeteria," You told.

"I'm sorry, I'm not... good at social interactions," He adjusted himself on the hospital bed, "Um, would you like to get some coffee with me? I think I uh, owe you that much at least."

You smiled softly then ran a hand through your hair. "I'd like that Dennis," You accepted, "But you have to get better first." You walked back to the door then opened it.

"How does fast food lunch sound, compared to hospital food?" You asked and he nodded his head, "I'll bring by some a little later."

Dennis watched as you left the room then sat in silence. He rested his head back on his pillow and shut his eyes, thinking of how lucky he was that you were wandering around the bridge yesterday night.

Part of him was actually ending it all... But you saved him.

And he's so glad for it.