Superman

“HE’S GOING TO KILL HIMSELF!!” Laura’s words flew from her mouth with such intensity and volume that she actually startled herself. Just as startled were the 40 or so staff members and patients who occupied the psych ward that she had just entered. All heads instinctively spun to see where the scream had come from, only to find a young, petite, brown haired girl frozen with panic, her index finger targeting the sole male figure that was perched on the balcony that hung on the other side of the glass doors at the end of the large white room. Laura barely recognized her own voice as it bounced off the tall white walls and hard white tile floor that surrounded her. Whatever calm that had existed in the room before her arrival was gone now. This was hardly the impression that she planned on making on her first visit to the psych ward on the first day of her internship. Her nerves were already on edge considering that Dr. Strauss, her new boss, was acting as this morning’s tour guide of the hospital and ward. She wanted to make such a good impression. “Be quiet, polite and observe” was her mantra all morning as she readied herself for her first day. She began to regain her composure when she realized that nobody else shared her shock at the sight of the man perched on the edge of the balcony, three floors up, facing outwards and appearing as though he was ready to take his final leap. This was a particularly disturbing sight considering the fact that this was, in fact, a psych ward and was, in fact, filled with patients with varying degrees of mental ailments ranging from slight depression to full blown schizophrenia. Certainly suicide was not a foreign concept to anyone here. Still, the ward’s occupants were much more startled by this new visitors scream than the sight which compelled such a shriek.

Regardless of the technical medical term; bipolar, psychosis or paranoia, all of the inhabitants of the psych ward were escaping reality. At least that’s how Laura saw it. It’s what made her request an internship here. She didn’t see these people as nuts, demented or as crazy. She saw them as lost souls; souls that were lost and in search of the answer or hiding from an answer that was too difficult to live with in reality. Most of the world escapes by taking a long vacation, or by going fishing, or painting a picture, or enjoying a long evening walk in the park. These are adequate remedies to the problems a demanding boss or nagging spouse can bring. However, a vacation or walk is not a sufficient retreat from an abusive parent or loss that is too devastating to face in a reality that provides no meaningful answers to a broken spirit. The people of this psych ward were truly broken and Laura wanted to try to understand and help them with compassion rather than the clinical eye that she was in the process of honing in her final years as a PhD student at the local university.

“It’s o.k. Laura. He’s o.k.” Dr. Strauss put his arm around Laura and tried to calm and reassure her. “He’s not going to hurt himself or anyone else. He’s o.k.” Dr. Strauss’s efforts were not lost on Laura and she began to breathe more evenly. “And they say we’re the crazy ones” a seemingly disembodied voice, that turned out to be that of Mr. Spelling’s, a harmless sociopath that had been a patient for many years, offered a humorous, unsolicited commentary on the entire event. Indeed this brought a slight smile to Laura’s face, further reducing the stress of the moment. “What is he doing?” Laura whispered in order to compensate for her prior outburst, “Why is he out there?”

The brisk morning air met his chiseled face and hardened frame with a sting. It created a heightened sense of vigilance as he diligently stood guard over the fine citizens of Metropolis. From his vantage point, high above the city’s rooftops, he could see all the day’s events unfold in the city streets below. No peril would fall on the fine citizens of Metropolis, not while Superman was here. Superman was alert this morning. With his super human powers, he could swiftly and easily subdue a robber, blow the flames of a burning building out with a single breath or single handedly lift a stalled car from the path of an oncoming train. His powers were limitless. His job was to protect and save and Superman could not be distracted because someone could get hurt or worse, lives could be lost. This was Superman’s job. It was his mission. It was his life. Every day, he stood watch and was the ultimate guard against any threat to the people of Metropolis. The world was a safer place because of him and nothing could distract Superman from his job as the ultimate protector and life saver… not even the shrill scream of a shocked young lady on the other side of the glass windows behind him could shake the determined focus of the man of steel.

“That’s Jack Todd” Dr. Strauss explained, “He’s been with us for three years or so. Every day Mr. Todd gets up at 6 AM and heads for the balcony. There he stands, regardless of the weather, and simply looks out over the hospital grounds. He stays until dusk and then repeats the routine the following day.” As Dr. Strauss explained, Laura fixated on Jack and began to notice his features and posture. He was a tall, fit man with dark wavy hair. He stood almost like a soldier waiting for a high ranking officer to make an inspection. Her best guess was that he was in his 40’s. She thought that he was actually somewhat handsome. Laura asked, “Why is he there. What is he looking for or is he waiting for something to arrive?”. “He hasn’t spoken a word since he’s been here” Dr. Strauss replied, “In fact, I don’t think he’s said a word since the accident.” Laura’s eyes turned from Jack back to Dr. Strauss. She repeated, “Accident?” “Yes, Laura, Mr. Todd lost his wife and two children in a terrible car accident three years ago. He was the sole survivor. He’s been with us ever since, essentially standing on that balcony in silence each day.” Laura’s eyes went back to Jack. The only words she could find were, “Dear God, that poor, poor soul.”

This was the last stop for Laura. The psych ward is where her tour ended. It was where she would be spending her time as an intern. The remainder of the day was spent meeting the staff, filling out paper work and familiarizing herself with the policies and procedures of her new job. Laura didn’t have time to meet any of the patients. She did, however, find herself looking out to the balcony and wondering about Jack. She thought about him on the way home, as she ate dinner and as she fell asleep that night.

Katie Smiley was a robust woman who always found a reason to smile and laugh. She had been the lead nurse on the psych ward for 14 years and although technically Dr. Strauss was the head of the ward, it really belonged to Katie. She ran the ward with a firm and efficient hand, but her humor and kind demeanor was made obvious throughout the day. She is who Laura would answer to and took direction from each day.

When Laura arrived this morning she went directly to Katie’s office. “Good morning, Katie” she said with a smile and certain level of enthusiasm. “Well good morning, Laura. Are you ready to get started?” “Yes I am”, Laura replied, but wasn’t sure what she was ready to start to do. As an intern her tasks could range from assisting orderlies to sitting in on and helping run group therapy sessions. “O.k. then, it’s almost breakfast time so why don’t you go out and ask Mr. Todd if he would like to come in and join us for a bite to eat.” Laura’s eyes went straight out toward the balcony. She could see him standing on the balcony. Although the sight of him was exactly as the morning before, she saw him differently now, at very least, she didn’t panic at the sight of him. She was actually sort of glad that her first task as a new intern was to interact with Jack Todd, the man she wondered so much about.

“Good morning Mr. Todd, I’m Laura. How are you this morning?” Laura put forth her most cheery voice as she carefully approached Jack from just off his left side. Knowing that he hadn’t spoken to a soul in three years, Laura didn’t really expect a response. But she also knew that it was quite possible that he heard every word that had been spoken to him. There was also a chance that he had not. Nonetheless, inside this silent man, that was perched on the edge of this balcony, was a soul that had been deeply damaged and a soul that needed some compassion and repair. “It’s almost breakfast time, please come in and join us.” Her invitation was delivered with the same warmth as if she was inviting Jack into her own home for a meal. Still, there was no response. The remainder of the day was spent doing routine tasks which included visits to Jack for lunch and dinner invitations. All were met with the same response, which was silence. Although her contact with Jack was brief, her eyes were continually drawn to him as were her thoughts. She couldn’t help herself.

Despite his superhuman senses, the voice he heard was faint. Evidently one of the citizens of Metropolis had seen him and wanted to tell him something, but her voice was like a whisper and he couldn’t hear what she said. It wasn’t a cry for help. Superman would always hear a cry for help. That was his job. He was the ultimate protector. He kept the citizens of Metropolis safe. He took a momentary break from his vigilant watch to wonder about the women’s voice he’d heard.

Katie tidied her desk as the work day came to an end. Laura entered Katie’s office and seeing that she wasn’t busy, decided to ask the question that had plagued her for the last 24 hours. “Katie, can I ask you a question about one of the patients?” Katie looked up over her readers, smiled and said, “What would you like to know about Mr. Todd?” “How did you know my question was about him?” Laura was taken aback by Katie’s apparent ESP. “Just a hunch” Katie’s smile got bigger. “Yes, in fact, it is about Mr. Todd. What can you tell me about him and the accident he was in?” Katie leaned back in her chair and took in a long breath then let it out. She tilted her head and looked at Laura out of the side of her eyes. “I’ll tell you something sweetie, Jack Todd is a unique person. I’ve been on this ward for more years than I’d care to think about and have never seen a patient like Mr. Todd. There’s not much to tell about his life here. You pretty much saw it today. It hasn’t changed much since the day he was admitted. He hasn’t spoken a word to anyone. He rarely acknowledges anyone, particularly when he’s out there.” Katie gestured to the balcony where Jack was standing. “The poor soul.” Katie continued,” The accident was tragic. I don’t really know the details; just that he lost his wife and two children in a terrible car accident. He was the only survivor. They were coming home from a soccer game or birthday party or something.” Katie’s voice got quiet; almost like she was sharing a secret and she leaned forward toward Laura and said, “I remember someone saying that Mr. Todd almost killed himself trying to save his family.” Katie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She opened her eyes again. A tear was welling up in one of them, “I don’t know why he’s out on that balcony every day, but I will tell you this, he’s a man with a purpose. It’s just a feeling I get. Call it a sixth sense. Or maybe that old coot Mr. Spelling is right.” “Mr. Spelling?” Laura wondered why Katie would reference another patient. Katie half laughed and said, “Yes, he tells everyone that Jack Todd looks like Superman out there.” Laura’s frown broke and she smiled and she repeated, “Superman, huh?”. She soaked in every word and, although she didn’t say so, she agreed; Jack Todd was a man with a purpose. Laura went home that night and, like the night before, Jack was on her mind.

It’s amazing what a few hours with Google will do when it comes to research. Laura was able to pull up news stories about the accident the Todd family was involved in. The stories didn’t offer much detail but confirmed that the Todd’s were on the way home from a soccer game and were hit by an 18 wheeler. The driver had fallen asleep and the truck crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and hit Jack’s car. Jack had been thrown from the car as it tumbled down the highway. His wife, six year old daughter and ten year old son were killed. Laura gasped as she read the story. She felt such a great sadness. “My God, it’s no wonder that poor man is in the state he’s in. God knows how I would be doing”.

Officer Bonelli parked his patrol car at the rear of the station. He passed through the double steel back doors and walked up the hall to the small office where troopers completed their paperwork at the end of each shift. “Hey Danny, you got a phone message up here”. The woman dispatcher for the state trooper station also acted as their receptionist. She yelled to Officer Bonelli when she saw him walk up the hallway. “If it was the IRS, tell them I moved to Italy.” Danny quipped back. “Actually, it was a, ahem, a young lady”, the dispatcher threw as much drama into her voice as she could. Danny looked up from the report he had started and said, “Young lady, what young lady?”

Laura heard the phone ring. She dried her hands which were wet from doing the dinner dishes, picked up the phone and said hello. “Ma’am, this is Officer Dan Bonelli with the state trooper’s office. I understand that you were looking for me.” Dan’s introduction sounded official, but friendly. “Oh yes sir. Thank you for calling me back. My name is Laura Kline and I work in the psychiatric ward at the state hospital in Northwood…” Danny interrupted, “You folks finally caught up with me, eh?” Danny chuckled at his own wit and Laura laughed too. “I actually am calling about a car accident involving the Todd family.” Laura’s voice had turned somber. Danny hesitated, his voice too became somber and he replied, “Oh the Todd’s. That is an accident scene I’ll never forget. What’s your interest in the Todd’s?” “Mr. Todd is a full time patient at the hospital.” There was a long pause and Dan said, “How is he doing?” “He’s pretty much kept to himself since being admitted. He doesn’t really communicate with anyone. Interestingly, he gets up every day and uhhh… he uhhh kinda just stands out on this balcony and stares out over the lawn and trees.” Dan thought for a moment and said, “I guess he just checked himself out, huh?” “Well I’m not so sure about that… He seems to have a purpose”. Again Dan paused, and then spoke, “I see, well what’s his purpose, Ms. Kline.” “I’m not sure. At any rate, I was hoping you could tell me about the accident, though. The newspaper said you were on scene very quickly.”

“Well the newspaper got it almost right. I was on scene when the accident happened. I saw the entire thing. It was horrible. I had just started tailing this big rig up the two lane section of I45. I had noticed that he was driving erratically and thought maybe he’d been drinking. Kinda early in the day for a drunk driver, but you never know. Anyhow, I was about to hit the reds and pull him over when he swerved into oncoming traffic. He missed a head-on with the Todd’s vehicle, but clipped the left rear fender. That sent their car into a series of rolls. Their car rolled right past me and down the highway behind me about 500 feet. I watched in my rear view mirror. Mr. Todd got ejected from the car after the first roll. I guess he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. The only thing that stopped the car was a big tree on the side of the road. God almighty the car hit that tree hard. The gas tank must’ve ruptured because the car burst into flames.” When Dan started his story he sounded as if he were giving testimony in court but by now, his voice was starting to crack as the memory of the accident became more vivid. He took a deep breath and continued, “I made a U turn and headed back down the highway. Mr. Todd had gotten up from wherever he landed and was doing is best to get back to his family. He was in God awful shape. Didn’t know it at the time, but he had a broken back, broken leg and some pretty severe head injuries. There was nothing he could do though; the car was fully engulfed in flames. Even without the fire, whoever was in the car would have been killed by all the rolls and hitting the tree. By the time I got back to the wreck, Mr. Todd was about 25 feet away and smoke was starting to come off his clothes from the heat of the fire.” Again Dan paused. This time it was longer than before. He cleared his throat and continued, “That didn’t stop him. He kept heading for the car. He’d have killed himself if he kept going. I jumped out of my cruiser, ran after him and wrapped my arms around him and took him to the ground as gently as I could. He fought me hard. He kept yelling ‘my family, my family’. Finally I put my body on top of him, put my face right against his, looked him square in the eyes and said, ‘god damn it, you’re not Superman. YOU’RE NOT SUPERMAN. You can’t save them. They’re gone.’” Laura heard Dan begin to cry. He tried to muffle it, but she could hear him and knew he was crying. Laura was crying too. She didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” Dan gathered himself, “No it’s o.k. You didn’t know. It’s o.k.” Laura felt a great deal of compassion and knew that the accident had been an extremely traumatic event for everyone. Dan spoke again, “I’ve carried that day around with me for a long time. I’ve always second guessed what I did. If only I had spotted that truck sooner and pulled it over. Or maybe instead of holding Mr. Todd down, I should have helped him get to the car and tried to save his family. Hell, I dunno, we sure could’ve used Superman that day, that’s for sure.” Laura felt bad for having called Dan. She felt bad that she was the reason for his grief tonight. She said, “I’m so sorry. There is no doubt that you did the right thing. I’m sure everyone must tell you that.” In a hushed tone Dan replied, “Yeah, everyone does tell me that. But I gotta tell you Ms. Kline. It doesn’t make it any easier.” The phone conversation ended with pleasantries and Laura began to get ready for bed. She was emotionally drained and shaken up. She thought about going in to work the next day and seeing Jack out on the balcony. “The man with a purpose” was her last thought before falling asleep... “The man who needed to be saved”.

“Good morning Mr. Todd. What a perfect day. It’s almost time for breakfast.” Laura spoke to Jack like a friend. Her voice was a bit more intimate. She felt like she knew him now. He no longer was just a man perched on a balcony. He had a past, and while tragic it made him more real to Laura. The story that was told to her the night before gave Laura a sense of why Jack was here. She had sympathy for him. It lessened the effect of Jack failing to acknowledge her. She felt a connection.

He heard her voice for a second time. This time her voice was not as feint, but not so strong as to divert Superman’s attention from his vigilant watch. Her voice was sorrowful. Superman always heard the calls of those that were in need the loudest.

For weeks Laura would go out to the balcony and sit with Jack. Sometimes she would tell him about her day and share her joys and frustrations, not just from her work at the hospital, but from her personal life too. Sometimes, she would just sit with him quietly. She saw a lonely figure on that balcony. She saw a man that was searching… a man with a purpose. Deep down, Laura felt as though Jack could hear her every word, still never once did his gaze leave the openness of the garden below. Never once did he speak a word to Laura. More than anything, Laura was trying to work up the courage to tell Jack what she had wanted to tell him the day after her phone conversation with Officer Bonelli. She wanted to be the one to tell him what he should have been told years ago.

There was a commotion in the ward that morning as orderlies, nurses, doctors and patients readied themselves for annual hospital picnic that was held in the front garden each year. Most all of the patients, and staff for that matter, were anxious to enjoy the afternoon’s activities, which started with a softball game and ended with a small firework display after dinner. All of the patients participated except for Jack. Jack never attended the picnic. Doing so would require him to leave his perch, and that was out of the question. Laura volunteered to be the one to stay on the ward that afternoon and look after Jack. As the ward emptied, she walked out to the balcony and sat down in a patio chair a few feet behind and to the left of Jack. There he stood, motionless, seemingly watching over the festivities of the picnic below from his station on the balcony three floors above. For the first time, Laura was alone with Jack, utterly alone. There was no one left on the floor but them. She felt a level of comfort in that. For some odd reason she actually felt very safe with Jack, almost as if he was watching out for her rather than the other way around. And as each moment passed, she felt more comfortable and closer to him. In that intimacy, safety and comfort, she found the courage for which she had been searching for weeks. She finally spoke, “You can’t be that man, Jack. Not for the rest of your life. You are a good man, Jack. You are a good man. There was nothing you could do. You did everything humanly possible. Not even Superman could have made a difference that day. That’s even what the police officer said. Don’t be that man, Jack. Don’t be the man on the road. Be the man they loved and fulfilled. They still love you Jack. It wasn’t your fault. It’s o.k.” Her words were sincere and she found herself on the verge of tears. She had true compassion for Jack. She had sympathy for him. She had broken every rule ever written about interacting with a patient. She followed every rule in her heart for helping a fellow human being. It was the right thing to do. His heart had to be touched and only the touch of another heart was worthy. The greatest healing comes from the heart, not from books or group sessions or theories or anti depressants. Intuitively, Laura knew that and today she trusted her intuition.

The women’s voice was clearer than it ever had been. She must be closer or speaking louder the Man of Steal thought. She is trying to tell me something. Her voice needs to be heard. He searched the city streets below for the source of the voice. He knew that she needed to be heard. He could feel that. He could feel hear almost as much as hear her, maybe more. Feelings were not something the man of steal was accustomed to. Steal is impervious to things such as feelings.

The buildings that housed the hospital were old. Built in the late 50’s, and despite the best efforts of the maintenance staff, the buildings and its equipment had been wearing down for years. State budget cuts led to a lack of funding and whatever funds that were available each year were dedicated to patient care and staff costs. Even then, money wasn’t plentiful. The maintenance department was continually forced to make repairs using their best, and sometimes only, resource which was creativity. The words “jerry rig” and “duct tape” were tossed around by the guys in maintenance as much as “Prozac” and “Xanax” are used by the doctors and nurses on the ward.

Huge boilers were used to heat the buildings and provide hot water to the hospital. The four massive steal vessels that were full of the water were continually kept hot by gas flames burning hot beneath them. High levels of pressure were constantly testing the seams and welds of the old tanks. Moans and unsettling creaks echoed throughout the basement as the skin of the boilers stretched under the great pressure exerted by the water getting hotter and hotter. These boilers were original equipment and despite the fact that they had outlived their useful life by threefold, they never had been replaced because of the lack of funds. The maintenance staff warned anyone that would listen, that one day one of the boilers would fail. That was their way of saying an accident was imminent.

Laura left Jack alone for a moment. She went back into the ward to get a cup of tea from the break room that was located next to Katie’s office. The break room had a few vending machines in it, a small counter and sink and a table with four chairs around it. Laura pulled a cup from the upper cabinet and filled it with water. She put it in the microwave, set the timer and took a teabag from the box next to the sink. When the timer rang, she took the cup of hot water from the microwave and placed it on the counter. Then she noticed something odd. The water in the cup seemed to be vibrating and the cup shook slightly as if the counter top was trembling. Not giving it much of a second thought, she dipped the tea bag into the water and headed back out toward the balcony to be with Jack.

When the first rivet failed on boiler number 2 it created a chain reaction. Like a zipper, the rivets that formed a line running down the side of the boiler began to pop. After five or six gave way to the pressure of the boiling water, the huge boiler shifted slightly to one side. The weight of the steal vessel, and the thousands of pounds of water it contained, pulled at the brackets that secured it to the walls of the basement. Despite the fact that it only shifted a few inches, the momentum created by such a massive amount of weight shook the entire building. Like dominoes, rivets failed more rapidly and popped of the side of the boiler. Some ricocheted off walls and the other boilers several times before bouncing to the ground. Finally, enough rivets failed and the skin of the boiler gave way. The boiler exploded with the force of a bomb. The heavy steal boiler lid was launched violently into the air, penetrating the ceiling of the basement and into the floors above. The massive explosion sent steam, debris and hot water in every direction. It destroyed everything in its path. The main beam that supported the interior floor of the psych ward was shattered within seconds of the explosion. The floor of the ward raised and fell two feet in a matter of seconds. It was as if some giant had kicked the underside of the ward with all of his might. Inside the ward walls, beams and columns came crashing down everywhere. In a matter of moments, the entire ward was devastated. Luckily, except for Laura, the floor was empty.

The ringing in Laura’s ears was intense and shrill. It was the first thing she noticed as she regained her consciousness. Or perhaps it was the acidy smell of smoke that first pulled her back into reality. She began to cough and instinctively she attempted get up off the floor and out of debris that surrounded her. Along with everything else in the ward, the force of the blast launched Laura into the air. She landed equally hard. Still confused, Laura began to realize that something terrible had just happened. She began feeling pain in her legs and in one arm. She tasted blood in her mouth and she started to get frightened. As she reclaimed her wits, she could feel that her legs were pinned under something extremely heavy, leaving them all but useless to her. She was trapped. The first aid training that she received in preparation for her internship told her that she needed help quickly. She could feel the onset of shock coming on and her fright was turning into panic. The smell of smoke got more intense and she could see black smoke rolling along the ceiling in every direction. Again she tried to free her trapped legs, but the harder she tried, the more they hurt. She could barely stand the pain. She needed help and she needed it now. She turned toward the stairs that led up to the ward to see if maybe a staffer would be coming up from the picnic to investigate or to help, but there was a wall of debris blocking the entrance to the ward. Then she looked out to the balcony. There stood Jack at the edge of the balcony. He hadn’t moved in the slightest. There he stood so tall and steady. She began to worry about him as well. She wanted Jack to be safe too. Laura began to hear the fire that was pushing the thick smoke into the ward. Then she began to feel the heat from the flames. Things were going from bad to worse quickly now. Laura had no other choice, she needed help right away. She looked toward the balcony and she called Jack’s name.

The man of steal heard the voice again. This time there was no mistaking it. It was the sound of a woman and she needed help. He began to scan the streets of the city below and focused all of his senses on finding her. Again he heard her cry for help. It was getting louder and more desperate. Then he spotted her. She was in the burning building. She was in trouble and he must act quickly to save her. That is Superman’s sole purpose; to save lives and he would save hers.

From the ground, Laura watched as Jack did something he hadn’t done in three years, he was moving with speed and purpose. He cut through the debris with agility and grace as he quickly made his way to her. When he got to her, he looked directly at her. They’d never made eye contact before. There was life in his eyes. His eyes were steely and focused. Without delay, he broke his gaze and went to where her legs were pinned. He tossed some debris aside uncovering a large steel beam that was pinning Laura’s legs. He reached down with both hands and, in what seemed like superhuman strength, lifted the beam off of her legs.

The fire had grown now. It was inside the ward and moving closer to Jack and Laura. The heat was becoming unbearable and the smoke was worse. Laura was coughing harder now. She could barely see the light coming through the windows. Even though Jack had miraculously freed her legs, she still could not move them. They were too severely injured. Jack quickly turned to face Laura again. Again their eyes met. He didn’t look frightened or concerned. Laura thought he looked determined. This gave her comfort. Jack reached down and put his arms under Laura’s waist and shoulders. Before she knew it, he had hoisted her up and was moving quickly back towards the balcony. Moving with the same quickness and agility as when he came to her rescue, he found the double doors leading to the balcony. Jack was running now. He was running straight for the edge of the balcony with Laura cradled tightly in his arms.

To safety, I will take her to safety NOW, and with that Superman leaped from the burning building with the injured woman wrapped safely in his hold. Into the air they soared.

There was chaos on the front lawn of the hospital. The staff was doing everything they could to keep the already panicked and frightened patients calm. The massive explosion brought a sudden halt to the festivities and sent the psychosis of all the patients into overdrive. Despite the mayhem, all eyes were on the third floor of the building because that’s where most of the smoke and flames were came. All at once a silence fell upon the crowd as they spotted a singular figure emerging from out of the black billowing smoke that heaved from the doors leading to the balcony off the room most of them would have been occupying on any other afternoon. It was Jack Todd and he was cradling something in his arms. The quickness at which he moved and the way he guarded his precious cargo made it difficult to tell what he had or what he was doing. One thing was sure, he was moving quickly toward the edge of the balcony. Dr. Strauss was the first to realize it and he yelled, “My God, he’s going to jump!” and there was a unified gasp across the lawn.

As Jack leaped from the edge of the balcony, time stood still. Every detail surrounding Jack’s leap became brilliant, starting with the whirl of black smoke that Jack left in his gentle wake. Rather than an uncontrolled fall to the ground, his exit from the balcony was that of a superhero. Like a highly trained athlete leaving the high dive, Jack’s body stiffened and his back arched. His long body held a graceful pitch and almost elegant line. He didn’t appear to be falling toward the ground, he appeared to be soaring. The incredible sight continued and in midflight, as if precisely timed and choreographed, Jack spun his body one half of a rotation so that he was facing the sky while gliding toward the earth. As he turned, everyone recognized what Jack was holding. It was Laura and he held her so tightly against his body, the two appeared as one. Her cradled body fit snug against Jack’s torso, her face buried in Jack’s chest. His graceful turn came just in time to keep Laura from being hit by the branches of the tree he’d leaped toward. As the two sped down through the tree, the sound of breaking branches echoed across the lawn. Jack’s back took the impact of the branches and never once did he loosen his protective hold around Laura. Laura too could hear the sound of the tree branches breaking around her. Too frightened to look, she kept her face buried in Jack’s chest. Strangely though, Laura had never felt safer in her entire life, a feeling that started the second Jack came to her rescue in the midst of the fire and smoke on the floor from which they had just departed. She felt safe in his arms. She truly trusted Jack. She felt safe.

Jack’s body landed on the ground with a sound of a solid thud and with a sharp but low bounce. Absorbing most of the shock, Jack’s body protected Laura from even the slightest discomfort from the hard landing that marked the end of their brief, yet miraculous, flight. On the ground they now lay, motionless, Jack still protectively holding Laura in his strong arms. Laura pulled her face back from his chest and looked up at Jack. His face was covered with dark soot and his eyes were closed. He did not move. She stared at the man who had just saved her life. Then, like a man awakening from a long deep sleep, Jack slowly opened his eyes and they met Laura’s eyes. A tear rolled down Laura’s cheek and she said, “My God, you are Superman”. Jack blinked slowly once, shook his head slightly, and he found words for the first time in three years, “No. I’m Jack Todd”.