Take My Breath Away

Blair followed Wesley's gaze. She saw that a crowd had gathered around an apartment building. They were all looking up at something.

Before she could figure out what happened, Wesley suddenly sped up, heading straight into the parking lot in front, and yanked the wheel to get the car to stop faster.

He was there in no time flat.

"Wait for me!" he told Blair. With that, he unfastened his seatbelt, opened the car door and sprang out in one swift move.

Before she knew it, he had left the car and disappeared into the crowd.

Once she unbuckled, she was able to get to a better vantage point. Watching from the car window, Blair realized that it must be something urgent.

Instantly, she opened the door and jumped out of the car as well. But... "Ouch!" She almost sprained her ankle. His car was really high off the ground. She paused a moment to make sure she was okay. It dawned on her this was the first time she had gotten out of Wesley's car without his help.

But she didn't have the time to care about that. She slammed the door behind her and rushed towards the crowd.

People there were talking about what was going on, and that was when she finally knew. She raised her head to look at what was causing all the fuss. In the dim lights, she saw a little kid sitting on the balcony of the thirteenth floor, crying. The neighbors said it was a two-year-old boy.

The neighbors had knocked on the boy's apartment door for several minutes, but no one answered. They guessed that the kid was home alone. The boy walked to the balcony to look for his parents and then climbed onto the windowsill. It was dangerous since the balcony had no bars, nothing to stop him from falling. The kid could fall at any moment.

Someone had already called the police, but they hadn't arrived yet. Blair looked around, scanning for Wesley, and saw him rush inside the building.

Blair wanted to follow, but the crowd was thick, and they weren't interested in letting anyone through. After all, everyone had a hard-won vantage point, so naturally they weren't going to let anyone else take it. Not that she would stay there...but they didn't know that.

She knew Wesley was hard at work saving people again.

She decided to wait for him in the crowd. He needed to concentrate or someone would die.

Before long, Blair saw a figure appear on the balcony of the fourteenth floor, right over the boy. Her heart leapt to her throat. The crowd erupted in cheers when they saw a man in a military uniform jump onto the windowsill above the boy.

It was evening, and the fact that no lights came from the windows on either side of the boy made it worse. Apparently no one lived there. The only light came from that one unit on the fourteenth floor. That was why Wesley had to get there.

Blair saw Wesley clutch at the edge of the balcony with his hands and step on the air-conditioning unit jutting from the building. He carefully made his way to the boy.

"Look, somebody is saving that kid. It's that soldier. He asked us what was going on, then rushed in," a person yelled.

"He's great. I can't see what he looks like, but he's as sure-footed as a cat," another person said.

"I hope he stays safe."

"Yeah, God bless the child and the soldier."

Blair had been looking up so long her neck was sore. Wesley was still moving towards the boy step by step along the narrow edge. She anxiously prayed in her heart, 'Please, let him be safe. Let him save the boy.'

The sirens of the police cars and fire engines got louder and louder. Soon, they arrived at the complex. After a quick assessment of the situation, a few fire fighters rushed into the building with their tools on their backs.

But then a dangerous scene met the gaze of the crowd, and they collectively gasped in shock.

Blair couldn't help but shriek in anxiety too.

The boy was overjoyed to see a solider approaching him. When Wesley could almost reach out and touch him, the boy suddenly stood up on the windowsill, waving to the big hero.

However, unable to keep his balance, the boy began to fall backwards, flailing his arms as he began his descent.

Wesley reacted quickly, before the boy could become street pizza. One hand clutching the window frame, he bent forward and caught the boy's arm with his other hand just in the nick of time.

Everyone held their breath, hearts beating fast. The boy's hysterical wailing echoed through the block, making the atmosphere even more tense.

Eyes brimming with tears, Blair crossed her hands and prayed again and again in her mind. She suddenly realized that Wesley was truly a soldier, and he'd be going out on missions even more dangerous than this one. Her heart ached, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. 'Wesley, my hero, please stay safe!'

Now the soldier himself was in danger too. Half of his body hung in the air, thirteen stories up. One hand was on the window frame and the other gripped the boy's little arm tightly, so he could do nothing but wait for the fire fighters.

Blair wished she were Supergirl, so she could fly up to them and save them all.

While Wesley tried to comfort the little boy, the professional rescue team shattered the lock on the door and was able to enter the apartment. They rushed over to the balcony, stuck their heads out through the window, and pulled Wesley and the boy up, making sure they were safe and sound.

In the end, Wesley and the boy were both saved. The crowd cheered and clapped their hands in excitement. Blair heaved a deep sigh of relief, feeling proud and moved.

Soon enough, a middle-aged woman ran into the building, crying loudly. People said she was the boy's mother.

A few minutes later, Blair saw Wesley emerge from the building. He looked absolutely fried, and his clothes were black with soot and who knew what else. Some people took out their phones, wanting pictures of the big hero. But Wesley merely held out his hands to block them. He did what he was supposed to, and needed no praise.

Blair silently followed him to his car. When Wesley found Blair wasn't waiting for him in the vehicle, he looked around. Just as he turned, a woman threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly. The unexpected move activated his defense mechanisms, and he balled a fist, ready to fight.

However, when the familiar scent hit his nostrils, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around the woman's slim waist instead. Feeling the softness of her body, he asked in a hushed voice,

"Wh-what... What's up? You okay?" This unexpected display of affection, her sudden hug, had thrown him off.

Blair just wanted to hug her beloved hero. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Nothing."

When she finally pulled away from him, she saw the stains on his uniform. She helped him dust off. Wesley looked down and found his coat was stained from his rescue attempt.

Then he looked at Blair's coat. Luckily, he didn't get her dirty. He took his coat off and threw it into the back seat.

Seeing that he was wearing only a short sleeve tee, Blair asked with concern, "Aren't you cold?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Why?" Thanks to his military training, he was comfortable in all sorts of harsh environments.

They got in the car. Blair asked tenderly, "That was pretty intense. Were you scared?" If she were to hang off such a tall building, she couldn't even bear to open her eyes. That was just one difference between her and him.

Wesley said casually, "It was only the thirteenth floor. I once climbed sixty-three stories."

Blair was utterly shocked. 'Sixty-three?!' She could hardly believe her ears.

He added, "If he hadn't gotten overexcited, I would have been able to save him more easily. But the boy was careless." Before he left, he saw the boy's mother rush back home. He found out that mom snuck out to play mahjong while the boy was asleep. She was so engrossed in the games that she forgot about the time. A small mistake can lead to disaster. The mother learned a good lesson today.

Blair felt her heart still pounding. "Is this what you usually do?"

"No. It's not what we do. In fact, it's not even our duty. We're supposed to leave this to emergency teams." He just happened to come across this. He knew very well the boy would be in more danger if they just waited for the rescue team to come. His sense of responsibility drove him to take action at once.

Blair sighed inwardly. She knew his job as a soldier was much more dangerous than this.

She felt sorry for fighting with him earlier that night.

After they returned to the apartment, Wesley sat down and started texting someone. "Take your clothes off," Blair requested.

He raised his head to look at her, confused. "Why?"

She grabbed the coat from his hand and said naturally, "They're dirty. I'll throw a load in the wash."

"No, thanks. I'll take care of my laundry myself." He turned down her offer, not wanting to bother her with such minor details.