2 Chapter 2: And then she fell.

Rica tried to remember when she last felt her heart stop. When her father died? When her Mother left? Yes, there were heart stopping moments during those times. But this was an entirely different feeling. This single second of memory will forever be an image in her mind like a scanned picture. This man who she just met not an hour ago, who she just happened to take the same elevator with, who got trapped in the same elevator as her, who just said random things to cheer her up, would make her heart stop by just…by just a simple smile!

And now that her heart started beating again, it doesn't make her feel any better. It's as if her heart was racing. It was beating so fast and hard that it felt like that organ was trying to burst out of her chest. All the deep seated pain she was feeling just a while ago suddenly vanished and replaced by… whatever this fluffy feeling is that's invading her senses.

"I…don't think I want to cry anymore." said Rica, staring at Dave's face.

"Why not? There's only the two of us here. And I promise I won't tell." said Dave, still smiling.

"My tears just went back up. So I don't feel like crying anymore" said Rica while trying to look away from Dave.

"What?" Dave started laughing this time.

Dave couldn't hide his amusement anymore. It seemed getting trapped inside an elevator does get more entertaining by the second.

"Your tears just went back up? The law of gravity would tell you that it is not possible." said Dave in between laughs.

"Why are you laughing? I am not joking. I am serious. It seems all the tears I felt like shedding earlier just disappeared." said Rica still with her blank face.

Dave stared at Rica. She said she doesn't feel like crying anymore. And she does look better than a minute ago. He felt relief wash over him. The girl was not afraid anymore. The only problem left now was how to get out of this elevator safe…And that's actually THE problem.

And then they heard a voice shouting from outside the elevator.

"Hey, are you OK in there?" asked the voice of a man

"Yes, we're still OK. There are two of us here. Are you here to help us get out?" asked Dave

Rica can't help but be amazed at how composed Dave was. Since they got trapped, He was always in control of himself. This was a life and death situation! Rica can already imagine it…David Lopez was probably a great boss in hard to deal situations.

"Yes, we will help you get out. But I'll be honest. It won't be easy. I'll tell you the situation. In the current state of the elevator, only one person would fit the opening that we can make. So we can only save one person at a time. The problem is your elevator right now, as you may already know, is not stable. Some of the parts holding it in the left side is destroyed. If we rescue one of you, there is a high risk that the elevator would totally lose its balance. The remaining person's safety…will be hard to tell." explained the voice.

Rica's heart was racing again. But this time, she's sure it's fear. Dread overcame her.

"You are saying that you can only guarantee the safety of one of us and that the remaining person that will be left in the elevator…might not make it out?" asked Dave.

"Exactly. I want you to know what we're dealing here. It's not to frighten you. But just so that you can make decisions." said the voice.

Rica took a shaky breath.

"Then Rica, you need to get out first." said Dave finally after a few seconds of thinking.

Rica was lost for words. She knows Dave was a gentleman from their brief conversation earlier. But risking his life for her was at a totally different level.

"How about you?" asked Rica. "What if..."

"The rescuer said there's a risk that I might not make it out. But there's still a slim chance that I can make it, right?." answered Dave.

Rica shook her head. She can't bear thinking that she'll survive this while somebody else will die.

��We're ready. You will get this girl out first" shouted Dave.

"But…"

"Listen Rica." said Dave. "I want you to imagine the most important person in your life. He or She is waiting for you. And you need to go back to them. Some people are also waiting for me. The more we argue here, the less the chance that any of us will actually live to be with them again. I want you to be pulled out first because that's my decision. It's my way of becoming a man."

Dave patted Rica's shoulder.

"C'mon, Rica. You are a brave girl. Do this for me." said Dave.

In just a few minutes, the door of the elevator opened. Twenty five percent of the elevator was on the lighted floor where the rescuers were. The other seventy five percent was on a very dark floor. They can't see anything. Dave and Rica managed to maintain balance inside the elevator while making sure Rica would be reached by the rescuers. Slowly, very slowly, Rica was pulled out of the elevator. It wasn't easy since the opening was very small. But she was successfully pulled out after all the effort.

Rica was exhausted beyond words. She looked back at the elevator, Dave has to make it out. And then she saw the opening moving and getting smaller. The elevator moved down.

"Oh no…" Rica's head was spinning. She can hear the chaos around her…but she could no longer stop her eyes from shutting down.

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Rica can hear somebody talking. Something about when will she wake up and whether everything had already been checked. She tried to open her eyes, but it was a battle to do so. When she saw Uncle Sam, she felt better.

"Rica! I am so glad you're awake!" Uncle Sam said while rushing towards her. "You made me lose ten years of my life."

"What happened? Why am I here? Is this a hospital?" Just then, Rica remembered everything. And the horror of what had happened to David Lopez came rushing back to her.

"Oh no… David…Mr. Lopez…What happened to him?" asked Rica

The door of the room opened. Somebody entered. He was also wearing a hospital gown. When he got closer, Rica can't believe what she was seeing.

"Hi! You're awake." said Dave, he looked exhausted but…very much alive!

"He's been coming here every hour to check on you." said Uncle Sam.

"But I saw the elevator, the opening got narrower…" said Rica trying to recall what happened

"It did because I went a little left in the elevator. I miscalculated a step. But I was able to get to the opening immediately after that and maintained balance again. Agility was important. All the sports I've been playing finally paid off." said Dave, smiling.

That smile again. Relief washed over Rica.

"You were one lucky man to have survived that. And I need to thank you for taking care of my niece. She's all I have now. I don't know what will happen if I lose her too." said Uncle Sam.

"She's one brave girl, Mr. Spencer. I think it was her who took care of me and not the other way around. She was a good example for me. I would've been scared to death if I ended up there alone." said Dave with a bit of humor in his voice.

Sam burst out laughing. Everyone was relieved now. Everything was in order except Rica's heart. For some reason, every time she looks at Dave, the chaos inside her chest would always start.

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Dave still feels pain all over his body, especially his back. But he needs to go back to work. And hospital was just one of the places he hates to be in. When his room's door opened, he felt relieved to see Carl and Belle. They were his best buddies, best friends or any other word you use to describe the friends you can't live without.

"We heard your heroic act" said Belle sarcastically "But please. Try to avoid doing that again. You're always giving trouble to people when you try to show off."

Belle sat on the bed beside Dave while Carl sat on the couch.

"Show off? Why would I show off when I was trapped there with only one other person as audience?" said Dave

"That's the point, there was someone else. That's why you felt you need to be the hero because the other person looks afraid to die." said Carl

Dave chuckled as he shook his head.

"No, she's not like that. She's brave." said Dave smiling while remembering the time Rica was trying to hold back her tears.

Carl and Belle looked at each other suspiciously. There was something different about Dave.

"So…Is she pretty?" asked Carl out of curiosity.

Dave recalled how Rica said her tears went back up and he just can't help chuckling again.

"Yes, she's cute." said Dave.

"That has got to be the weirdest thing you had ever said, Dave. Has the doctor really given you clearance to leave the hospital?" Belle asked.

Dave likes women. But he is not one who will give compliments easily. He reserves that to women who are special for him. Ever since college, the only woman he had paid real attention to was Di. Whenever Belle or Carl would ask his opinion about other girls, he would only say "Yeah, she's ok." Or "Umm…not my type".

This was progress indeed.

But as good friends, Carl and Belle know it's not the right time to interrogate Dave about this "Cute girl". And Dave, knowing his friends from the inside out knows something was up.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or do you want me to find out for myself?" asked Dave

"Umm… Do you want to hear the good news first? Or the bad news?" asked Belle

Carl raised his hand to stop Belle from talking.

"Let me handle this, Belle." Carl took a deep breath.

"The flower you sent yesterday, eventually got delivered to Di." said Carl.

"That's the good news. So what is the bad news?" asked Dave.

"Well…When Di received the flower, she kind of wanted to thank you. But she couldn't get a hold of you." said Carl.

"Get to the point, Man." said Dave. He knows that's not the entire story.

"She learned what happened to you. She got a little worried…Well, really worried. She was rushed to the hospital yesterday." said Carl.

Dave didn't want to let Di know what happened. She worries easily and she doesn't handle anxiety well. He needs to be sure Di was OK.

"I need to go to her. She should be OK once she sees I'm fine. Which hospital is she in?"

Belle shook her head. This was what they were afraid of. Dave had this habit of rushing to Di whenever Di's not feeling well.

"You need to rest first. Carl and I can just visit her and tell her that you're fine now." said Belle.

"No, I won't feel better until I see that she's all right." said Dave.

Carl and Belle knew they lost the argument. When Dave makes up his mind like this, it will just be a waste of time to try and change his mind.

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Rica didn't get a chance to see Dave anymore after his short visit in her room. She wanted to thank him personally but Dave was already gone when she went to his room.

"Your flight back to New York is scheduled next week." said Uncle Sam

Rica was surprised to hear what Uncle Sam said.

"You want me to go back to New York?" asked Rica

"I just feel that your Dad's death was too recent. People, when they meet you, they would still compare you with him every time. As much as I want to protect you, I know I can't be there for you all throughout the day. Who knows when you would meet that kind of person again." said Uncle Sam referring to Mathilda. He looks really worried and Rica doesn't like seeing Uncle Sam like this.

"Let's say I continue studying in New York, when will you ask me to return here? In the end, you will still ask me to come back right? And all the people who knew my Dad will always compare me with him, even if that's two or three years from now." said Rica "That is why I have decided to face them, Uncle. I will prove them wrong."

And then Rica smiled. Uncle Sam looked confused.

"And besides, I realized San Francisco is not as bad as I remembered it to be." said Rica

Uncle Sam's eyes widened. Rica's home had always reminded her of all the memories she wanted to forget.

"When did you realize that?" asked Uncle Sam.

"Yesterday. Just yesterday. I realized that I like being here. I realized that I want to be here, that my heart is here."

But Sam being an intuitive person knows Rica's realization was not done on her own. For some reason, Sam had a suspicion that Rica's hero was part of the reason why she's staying.