Guarded heart

Chapter 5. I'm taking you down with me

LISA'S POV

My mum is sat showing me all the dresses she brought me. I'm currently wearing a strappy lose floral white a baby blue flower print dress that comes down to my knees.

"This is so depressing looking at all these dresses" I say

"It's Only until your leg is out the cast" my mum says but I know she is secretly thrilled I'm wearing a dress.

"Lisa you have visitors" Summer yells from the hallway.

"Please tell me it's someone coming with the 80s flare style looking trousers, that way I wouldn't have to wear these awful dresses" I shout back.

"Sorry Im not any good with clothes and I wouldn't even know where to buy them type of trousers" Chris says walking Into the room with enougher police officer.

"Hi, I'm Sargent Foley, but please call me callum" The other police officer says holding his hand out to me.

I look at his hand. Before waving my own indication to the free chairs nearby while saying "Nice to meet you callum, please take a seat" I say.

"We came with today's gift on behalf of the police force we all wish you a speedy recovery" Callum says as Chris hands over a bunch of flowers, three get well balloons and little white Teddy bear say get well soon on.

"Thanks" I say placing them next to me.

"We also have a build a bear Teddy for Emma we left it Summer upon arriving" Chris says.

"That's so kind of you, I'm sure Emma will love it" my mum says.

"Yes, now do we really need to continue this daily gift thing I don't need it" I say.

"Your as bad as Chris here not being able to accept when people recognise a good person who deserves gratitude" Callum says

"Really?" I ask suddenly intrigued since its Chris fault this daily gift idea came around.

"Yes, last night the big boss was on the phone phrasing Chris for this wonderful idea, as well as his way of always going the extra mile to help others. But Chris wasn't accepting it. It seems you are both hard at accepting that people like to show gratitude to good honest people" Callum says

"Well Chris did go above and beyond yesterday. He truely showed that he goes the extra mile. You should all be extremely proud of Chris" I say while smiling at Chris and he looks at me amused.

"Cup of tea anyone?" my mum asks.

"Oh, no I'm good thankyou" Chris says

"I'd love one" callum says.

"Oh, Chris drinks coffee" I say to my mum.

"One coffee and tea coming right up, Callum how about you bring the flowers so I can put them in water. At the same time you can also tell me how you drink your tea" my mum says standing up. And I suddenly know my mums game so I quickly give her a I dare you look.

But my mum just smiles sweetly at me as she continue to pass callum the flowers so he has no choice but to follow her.

Why did my dad and brother decide to go shopping this time of day. I could of used back up I think to myself.

"Why are you frowning at me?" Chris suddenly asks looking at me puzzled.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what my mum is up to" I say.

"Which is?" Chris asks with a raised eyebrow

"My mum and Summer have this crazy idea, it doesn't matter" I say.

"No I'm interested now" Chris says.

"They seem to think that I like you. As a person yes. But they reckon, I'm so against this daily gift idea because it will mean seeing you everyday and I will fall in love with you. Yet that isn't the case. Now don't you go getting any wild ideas because I'm telling you, I don't do relationships or dating!" I say.

Chris holds his hands up while laughing and saying "I didn't say anything".

"Good, now please tell me we don't have to do this daily gift idea of yours for six weeks, it's bad enough I have to wear dresses while in a cast" I say.

"Why are you so against the idea?" Chris asks me with a amused smiling face.

"Because it's not like I did anything major, I simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's others more deserving to such a thing" I say.

"Yet, you do so much good deeds all year round for others, but can't except people want to do the same for you when your having a bad few weeks?" Chris says

"Trust me it will be a walk in the park compared to past experiences. I'm sure, I can handle a few weeks in a cast" I say.

"See you have been through stuff yet do so much for others, so just let things be and allow people to show you how appreciated you are in our community" Chris says.

"So that's a no to stopping this wild idea?" I ask.

"It's a definite no! Like I said your stuck seeing my face daily for as long as your in a cast. Get ready for a whirlwind few weeks" Chris says with a smile and I feel like throwing a cushion right at his smug face. But decided I'd rather keep it to cushion my leg instead. During my frustration, I knock my phone on the floor.

"Damn it" I grumble leaning over to get the phone. "Let me before you fall" Chris says.

"I can get... Ahhh" I start to say before losing my balance and scream as I close my eyes throwing my arms out preparing for the landing to the floor. Except instead I'm suddenly being lifted up. I open my eyes to meet Chris's eyes looking at me. "Thanks" I say as Chris places me back on the sofa.

"Is this going to become a daily habit of me saving you from failing down?" Chris asks picking my phone up and handing it to me.

"I hope not" I say without taking my eyes off Chris.

"I can't leave you for two minutes without you nearly getting hurt" my mum says standing in the door way smiling with callum stood behind her holding a tray of drinks.

I glare at my mum as she walks in and claims the seat Chris was just sitting in while Callum takes the other free chair while placing the tray of drinks on the table between the chairs.

"Please take a seat" my mum says to Chris indicating the free space on the sofa next to me.

CHRIS POV

I see the glaring look Lisa gives her mum as I take a seat next to Lisa.

"Lisa I was just saying to your mum maybe you wouldn't mind if we got a photo with you and Chris to share on social media, to prove there's no hard feelings" Callum says

"Maybe in a week or so when I've not got as many bruises, but not today I look a mess" Lisa says

"I think you look good for someone who was looking worse for wear yesterday" I say and I can see Lisa is now debating how she could throttle me.

"Well I'd say the same for you Chris, but it's clear you didn't get enough sleep either last night by the dark circles underneath your eyes" Lisa says while smiling at me.

"Did you two have a fall out or something?" Callum asks suddenly.

"No" Me and Lisa both say at the same time. While Lisas mum just smiles at the both of us. Me and Lisa then both look at each other. I smile at Lisa while she looks at me in shock for a brief second before glaring at me again.

"Lisa is just unsure about this daily gift idea, but I think she should give it a try she might end up being surpised" I say not taking my eyes off Lisa, and her eyebrows get closer together as her glaring stare gets a little more noticeable.

"Oh, I'm sure I can pull a few surpised moves myself" Lisa says still looking at me but the frowning glare is starting to disappear and her eyes opener wider with an smile starting to appear.

"Now this I look forward to seeing" I say smiling back at Lisa.

"You want to do this daily gift thing then your have to accept being appreciated as well!" Lisa says getting her phone out. She slightly leans into me saying "Say cheese" while I'm suddenly surpised why Lisa is now agreeing to a photo! I'm shocked and smile confusedly.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Callum don't worry I got the photo end covered!" Lisa says.

"How?" I ask

Well I'm currently uploading the photo to my f*******: page captioning it "Hey everyone, meet PC Walker. Not only was he also involved in the car accident yesterday he also helped me through the ordeal. He then went even further by saving me falling down while trying to walk with the crutches yesterday! Pc walker just saved me falling on the floor again today while coming by with gifts! PC walker is also going to be personally coming by to check in on me daily while dropping everyone's gifts from all you lovely lot. Let's all show some appreciation for my own little hero, who keeps saving me these past few days" Lisa says.

"You didn't!" I say say shocked.

"Check for yourself" Lisa says showing me her phone.

"Well it seems its settled then your going to be seeing alot of each other over the upcoming weeks" Callum says while it's now my turn to glare at Lisa in return.

"Yes maybe we should let them talk it through more while we take our drinks in the garden" Karen says to callum.

"Okay, if you think it's best" callum says while they both look at us as they walk out the room.

"You want to play this game then bring it on" I say turning back to Lisa.

"Yes bring it on. If I'm going to be receiving all this gratitude then so are you!" Lisa says looking smugly at me, however she looks so cute with a fire in her eyes.

"Fine" I say as I start to laugh at how things are turning out.

"Oh you can laugh now but don't forget, I do monthly appreciation cakes. I can always come strike you as the winner when you least expect it getting the last laugh" Lisa says.

"You wouldn't dare!" I say

"Oh I will just you wait and see" Lisa says as she goes to stand up with the crutches.

"Go slow before I have to catch you again" I say.

"Haha" Lisa says while sitting on the edge of the sofa and placing the cruthes to the side. She then lowers herself to the floor.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm not risking you having to catch me again" Lisa says as she starts to bum shuffle across the floor.

"Oh come on it wouldn't of been that bad" I say.

"Trust me the cruthes are the devil!" Lisa says.

"Just keep practicing with them and your get the hang of it" I say.

"Yeah well, I will practice when your not around" Lisa says as she reaches the table to grab a her cuppa.

"Why didn't you just ask me to pass your drink?" I say laughing.

"Because I'm not completely useless and my I maybe broken but then again that's nothing new, I've been broken for years but I'm not useless" Lisa says.

"Your not broken, just temporarily slightly damaged to one limb. Within a few weeks your be as good as new" I say getting up to go drink my drink.

"No I'm defiantly broken goods, damaged goods its the whole reason why I refuse to date or do relationships, so I can deal with a broken limb since I'm good at being broken" Lisa says

"No your wrong, your just stubborn" I say

"No I'm not" Lisa says

"Prove it then let me help you up and back to the sofa" I say.

"No I'm good!" Lisa says.

"See, your stubborn" I say crossing my arms

"I'm not stubborn" Lisa says.

"Then how come you finished your drink but still sat on the floor?" I ask.

"Because I need a moment to get my energy back, that's all" Lisa says.

"Excaulty your stubborn, if you wasn't stubborn you would allow me to assist you back to the sofa where its more comfortable" I say.

"Fine, but it's only to prove I'm not stubborn" Lisa says

"Okay, if you say so. Now put your arm around my shoulder while I help stand you up" I say.

Lisa puts her arm around my shoulder while I help stand Lisa up making sure to be careful of her leg.

"Okay I won't let you fall but keep leaning on me while you hop back over to the sofa" I say.

"Okay" Lisa says as she starts to hop. Once we reach the sofa I help her sit down.

"Okay you get a five minute break then we are going to conquer the cruthes" I say.

"My brother said he would help me but my dad dragged him shopping. I'm sure he will do it when he gets back" Lisa says.

"Well I'm here now and I've nothing better to do. We can get a heads start. We will start off simple by having you stand up and practice keeping your balance next to the sofa. That way if you lose your balance you can fall back onto the sofa. If you fall forward I will be there to catch you" I say.

"How's that going to help?" Lisa ask.

"Because if you can stand for a minute or two keeping your balance then it will make learning to use the cruthes easier" I say.

"Okay" Lisa says.

LISA'S POV

I don't know why Chris gets under my skin to annoy me but he is also a really great guy even after we bickered he is determined to still help me, I think to myself. Yet at the same time I can't remember the last time I found a bloke interesting and I do find Chris interesting. Maybe these next few weeks won't be so bad who knows we could end up good friends. I could live that I think to myself.

"Okay let's get started" Chris says breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Why are you determined to help me?" I ask getting ready to stand up.

"Because like I already said your a good person and even good people need help sometimes" Chris says standing in front of me.

"I'm sure there's thousands of good people in this world who need help and want it though" I say.

"Yes but your the person who is in front of me right now needing help, so stop questioning it and take my hands so I can help you stand up" Chris says.

"I thought we was going to use the crutches?" I ask.

"We will first of all you can hold my hands or arms while you practice finding your balance on one leg, I'm more solid than rocky crutches" Chris says.

"Good point" I say taking Chris hands.

SUMMERS POV

I spent the last 15 minutes secretly looking from a distance in the hallway into the living room, so I couldn't get caught or seen. I was shocked how Lisa was actually accepting Chris help. He dealt with Lisa like it was nothing and Lisa just got on with it without screaming the place down for someone else to help her. Yet Chris is a bloke and not one of her brothers or dad who is the only males in her life she trusts near her.

I had to go tell Karen and make sure no one disturbed them in the living room. This was progressive progress for Lisa and I wasn't about to let anything ruin it.

LISA'S POV

"Oh my god! I'm doing it!" I say getting excited at finding my balance with the crutches.

"Yes! Now you just need practice walking to getting around while keeping your balance with the crutches" Chris says.

"This is where I'm going to mess up" I say.

"It doesn't matter if you mess up so long as you keep trying I won't let you fall" Chris says.

"Okay but not to long, I'm getting tired and I really ache today from head to toe" I say.

"Okay 10 minutes and then we can continue tomorrow when I pop by" Chris says.

Ahh I nearly forgot about that I think to myself.

"Okay 10 minutes" is what I say though.

"Okay take it slow at first, don't try speeding off remember to find the balance as you move" Chris says.

I take it slow and before I know it I'm starting to make progress slowly across to the chair.

"Your doing brilliant Lisa, keep going like this and your be a pro by the end of the day" Chris says.

"You really think?" I ask.

"Yes" Chris says sounding just as excited as I am over mastering crutches.

I get a few steps away from the chair but I can tell I'm struggling now as I'm exhausted. "I'm going to fall" I say starting to freak out. Chris quickly catches me as I start to fall. The crutches drop to the floor. "Okay you did really good, but your right your body is to tired now" Chris says carrying me back to the sofa.

"I will get some rest for a few hours then have Ryan help me practice a little more tonight" I say.

"I think it's because your all bruised and battered after the crash yesterday don't let it get you down. You have the idea and hang of it now, it's just a matter of your body healing so you can go longer periods using the crutches" Chris says sitting next to me.

"I know but I just hate feeling useless, I have a daughter to look after" I say

"you also have a great supportive family to help you look after Emma. Talking of supportive family's that gives me an idea" Chris says.

"What's that?" I ask curious.

"Nathan wasn't doing well this morning he couldn't sleep with constant flashbacks of yesterday. He rang me at 7am to check if I was okay and he wanted to know if I knew you were okay today. I ended up taking him to see a doctor who gave him sleeping tablets. He hasn't any family in London so I dropped him off at the fire station where my dad could look after him. Im just texting my dad to see of he is sleeping still. If not then maybe you could tell him yourself your okay" Chris says.

"I'm glad you helped him. And if he is awake then I will happily speak with him" I say as Chris's phone PING'S

"My dad says he is still sleeping like a baby" Chris says.

"That's good, he clearly needs the sleep. How about you tell him I said I'm fine and I hope he is okay to" I say.

"Okay I will pass the message on" Chris says

"Oh my god its gone 3:30pm" I say seeings it 3:35pm on the clock.

"Yeah the last few hours have gone by quickly" Chris says.

"Emma will be back from school soon, you should stay and have enougher coffee, then you can give her the present yourself. Plus I've no idea why everyone has disappeared for so long" I say wondering where everyone is at.

"I can go find them if you want?" Chris says.

"It's okay, I'm sure they won't be able to hide much longer when the kids come bouncy through the door" I say laughing.

CHRIS POV

I'm not quite sure how we went from an annoyed stubborn Lisa to a happy laughing Lisa. But I know Lisas laughter is music to my ears. It's good to see her smiling and laughing I think to myself.

"Well your not the only one ditched, I'm sure my Sargent arrived with me after making me dress up on my day off in my uniform. Only to ditched me also" I say.

"No way!" Lisa says shocked.

"Yes! Believe it or not my bosses are jumping on this brain wave idea I had, to show that as a positive for the police force which I didn't want or intend. I simply wanted to do a something nice as me and Nathan felt bad for what happened yesterday. So your not the only one being ambushed, I am to with the media side of things. Turns out my brainwave idea also backfired on me" I say.

"Well since your still going ahead in taking me down the crazy idea of yours I'm taking you down with me still" Lisa says smiling.

"Well we may as well enjoy the journey, so long as we don't literally fall down its all good" I say.

"Well I can't say, I will be any use in saving you if you was trip, but if I see any tripping hazards within your path I shall warn you" Lisa says.

"Deal" I say holding my hand out for Lisa to shake on

"Deal" Lisa says shaking my hand.

"So your shake my hand but not my Sargents?" I ask

"I don't touch men! It's as simple as that but you already saved me falling three times now I think we are past the don't touch me phase when you keep catching me" Lisa says

"Fair enough" I say

"Truthfully the only men I trust around me is my brothers and dad. I trust Summers brother and her dad enough to hold conversation with them but I won't hug them. Or anything when saying hi or bye. So don't go telling anyone about today otherwise it will only add flue to my mums and Summers imaginations" Lisa says.

"Okay it can be our secret" I say smiling.

Then I hear "Mummy! Mummy where are you?" coming from the hallway. "I'm in the living room Emma" Lisa shouts out just as Emma coming running into the living room.

"How was school?" Lisa asks

"It was okay, but I missed you. Are you better yet?" Emma says hugging Lisa as Lisa hugs her back. And you can see how much love there is between mother and daughter.

"Not, yet but mummy is working on it. Now go get out your school unifrom and on your way through get Nanny or someone to come see me" Lisa says

"Okay mummy" Emma says going to run out the room again.

"Hi again" Emma says to me as she stops to now talk with me.

"Hi, Emma how are you today?" I ask.

"I'm okay, Where's your friends?" Emma ask.

"you mean the fireman?" I ask

"Yes, I didn't see the fire tuck outside" Emma says.

"That's because there at the fire station looking after my friend who is also a policeman. But I did bring a police car. Did you see it outside?" I ask.

"No" Emma says.

"That's because your colleague had an emergency to go to. I said I'd tell you but it slipped my mind where I had to help Summer on the school run. I'm so sorry about that" Karen says standing in the door way.

"Oh so he just left me here?" I ask shocked

"No he did offer to send someone else to collect you, however I said there was no need as I'd have a driver take you home when your ready. Or where ever you wanted to go" Karen says

"Mum! That was rude. Poor Chris has been stuck here looking after me. Where is everyone anyway?" Lisa asks.

"Well your dad and brother quickly popped back but they forgot half the shopping so I send them back to store. Summer had to get home with the kids. So it's just me here with Emma and you two at the moment" Karen says

"It's okay, I can make my own way home so no need to panic" I say

"No, it's no bother at least stay for enougher drink first though" Karen says.

"I would but I have plans so I really don't have the time. I need to go check in on my friend who was so in the crash yesterday" I say

"I'm sorry about this" Lisa says.

"It's okay, Honestly. I will be back tomorrow anyway. You have a good evening" I say standing up.

"But I wanted to see the police car" Emma says

"How about I take you to see the police station and cars of its okay with mummy enougher day?" I say.

"Can I mum?" Emma says.

"Well so long as your good then I will think about it" Lisa says

"Thankyou mummy, I will start by going to get changed" Emma says running out the room.

"Bless her, she is so sweet and polite" I say.

"Thanks, sorry again for holding you up" Lisa says

"It's nothing, dont worry about it" I say.

"Okay, well I will go let the driver know your ready to go" Karen says.

"There's no need" I say

"No, I insist it's my fault for forgetting to tell you" karen says hurrying off.

"You won't win" Lisa says laughing

"Well I think we both got played!" I say.

"Yes, we did. Not only by my family but your boss as well!" Lisa says laughing.

If Lisa dated and did relationships I'd totally be for it I think to myself.

"Okay, well God night Lisa" I say as I head for the door.

"Goodnight Chris, I hope you have a good evening and Nathan sleeps better tonight" Lisa says.

"Thanks" I say turning to smile at Lisa before I continue to leave.