32 comments/ 40055 views/ 60 favorites For The Love of a Child By: MoogPlayer Here's to a happy new year for all you Literotica fans. May God richly bless you, each and every one... MoogPlayer ~~~~~~ Chapter One My name is Mark Howard and I'm forty-nine years old. I stand six feet, three inches tall; and I weigh two hundred and fifty-five pounds, with no fat whatsoever. I have dark brown hair and eyes; and it was right around my twenty-sixth birthday when what you're about to read happened. I was a Navy Corpsman for eight years, and once I was honorably discharged, I challenged the Board of Health in my home state and got my license to work as a Surgical Registered Nurse. I got a job in the biggest hospital in my home city and worked four days on and four days off. My coworkers were all very nice people who treated me great, but the best part of the job was the money I made. Hell, my starting salary was just a little over seventy thousand dollars a year. You see, I'd joined the Navy right out of high school, at seventeen, and was twenty-five when I got out so; I was still fairly young when the hospital hired me. I went to work for Dr. Alvin Schwartz, one of the leading pediatricians in the country at the time. He was so impressed with my work that he made sure I was always there when he was, except for my days off. Like I said before, I'd always gotten along with the O.R. staff and they'd always gotten along with me. And it wasn't too long before I came to be respected as someone who could always be counted on to do their job, and do it correctly the first time, as there's little to no room for mistakes in the Operating Room. After serving for four years as a Corpsman in Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, I was assigned to the Marine Corps detachment that was guarding the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon from nineteen eighty-one to nineteen eighty-five; and yes, I saw some action, too much if the truth was really known. So, because of not only what I'd been through in the Navy, but because of what I'd learned from those experiences; I realized, at a tender young age, how fragile life truly is, hence the reason I wanted to be somewhere that I could do some good. It was then I decided that I wanted to work in a civilian hospital O.R. once I was discharged from the military. ~~~~~~ I'd been working at the hospital for almost four months when I got a call from the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Michael Gaines. "Hello," I said, into the phone. "This is Doctor Mike Gaines, Chief of Surgery," he authoritatively replied, "Am I speaking with Mark Howard?" "Yes, sir," I said, "That's me." "Great," he smiled, "I've heard some rally good things about you lately, and I was wondering if you had time to meet with me?" "Sure," I replied, "When?" "Right now," he said, "If you're not too busy, that is." "Let me see," I told him, as I reached for the case schedule on the office wall, "We don't have anything coming our way for the rest of the day, it looks like so; I can be in your office as soon as I'm changed out of these scrubs." "Don't worry about that," he chuckled, "Just come as you are." "Yes, sir," I replied, "I'll be there right away." ~~~~~~ As I walked into Dr. Gaines' office, I was greeted by a very pretty girl with long dark brown hair the same color as mine and the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes that I'd ever seen. Her face was that of a classic all American girl-next-door. "May I help you?" she asked. "Uh, yes," I almost stuttered, "My name is Mark Howard and I think Doctor Gaines is expecting me." "He sure is," she warmly smiled, "Please follow me." She was wearing a billowing white silk shirt with black dress slacks, and I couldn't help but admire the way that they clung to her gorgeous ass when she walked. ~~~~~~ "Come on in and sit down, Mark," Dr. Gaines smiled, "It's nice to finally meet you." "Excuse me, Doctor Gaines," I replied, somewhat confused, "But I don't think I understand what you mean." "I'll get right to the point, Mark," he chuckled, "Doctor Schwartz has been going on and on about how good you are, ever since you came to work here. He also thinks that you've got what it takes to eventually become a very fine and gifted surgeon." "I don't know about all that," I politely replied, "After all, I'm only a Surgical R.N." "Yeah, but you've also been on the other side, too," he knowingly smiled, "I hope you won't be mad when I tell you this, but I talked to both of your Commanding Officers, and they each told me that you were always the first to respond in an emergency. I believe you got recommended for the Silver Star by your First Sergeant, am I correct?" "What's that got to do with my work here?" I politely, but defensively asked, "Is there some kind of problem?" "Relax, Mark," he smiled, "You're among friends, brother." "Now I'm really confused," I said, "What's going on here?" He simply smiled, and then pointing behind me, said, "Turn around and look at the wall behind you." I turned around to see a shadow box hanging on the wall less than five feet from me. And upon closer examination, I saw three things that stood out, head and shoulders above the rest. One of them was a U.S. Navy SEAL Trident insignia; another was a Caduceus, or medical insignia, and the last one was the Master Chief Corpsman Anchor with two stars, one on the end of each fluke. The ribbons that accompanied the insignia represented the following medals: The Navy Cross, and there were two of them, The Silver Star, The Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters, The Purple Heart with Clusters, meaning he'd been wounded more than once, the National Defense Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal with two stars, meaning he did three tours over there, and then two more rows of what I knew were commendation ribbons. "Wow," I said, turning back around to face him, "So, you were a corpsman, too." "That's right," he smiled, "And us "Docs" have to stick together so; I want to make you a proposition." "And what would that proposition be?" It's like this," he began, "The G.I. Bill will pay your tuition, and with of your experience in the Navy, as well as a recommendation from me; you could go to medical school and only have to do two years at the very most, maybe even less." "Really?" I asked, "I didn't know you could do that." "Sure you can," he chuckled, "How the hell do you think I became a surgeon?" "Wow, that sounds great," I excitedly grinned, "Thanks, Doctor Gaines." "One more thing," he laughed, "My name is Mike so; feel free to call me that, okay Mark?" "Okay, Mike," I said, "I only have one question. Why are you doing this? You don't know me." "Yes, I do," he pointedly replied, "Anyone who has served under combat conditions can recognize their own kind. Search your heart, kid." After a moment's consideration, I realized he was right; and in doing so, I nodded my head and simply said, "Thanks...brother." "You're welcome, kid," he widely grinned, "Now get the hell outta here. I've got a ton of work to do." "You got it, Mike," I chuckled, rising from my seat and making my way to the door, "I'll see ya later." ~~~~~~ As I was leaving Mike's office, his secretary stopped me for a moment once Mike's door was closed, and said, "You're Mark Howard, aren't you?" "Yes, I am," I smiled, "What's your name?" "I'm Teela," she sweetly smiled, "Teela Miller." "It's nice to meet you, Teela Miller." "It's nice to meet you, too," she smiled, "Do you have any plans for this evening?" "No," I grinned, "Not really." "I'm going to a party," she shyly smiled, "And...um, I was wondering if you might like to come with me." "That would be nice," I smiled, "I haven't been out on a date with a pretty girl in a long time." "Wait a minute," she uncomfortably replied, "Who said anything about a date?" "You just asked me out, didn't you?" I grinned, "Where I come from, regardless of who does the asking, a date is a date. What time should I pick you up?" "Oh no, I can already tell that you're trouble," she grinned, writing on a slip of paper and handing it to me, "Here's my address, and my phone number in case you get lost. Pick me up at seven-thirty." As I folded the piece of paper and put it in my pocket, I looked at her and smiled, "I'm really looking forward to it." "Me, too," she giggled, "See you tonight, bye, handsome." "Bye," I smiled, and then walked out of Mike's office, whistling contentedly as I made my way back to the O.R. ~~~~~~ "What're you in such a hurry for," Mom asked, as I came racing through the house that evening after I got home from work, "Slow down, boy." "I can't," I replied, "I've got a date tonight and I don't want to be late." "Oh, really," Mom smiled, "Who have you got a date with?" "Her name is Teela Miller," I proudly smiled, "And she works at the hospital." "I know who she is," Mom said, "Her mother is in my Sunday school group," and then she momentarily paused before she protectively told me, "She's a good girl, Mark, and she comes from a good family so; try to behave yourself this evening." "Good Lord, Mom," I exasperatedly replied, "Believe it or not, I do know how to treat a lady. After all, weren't you the one who taught me?" "Well, I wasn't really sure whether or not you paid any attention, but I guess so," Mom smiled, "Have a good time tonight, baby." "Yes, ma'am," I replied, kissing her on the cheek before I went to get ready. ~~~~~~ I followed the directions that Teela had given me, and before long; my car stopped in front of one of the biggest houses I'd ever seen. And when I got out of my car, I felt like I was standing in front of the Whitehouse or something. "May I help you, sir," replied an older English gentleman, answering the front door after I'd knocked, "Yes, sir," I politely replied, "I'm here to pick up Teela." "You must be Mister Howard then?" "Yes, I am," I smiled. "Right this way, please," he drolly replied, "I believe she's expecting you." I followed him down a great hall until we came to what looked like a sitting room, where I was asked to have a seat and wait. ~~~~~~ As I looked around the room it was more than clear to me that Teela's family was obviously wealthy. Still though, I'm not one of those people who are intimidated by folks who have money so; I simply sat and waited until Teela came. ~~~~~~ "Hello, handsome," smiled Teela, appearing in front of me looking dazzling, "Are you ready to go?" "I'd go anywhere with you," I accidentally blurted out, becoming more embarrassed by the second. "That's good to know," Teela giggled, "Because you never know where we're liable to end up tonight." Then to relieve my obvious tension, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and said, "Come on, cutie, let's go," and with that we were off. ~~~~~~ "So, tell me about this party we're going to," I asked. "You'll love it," she smiled, "And you might even see some people there that you know." "Really?" I asked, "Like who?" "Well now," she coyly smiled, "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" ~~~~~~ To say that I was surprised when we pulled up in front of Mike Gaines' house would be an understatement. I was, to say the least, astonished, and while I sat there with egg on my face, Teela sweetly giggled, taking my hand, and said, "Let's go handsome. I can't wait to show you off to everyone." ~~~~~~ "Well hey, Mark, "smiled Dr. Gaines, greeting us at the front door, "Leave it to you to bring the prettiest girl I know to this party...come on in, you two." "Hi, Doctor Mike," Teela knowingly giggled, as she walked past him, "Thanks for inviting us." Hey, girl," Mike smile, with a wink, "You better treat this one nicer than you did the last one." "You shut up," she laughed, as she elbowed me for laughing, "Don't listen to him, Mark. He's just trying to start trouble." I wisely said nothing, only laughing as Mike brought us into his house. ~~~~~~ Mike's house was absolutely one of the most beautiful homes I'd ever seen. It was almost completely furnished with mid-to-late nineteenth century antiques. "Man," I gasped, "This place is gorgeous, Mike. My Mom would absolutely go bananas if she saw all of these beautiful antiques. What are they, nineteenth century?" "You've got a good eye, kid," he proudly smiled, "As a matter of fact, they are...some mid, some late." "I don't have a good eye at all," I laughed, "It's just that my Mom used to drag me to all these antique stores and auctions when I was little, that's all." "Well it sounds to me like your Mom is a connoisseur of fine antiquities," he said, "You wanna see something really cool?" "Sure," I grinned, "What is it?" "Do me a favor, Teela," he smiled, "Would you find my wife and then you and her meet us in the kitchen in about ten minutes?" "Sure, Doc," she grinned, then she turned and kissed me on the cheek and purred, "See you in a few, sweetie." "Okay," I squeaked, my face turning beet red with embarrassment, as she turned and sashayed away. "Come on, kid," Mike smiled, as he led me down the hall to a locked door, "You're gonna love this." ~~~~~~ I followed him down a dark stairway to what I thought was a basement, until with the flip of a switch, I saw that I was standing in front of a small vault door. It was seven feet tall and five feet wide, with an electronic number pad mounted in the center of the door, right beneath the main locking wheel. Mike stepped between the number pad and me, and then after he entered a code; I heard the door unlock as Mike stepped away and opened it. Then reaching in and turning the light within the vault on, he smiled at me and said, "Check this out, Mark." He reached down and pulled the cover off of what seemed to be a glass walled compartment. Then after pushing a button on the side of the compartment, a light within revealed a solid gold statue of an Egyptian Sphinx. The statue was roughly eight to nine inches long, five inches wide, with a total height of about seven inches tall. "Holy shit," I gasped, "Is that thing real?" "It sure is," he smiled, "I won it in a poker game in Cairo from a corrupt member of the Egyptian government, right before the six day war with Israel in nineteen sixty-seven. He told me that it was excavated from the tomb of Akhenaten, you know, the one that was married to Nefertiri. This piece was definitely excavated from the tomb, but somehow ended up not being listed on the manifest. The guy that I got this from did say that the Sphinx has always been a long standing Egyptian symbol for strength and wisdom." "Wow," I said in amazement, "That really is cool." "I'm gonna ask that you not tell anyone what you've seen here tonight, Mark," he serious told me, "I could get into real trouble for having this, I hope you know that." I thought about what he'd just said, and then realizing that he was basically trusting me with his life, I smiled and smugly said, "After what you've been through, you deserve to have that and so much more so; fuck Uncle Sam for what he'll never learn from me." "I knew there was a reason that I liked you, kid," Mike laughed, placing his arm around my neck, and hugging me from the side, "You're alright." ~~~~~~ Mike looked like he was only about forty years old, but I later learned that he was in his early fifties. However, because of his training in the Navy, he was in great shape. And when I met his wife, Laurie, I thought she was in her twenties, when in reality, she was almost forty. She was a very beautiful woman in her own right as well. She was feet, ten inches tall to Mike's six feet four inches, blonde haired, blue eyed, and built very nicely as well. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mark," she sweetly said, as the four of us stood in the kitchen, Teela at my side, Laurie at Mike's, "I've heard some really good things about you." "If you heard it from either one of these two," I grinned, pointing to Mike and Teela, "You can be fairly sure that it's a lie." Mike burst into laughter, and then patting me on the shoulder, he looked at Laurie and chuckled, "See? I told you that he was a smart ass like me." "He's a smart ass alright," Laurie giggled, "But I highly doubt that he's as bad as you are, honey." ~~~~~~ As the evening went on, more people showed up. Some of whom I knew from working at the hospital, and then there were some people that I'd seen at the hospital and knew they worked there; I just didn't know them personally. Around eight thirty, Mike dimmed the lights in the great room and turned on a mixture of soft rock, with some slow ballads thrown in as well. The tunes had been a good mix so far, and when I heard the voice of David Gates as he and Bread began to play the song, "Everything I Own", Teela pulled me out to the center of the room and cooed, "Dance with me, please Mark?" "Okay," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waist as she pressed her body against mine, "I haven't done this very much so; I'm a little out of practice." "Mmm," she purred into my ear, "Don't worry about it, sweetie, just hold me closely and move your body with mine." "Whatever you say," I breathed, "Just don't let go." "Be careful what you wish for, handsome," she sweetly giggled, raising her right eyebrow while firmly pressing her nice sized breasts against me, "You never know what might happen." We danced closely together while every so often; Teela would lean her face in just far enough to lightly graze my lips with her own. And the longer our bodies were pressed together, the more that the animal need began to churn within my groin, beginning to make its presence known. I still thank God that the song ended when it did, right before things really got out of hand and my impending erection softened back down to a more manageable state. ~~~~~~ Chapter Two "So, tell me about yourself, Mark," Teela smiled, as we sat out back on the patio, the only light provided by small torches strategically placed there, "I want to know everything there is to know about you." "There's really not much to tell," I laughed, "I grew up here and graduated high school here. And then after I graduated high school, I got into some trouble and then joined the Navy to make every one concerned happy." "What kind of trouble?" she politely inquired, "If you don't mind my asking, that is." "I don't mind at all," I smiled, "There was this jerk that I went to school with named, Terry Meyers. He was a bully, and a lot of kids were afraid of him, but not me. When we were in the fifth grade, he tried to take my lunch money; and because he was bigger than I was, I picked up a chair to defend myself with, and ended up having a teacher take it away from me as I was beating his ass with it." "Good for you," she giggled, "I hate bullies, too." "That's not the half of it," I continued, "Terry flunked the tenth grade twice and had to repeat it. I got wind of him beating up a friend of mine's little brother, pretty badly, too; I paid the son of a bitch a visit, where I proceeded to beat the living shit out of him...and to make a long story short, I joined the Navy to keep from getting charged with aggravated assault, which is a felony." "That sucks," she replied, "So, how did you become a Surgical RN?" I then told her about becoming a Corpsman and the places that I was stationed, as well as what my duties consisted of, leaving out the obvious parts. Everything I told her after that, including losing a couple of friends, which only reaffirmed her belief of how scary the times back then really were. "Poor baby," she softly said, gently pushing my hair away from my face, "I'm really sorry you had to deal with all that." "Don't be," I smiled, taking her hand and softly kissing it, "I'm not." For The Love of a Child "Your words are like music to my ears," Mom sweetly smiled, her eyes beginning to fill with tears, "Tom and I tried our best to teach him how to treat a woman, and I'm thrilled to know that he was paying attention." "Can I tell you something, Sheila?" Teela quietly asked, "And please don't think badly of me, but I've just got to tell somebody, or I'm going to burst." "Sure you can, sweetie," Mom replied. "Well...um," Teela slowly began. "Just spit it out, girl," Mom giggled, "You'll feel better once you're finished." "Okay then, here goes" Teela began again, a little more confidently this time, "Mark has never once crossed the line of inappropriate behavior; but we had a couple of really heavy kissing sessions." "Tell me more," Mom giggled again, "It's just now starting to get good." "Okay then, don't be shocked, you asked for it," Teela giggled, "My pussy began to tingle the very first time I laid eyes on him, and when he's close to me, I pray to God that he can't smell how wet my panties get." "You're not telling me anything new, baby girl," Mom replied, her face turning bright red, "The first time I went out on a date with Mark's father, my panties stayed wet the whole time. And when he kissed me goodnight, girl, I almost had an orgasm right there." "Oh, wow," Teela giggled, "So, what did you do?" "I did what any horny young college girl would do," Mom haughtily giggled, "I went back to my dorm room, and because my room mate was spending the night with her boyfriend, I climbed naked under the sheets and immediately rubbed one out, dear girl." "Just one?" Teela teased. "Alright then," Mom blushed, "Several, but that's okay, too." "Your secret is safe with me," Teela sweetly smiled, hugging my Mom, "Alright?" "You sweet, sweet girl," Mom smiled, patting Teela on her back, "I can see why Mark brought you home to meet us. It's because you're such a kind and caring woman." "I don't know about all that," Teela shyly smiled, "I just treat people the way I like to be treated, that's all." "Either way, " Mom giggled, "It's going to be fun to have another girl to hang out with for a change." "That's funny," Teela smiled, "Dad said the same thing about Mark just this morning." "Tell me about your folks," Mom smiled, as they took a seat at the kitchen table, "If you don't mind, that is." "No, not at all," she sweetly replied, "My father is a retired Marine Corps Colonel who tried to spoil me rotten, but I won't let him, and my mother is the sweetest soul alive. I remember when Dad came home from Vietnam," Teela sadly continued, "Dad seemed like he was a little lost, but me and Mom brought him back around. It just took a little while; that's all." "I know exactly what you mean, baby," Mom sniffled, as she rubbed Teela's cheek with the back of her hand, "Mark's father was in Vietnam, too. It took me ten years to get that damn war out of his head." "I don't think it ever goes away," Teela sadly replied, hugging Mom again, only tighter this time, almost childlike in her mannerisms, "I think it just gets easier for them to deal with as time passes." "You know what?" Mom smiled, gently holding Teela at arms length, "I think you're very good and wise young woman, Miss Teela Miller. I also think that you and my son look absolutely precious together." "Tell me, Sheila," Teela excitedly asked, "Do you believe in love at first sight?" "Yes," Mom happily smiled, "So, take things slowly with Mark, baby girl. He's a good man, but he's got his own particular way of doing certain things so; keep that in mind when you're dealing with him." "My mother thinks he's gorgeous," Teela sighed, "Mmm, so do I." "Do you have any brothers or sisters, sweetie?" "No, ma'am," Teela said, "Mom got endometriosis after I was born so, that ended that." "That's something else you and Mark have in common, pretty girl," Mom smiled, gently caressing Teela's soft cheek with the palm of her right hand, "The same thing happened to me after he was born, too." ~~~~~~ "Hey Mom," I called, as Dad and I came into the house through the back door, "How come I don't smell anything being cooked?" "You're falling down on the job you know," I teased, "Hurry up, Woman." "A lot of things have changed around here," Mom suddenly appeared in front of me, glaring at me like a lioness at her prey, "So; I would be careful if I were you, Mister smart ass." "Oh yeah?" I chuckled, "Like what?" "I'll tell you the same thing I tell your father when he tells me to hurry up," Mom haughtily replied, "I move at two different speeds. If you don't like this one, then you damn sure won't like the other one. Do you catch my drift, boy?" "She means it, too, son," Dad laughed, behind me, "You can bet on it." Then deciding to pull out a trick from a time long past, plus I knew it would embarrass Mom to no end, I suddenly wrapped my arms around her, and picking her up off the ground, I spun her around while blowing a raspberry on the underside of her throat, while in a child-like voice, saying, "Aw, I'm sorry, Mommy. I wuv you so much." "Put me down this instant," Mom complained, while smiling and blushing bright red at the same time, "Put me down now, you big oaf." "Yes Ma'am," I chuckled, lightly smacking her on the butt to embarrass her further. "Thomas," Mom scolded Dad while she rubbed her but, "Do something with that boy before he turns out to be like his father." "I don't know, dear," Dad teased, "That's not such a bad thing, now, is it?" By this time Teela was giggling at Dad's and my antics, making Mom smile and say, "Don't laugh at them Teela dear, it only makes them that much worse." ~~~~~~ After dinner that night, Teela and I took a drive to the lake and went parking. This particular lake was not only big, but there were several "secluded" places in which a vehicle could be hidden from public view. "Let's get out and sit on the hood," Teela smiled, "If that's alright with you, baby." By now I was so infatuated with her that I've walked naked through hell on broken glass for her, and with that said, I simply nodded my head and followed her around to the front of my car. After lifting her up and placing her on the hood, she spread her legs and wrapped them around my waist, pulling me to her as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Then she looked into my eyes and breathed, "I'm really beginning to like you a lot, Mark. I hope that doesn't scare you." "Are you kidding me?" I smiled, placing my arms around her waist, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Teela." "And I think you're the most handsome man I've ever seen," she sweetly replied, "I want you very much, baby, but I want to get to know you a little better." The whole time we were talking, she kept grinding her crotch against mine, in turn making me as hard as a rock. She pushed the point home when she ground her clothed pussy directly against my cock, and looking between us, purred, "I've never had sex before because I want to wait for the right man. But from the way things feel down there I'm beginning to think that you just might be him." "You think so?" I asked grinning. "Maybe," she giggled, gently beginning to squeeze my ass, "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" "I don't know," I teased, suddenly letting my hands roam as freely over her body as she had done with me, "I don't mind waiting, but I think you may be right, baby." "God, I care for you so much," she sweetly whispered into my ear as we hugged, "I haven't been this excited about a guy in a very long time, Mmm." "I really like you a lot, too, Teela," I softly replied, "And I'm really looking forward to getting to know you better." "Well then," she seductively grinned, "Now is as good a time as any to start getting to know one another better, what do you think," and then our lips slowly met. As our tongues began the dance that was older than time, Teela pressed her entire body against mine, gently rubbing back and forth, our arms were entangled round one another. "Oh God," she groaned, "I've never felt like this about a guy before, Mark." "You're making me feel really good, too, baby," I breathed, continuing to grind with her. "Oh, Mark," she suddenly gasped, "Keep rubbing...Oh yes, just like that...yes...yes, YES, NOW, NOW, I'M CUUUUMIIINNNGGG!!!!!" I held off because I knew there would be a mess in my pants had I continued, but in doing so, I was able to look into my beautiful Teela's eyes as her orgasm washed over her, and what a sight it was to behold. "Oh my God," she breathed, an embarrassed smile covering her beautiful blushing face, "Wow, that's never happened before, well except when I did it myself. What about you?" "No," I breathlessly replied, "I didn't want to make a mess in my pants, if you know what I mean." "I'll make it up to you, baby," she purred, her head now resting on my shoulder with both of her arms around my neck, "And it'll be worth the wait, I promise you." "I hate to break this up," I said, looking at my watch, "But we both have to be at work in the morning so; I'd better take you home." ~~~~~~ "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Teela purred, as we stood on her front door step, "I can't wait." "Sleep well, my beauty," I softly replied, "And when tomorrow comes, we'll see each other again." Goodnight, baby," she cooed, kissing me right before she walked through her front door, closing it behind her. ~~~~~~ As I drove home that night, I found myself being thankful to God for all that he'd blessed me with in my life, even the bad times when I was in the Navy. However, with that same realization came the fact that it was what I did from now on that would determine how my life would turn out. That was also when I first realized that, even though I'd only known her a short time, I was beginning to fall in love with Teela, and although I was fairly sure she did, I still hoped that she felt the same way. ~~~~~~ "Hello, Mark," Dr. Schwartz said, in the locker room as I changed clothes the next morning at work, "How was your weekend? I heard that you caught a few clouds." "Yeah, I did," I grinned, "And you can tell Mike Gaines that I'm gonna be better than him in no time so; he'd better watch out." "You're a good kid, Mark," he told me, "I'll bet you didn't know this, but I was a Navy doctor aboard a hospital ship, the U.S.S. Repose, during the Korean War." "No kidding?" I asked, "Man, first Mike and now you, I'm surrounded by Navy Doctors, it seems." "Both of which think you have it within you to be a damn fine surgeon yourself," he pointedly replied, "Come on, Mark, at least think about it, alright?" Okay, Doc," I smiled, "I swear to give it some serious thought, alright?" "Alright," he grinned, patting me on the shoulder, "Now get to work, sailor." "Aye, aye, sir," I grinned, saluting him as we left the locker room and headed to the O.R. ~~~~~~ That morning we had to repair the shoulder of a six-year-old little girl, named Jessica (Jessie) Sanders. I examined her arm as the anesthetist began to put her under, and from what I could tell, it looked like her arm had been manually twisted as opposed to the injury occurring from the child falling out of a tree, like the parents had informed the intern in the Emergency Room. "Doctor Schwartz," I said, bringing what I'd found to his attention, "Look at this. This type of injury couldn't have happened from falling out of tree. It looks like her little arm has been twisted in the opposite direction. Something's not right." "We'll talk about this later," he quietly replied, "Let's just get this job done, okay?" "Alright," I replied, "You lead and I'll follow, Doc." ~~~~~~ "Jesus Christ," said Dr. Schwartz, as we worked on the child, repairing her shoulder, "How the hell did all this nerve damage occur from a simple fall? Hell, the rotator cuff tendons were beginning to separate from the scapula." "I told you something wasn't right, Doc," I replied, "I'll bet you anything that this child was injured by an adult, more than likely male." "Easy, Mark," Dr. Schwartz urged, "There's no proof that would indicate anything like that." "Maybe not," I pointedly replied, "But I know what my gut tells me, and so do you." "Now is not the time, Mark," Dr. Schwartz glared, "We'll talk about this when we're finished, alright?" "That's fine," I told him, "But this isn't over." "Like I said," he replied, "We'll finish this when we're done with the patient." I didn't say another word about it just then, but I knew that there was going to be hell to pay if I was right. The trouble was, I didn't have any proof, only a gut feeling. However, it was the same feeling that had kept me alive in Beirut, as well as kept me out of trouble at various times throughout my life up to this point so; I was compelled to listen to it. ~~~~~~ "From now on," said Dr. Schwartz, during the post-op scrub, "When I tell you that I want to talk about something later, I mean exactly that...later! Do you understand me?" "Yeah, I understand," I sullenly replied, "But I know I'm right, and so do you." "I know you're right," he admitted, "And this isn't the first time I've seen it here, but we never have enough evidence to press charges much less prosecute." "Oh yeah?" I asked, "Well, we'll just have to see about that then." "Be careful, Mark," Dr. Schwartz warned, "The hospital administration has this thing about making accusations around patients and/or their family members, especially without solid evidence." "Come on, Doc," I persisted, "You saw what kind of shape the axillary nerves were in. Tell me the truth...can you honestly say that the injuries you and I just saw were caused by falling from a tree." "It's possible," he nervously replied, "I couldn't be certain because of all the bruising." "Look, Doc," I suddenly replied, getting angry and not wanting Dr. Schwartz to see it, "I've got to go check on our patient, now that's she's in her room. I'll see ya later." The guilt I saw written all over his face as I headed for the upper wards was all I needed to know that not only was I right, but I also knew that he knew I was right. However, before I was out of hearing range, Dr. Schwartz said, "If the family is there when you get there, tell them she's going to be here with us for at least two to three weeks, and that I'll be in there to talk to them in a few minutes." "Sure thing, Doctor," I curtly replied, walking away in disgust. ~~~~~~ "Hi, Miss Jessica Sanders," I smiled, at the beautiful little blonde haired blue eyed angel that lay in her bed with her left arm and shoulder in a cast and sling, "How are you feeling, sweetie?" "My name is Jessie," she croaked, as I poured her a glass of water, "Who're you?" "My name is Mark," I smiled, holding her little head while she drank from the cup, "I'm the nurse who assisted Doctor Schwartz with your surgery, sweetie." "I thought nurses were women," she lightly giggled, her eyes gradually clearing from the anesthesia, "You're a man." "You're right," I grinned, gently tweaking the tip of her nose, "But Doctor Schwartz trusts me so; I must be pretty good, huh?" Before she could reply, and older female voice emanating from behind me near the doorway gasped, "Jessie, honey, oh God, Mommy's so glad to see you. I got here as soon as I could. Are you alright, baby?" "Mommy," Jessie suddenly cried, her mother rushing to her side, then after regaining her little faculties, she suddenly grinned and told her mother, "This is Mark. He's a nurse." "Hi," I smiled, extending my hand to the lady, "I'm Mark Howard, Doctor Schwartz's Surgical RN." "Hi, Mister Howard," she smiled, "I'm Jayne Sanders, Jessie's mother." After quickly glancing the lady over, I decided that Jessie most definitely got her looks from her Mom, as she was an attractive woman. "Its nice to meet you," I replied, "Doctor Schwartz will be in here in just a few minutes to speak with you." Suddenly a man wearing a ten-gallon hat stretched around his twenty-gallon head, wearing a western style suit, boots included, trudged into the room, and ignoring me, looked at the mother, who I noticed acted like she was afraid of him, and barked, "When can we take her home?" Thank God Doctor Schwartz arrived when he did, because just as I was about speak; he walked in and pleasantly said, "Hello folks, I'm Doctor Alvin Schwartz, the surgeon who worked on your daughter, Jessica." Before anything else could be said, I quietly slipped away and went back to the O.R. to prep for the next case I knew was coming in shortly. ~~~~~~ Chapter Four For the rest of the day I worked in near silence until it was time for me to go home. However, I wasn't going to leave without stopping by to check on little Jessie, she was such a sweetie anyway. ~~~~~~ "Hi, Jessie," I smiled, as I entered her room, "How're you feeling today, sweetie?" "I'm hungry and my arm hurts," she sniffled, "And I don't have my Boo-Baz." "I'm sorry sweetheart," I said, "What's a Boo-Baz?" "He's my teddy bear," she dismally replied, "And I can't sleep without him." "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, "Just tell me and I'll do it for you, sweetie?" Then she began to cry and said, "I want my Boo-Baz." "There, there," I soothed, "If you'll stop crying, I'll make a deal with you, okay?" "What?" she sniffled. "I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up," I smiled, "And then I'll bring you back a big surprise. How does that sound?" "Ooo," she giggled, "I like surprises." "Good," I smiled, gently caressing her cheek with the back of my hand, "I'll be back in about an hour, or so." ~~~~~~ "Hi, babe," I smiled, talking to Teela on the hospital phone, "I need your help, sweetheart." "Name it," she grinned, "How can I help?" I proceeded to tell her about little Jessie and the dilemma she was in, as well as what I had planned for her, and when I was done, Teela smiled and said, "Aw, that's so sweet, Mark, and yes, I'd be glad to help you in any way I can." "Okay, I'll see you in half an hour," I grinned, right before I hung up, "Thanks babe, I owe you one." "Mmm," she purred, "I'm gonna hold you to that one, baby." ~~~~~~ "Hi Jessie," I smiled, carrying a big brown teddy bear in my arms as Teela and I walked into Jessie's hospital room, "This is Milo," I said, handing the bear to Jessie, "And he told me that he wanted to belong to you, is that okay?" "Oh, yes," Jessie squealed, "He can stay with me as long as he wants to." "That may be a very long time," I smiled, "Are you up to it?" "No sweat," she brightly smiled, "I'll keep him as long as he wants to stay." Then she looked at me and bashfully replied, "I want to give you a hug, but my arm won't let me. Is it okay to give you a thank you kiss?" It was all I could to hold back the tears when I smiled and said, "Of course you can, my little angel," and I leaned down to receive my prize from this, the most precious of all God's children. After Jessie had kissed my cheek, I sat on the bed next to her as she looked at Teela and asked, "Is she your girlfriend?" "Yes," I immediately replied, "She sure is." "You're pretty," Jessie told Teela. "Why, thank you," Teela smiled, "So are you." "I broke my arm," Jessie said, and then looking at me, added, "And it hurts, too." "I can take care of that," I smiled, "Teela will sit with you till I get back, okay?" "Okay, Mark," Jessie smiled. ~~~~~~ "Here we go, baby girl," I smiled, returning to her room with a syringe half full of Demerol, and injecting it into the port of the bifurcation on her IV tube, "This is going to make you sleepy, sweetie." And two seconds later, Jessie's little eyes became glazed over as she began to get drowsy. Right before she went to sleep, I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and said, "Nitey night, baby girl, I'll see you tomorrow." For The Love of a Child ~~~~~~ As we walked down the hall of the hospital on the way out to the parking lot, Teela smiled as she cuddled into my arm and said, "You're going to make a great father someday." "You think so?" I asked smiling. "No, I don't just think so," she giggled, "I know so." "Hmm," I teased, "I'll have to keep that in mind when it comes time for me to pick out a woman to bear my children." "You are such a shit," she giggled, playfully smacking me on the butt, "I loved watching you interact with Jessie, Mark. I thought it was absolutely precious." It was then that I proceeded to tell her about Jessie's injury as well as my feelings and thoughts about it, and when I was done, Teela had tears in her eyes as she asked, "How could anyone be that cruel to a child so beautiful?" "I don't know, my love," I softly replied, holding her hand as we walked, "But I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, regardless of the consequences." "Be careful, baby," she warned, "The hospital is real funny about...." "I know," I politely interrupted, "Doc Schwartz has already given me the lecture about making accusations with no proof." "I know it's frustrating, baby," she said, "But child abuse is very hard to prove." "All I have is the feeling in my gut," I told her, becoming slightly angry, "But I know that the father is behind it, somehow." "Take it easy, baby," Teela smiled, "I've got something that will take your mind off of it." "Oh yeah?" I smiled, raising my eyebrows up and down, "And exactly what would that be?" "You'll just have to wait and see," she giggled, "Dirty boy." ~~~~~~ "Well, hey Mike," said Colonel Miller, when Teela and I walked into his house, "How're ya doin, kid?" "Not bad, Colonel, "I smiled, "How are you, sir?" "I'm good," he smiled, as we shook hands, "It's good to see you." "Hi, Mark," Sharon smiled, "It's good to see you again. Are you staying for dinner?" "Yes," Teela smiled, answering for me, "Is Miss Ida making Mexican food tonight?" "I'm not sure," Sharon replied, "She's in the kitchen, if you want to go ask her." "I think I will," Teela smiled, kissing me on the cheek," I'll be back in a minute, baby." "Okay," I grinned. ~~~~~~ "How are things at work, Mark?" Sharon asked, "Teela tells us that you're very good at what you do." "I enjoy it," I smiled, "And it's rewarding knowing that we're helping children." "It always helps when you enjoy your work," Colonel Miller grinned, "Doesn't it?" "Yes, sir," I replied, "I've been there when it wasn't so enjoyable so; I definitely agree with you, Colonel." "Speaking of which," he smiled, "I ran into a mutual friend of ours when I was in Washington yesterday." "Oh, really?" I grinned, "And who was that, sir?" "General Haskell Markinson," he knowingly smiled, "And he spoke very highly of you, Mark." "Damn," I laughed, "And all this time I thought he didn't like me." "Nah," he laughed, "The old son-of-a-bitch likes to act that way. The truth is, he thinks you're the best he ever saw." "I was always getting shot at," I pointedly replied, "I'd hate to see what would've happened if he didn't like me." Needless to say, Pete thought that was funny and broke into an uproarious fit of laughter and said; "Markinson also told me that you made a better Marine than any swabbie he'd ever seen in his whole career in the Corps." "That figures," I laughed, "The old bastard." "That he is, m'boy," Pete laughed, "That he is..." ~~~~~~ I ate the best Mexican food I'd ever had that night, and when we were done, Teela smiled at me, and to her mother, said, "You ought to see Mark with his patients, Mom." "Oh really," Sharon smiled, "Do tell, baby girl." Teela told her mother, who sat totally engrossed while listening to her daughter, about my interaction with little Jessie Sanders. "You should've seen him with that little girl Mom, it was so sweet," Teela smiled, while winking at me. "It sounds to me like Mark will make a great father someday," Sharon sweetly smiled, "It's a rare thing to find a man with a heart like that, Teela honey." "Jeez," Pete playfully groaned, "Give the kid a break, you two." "Oh hush, Daddy," Teela giggled, "You've been the same way with me for as far back as I can remember so; there." "If you're going to date my daughter, Mark," he said, "Then you need to know that she talks entirely too much." "Uh huh," I laughed, "I've noticed." "You better watch it, Mister," Teela playfully scolded, "Or you just might find me not here the next time you call looking for me." "Oh, that is such a load of bullshit," her father grinned, "Why don't you tell that shit to someone who doesn't know you, young lady?" "You'd better leave me alone, Daddy," Teela giggled, as she hugged her father, "Or you'll have to find someone else to rub your feet when they hurt." ~~~~~~ Teela and I were sitting on a swinging double chair that was mounted inside a small gazebo in their back yard after dinner that night, when she leaned over and softly kissed my lips. "What was that for?" I asked. "That was because I want to tell you something," she tenderly replied, "But I'm not real sure how you're going to react to it, baby." "It can't be that bad," I smiled, "Tell me, what is it." "I'm in love with you, Mark," she softly cried, leaning her head on my shoulder, "And I realized it when I saw you with Jessie earlier today. I hope I don't scare you off now that I've told you how I feel." "Don't be afraid, my beautiful girl," I softly told her, "Because, to tell the truth, I fell in love with you that night at Mike's party." "I love you, Mark," she openly told me, "And I promise to love you my whole life, with all my heart." "I love you, too," I replied, "With all my heart, baby." "So, what do you propose we do about it?" she tenderly said, "I'm still not ready to make love with you yet, I hope that's okay." "You take all the time you need, sweetheart," I smiled, "We've got the rest of our lives to spend together, and we'll make love when the time is right." "I knew I was right to fall in love with you, Mark," she giddily smiled, "And I can't wait to tell all my friends at work." "Tell whomever you wish, my love," I replied, "And that includes Michael Gaines as well." "I love you so much," she breathed, hugging me softly and tenderly. "I love you, too," I replied, throwing my arms around her in order to hold her body closely to mine. ~~~~~~ That night as I drove home, I realized that in meeting Teela, my life had taken a turn for the better, and that I had a beautiful woman that loved me; I mean she really loved me. I also didn't forget to thank God either, I mean, after all, he was the one responsible for placing her in my life to begin with so; why not be thankful?" ~~~~~~ The next morning at work found me sitting in Mike Gaines' office with Teela waiting for his arrival. "How did you sleep last night, my love?" I asked Teela, while I waited. "Mmm," she purred, "I would've slept a whole lot better if you'd been lying next me, baby." "Is that right," I grinned, "Well, one of these days soon we'll have to see what we can do about changing that, huh?" Before she could respond, Mike walked into his office, looking at us with a smile on his face, saying, "I hate to break up you two lovebirds, but I need to see you in my office, Mark." ~~~~~~ "I understand that you think Jessica Sanders has been abused," he said, the moment his office door had closed. "I sure do, Mike," I said, "But I'm going to have to get proof before I can do anything about it." "No," he adamantly replied, "You're not going to do anything, do you understand?" "You didn't see that child's injuries, Mike," I explained, "There was no way in hell she could've received those kinds of injuries from falling from a damned tree." "Hey, calm down, sport," he smiled, "I believe you." "Great," I excitedly replied, "So, when do we start the investigation?" "I hate to tell you this, Mark," he told me, "But there will be no investigation. We're doctors, not police officers." "Well, sure," I agreed, "But we're going to call them in to at least take a look, aren't we?" "Take a look at what?" he asked, "You said yourself that you didn't have any proof, yes?" "All we need to do is let them talk to me and Doctor Schwartz, and then.... "No, Mark," he interrupted, "I'm trying to be as nice as I can about this because not only you're young, but you're new, too. So, I'm telling you, as a friend, to drop it and leave it alone. Do I make myself clear?" Needless to say, I was highly pissed off, but as opposed to raising any more fuss about it and putting my job at risk; I simply looked at Mike and said, "Are we through here?" "Yeah," he smiled, "Do you want to...." "If you'll please excuse me," I curtly interrupted him, "I've got a lot of work to do, Doctor," and with that said, I stood up, then turned around and walked out of his office, not even stopping to talk to Teela on the way. ~~~~~~ If I wasn't going to be allowed to look into Jessie's wounds, then I decided, that because she was my patient, I would stop by her room on my way to work to see how she was doing that morning. "Hi, Mark," Jessie smiled, the moment I waked onto her room. Her mother was also there, and in greeting the two of them, I simply smiled and replied, "Hi, Jessie, hi, Missus Sanders, how are the two of you this morning?" "The doctor was just here," Jessie excitedly replied, "He said I was healing." "Oh, he did," I said, trying to be pleasant, when I was pissed off at no end to hear that particular piece of news that morning, "That's great, sweetie." "Thank you for bringing Jessie a new bear," Jayne Sanders smiled, "That was a very nice thing to do even though you didn't have to." No sooner had she spoken than her husband walked into Jessie's room and said, "What did the Doctor say?" "He said I was healing," Jessie smiled. "I wasn't talking to you, God dammit," he loudly bellowed, "I was speaking to your mother." This was all the excuse I needed to have his ass thrown out of there, but as opposed to making a scene, I stepped between him and Jayne and Jessie and coolly said, "Excuse me, sir, but would you please keep your voice down. We have other patients that are trying to rest." "Fuck you," he laughed, "I'll kick your ass, you long haired motherfucker." I was ready to pulverize this fat fuck, but once again, not wanting to raise too big of a fuss and put my job at risk, I simply smiled and said, "Fine, have your way then," and left Jessie's room and headed toward the security office. ~~~~~~ "What can I do for you, sir?" asked Benjamin Jones, the head security officer. After explaining what had taken place and telling him that I had been threatened with bodily harm, I looked at Ben and said, "I want that fat fuck thrown out of here on his ass, and if he tries to come back in, arrest the son-of-a-bitch." "Well, we certainly have cause to throw him out," smiled Ben, "Would you follow me please?" Certainly," I grinned, "Lead the way." ~~~~~~ "Who the fuck do you people think you are, son of a bitch?" shouted Jessie's father, whom I found out went by the name of Jim Sanders, "My child is a patient here, God dammit." "I'm asking you nicely to leave under your own accord," smiled Ben, "Or else I'll bring the police in here and have you arrested. Do you understand?" As he left the room, he glared at me and said, "This ain't over with, asshole." "You've got that right," I grinned, "Now, don't go away mad, just go away." ~~~~~~ "Would you like to tell me what the hell just went on upstairs," Dr. Schwartz angrily inquired, "And why did you feel the need to call security?" I explained what all had taken place in Jessie's room, and the fact that he's threatened me with bodily harm, and when I was done, I looked him squarely in the eyes and said, "I followed hospital procedure, Doc. Besides, the son-of-a-bitch threatened me again right before he left; and I pray to God that I get the opportunity to meet up with that fat cock-sucker outside of this hospital." "Oh yeah?" Dr. Schwartz laughed, "And just what're gonna do, bad ass?" "I'm going to beat his fat redneck ass," I growled, "And when I'm done, I'm gonna leave his ass to rot in the fucking sun." "What happens outside of this hospital is of no concern to me," he smiled, "Now, get to work ya bum." I was so busy the rest of the morning that I was grateful when lunchtime came. ~~~~~~ "Hi, handsome," said a familiar female voice behind me as I sat in the cafeteria eating lunch, "Do you mind if I sit down and eat with you, baby?" "I don't know," I teased, "My girlfriend might get pissed off if she finds out that I'm eating lunch with a strange woman." "Strange woman, hell," Teela giggled, sitting down next to me, "You are such a shit, I swear." "And your point is?" "Silly boy," she smiled, "Are you alright after this morning?" "Yeah, I'm alright," I said, "It's just that this hospital's bullshit politics pisses me off." "I know, baby," she replied, "But I wouldn't let it bother me too much if I were you." "And why not?" I pointedly asked, "Is it right that I shouldn't report a redneck asshole for abusing his daughter, because if that's the case, then what the hell are we all doing here to start with?" "But you have no proof, Mark," she replied, "You said so yourself." "Maybe not," I said, "But I know what my gut tells me." "So, your gut feeling is your proof," she argued, "And I suppose you're going to tell the police "Excuse me officer, arrest this man because my gut tells me he's abusing his daughter," come on, Mark honey, get real." "I would think that you, my girlfriend of all people, would believe me," I snapped, "But I guess that you're so caught up in turning a blind eye just like everyone else around here that you can't see it either. Look, I've got to go back to work," and with that said, I rose from the table, and without looking back, walked swiftly away before she had the chance say anything ~~~~~~ After checking the schedule as well as asking permission from Doctor Schwartz, I took some personal time off that afternoon to collect my thoughts. I'd always found when I was a boy, that I always felt less at odds with myself when I was near the water. So, with my father's permission, I took his boat out of the nearby harbor and out onto the open ocean. ~~~~~~ Chapter Five The ocean wind in my face allowed me to clear my head and be seemingly able to look at things objectively. However, the more I thought about Jessie, the more I was reminded of a time when I was in the Navy and went out with the Marines to help evacuate allied civilians who were stranded deep in the western regions of Beirut. A lot of fighting and shelling had taken place there the night before; and what I saw once we reached the area almost brought the contents of my stomach out of my mouth. Bodies were laying everywhere, some were in pieces, and others were whole and/or missing limbs. But what really got to me the most was the aftermath of where one of the shells had hit a children's hospital. Several small and disfigured little bodies were recklessly strewn about, their tiny little faces frozen in horror from what had most likely killed them before they knew what hit them, my God; it was the most terrible thing I'd ever seen. And once our objective had been completed, the civilians safely evacuated, and we were all back in a secure compound, I found a private place and fell to my knees in tears, asking God to find a safe haven for the little souls who's lives had been so violently taken from them. I prayed that wherever they were, God had his arms around them and was keeping them safe, no longer having to live in fear for their young lives. Those children had been casualties, but I knew in my heart that sweet and precious little Jessica would not be another one Come hell or high water, I was going to find a way to protect her, hence the reason I made a promise to God right then and there that I would never again let the life of a child be uselessly thrown away. ~~~~~~ I'd been out on the water for about four hours when I noticed two things, one, I was getting low on fuel, and two, it was beginning to get late and I needed to get home to call Teela and apologize to her for being such an asshole at lunch earlier that day. ~~~~~~ As I headed back to shore I thought about Teela and how much she'd come to mean to me in such a short period of time. She was the epitome of everything beautiful that I'd ever seen in my life, and I'd been to several different countries all over the world by this time. Still though, I loved her now and that was all that mattered, well, at least for the time being anyway. ~~~~~~ As I pulled the boat from the fuel dock into the slip at the marina, I was pleased to find Teela sitting on the tackle box that was mounted on the dock, waiting for me with a smile on her face; and I could've sworn that my heart skipped a beat just then. I made sure that the boat was docked, moored, and as I'd already stopped and done so on the way in, the tanks had been topped off. "Hi, Teela," I smiled, "Baby, I'm really sorry about wh..." "Shh," she interrupted me, softly placing her index finger upon my lips, "There's nothing to apologize for so, don't even try." "I love you, Teela," I said, gently pulling her body to mine in a tight embrace. "I know, baby," she tenderly replied, "I love you, too." "Wait a minute," I smiled, suddenly wondering how she knew where to find me, "How did you know I was here?" "Your Mom told me," she giggled, "She told me to tell you, and I quote, "Tell that damn stubborn boy to get his head out of his ass and talk to you" so, here I am." "I love you so much," I laughed, "Don't listen to Mom. She'll get you into trouble or lost." "Ooo, Mark," she playfully scolded, "Wait till I tell her what you said." "I don't care," I lied, "Tell her whatever you want." "You are such a liar," she giggled, "I know you'd rather bite a rhinoceros's dick than have your mother on your ass." "I don't know sweetheart," I uncontrollably laughed, barely able to speak, "I've never bitten a rhinoceros on the dick before." "Come on, silly boy," she delightfully giggled, "It's time to go home." Okay," I grinned, as we began to walk up the pier, hand-in-hand, "But I want to stop by the store at the marina and get some Gatorade® to drink on the way home." "Alright, baby," she smiled, after kissing me. ~~~~~~ When we walked into the store I saw two old men, Gabe Price and Ernie Skinner, that had known me since I was a little boy, and loved to mess with either me, or in this particular case, any new friends that they saw me with. I decided not to say anything to Teela to see how she reacted to them. Now these two old guys were just as nice as could be, but they had it within them to be able infuriate anyone within earshot, and I was fairly sure that this time would be the same. That's why I silently winked at them when they saw my beautiful Teela at my side as we entered the store. "Hey, Gabe," Ernie, who the closest to us, loudly said, when we approached the cash register to check out, "You ever see a pair of shorts stretch across something that looks this fine?" referring to Teela, of course. "I don't know, old buddy," Gabe laughed, "She looks a little young to me. You know, still wet behind the ears and has Mamma's milk on her breath." It was all I could do to keep a straight face, when Teela turned to Ernie and indignantly, said, "Excuse me, but I know you're not talking about me." "Why would you think that," Ernie teased, "You got a guilty conscious or something." For The Love of a Child "No," Teela seethed, "But you two were using words like "her" and "she", and I'm the only woman in here." "You ain't no woman," Gabe cackled, "You're still a split-tail girl...girl." "I turn twenty-one this weekend, thank you," she angrily growled, "So kiss my ass...you old bastard." "Calm down, darlin," Ernie chuckled, "You're starting to get us stirred up with that smell of yours." "Why... you old son-of-a-bitch," Teela hissed, "As far as smells go, let me tell you something. You smell like a fat chunk of hippopotamus ass that's been boiled fifty-five gallons of hyena piss so; fuck off." Then she turned to me and exasperatedly asked, "Can we go now?" "She's a good one, Mark," Ernie said, as we were leaving, "You better hang on to that one." "Yeah," Gabe smiled, "We like her." "Thanks guys," I laughed, "We'll see you later." ~~~~~~ "You mean to tell me that you know those two?" Teela scowled, as I smiled, "That wasn't funny." "Rhinoceros dick, hippopotamus ass, hyena piss," I chuckled, "I think you've been watching too much Wild Kingdom on the TV." "Oh, shut up, you're coming home with me," she smiled. "And what makes you think that?" I teased, as I followed her to her car. "Because I want you with me," she pouted, and then giggled, "Besides, I already told your Dad that you wouldn't be home tonight." "Wait a minute," I said, stopping in the middle of the parking lot, "What about your parents?" "They left this morning for two weeks," she seductively purred, "Are you coming or not?" "Mmm," I replied, quickly hugging her, "Lead the way, baby." ~~~~~~ As the afternoon waned into the evening I followed Teela back to her house to find it empty. Both of her parents as well as the grounds and house staff had all been dismissed for the two weeks that Peter and Sharon would be gone. "I meant to ask you," I smiled, as we walked into her family's house, "What does your father do for a living?" "Oh, that," she giggled, "My family owns over a hundred hospitals world wide, including the one we both work at." I filed that information in the back of my mind to use at a later date, but in the mean time, my attention was focused solely on my beautiful Teela. I swear she is still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen because.... Oopps, I'm getting ahead of myself. ~~~~~~ That night Teela fed me roast beef with roasted potatoes, with some green beans on the side, which was all very tasty. And when I was done, she looked at me and purred, "Come on, baby, it's time for us to take a shower. ~~~~~~ As we stood in the bathroom getting ready to shower, we took the time to undress one another slowly and sensually. She took off my shirt, kissing bits of exposed flesh once the clothing had been removed. Then came my shorts, and because I wasn't wearing underwear, my extremely hard, seven and a half inch cock made its presence known very quickly. "Oh, my," Teela seductively smiled, gently grabbing my shaft, "You and I are going to have a lot of fun, baby." "I hope so," I grinned, "Now it's my turn to take your clothes off." "No need, baby," she giggled, "Watch this," and in mere seconds, she was as naked as the day she was born. Her body was a pure work of art, made solely by the hand of God himself. Her large and pendulous breasts, a 36D, hung gently down her front, capped with dark raspberry aureole, roughly three inches in diameter, anchoring her rubbery nipples that were at least three inches long, and as big around as my little finger. Looking further down her gently curved, but sleek body, I rose my eyes from her dainty little feet, all the way up her perfectly shaped legs to find a small patch of dark brown, almost black hair upon the top of her mons. I was momentarily speechless until she looked at me and sensually breathed, "I love you, Mark," while together, almost as if we'd been preprogrammed to do so, took each other into one another's arms. And pressing our naked bodies so closely together that even a laser couldn't penetrate a space between us, we professed our undying love for one another until we climbed under the water as it rained from the overhead shower nozzle to trickle upon us. Neither of us said a word as we washed one another. The only form of communication that passed between us was a subtle smile, a slight moan, or an even slighter kiss. We acted almost primal, the only sign of our humanity being the gentle touches and even more tender caresses. ~~~~~~ Once we were dry, Teela led me, the both of us still naked, into her bedroom and onto her bed. This is where I simply have to tell you that I'll never get tired of watching her naked ass from behind as she walks. And even through the times that we had to spend apart, I hated to see her leave, but I absolutely loved watching her walk away. (Yeah, yeah I know what you female readers are saying right now...typical guy, huh?) Anyway, as she lay down on the bed, pulling me with her until our bodies were face-to-face, she tenderly kissed me and said, "Before now, I never even entertained the idea of letting someone make love to me unless I was married," happy tears began to fill her eyes as she continued, "What I'm trying to say, Mark, is that I'm still a virgin. I swore to myself that the only man that I would ever make love to would be the man that wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. If you're that man, then I'm yours, but if you have even the slightest doubt, you need to tell me right now, and we'll get up and get dressed." "Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you talk too much," I smiled, tenderly kissing her lips, "I love you, Teela, I always will and I'm not going anywhere...ever." "Oh, yeah?" she sniffled smiling, as I nodded, "Well, just don't go making promises you can't keep." "Like I said, " I replied, pulling her as close to me as was possible, and then lightly kissing her lips, "You talk too much She pulled me on top of her, spreading her legs the moment she was on her back. And then wrapping her legs around the back of mine, in order to securely hold me in place, she looked into my eyes and softly purred, "I want you inside of me now, Mark. Fuck me and make me yours, and yours alone, my love." We didn't have any intentions of hurrying what was now inevitable; as I slowly, inch by agonizing inch, eased my cock inside of her until I came to her maidenhead. "I'm sorry, my love," I softly groaned, "But this is going to hurt." "Just do it, baby," she panted, "Make it quick so that...ungh," she yelped, as I pierced her membrane, her body clinging tightly to me. "God, that hurt," she whimpered, "I love you, Mark." "I love you, too," I tenderly replied, kissing away the lone tear that was making its way down her cheek, "You'll start to feel better in a few minutes after you get used to it." "It feels good now," she began to giggle, "It only hurt because your big elephant cock popped my cherry." "Let me see," I smiled, "You've talked about rhinoceros dick, hippopotamus ass, hyena piss, and elephant cock. What's next, panther pussy?" "Oh, my God," she howled, "You are so baaa...oh, God," as I began to slowly move in and out of her. Every time I plunged my cock into her warm wet, and extremely tight pussy, I made sure to lean down and suck the rock hard nipples on her beautiful tits. "Oh, yes, Mark," she began to pant, as I suddenly picked up the pace, "Faster, Ooo, yes, harder, oh my God, Mark...Fuck me, ungh, ungh, OH, OH, OH YES, YES, MY GOD, MARK, I'M CUMMING...FUCK ME HARD...OOOHHH, YES I'M CUUUMMMIIINNNGG, UNGH, UNGH." "Ungh, Teela, baby, here I come," I loudly groaned, emptying the entire contents of my balls deep within the warm wet recesses of her tight pussy. ~~~~~~ As we lay together in the afterglow of our love, she leaned her head up on her elbow as she slowly rubbed her hand across the expanse of my chest, stopping to lightly tweak my nipples along the way. "I sure enjoyed that, baby," she softly said, "And I promise to always love and be good to you and never hurt you." "Good," I smiled, "Because I'll never leave you, I'll love you for the rest of my life, and God help anyone who tries to hurt you." "Hey, I'm hungry," she suddenly said, "You wanna come with me into the kitchen and help me make supper." "Sure, you go ahead," I grinned, "I wanna walk behind you and look at that beautiful naked little ass." "Pervert," she laughed, as she got out of bed, making me chase her into the kitchen, squealing every step of the way as I gently pinched her beautiful and tight little ass. ~~~~~~ We'd decided to make some chili, and as I was browning the ground chuck roast; I saw Teela, out of the corner of my eye, chopping the vegetables, as she was unknowingly being watched. The evening sun had almost set, and there was just barely enough light to pour through the window and onto her naked form. It was then that I knew that I would never be able to live without her, as I beheld for the first of many times, the most beautiful thing I would ever see. "What're you looking at?" she sweetly asked me, a beautiful smile lighting up her face, and warming my heart. "You are so beautiful," I told her, "The most beautiful woman I've ever seen." "I love you, Mark," she said, suddenly dropping what she was doing to press her naked body to mine from behind, while she squeezed my butt, "God, I love you so much." "I love you, too, baby, I really do," I smiled, reaching behind us and patting her little ass, "But if you keep doing that, the chili won't get finished." ~~~~~~ We ate a leisurely meal, stopping to feed one another, or to playfully kiss and laugh. And when we had finished, we cleaned the kitchen, and hand-in-hand, walked back to her bedroom for another round of lovemaking until we fell asleep in one another's arms, sleeping the whole night through. ~~~~~~ The schedule was fairly open the next day at work, and after I'd assigned jobs to my team members, I finished up my paperwork and then headed to Mike Gaines' office. ~~~~~~ "Good morning, baby," Teela sweetly greeted me, when I got to Mike's office, "I slept so good next to you last night." "I did, too, and I love you," I smiled, "Is Mike in?" "Aw, I love you, too, baby," she blushed, "Yeah, he's here so; go on in." "I'll see you at lunch," I smiled, as I walked into Mike's office. ~~~~~~ "Hey, kid," Mike smiled, when he saw me walking into his office, "Close the door and come on in." I did as he asked and took a seat, while Mike pressed his intercom button, and said, "Teela, would you get me and your boyfriend a couple of Mocha Lattes, please?" "Okay, Mike," I heard her giggle, ""It's going to be a few minutes." "Thanks, kiddo," he smiled, and then turned the intercom off. "So," he said, sporting a shit-eating grin on his face, "How're you and Teela getting along? It must be good from the look on her face when she got to work this morning." "Oh, you shut up," I laughed, "She's a wonderful girl, and really like her a lot," I sighed, "A whole lot." "I'm gonna call bullshit on that one," he laughed, "Come on, Mark, this is your old buddy Mike. Tell me the truth," his tone of voice a little softer now, "It's okay, man, you're among friends, brother." "Alright, I love her," I relented, "Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?" "As a matter of fact, I am," Mike smiled, standing up and patting me on the back, "She's my God Daughter, Mark; and she's the real thing, kid, true blue." Before I could comment, which I was going to sit Mike down and ask some questions, a lot of them as a matter of fact, Teela came in with our beverages. And after placing them on Mike's desk, she rubbed her palm across my chest, dragging her nails as she passed me on her way out, closing the door behind her. "Damn," Mike laughed, "You are in so much trouble, because Teela will give you mortal hell if you ever piss her off, I hope you know that." "So, what," I nonchalantly replied, "I love her and that's all that matters to me, but there's a few things that you and I need to discuss before this goes any further." "Oh, really," he attentively responded, his curiosity obviously now piqued, "And exactly what would those "few things" just happen to be, my young inquisitive friend?" "Okay, then," I began, "Let's start with your relationship with Teela." "What about it?" he openly replied, "Come on, Mark, what is it that you really want to know." "How is it that you've known her since she was little," I asked, "And why is she your God Daughter?" "I figured this would eventually happen one day so; here it is, kid," he began, "Teela's father and I were part of a Special Observations Group that operated all over Southeast Asia; and when I say all over, I'm talking about not only South Vietnam, but North Vietnam, too, as well as Cambodia and Laos." "Jeez, North Vietnam as well as Cambodia and Laos," I stupidly asked, "What the hell were you doing there?" "Our jobs," her replied, his icy stare immediately making me realize that, that was all I needed to know, "We were doing our jobs, no more, no less...Pete and I became close friends," Mike now began to smile, "We made a deal with each other that, if we both got out there alive, then the first one to have kids, the other one would be their God Father. So, do you have any more questions, Mark?" "No, and I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories, " I replied, "I'm really sorry about that." "You didn't bring back any bad memories, kid," he smiled, "If anything, you just showed me how much you care for her by asking me things about her." "It's like I've already told you," I seriously replied, "I love her, Mike, and woe be unto the first asshole that ever tries to hurt her." "I believe you," he smiled, "And thanks, Mark." "Thanks," I asked, "What're you thanking me for?" "For being good to Teela," he smiled, his eyes beginning to fill with tears, "She's like a daughter to me, and you're a good man whom, I know for a fact, she's head-over-heels in love with." "Oh, yeah?" I teased, "And just how would you know that?" "Don't act like a dumb ass," he laughed, "You know exactly what I'm talking about." "Yeah, I do," I smiled, "And just so you know, I'm going to ask her to marry me one day." "Good," he chuckled, "But until that day comes, I know for a fact that you're getting off work after lunch, and I was wondering if you felt like jumping again this afternoon." "How do you know that?" "A little bird told me," he knowingly grinned, "Besides, the weather's going to be perfect at the drop zone." "Cool," I replied, "But I don't have a chute." "That's another thing," he smiled, "I found a good deal on a ram-air pilot chute that's only been used twice." "Only twice, huh?" I curiously asked, "How much do they want for it?" "Well," he began, "It belongs to a friend of mine and I can vouch for the integrity of the chute, but I'm fairly certain that I can get you a good deal, no more than two thousand dollars at the very most." "How old is it?" I asked, "The chute, I mean." "I know what you meant," Mike laughed, picking up the phone, "Hang for a second and I'll call him right now. While Mike was on the phone, I stepped out of his office to go talk to Teela. Imagine my surprise to find little Jessica sitting in a wheelchair next to Teela's desk, the two of them eating ice cream and giggling. "What're you doing out of your room, young lady?" I smiled, as her little face lit up at seeing me, "Does Doctor Schwartz know about this?" "Yes, he does," Teela knowingly grinned, "I just saw him a little while ago and I asked him if it was okay; and he said it was fine with him, just as long as it wasn't for too long." "Okay then," I warmly smiled, "How're you feeling today, Jess?" "I feel pretty good," she giggled, "Especially since Teela came and got me." "Yeah that's because she spoils you rotten," I chuckled, gently touching the sweet child's face with the back of my hand, "But that's okay, too, baby girl" "If that's not a case of the pot calling the kettle black, then I don't know what is," Teela giggled, "You big softy." "Hush up, silly girl," I smiled, making Jessie giggle. ~~~~~~ Mike had stuck a deal over the phone for the price of my parachute, and as soon as Dr. Schwartz told me that I had the rest of the day off when I returned from lunch, which I had with Teela of course, Mike and I headed out to the "Flying V". "The guy that owns the chute is gonna meet us at the Flying V," Mike excitedly grinned, "I've seen it and you're gonna love it, kid." "I need to stop by the bank and get some money out," I replied, "That way I can pay cash for it on the spot." "Hold off for a bit," Mike knowingly grinned, "You might even be surprised." "But what about the..." "You've got to learn to trust me, kid," Mike smiled, "You worry too much." ~~~~~~ Chapter Six "Well, I'll be damned," I smiled, when I saw my father inside the parachute hangar, talking and joking with Victor, "What the hell are you doing here?" "What?" he innocently replied, "I just came out here to sell a parachute." "Yeah, right," I laughed, "Since when did you start jumping?" "Yesterday afternoon, and this morning," he grinned, Mike and Victor both now laughing. When I sensed the familiarity between the three of them, I chuckled and said, "Alright, you guys, what the hell is going on here?" "I told you two he'd figure it out," Mike laughed, "He's just like his father was in the Nam, whom, by the way, is the reason we're all still alive." Of course, I knew that my father had been in the Marine Corps, and that he'd also fought in Vietnam, he'd just never really seemed like he wanted to talk about it so; I'd simply quit asking, thinking nothing of it until this very moment. Then it began to hit me as I pieced together certain facts, which I'd been recently made aware of. First of all, Mike and Pete, Teela's father, had become friends in Vietnam, and as it had now become openly obvious; Victor had also been part of the team that Mike had told me about. I was proudly shocked when Mike put his arm around my father's shoulder, and to me, said, "We are the last living members of an eight-man team that worked for the Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam War." "Wow," I gasped, "Why didn't you ever tell me, Dad?" "I'm sorry for not telling you son," Dad sadly smiled, "But after I came home, your mother and I agreed to never talk about it again," then looking around at all of us, "When we really should have right then and there," then his eyes began to silently fill with tears, "But there are still a lot of things that you don't really need to know, okay?" "It's alright, Dad," I smiled, patting his shoulder, "It really is," "Okay, we're all cool now," Mike interjected, diffusing a potentially sad situation, "And now for the reason we're all here to begin with," looking at his watch, "In eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," then suddenly running out of the hangar and looking straight up; Mike pointed his finger skyward, and laughed, "There he is...the crazy son-of-a-bitch." I looked up to see a lone figure falling away from a large aircraft much further up in altitude. Mike told me that aircraft was at an altitude somewhere between twenty thousand, to twenty-five thousand feet, when the jumper bailed. "Good God," I gasped, "Who in their right mind would do something that insane?" "Pete," replied Mike, Victor and Dad, simultaneously, and then laughed like old college buddies on a get-away weekend. "Pete, as in Teela's Dad," I incredulously asked, "That Pete?" "That would be the one," Victor laughed. "He always was a crazy son-of-a-bitch to start with," Mike laughed.