Bedtime started off a bit awkward. Faith volunteered to sleep on the couch and after exchanging a look (and a wink) with Tina, Connie said she was more than welcome to sleep with us. �There�s only one problem� she added �we usually sleep in the nude. If that bothers you I�m sure we can find something to wear.�
Faith said �I usually sleep in the buff too, and I don�t have any clothes, either. I don�t even have anything to wear to school tomorrow. Half of what I had on were rags when I got here and the other half is dirty. I�m not what you could call modest and if you�re really serious I wouldn�t mind at all sleeping in your bed. After today, it might be nice to be close to someone, especially my hero. I don�t even want to think about what would have happened if Matt wasn�t there. I don�t want to impose though.�
Connie smiled and told her that it wouldn�t be unusual at all for someone to join them us bed and Faith looked a little flustered as I left them to explain while I gathered some supplies.
I rounded up some plastic wrap for Faith�s knee so she could get cleaned up. As I finished wrapping it she remarked that she wasn�t sure she could manage the shower.
I could have sworn I saw them exchange a smile before Tina offered our services to assist her. The service included undressing each other as she watched before we helped each other undress her. I studied her when we finished as she blushed and told Tina that Rhonda�s clothes should fit her close enough for now.
Tina agreed and added �yep, they both have great bods and Rhonda has a few outfits here. I know she won�t mind if our new sister borrows one. We�ll get her some things of her own tomorrow after school.� Faith made no comment until we finished.
She gave a little pout afterwards and said �I thought Matt was checking me out for a minute there. I guess he�s not interested. I don't blame him as ugly as I am.�
Connie pointed at my midsection, which was sporting an impressive erection and chuckled �oh he�s interested alright and even if it isn�t as obvious, I am too!�
Bless her. Faith's self esteem had to be in the shitter. She wasn't the reason I was hard and I think she knew it. Some day though, she'd be proud of her appearance if I had my way
I provided support for Faith�s upper half so while she leaned on me. Connie washed from her waist up while Tina did the honors on her lower half. Occasionally I would steal a kiss and they were getting progressively steamier and longer. Occasionally I could see Faith wince in pain.
Something finally dawned on me and I slapped my head and said �stupid! What am I doing?�
Tina looked up and I pointed at myself and then Faith�s knee. She caught on immediately and began to laugh �I know you. I think you were distracted by her sexy body and completely forgot!�
Faith was confused and I gave her the hottest kiss yet as I healed her knee. Her eyes remained closed for a few seconds after our lips parted company. When they opened she said �wow! I�ve never had a kiss that felt like that. I�m still tingling all over! It was almost as nice as the first one!�
She looked down when Tina started removing the bandage and started to object until she saw her knee and looked at me for an explanation. After all the other surprises she took this one in stride and asked for another kiss. I obliged and when she gasped in the middle of it I knew what the other two were up to.
We stepped out of the shower and helped each other dry off before hurrying to bed. There was no doubt that we all wanted the same thing.
Tina immediately began to lap Faith�s cunt again. It must be really tasty and I resolved to find out firsthand soon. Faith didn�t seem to mind.
For some reason she seemed to love kissing. I didn�t complain. She was really good at it. If she had lips it would have been even better. Hers were pretty thin, just like the rest of her. I still enjoyed it while Connie started nibbling her nipples. I think it was the intense orgasm that she was having that broke the spell.
Tina started working her way up as I moved lower as Connie took over for me. We met in the middle and exchanged some kisses of our own before continuing on our separate ways. I had been right about the taste. No wonder Tina had been so interested, Faith was delicious. After I brought her off again Tina tapped me on the head and motioned me upward. I got the message and moved to enter Faith�s dripping pussy.
I slid in easily as I kissed her while Connie and Tina suckled her little bumps that passed for breasts. She let out a hiss and her eyes opened wide �wow!� she gasped �I think you hit bottom!� I had met no resistance, for which I was glad. She also was not extremely tight.
The fit was snug, but not overly so, all in all, it was a comfortable fit. I began to make love to her slowly. I was beginning to wonder if she was like Anya, but after fifteen minutes or so I could tell she was getting close. Her gasps and throaty moans were changing to �oh yes, faster please, oh gods, harder! Fuck that feels good! Oh yes I�m gonnaaaaaaahhhhh� I felt her pussy clamp down tighter as her ass rose off the bed and her body trembled uncontrollably for a bit.
I slowed down until she was ready to go again and went to work in more ways than one. The malnourishment would cure itself but the damage done to her body from its effects needed attention.
Her development had been stunted and she had some other internal problems. I put those on a path to wellness and gave her the same treatment Angie had received. I also started her teeth and nose on the way to being straight. While I was in the vicinity, her lips got a boost for good measure.
The other things would have to be corrected through love and care. She'd have to live with the feet. I didn't seem to be able to shrink things. I hadn't tried until now so maybe I just needed to work on it.
She was on the verge again when I finished and I hurried to catch up. She still made it first but I was right behind her.
As I unleashed a torrent into her tight box she purred as her body relaxed. She hugged all of us she could reach so tight that we couldn�t breathe.
As soon as Beth could she dove in for a treat while I continued to make out with Faith until the attention my lovely sister-wife was giving her sent her over again.
Afterwards, we sandwiched Faith as she told us through misty eyes that she had never had an orgasm of any kind until today. She thought that maybe it was because she had never had sex when she wasn�t high before but wasn�t sure.
Beth kissed her tenderly and said it was more likely the company. As soon as she had recovered we proceeded to give Tina the same treatment. We finally dozed off after Connie�s turn with Faith snugly ensconced amidst us.
When I woke up I could hardly breathe. Faith was hugging me as if her life would end if she let go and was quietly crying with her face buried in my shoulder.
I lifted her head and kissed her tenderly as she explained �I�m sorry, it�s just that it felt so nice to wake up with all of you.�
When Tina opened her eyes Faith was rocking gently on my morning erection. She faked a pout at her loss and commented �I guess the early bird really does get the worm� before waking the others with a kiss.
I lasted through two of Faith�s tremblers but when I heard the girls beside us start to moan in ecstasy I launched a morning load, setting Faith off again. We still had plenty of time for a shower and quick breakfast before heading for school.
Kathy, Lin, Rhonda, Paula, Nina, Gene, George, and Adam all were waiting in the driveway. Introductions were exchanged before we got to explain what happened yesterday and Kathy informed us that under no circumstances were any of us to be alone at any time.
She didn�t believe anyone except Faith and I would be in danger but wasn�t taking chances because it was well known who my closest friends were. In addition to that she told us that we were to stay close to, but not in, crowds.
I appreciated the fact that she took her job so seriously. I couldn�t think of anything Kathy had overlooked and told her so with a kiss and thank you. It turned out to not be necessary today.
No one actually knew what happened to them but they had been seen following Faith yesterday. Since she was obviously part of our group today there were suspicions enough that Faith and I were summoned to the office during study hall.
Sometimes I wish that I could lie. I could bring myself to do it before but not since I came back. I believe the principal was shocked when I gave him a complete account of what had happened. I was a bit disturbed when he wanted a police report filled out until he said it was more for the attack on Faith than my defense of her.
Something made me ask him to request either Jack Young or Judy Welch. If they weren�t available I suggested (yes, that way) he mention I was involved.
Barely ten minutes had passed before Jack and Judy walked into the office. I shook their hands and thanked them for coming before making introductions.
They took the report and I noticed both were fighting to keep a serious expression plastered on their faces. Finally Jack just couldn�t do it anymore and a broad grin broke out on his face. �We should deputize this guy Judy� he said to his partner �I like the way he operates.�
She agreed and added �that�s two he�s helped now. I wonder if he'll adopt this one.�
She looked at Faith and said �you�re lucky Matt was passing by young lady. We know those two creeps and suspect you wouldn�t have been their first victim. On a brighter note, we can add attempted rape and assault to the possession charge that was filed when we found the drugs on them at the ER. That already violated their probation so they�re looking at twenty years. They'll be tried as adults since they're both eighteen.�
Jack added that we should have called to report the incident as soon as we got home. He made me promise that in the future I would.
We found out that the two thugs were in the hospital. One had a concussion and a broken jaw that was wired shut. The other had three broken ribs, a broken nose, a blowout fracture of his left orbital bone, and a few missing teeth.
Jack and Judy were impressed at my thoroughness. Faith asked to speak with Judy and Gail with no one else present and they were shown to the counselor�s office.
I didn�t know what was up but under the tears she had a very determined look on her face. We waited for them while killing time talking about the advanced classes and sports.
Principal Anders surprised me by asking how many people were in both officers� families before pulling athletic passes from his desk for all of them.
When Judy returned the two officers stayed only long enough for her to thank Mr. Anders for the passes and remark that her two sons would probably want to see every game.
Faith and I got passes to head back to class but before we parted ways she confided �I ratted my own parents out Matt. Somehow I don�t feel bad about it. I keep thinking of not only how they screwed my life up but how many kids they sold that crap to. I hope your folks were serious about letting me stay at your house because I don�t have one anymore.�
I smiled and suggested that if she had any doubts she should ask Beth, Tina or Kathy how serious they were.
I had a crowd watching me at practice that day after school. Evidently Kathy�s suggestion had been taken seriously.
I had drafted some of the guys on the team to keep an eye on Faith for us since she wasn�t in any of the classes we were. I had more volunteers than I needed for the job and felt confident in her safety.
As soon as we got home we discovered that there was a message from Judy for us to call her. Faith made the call and found out her parents had been busted by an undercover cop making a buy.
During the search they found marijuana, cocaine, acid, and various other narcotics. She suggested that we meet her and Jack there at five so Faith could get whatever she needed while she could.
Faith seemed numb but my parents soon had her feeling a bit better. Afterwards, we showed her the apartment she would be staying in thinking it would help even more. We were wrong.
When she realized it was hers alone she burst into tears. "I knew it!" She sobbed. "You don't really want me around!"
That took a while but eventually she was convinced that we would rather have her stay in our room but thought she might like her own place. We did an about-face and got her settled in with us.
She seemed embarrassed at first when we got to her old house to get her things because it was so dirty and shabby. Tina worked wonders as she explained how much it resembled her previous home and how wonderful the difference in her new place was.
Our two friends on the force were off duty and helped us move everything. After the one trip it took my parents decided that the acquisition of yet another daughter required a shopping trip and party. They invited everyone over for a barbeque and swim on Saturday.
Both officers assured me they would be at the game Friday with their families and some friends. My usual fan base promised them good seats.
Several would get to the game before the gates opened and staked out an entire section for the others. Mom pulled the girls and me aside to tell us that the shopping trip for Faith was planned for the following day. She hadn�t mentioned it but Faith�s wardrobe left a lot to be desired.
The load they showed up with was huge. A second trip was made to the grocery to get supplies for the party. The rest of the evening was spent helping to organize her new things.
She was having trouble dealing with all the changes in her life. We fell asleep with her cuddled between us and a contented smile on her face. Evidently she had problems sleeping because I awakened to the smell of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon.
The sight of the beautiful nude bodies still in bed was tempting but I didn�t want to be rude so we headed for the kitchen.
We asked Faith if she had slept well and she assured us that she had. She was an early riser like me and usually didn�t get much sleep anyway at her house. She had also done all the cooking if there was food in her house and it showed. Breakfast was really good. Almost as good as the shower before we got dressed.
We seemed to be picking up some groupies at school. I noticed several kids always seemed to be wherever we were. After asking some questions we found out that they were staying close for protection. This was the group that just naturally attracted bullies and assholes.
On the male side most were nerds or just skinny (or fat) kids who looked like easy marks. The girls were a varied lot but it also boiled down to appearance or intelligence. Some were those who had developed early and were tired of being groped or hit on and others were in the fat or skinny and plain group like the guys.
A couple of them were like Faith. They made the mistake of falling in with the wrong crowd and wanted to escape. They figured the only way to do that was through us. We didn�t mind, and invited them to join us both at the game and at our place Saturday.
The first football game of the season was a blast. I got a bit carried away during the half that I played. The coach had warned us that this team was tough but it sure didn�t show. We not only scored every time we had the ball, we took it away from them when they had it.
I played one half and had four touchdowns. One of them was on defense. I also had five sacks and a fumble recovery.
Jeff was a great quarterback and seemed to like throwing to the tight end (me). The second string played the entire second half. When they took the field after halftime the score was 41-0. When the game ended it was 63-0. Aleksandr was complaining because all he ever had to do was kick extra points. Danil had caught two touchdown passes.
The party was great and I was pleased to see that the extra people we had invited weren�t ignored. I believe every one of them left with three times as many friends as they arrived with.
We had invited Sensei Timmons and his family and looked like his classes would be more than full this year. Many of our new friends signed up as soon as they found out he had taught us.
I was pleased when he expressed his pleasure at how we had used what we had learned to defend others. His wife spent most of the evening with the Japanese exchange students. It must have been nice to speak her native language with people who could relate.
I was left alone Sunday afternoon and decided to take advantage of the situation. I loved to escape now and then and walk through the woods down by the river. It seemed to both relax me and help me come up with new ideas. Maybe I was just daydreaming but more than likely I was just stupid.
Those thoughts and more went through my mind when I felt a sensation like something huge had kicked me in the chest followed by the unmistakable sound of a large caliber rifle report.
I was down and obviously hit hard. I figured out pretty quick that I had been shot and almost as quickly that I was in serious trouble. No one knew I was here and I was far enough into the woods that I knew the shot probably hadn�t been heard.
I started to check the damage when another sound registered. Someone was running up the trail towards me. I turned my head and saw a girl I vaguely recognized start to kneel next to me before collapsing across my body. I heard another shot and realized that whoever was out to get me didn�t care how many people he had to kill to make sure I was dead.
I couldn�t let the person who tried to help me die for being a Good Samaritan. I thought I�d be ok for a bit so I checked her out before seeing what I could do about myself. I was very glad I had made that decision when I discovered that the shot had nicked her heart.
As I began to work I could have sworn I heard a blood-curdling scream but managed to keep my concentration. A few minutes later I heard a loud whistle immediately followed by running footsteps. I looked up and saw Kathy kneeling towards us just before everything went dark.
I had no idea how long I was out. I remembered a voice that seemed to be giving me instructions. They were quite insistent and very threatening so I figured �what the hell?� and did what she said.
Eventually I opened my eyes and tried to look around. I seemed to have a lot of tubes and stuff attached to me. Some were in my arm and another was down my throat. Other than the discomfort of the attachments I didn�t feel too bad.
A lot of noise started as soon as I had opened my eyes and I looked around to see what all the excitement was about. I noticed my parents, Beth, Connie, and Tina first but there were others.
Someone was yelling for a doctor. It came back to me then and I desperately wanted to talk. Unfortunately with the stupid tube in my throat I couldn�t.
I raised my left hand and pointed at the damn thing, hoping the message would get through. A new arrival in a white lab coat noticed and I heard him asking somebody questions. It was a while before I realized that he was talking to me. After wondering for a bit just how the hell he thought I was going to answer him his words registered.
He had me move various parts of my anatomy and listened to different parts of my body with a frozen stethoscope before shooing everybody out of the room and calling for a nurse.
He seemed excited as they removed the garden hose from my throat. �How do you feel?� was his first question.
I tried to answer but all I heard was a croak. The nurse gave me a sip of water and that seemed to help. I told him I was fine and asked about the girl who had been shot.
The asshole acted like he hadn�t heard me. He seemed a little surprised when I grabbed him by the collar to pull him closer and ask again.
�Relax!� he said �she�s in ICU at the moment and they�re doing everything they can for her.�
I let him remove my hands and asked him about me. �We thought we were going to lose you� he said with a sigh �by all rights we should have. You were shot in the left side of your chest. It missed the heart but broke a rib and went through your lung. It passed through completely so at least we didn�t have to extract it. You lost a lot of blood and if your friend hadn�t been close you would have certainly bled to death before you were found. Much the same happened to the girl that was found with you. We�re still not sure how the bullet missed her heart. The guess is that it was deflected by her ribs. She also lost a lot of blood.
I asked to see my wife, parents, and sisters alone and he was smart enough to let me.
When they rushed in, and after I had pried Tina and Connie off I asked Kathy who it had been. �That asshole Derek� she growled �but he won�t be doing it again. I had to wait until Gene gave the all clear before I could help you.�
I pulled her down for a kiss �thanks, Val� I said with a smile �you really are a life-saver!� before asking �was that Terri McCullough who got shot?� At the affirmative, I asked how she was.
Tina told me they didn�t expect her to make it through the night and I growled �fuck that! She will pull through.� I asked what time it was (and day). I had only been out a few hours.
I looked at my parents �you may have trouble believing this but I�m fine. There will be a scar for the entry and exit wounds when they remove the bandages but they�re healed. The doc will freak when he sees it so I need to work fast. They�ll be running everybody out soon but I need two helpers. I�ll convince whoever I need to that it�s a good idea. As soon as the lights go out I�ll need a wheelchair. The healing took a lot of energy and I�m probably going to be a bit wobbly for a day or so, especially after I do what I need to. I filled them in on my plans and they hugged me before leaving. To their credit, they didn't even try to talk me out of it.
To avoid a fight all the girls stayed and I had them hide in the bathroom until things settled down. While waiting, I finished some ugly details in my chest area.
With their support I made it to the nurse�s station and with a strong suggestion that they needed to check a room down the hall we were able to commandeer a chair.
Tina wheeled me into a storage area and the girls borrowed a couple of sets of scrubs so they�d attract less attention before we proceeded to ICU. It was harder to sneak by the desk there but I managed to cause a distraction by having a nurse spill her coffee and when both nurses dropped out of sight to clean up the mess we zipped by quietly.
We spent quite a bit of time by Terri�s bed and I was very glad we had made the trip. I had only repaired the damage to her heart before I passed out and there was a lot more damage than that. One lung was badly damaged and she had lost a very large amount of blood. She was in a coma and might not have lasted until morning.
By the time we left I was pretty sure she would be in a regular room tomorrow. I made my accomplices promise to suggest she share mine. We didn�t bother sneaking back. The girls dumped the scrubs and we walked calmly past both nurses stations. We got some surprised looks but no comments.
A nurse dropped by to change my bandages at 7:30 in the morning. She warned me that it would probably hurt and asked me if I wanted anything for pain.
I checked her badge and smiled, saying �I�ll be fine, but can you keep a secret Theresa?�
She gave me a funny look and said �you�re awful chipper for a guy that got shot twelve hours ago, but yeah I can keep my trap shut. Why do you ask?�
I waved her closer and explained �I�m a really fast healer you see, and I would prefer that the doctor not know that I didn�t have those unsightly holes in my body any more just yet. If you could postpone passing that bit of information along until tomorrow I would appreciate it.�
She shook her head and said �did somebody already give you some morphine? You must be hallucinating. I put these bandages on you and that exit wound was pretty big. You�re going to be here a while.�
I suppose she had been talking to distract me. She had been removing the dressing as she talked. When the puckered scar was uncovered, she let out a yelp and whispered �what the shit?� and rolled me on my side to take the one off of the exit wound. It had been larger, so the scar was too. I could have done away with them but some perverse side of me wanted to keep them as a reminder that I had better watch my ass from now on.
The nurse gawked at me like I was an alien and I laughed �I said I healed fast didn�t I? I�m sure you can appreciate my wanting to put off any questions.�
She sputtered �wait a minute! Where�s the chest tube? That�s gone, too!�
I shushed her and whispered �under the mattress. I�m hoping nobody else notices. I know you must be new and I don�t want to get you in trouble or anything but this is important.�
She got huffy then �what do you mean I must be new? I�ve been here ten years, buster!�
I gawked at her and said �what were you, like twelve years old or something when you graduated college? You must have been a child prodigy because you can�t be more than 20 years old!�
She had a pretty blush to go with the rest of her. She was one of those �girl next door� types. In fact, she bore a striking resemblance to Dawn Wells from Gilligan�s Island.
�I�ll have you know that I�m 34 years old, but thanks anyway. I�ll play along for now since I have no idea what the hell�s going on anyway. They�d have to see it to believe it and then they�d shit their pants.�
I had one more question �could you do me a favor and make sure the girl who came in with me is being put in this room? I really need to talk to her.�
The nurse got a sad look and explained �If that poor girl is still with us she�s in ICU and will be for a long time. I�m afraid they don�t expect her to make it.�
About that time another bed was wheeled into the room with a pretty little smiling girl sitting in it. I waved and said �Terri! You don�t know how glad I am to see you!�
Terri was one of the students I tutored in study hall. I had been trying to get her to quit because she really didn�t need any help but she was adamant about continuing.
�Matt!� she exclaimed �I�m so glad you�re alright, I thought you were dead!�
I chuckled �it takes a person of a lot higher caliber to do me in sweetie.�
I was fond of Terri, maybe because she looked so much like Tina and was outgoing like Jackie. It was as if she were the two combined. Tina never blushed like that though.
�I can�t believe they put me in this room! I asked them to and they said you asked them to, and then your parents, Tina, and everybody else practically demanded that they put me here.�
When the nurses stopped laughing, the doctor stood with a perplexed look on his face. He asked if our parents were here (they were) and had them brought in. The dick tried to keep Connie out until he found out she was my wife.
When everyone was seated he completely ignored the patients and addressed the �adults� �I can�t explain the miraculous progress these two have made. We had to bring Terri back twice before she stabilized. Matt should still be unconscious but I had three nurses tell me he was wandering the halls in a wheelchair last night. As it is, I expect both of them will be released in a couple of weeks.�
He started to go on but I interrupted. �Doctor, I need to speak to my family alone for a moment.� He tried to ignore me, and my folks got almost as pissed as I was. �Perhaps you have a hearing problem, doctor. My son asked to speak to us alone. Please leave� dad said. He left in a huff and my folks asked what was up.
I turned to Terri�s parents. �First, I want to say to Mr. and Mrs. McCulloch that they have an amazing daughter, but I�m sure they already know that.�
They smiled and assured me that they did but I went on �not only is she intelligent and brave, she�s a good person, and I�m glad I know her. I hope when we get out of here all of you can make it over to our house to celebrate. The reason I wanted doctor Strangelove out of here is that I want a new physician. I can�t stand that guy. As for being here two weeks, he can kiss my left rear cheek. I�ve got a game Friday and I am going to play. I�m sure we can get my family and friends to save seats for one of my heroes and her parents too. Speaking of which, where are my other sisters and my brother?�
Mom smiled and told me she�d get them �I think Kathy�s about to hurt somebody out there anyway and Faith is beside herself. Al is still on the way here� she added.
When she brought them in, I motioned to Kathy �here�s one of the other heroes. If it wasn�t for my sister and Gene we�d both be dead.
Terri�s father spoke for the first time �Officer Welch told us what happened and the bizarre reason why.� He had tears in his eyes when he turned to Kathy �if there is ever anything we can do for you young lady all you have to do is ask.�
Kathy demonstrated a rare blush and told them she was just glad they had decided to go for a walk at the same time Terri and I had.
Mr. McCulloch looked at his daughter and said they would discuss what she was doing wandering around alone in the woods later.
Visiting hours were hectic. Everybody either of us knew showed up, including the entire football and baseball teams along with most of the tutoring group. Two waiting rooms were full of people anxious to see us. I was almost glad when they had to go.
Before he got away, I whispered to Gene �what did you do to him? I�ve never heard a scream quite like that.�
He glanced around at how close other people were standing and leaned closer. �I didn�t do a thing, Matt. He is most definitely not a threat anymore but I�ll tell you when you get home, OK?�
I was more curious than ever but let it slide since they were rushing everyone off. There were a few wary looks from the other side of the room when several girls lined up to kiss me goodbye.
After we were alone Terri grumbled �no fair! You have umpteen gazillion girls kissing you and all I get is my parents!�
I smiled and told her I�d be happy to kiss her if she would let me. She opened her arms and said �If you could get out of that bed and over here I might not let you get away!�
She had a shocked look on her face when I calmly swung my legs onto the floor and walked over to her. She kept her arms out though, at least until our lips met. She wrapped them around me tight and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. I guess for us there almost wasn�t.
The tongue surprised me but I let mine join it. I wasn�t sure where this was going but I had a pretty good idea where she wanted it to end up.
I had other ideas and when I had the chance I ended our embrace. She looked disappointed and confessed that she had followed me Sunday to try and get me alone. I told her that she was very pretty and I liked her a lot but kissing was as far as I could go. I was married now and fidelity had to start somewhere.
I didn�t bother to mention the other women in my life. I�m pretty sure she wouldn�t understand the situation. I wanted to try and limit myself to other returnees. My only concession was to lay with her and hold her until she went to sleep before gently disengaging and returning to my own bed.
After breakfast it was time for entertainment. A cute dark haired nurse informed me it was time for my sponge bath as she closed the curtains.
I tried to tell her I was perfectly able to take a shower but she scowled and said �and deprive me of my fun? You�re crazy. We drew straws to see who would have the pleasure of bathing the miracle man and I won.�
I offered to let her wash by back in the shower instead and she flushed and said �that would be more fun but not enough to get fired for.�
I managed to stay limp until she started on the equipment but no longer. She had very nice hands.
She looked at me and cooed �I should have taken you up on that offer. You really are a miracle man aren�t you?�
By the time she was done I was regretting my resolution to be ethical. It wouldn�t have taken much to convince her to finish what she started.
By the time she was done and made sure I was dressed, visiting hours had started. I was only allowed four at a time but I convinced the nurse to ignore that since there were so many. I asked her to send in my parents, Tina, Adam, and Kathy.
When they got settled I told them I had a thought before I went to sleep and wanted to run it past them. �Do you think it�d feasible to develop a weapon that would be capable of producing an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to disable an engine or fry a guidance system but be light enough to mount on a plane or an armored personnel carrier?�
Adam gave it some thought before looking at Tina, who was nodding yes. �Sure� he said �but why?�
I smiled and said �what better defense against missiles could there be? It should be easier to hit the target, for one thing. Remember the crap about North Korea, Iran, and others having ballistic missile capability? It wouldn�t do them much good if they lost their guidance and detonating systems as soon as they were launched, would it? Air-to air stuff would be useless against it, too. We could start work on the idea in the morning right after our workout.�
I stopped talking when someone came in and walked to my bed. I had been whispering so Terri couldn�t hear. Mom had just said �what are you talking about? They won�t let you out of here today!�
The latest entrant introduced herself as Dr. Williams. She was an imposing figure at well over six feet tall and was built like the proverbial brick shit house. �As for when I�ll let him go, that remains to be seen. I need to examine him and Miss McCulloch to determine that.�
She shooed the visitors out and started poking and prodding while she asked what seemed like a hundred questions. When she was done she looked at the chart and shook her head. �From the condition this says you were in when you got here I would have said that if you were released today it would have been to the morgue. I don�t know how, but you�re healthier than I am. I�m cutting you loose but I want to see you next week.�
I asked for a complete release from care and she reluctantly agreed (even with help). I was honest with her about my intention of playing football Friday but promised to sit if I had any discomfort. After examining Terri she released her too.
I couldn�t wait to leave, but I had to. No one had believed I would be released and hadn�t brought any clothes. The ones I had when I got here were history. Luckily, there was a clothing store close and mom was back in a half hour with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
I had her pick something up for Terri in case she had the same problem. It was a good thing I had thought about it because her parents arrived empty-handed too. I rode out in a wheelchair (stupid rule) but made the best of the situation by putting Rhonda in my lap. She rode home that way too, even though there was plenty of room.
We all went straight to our place when we got home but promised to be over at the main house after we got reacquainted. It took a couple of hours for us to reach the to be continued point. I would have had more rest in the hospital, but a lot less fun.
As soon as we reached our parents house I was commandeered by Kathy and dragged unresisting to her room. After she finished lecturing me about wandering off alone, she did something very unusual for her. She started to cry.
I held her as I thanked her for watching out for me and promised to be more careful. I asked her to please forgive me and she looked me in the eye. �I�m not crying because I�m mad at you, I�m crying because I almost lost you. I feel like I let everyone down. I�m supposed to be the one looking out for you and this shouldn�t have happened!�
I held her tight and whispered �babe, if it wasn�t for you I�d be dead. You did your job as well as anybody possibly could have. What did happen to Derek, anyway?�
She sniffled and let out a little laugh, saying �you have to hear that from Gene. I�m not sure if I believe him or not�. She opened the door and yelled.
Gene appeared almost immediately and when asked, shook his head. �Damndest thing I�ve ever seen, Matt. It looked like he was running and something hamstrung him. Whatever it was ripped his throat out, too. He was dead when I got to him a few seconds after I heard the scream. Whatever it was, I don�t think I�d want to go wandering around out there anymore.� Kathy seconded that and I reluctantly agreed.
Al was there when we came out. He had started home as soon as he had heard what happened. He greeted me with a hug and an admonition �watch your ass little bro. I�ve got a feeling you only get to come back once.�
I had felt guilty enough but the repetition was getting monotonous. Tina attached herself to my side and we went in the kitchen. The folks had champagne out and poured to celebrate my homecoming (and survival).
Dad passed the glasses out and raised his in salute. �To the Gods� he said �for whom we owe the life of our son. Without their gift he would be lost to us!�
We all drained our glasses and I spoke. �That�s truer than you realize� I informed them �I heard Eir guiding me as I was unconscious and struggling to repair the damage. Without her I wouldn�t have made it.� Of course Dad had to toast her individually then.
�I have a toast of my own to propose" I said. �To Kathy, Gene, and our �mysterious benefactor� Terri and I both owe them our lives.�
That caused a group hug, with a very embarrassed Kathy and Gene in the center. After I had him explain Derek�s demise the next two hours were spent toasting until we were toasted.
When the celebration wound down my companions and I headed for home. I had been worried that I might be in for a long night but my wife and the others who joined us informed me that they just wanted to hold me while they slept.
It was a very nice feeling. The only genuine love I had experienced in my previous life had been from my family. Now it seemed like I had enough inside me for ten people. Hel, the way I was going, I might need it all!
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